A mishap at the Square Enix Store has left some of the most dedicated Final Fantasy 16 fans — those who spent $350 on the Collector’s Edition — without their copy of the game well after launch.
In the days leading to June 22, the highly anticipated launch date of Final Fantasy 16, the game’s subreddit grew busier and busier with concerned fans who’d purchased the most elaborate edition of the game.
Only available from the Square Enix Store, the Collector’s Edition includes a massive statue of Ifrit and Phoenix, a set of eight pins, a cloth world map of Valisthea, a steelbook case, and the Blood Sword digital item alongside Final Fantasy 16 itself.
The issue with the Square Enix Store appears multifaceted, though caused in part by the migration to a new system. Reddit user Artuanis said they ordered the game before the Square Enix Store made this back end change, but the new website showed zero evidence of their $350 purchase.
While this wasn’t an issue for the months or weeks ahead of launch, Artuanis still couldn’t see the Collector’s Edition in their purchase history and hadn’t received any shipping updates from Square Enix with just days left. It wasn’t a sole user reporting the issue either, as several replies were made up of people with similar concerns.
“I was charged about a month ago, but [have received] no further shipping information and still can’t see the order on my account since they changed their system,” said one. “I ordered the Collector’s Edition in December and have not gotten any emails yet either,” said another.
Different users appeared to be at different stages of the shipping process. Some hadn’t received any notifications but had received a tracking number, some had received confirmation emails but no tracking number, some had received both, and some had received neither.
Just as bad for some users was getting all the relevant information but with shipping estimates for well after launch. “Square Enix Store just updated my order this weekend with tracking and UPS isn’t delivering it until Monday,” said Pirateslinky. “For an item I paid the cost of a game in shipping [for], it is insane to me that they would ship it that late.”
Another user shared a similar note on launch day, saying their package still hadn’t shipped and they probably wouldn’t get it until Saturday, two days after launch. Again, several users in the comments replied with similar complaints.
In a world where games are delivered the second they launch through digital downloads, these users expressed their frustration and disappointment at having to wait days longer, made worse by the Square Enix Store being the only place the Collector’s Edition was available.
“For an item I paid the cost of a game in shipping [for], it is insane to me that they would ship it that late.”
“Imagine fighting your way through Square Enix’s terrible e-shop cart system, being stuck on queue for a good hour or two praying your Collector’s Edition went through at cut-throat pricing on top [of a] massive shipping fee, only to see it being behind in delivery schedule,” said Ryanlt234. “Typical day in shopping experience with Square Enix Store”
Square Enix failed to respond to IGN’s request for comment in time for publication.
The publisher certainly put a lot of effort into promoting the game, putting Final Fantasy 16’s signature sword on display in the Tower of London as a marketing stunt. Players who tried the demo ahead of time also grew obsessed with a new feature called Active Time Lore and are calling for it to be an industry standard going forward.
Hopefully making it worth the wait for these players, IGN gave Final Fantasy 16 a 9/10 in our review. “Featuring fast, reflex driven, action heavy combat, Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a departure from what fans may expect out of a Final Fantasy game, but its excellent story, characters, and world building are right up there with the best the series has to offer, and the innovative Active Time Lore feature should set a new standard for how lengthy, story-heavy games keep players invested in its world.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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