Not unlike in any fandom, there are “levels” to how far a fan is willing to go to support their favorite band, franchise, video game, etc. For example, if you’re a sports fan, you might make it “your mission” to go to every home game or even every game itself if you can afford it. If you’re the “biggest fan” of a band, you might try and get every item associated with them, attend every concert you can, and so on. For video gamers, they might get something like Baldur’s Gate 3 Collector’s Edition because they’re so excited about the title that they want all the bonus content they can possibly get.
The good news is that these things are meant to be the “best way to get the game,” as they come loaded with exclusive stuff that will make the purchaser very happy. Just as important, they’re often very limited in the numbers that are made, so if you are able to get one, you’re one of the few who has it. That being said, the problem with that is some people KNOW others will want it and will get it, and then put it on places like eBay for an extremely high amount just to “profit” from certain fans’ desires.
If you can’t tell, that is indeed what happened with the Baldur’s Gate 3 Collector’s Edition, as it was put up online for about 3000 Euros, and that was eventually found out by Michael Douse, who is Larian Studios director of publishing. He called out that scalper and others like it, noting that it wasn’t right for them to do this, as these special editions are meant to “make someone happy, not rich.” You can check out his full statement below:
To be clear, there isn’t anything illegal about what this scalper did; it’s just that this is a “dirty move” to try and get some extra money. Plus, putting it up for that price? Yeah, that’s a really big “I’m a jerk” move, and many will condemn it.
Sadly, this happens quite a bit in the gaming industry and beyond. Just recently, when Sony launched the 30thanniversary special editions of the PS5 and PS5 Pro, they sold out almost instantly, only to be put up on places like eBay for MANY times more than they were actually worth. Yet, some people will inevitably buy them because they want that special edition.
