Along with review controversies and DLC season passes, the one thing nearly every new triple-A video game title now has to have is some sort of collector’s edition. These packages, which can cost anywhere from a few dozen to over one hundred dollars more than the retail price of the game, usually include a few knickknacks, some stickers, a little in-game downloadable content, statues of varying quality, and a steelbook-encased copy of the game itself.
This week Bethesda unveiled a collector’s edition that leaves out one of the most crucial of these elements.
The Wolfenstein: The New Order “Panzerhund Edition” has been listed by the publisher on its online store. The package costs $100 and comes with almost everything expected of a modern collector’s edition.
The Panzerhund Edition comes in a “footlocker-style” box designed to evoke the 1940s. Inside purchasers will find eleven “classified documents” consisting of maps, files, and an x-ray pertaining to the game. Along with that are fourteen postcards, three patches, and some replica dog tags. The requisite 8-inch vinyl statue of a Panzerhund is also included.
A steelbook game case is also part of the package but will be missing a copy of the game. The steelbook will be empty on arrival and players will have to insert their own bought-separately copy of the game to make the package complete.
Only 5,000 copies of the edition will be created.
Bethesda’s reasoning for not including the game in the Panzerhund Edition is that the publisher will be able to ship the collector’s edition to any country without having to worry about the version of the game packed inside. In addition, Bethesda claims that gamers will not have to wait on the larger package before playing the actual game. From the store page:
Keep your pre-order at your favorite retailer and we’ll send you these goodies separately—this way we can ship these boxes worldwide and you’re not stuck waiting for your game to come along with an oversized, expensively shipped box.
Even with this seemingly reasonable explanation for the missing game, it’s clear that Bethesda stands to make even more money from selling the game separately. The Panzerhund Edition is being sold through the publisher’s store for $100 – though the price with the game added is closer to $160.
Image via Bethesda