The Pokémon community was buzzing with excitement for a major event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: the chance to get a Shiny Koraidon and Miraidon. These distributions are a cornerstone of the fan experience, but what was meant to be a celebration quickly devolved into a digital disaster. Now, in the fallout, GameStop blames The Pokémon Company for the botched Shiny Koraidon & Miraidon event, sparking a corporate blame game.
Widespread Outrage Over Invalid Shiny Codes
The event, hosted by GameStop in the United States and Canada, required players to visit a physical store to receive a code card. However, trainers who made the trip were met with widespread frustration. The codes, the keys to unlocking the shimmering Paldean legends, were overwhelmingly invalid.
Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit were flooded with reports from angry players. Countless screenshots showed the same dreaded error message: “This code has already been used.” A distribution designed to reward the fanbase had turned into a fiasco, leaving thousands empty-handed.
GameStop Points the Finger at The Pokémon Company
In a significant development, sources from within GameStop are now pointing a firm finger directly at The Pokémon Company (TPC). According to reports from store managers and surfaced internal communications, GameStop claims the batch of codes provided to them by TPC was faulty from the start.
Employees have allegedly been instructed to inform disgruntled customers that the issue lies not with GameStop‘s distribution system, but with the master list of codes supplied by the franchise owners. In short, GameStop is washing its hands of the incident, positioning itself as another victim of TPC’s logistical failure.
A Call for Better Distribution Methods
So far, The Pokémon Company has remained silent on the matter, a move that is amplifying community frustration. This incident also reignites the debate about physical, code-based distributions in 2024. While they support brick-and-mortar stores, they are prone to errors, scalping, and, as seen here, massive technical failures.
“Imagine driving 45 minutes in city traffic, only to be handed a piece of cardboard with a useless code,” one user lamented on Reddit, a sentiment echoed by thousands. Fans are rightfully questioning the quality control behind such a high-profile event and calling for a pivot to more reliable online distributions via the in-game Mystery Gift feature.
What’s Next for Disappointed Trainers?
While GameStop is reportedly offering alternative in-store items as a form of damage control, it does little to soothe the sting of missing out on the shiny legendaries. All eyes are now on The Pokémon Company to see how they will rectify this error. The community is hoping for a universal code released online for everyone, which would be the most likely and fair solution.
For a franchise built on “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” fans are starting to feel like all they’re catching is disappointment.
