January 13, 2025, 9:42 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Amazon is currently canceling pre-orders that are almost ten years old. The reason for this is a video game that was never released. TECHBOOK explains the background.
When shopping online, customers can not only order what is currently in stock. The various retailers regularly offer pre-orders for upcoming goods, partly due to the product manufacturers. This usually means that they will be received directly at the start of sales. And for particularly popular items, this guarantees that you will receive the product before it is sold out again. However, this can also backfire from time to time. In one particularly curious case, Amazon is now canceling pre-orders that are almost ten years old.
Focus on the Video Game “Mighty No. 9”
The current Amazon case concerns the video game Mighty No. 9, which was touted as the spiritual successor to the cult series Mega Man at the time. In order for it to be created at all, those responsible used crowdfunding via Kickstarter to cover the production costs. This worked, and in 2016, the title was released for several platforms, including PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U.
However, the game was not well received. The reactions from fans and critics alike were consistently not good, which is why the development studio Comcept, which was primarily responsible, turned its attention to other projects shortly afterward. The studio has belonged to Level 5 since 2017.
Amazon Pre-orders Canceled Due to ‘Mighty No. 9’
The problem: As part of the Kickstarter campaign, supporters were also promised versions of the game for the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita, among others. As the funding was successful at the time, both fans and retailers apparently assumed that the 3DS version, in particular, would be released. This is probably why pre-orders could also be placed on Amazon. As reported by Gamespot, this is said to have worked until 2022.
However, those affected are now reporting online that the shipping giant has finally canceled them. Amazon is said to have sent corresponding notifications to customers because the product is not available. This was preceded by several postponements and later radio silence on the part of the makers.
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3DS Now History
This should come as no surprise to anyone. After all, the Nintendo 3DS was released back in 2011. In 2020, the Japanese company discontinued its production and support. It is not known why Amazon kept pre-orders open for so long despite this. However, the messages from affected fans show that they never canceled their orders because they had hoped to get Mighty No. 9 for the Nintendo 3DS until the very end.