Red Dead Redemption 2 Paytm Pre-Orders Cancelled, Here's Why

Unless you were fortunate to get it early, Red Dead Redemption 2's release date is October 26 internationally. Though some countries like the US will be selling it from October 25 while others like the UAE have midnight launches planned for the game. In India however, Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-orders are being cancelled days before release. This isn't the case for those who pre-ordered on Amazon or Flipkart, rather those ordering through Paytm. According to several members of Indian gaming forum IndianVideoGamer, their Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-orders via Paytm have been cancelled with no reason given. On further inspection it was discovered that the Paytm seller for their orders was none other than E-xpress, the game's distributor.

A possible explanation for the cancelation could be the numerous cash backs available via Paytm right now which could eat into the distributor's margin, therefore making pre-order cancellations a more profitable exercise.

However a representative for E-xpress speaking to Gadgets 360 claimed this was a "technical glitch and will be taken care of" and the matter would be resolved soon. Although that doesn't seem to be the case with barely two days for the game to release in India, assuming it makes it here on time.

Prior to this, several customers tipped off Gadgets 360 that the stores they pre-ordered it from had told them that they were given "special instructions from Rockstar" to ship the game on release date only. Red Dead Redemption 2's India distributor is E-xpress and its warehouse is based in Mumbai. What this means is, unless you reside in Mumbai, you may not get the game on time.

As the game is out on a Friday, those outside of Mumbai may get it on Saturday or Monday at the earliest. It doesn't help matters that E-xpress' own game store, Games The Shop has Red Dead Redemption 2 listed for shipping on release day alone. When contacted by Gadgets 360 about this, a representative for E-xpress replied with "no comment".

This development follows gaming blog Kotaku's report on independent game retailers in the US not getting Red Dead Redemption 2 on release day. Incidentally, bigger chains like Gamestop and Best Buy will be selling the game a day prior. In India however, it seems that only specific game stores have been informed of this delay. 

Rockstar has in the past, put in place strict release date restrictions on India. GTA V on PS3 and Xbox 360 for example, was shipped late due to "publisher regulations" at the time. And before this, GTA IV was delayed due to a shortage as India was not a high priority market back then. Judging by the restrictions in place now, it seems little has changed.

There are exceptions however. Other games such as WWE 2K19 for example, released early in India. Instead of being out on October 9, it was on store shelves from October 5 thanks to a street date break in the Middle East. Only if Red Dead Redemption 2 leaks early and Rockstar allows distributors to release the game because of it, is there a slight chance that this may not come to pass. And before you think buying it digitally is the answer, be prepared for a 100GB download, which essentially breaks the FUP of most Indian gamers.

Disclosure: Paytm's parent company One 97 is an investor in Gadgets 360.

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