Capcom fumbles Phoenix Wright pre-orders

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The latest entry into Capcom’s popular courtroom drama series, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations was released for the Nintendo DS on October 23. As with most games from major publishers like Capcom, stores nationwide stocked their shelves with the game almost immediately, and most fans were able to easily obtain a copy and get to sleuthing.

Unless they pre-ordered one from Capcom.

Infendo reader Andrew sent us an interesting email yesterday regarding his pre-order of the new Phoenix Wright. To show support, Andrew placed his pre-order through Capcom directly. Here’s an excerpt from his email:

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And if the active 21-page thread on Capcom’s official bulletin board is any indication, Andrew’s experience is far from an isolated one. It seems Phoenix Wright fans nationwide are demanding justice. Rambunctious ranting and raving had run uninterrupted for more than a month on Capcom’s boards until one of its customer support managers interjected with “good news” last night, informing fans that shipments are finally being sent out.

The Capcom employee also thanked posters for their patience – though there isn’t much to be found in that thread, understandably – and enthusiasm for the game, which broke sales records for Capcom’s online store. He also reiterated the 10% promo code Andrew mentioned in his email, though some frustrated fans feel strongly that the offer is inadequate.

While speaking with a Capcom representative this afternoon, he expressed genuine regret, saying he and his colleagues “feel terrible” about the situation surrounding Trials and Tribulations. He cited mistakes in the allocation of shipments prior to launch as the source of the problem.

“To say we’ve been working overtime on this would be understating it,” he said.

He offered assurance that Capcom is working hard to get copies of the game to those who pre-ordered it. The publisher has recollected press copies and even employees’ personal copies to send to customers. He also expressed hope that this problem wouldn’t leave a “bitter taste in gamers’ mouths,” ruining an otherwise “great game.”

A calmer Andrew emailed Infendo an update this afternoon. Capcom emailed him shortly after he contacted us to let him know the game had finally shipped to customers with a pre-order…one month after its release date.

No word as to whether or not the promised pre-order petite plush will be included.