Earlier today, shoppers on Amazon found the online retailer had begun blocking the purchase of certain games without an Amazon Prime membership. Attempts to purchase games including Grand Theft Auto 5, Rainbow Six Siege, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Fallout 4, and a handful of others were met with a new requirement for Prime membership.
Responding to an inquiry from VideoGamer in regards to the exclusivity, Amazon said, “One of the many benefits of Amazon Prime is access to exclusive selection on a number of great products. Customers who are not Prime members can sign-up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, or they can purchase those items from a Marketplace seller.”
Despite this however, it now appears the Prime membership requirement has been removed. All the games at first affected can again be purchased with or without the membership. Whether this was a reaction to the vocal backlash to the exclusivity or not is unclear.
In January, the online retailer started a new program offering up 20% discounts on all new games for those with a Prime membership. The deal even includes free release day delivery. Today marks the first time this has been extended to making specific products exclusive though.
What do you think of the retailer perhaps making certain games Prime exclusive? Do you already have a Prime membership anyways? Let us know in the comments.