Western folk have been gagging for ablack Wiiever since it was announced in Japan eons ago, and ebony lovers seemingly had their wishes granted when a leaked GameStop ad revealed the obsidian waggle box. Far from being pleased to give us this early news, however, the North American retail chain isfurious, sending a rather stern letter to its employees with the warning that retail leaks aren't cool.
Here's what GameStop had to say about the affair:
"As you know, there is a lot of rumor and speculation about various new products and titles launching this year. One of these is the Black Wii. Various blogs and internet sites are raising awareness about this product. Gamestop stores and associates should not proliferate these rumors. Today, you received POP for your windows regarding the Black Wii. Somehow, a picture of this appeared on the internet. It may seem cool to be in the know and feel compelled to share something like this. Nothing can be further from the truth. All activity like this does is hurt our reputation with publishers and manufacturers and potentially hurts our company. Until Nintendo decides to announce THEIR product, there should be no discussion of it with customers, period. If they ask, "It's not appropriate to comment on speculation and rumor" should be the answer. The POP should be secured in the back room and left there until further notice. ANY violation of these will be treated with the most aggressive consequences. I believe strongly in the field organization, but I am as disappointed as I have been in my tenure here in how we are handling this. I am trusting that your professionalism will result in no further issues."
Of course, the major irony here is that GameStop's email about leakages has, itself, been leaked to great comic effect. However, the less funny part is that this email was allegedly sent thanks to a threat from Nintendo to pull all of its products from store shelves. Seems that nobody is happy about this leak in the least. Except for everybody looking forward to a black Wii, of course. Any of you chaps planning on picking it up?
Apr 29, 2010
