Call of Duty Ghosts: ShopTo refuses to stock shooter after row with Activision

ShopTo will not sell Call of Duty: Ghosts when it launches later this year, following a dispute with Activision over release dates.

Eurogamer reports that the dispute began as Activision refused the retailer the right to ship Call of Duty games ahead of launch, so that they arrive in time with their release.

Typically, ShopTo would have mailed customers their Call of Duty copy on the Monday or Tuesday so it arrives with gamers on the day of launch, but because Ghosts will launch on a Tuesday this year, the company has decided to boycott the title.

Activision's retail contract for Black Ops 2 - for example - states that copies could not be shipped until a minute after midnight on November 13, the day of launch. This would effectively mean pre-order customers would receive their copy late. Failure to comply with Activision's rules may in some cases result in reluctance to stock with the offending retailer again.

Speaking with the site, ShopTo chief Igor Cipolletta said, "Activision's policy of only allowing e-tailers to despatch one day before release date effectively destroys an e-tailer's pre-order campaign. This has the undesired effect of previously loyal and satisfied customers thinking that, if we can't 'get it right' for one of the biggest games of the year, why should they trust us with any future orders?

"Their friends and acquaintances, by word of mouth and social media, (despite possibly not having ever ordered from us), would see us (and possibly e-tailers as a whole) as unreliable. This despite all the time and hard work my team and the myriad of other publishers put into other titles during the year.

"Of course this Activision policy is not for every title, but due to the volume and fever pitch Call of Duty seems to generate (both positive and negative), it causes the most damage to us."

What do you think about ShopTo's decision, and Activision's policy? Let us know below.