GameStop blames Pokemon Company for botched Scarlet and Violet shiny giveaway: "Not our decision"

A Pokemon giveaway from GameStop that started poorly has somehow managed to get worse. The video games and pop culture retailer is giving out codes for special shiny versions of a couple of Legendary Pokémon, and the only people who’re satisfied right now are scalpers.

It started last week, with the announcement that GameStop would be handing out codes for Shiny Koraidon and Shiny Miraidon, the respective mascots of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, on the Nintendo Switch. These specially colored iterations haven’t been publicly available before now, causing quite the scurry.

Problems arose when it was discovered that these keys came in physical cards rather than through digital means, placing an inherent limit on the number available and making their distribution a complete free-for-all. As you might have guessed, lots who wanted even one were left empty-handed, while resellers could fill their boots on eBay.

Following that, GameStop revealed another wave of codes was on the way, under slightly different criteria. They would now be printed on receipts, but only 50 are available per store. Artificial scarcity is still an issue, and many items are available on eBay for prices ranging from a couple of dollars to $20 or more.

GameStop states there are restricted amounts coming from the Pokémon Company, and it commits to "providing more to fans if Pokémon makes additional codes available." When asked on X/Twitter if this was the company’s choice, GameStop simply responded, "Not our decision."

Onlookers are skeptical, as the shinies are going via different means from country to country. Japan, the Netherlands, and various other countries in Europe all have distinct ways of redeeming the special dragons. However, as of now, this is the situation for GameStop in the US. Catch 'em all, unless you need a code from GameStop.

Pokemon fans revive old, official "Rescue Team" initiative to help players free 23-year-old GBA 'mons from their Gen 3 prisons – and beyond – and get them on Switch