I refuse to let this become normal. No matter how many times this happens, it’s completely messed up and we should continue to speak out against it. God of War LaufeyThe so-called Collector Box has been revealed (thanks PushSquare), containing a light-up statue, a 51-card deck and an art book, and… no copies of the game. It’s expected to cost around $130 (the US version hasn’t been announced yet, but the UK version costs £130), so you’ll still have to spend an extra $70 if you want to play the game the box is talking about.
First appearing on the Spanish PlayStation Store, God of War Laufey’s Caja de Coleccionista appears to have leaked early on, before other countries started revealing the same, with the United States yet to disclose. The box contains a resin statue of Faye fighting enemies with her long, sharp sword, complete with purple ribbon, accompanied by lighted blue cubes for maximum gaudiness. There is also a deck of Oracle cards, 51 in total, each with a unique illustration based on Faye’s journey and seemingly capable of Everywhen magic. And finally, there’s the essential “mini artbook”, because for over $100 you can’t expect a full size book. And that’s it. This is a very expensive statuette, deck, and leaflet, and even more ridiculous when you consider that you didn’t actually purchase a copy of the game in the process.
Grand Theft Nightclub
Of course, God of War LaufeyThe deal seems quite reasonable compared to Rockstar’s reveal of a $400 price tag. GTA6 collector’s edition which is also not included with the game. But the practice remains absolutely ridiculous given the difference between putting a piece of paper on which a code is printed. Given that the items in the box can’t cost much more to produce than about $60 at a time, it’s pretty sinister that they’re not there by default, even putting aside their inherent weirdness. And unlike GTA6, Laufey gets a physical version.
What makes the situation even stranger is the debacle that occurred during the last God of Warliberation. 2023 Ragnarok had two different (much better) special editions, the Collector’s Edition and the Jötnar Edition, both of which were supposed to come with a download code for the full game and, inexplicably, a Steelbook display case that didn’t contain a disc. The situation got worse when people discovered that the download code had not been included. It was at least an error that Sony was working to resolve, but three years later the absence is now entirely deliberate.
As for why this is happening, one possible reason is cost cutting. If you sell the game on multiple consoles, you need to produce multiple versions of the Collector’s Edition, which means different SKUs, different box designs, etc. Except, Laufey is a PS5 exclusive, so this doesn’t apply at all. It just seems like an exercise in finding out what you can do and still make money. At least the box doesn’t have a disk case so I don’t have to put a disk in it this time, I guess.
Gn tech
