GameStop's Shiny Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokémon Promotion Continues to Face Issues
In late September, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company revealed a partnered event with the gaming retailer. Until October 15, Glittering versions of the iconic legendary Pokémon from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are being offered at physical GameStop stores in the US and at EB Games in New Zealand and Australia. Involved stores in additional nations such as France and Japan were also included in the campaign.
Early Troubles and Code Shortages
Nonetheless, the promotion got off to a rocky start—enthusiasts reported that their local stores had run out of codes in the days leading up to the giveaway. Now, about halfway through the promotional period, GameStop has replenished codes, but chances are your local store has depleted its stock again.
Due to overwhelming demand, the initial batch of complimentary Shiny Koraidon and Miraidon codes were snapped up rapidly.
Saturday, October 4th, the retailer declared a replenishment of codes on X. Their announcement noted that they had worked with Pokémon's creators to make more codes available, but there is a limitation. "We have received from Pokémon a restricted quantity of codes, approximately 50 per store."
Scalping and Resale Problems
Initially, stores were given fifty codes, though they were rapidly depleted. Even with the event restricting codes to a single code per individual, some online auction posts surfaced with multiple codes for sale. That's remained true for the new round of codes. A prominent response on social media commented, "These codes right?" accompanied by images of online sales for the codes, with at least one having several codes on offer.
Varied Outcomes for Players
Certain fans were able to snag codes during the weekend from their nearby shops, while some had no such luck. "Waiting on 3rd chance now. I contacted my local GameStop. They have no codes left (once more)," a fan remarked, before other players came forward and gave them extra codes for Shiny Koraidon and Shiny Miraidon.
Mystery Surrounding Distribution
Why the Shiny box legendaries were not obtainable via a in-game Tera Raid or distributed digitally via Mystery Gift is still unclear. For now, you'll have to head to your local store and pray they have codes remaining if you want a shiny version of these legendary Pokémon.
