Free digital Tales of Arise codes are reportedly being given to customers who purchased Tales of Arise Collector's Edition in North America according to an e-mail reportedly sent out by Bandai Namco.
Tales of Arise is the newest game in the long-running Tales franchise, following up on the success of 2016's Tales of Berseria. We got our first look at the game back in 2019 thanks to some screenshots that leaked ahead of an E3 reveal. The game ended up being delayed beyond 2020 and is finally primed to launch in just two days (and as our Tales of Arise review shows, it's a pretty strong entry in the franchise.)
I imagine that plenty of people have pre-ordered the game digitally, but there are also a few diehard fans who have purchased the Tales of Arise Collector's Edition. Unfortunately, it looks like they might not get their physical edition of the game on time. An e-mail reportedly sent out by Bandai Namco, however, appears to show that this company has a solution in mind for the dedicated fans who ponied up the big bucks for a collector's edition.
Why Tales of Arise Collector's Edition Owners Are Reportedly Getting Free Digiital Codes
An e-mail reportedly coming from Bandai Namco was shared on the Tales franchise subreddit. This e-mail explains that there's a chance that players might not get their Tales of Arise Collector's Edition on launch, but Bandai Namco wiill be compensating them by providing a digital code so that they can enjoy the game on day one.
Here's the full text of the reported e-mail:
Dear customer,
Thank you for contacting the Bandai Namco America Online Store Team.
An unforeseen cascade of events caused by the pandemic has led to a worldwide container shortage crisis affecting entire supply chains and shipment delays on a global level.
We regret to announce that this has caused a delay in Tales of Arise Collector's Edition shipment across the North American markets.
For those customers who will be affected by the delay, a digital code of Tales of Arise will be sent to them so they can play on release day, 9/10/2021. Please accept our apology!
If you don't receive your Tales of Arise Collector's Edition on or near September 10th, please wait until following Monday,13th to contact customer support. We are doing our best to ship your Tales of Arise Collector's Edition as soon as possible and monitoring the shipment to you.
Please know that all Tales Of Arise Collector's Edition and Standard Editions have begun the shipment preparation process and therefore we are unable to modify the shipping address for these orders or process any cancellation requests for these items at this time.
Once you receive your tracking information you can then contact the carrier to see if they are able to modify the address and ship the item to the correct address. If ultimately undeliverable your order will be returned to us, please make sure to contact us to process a refund or reshipment depending on stock availability.
Should you wish to cancel, please refuse the delivery of the package so it can directly be returned to us. If you were unable to refuse it, please contact us to help process a return request for you.
Additionally, keep in mind that all pre-order activation codes can be located on your confirmation page but will not be able to be redeemed until the release of the game on September 10th.
Customer satisfaction is very important to us at Bandai Namco Entertainment. We thank you for shopping at Bandai Namco Store and for your support! We apologize in advance for this unfortunate delay.
Best,
EleanaThe Bandai Namco America Online Store Team
Several Redditors in North America confirm that they have received the same e-mail; we've reached out to Bandai Namco to confirm the details of this e-mail and will update this article when we receive a reply.
So, what's the problem? The "worldwide container shortage crisis" mentioned in the e-mail is one of the latest hiccups in the global supply chain. As The Wall Street Journal reports, companies are having a hard time getting their hands on shipping containers.
Production of shipping containers has been ramping up in recent years, but there are "large volumes" of containers that are stuck in ports around the world and therefore can't be used at this point in time. Add to that all of the other problems with shipping over the last year due to the pandemic (and that whole Suez Canal blockage earlier this year) and you have a situation where other companies simply don't have a way to safely send their goods overseas.
While not getting your hands on the Tales of Arise Collector's Edition is certainly disappointing, Bandai Namco seems to be doing the best it can to help players actually enjoy this game when it launches. You can pre-purchase Tales of Arise for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox via its official website starting at $59.99 or your regional equivalent - and it's probably a good idea to get a digital copy of the game this time around. You'll be able to play it when it launches worldwide on September 10, 2021.
What do you think of Bandai Namco's reported solution to shipping issues with the Tales of Arise Collector's Edition? Do you think this new game will live up to its predecessors in the Tales franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
