With some customers waiting over a year for their orders, Strictly Limited Games says “we need to do better” and promises more transparency.
Strictly Limited Games has come under fire for a while for the lengthy delay between ordering and shipping for their products. Now it has unveiled a new plan to combat the problem.
The company, which is owned by Stuttgart-based firm United Games Entertainment, specialises in publishing physical limited editions of “significant and culturally valuable video games”. Its recent releases include collections of the Turrican and Wonder Boy games, as well as relatively obscure titles such as Cannon Dancer, a 1996 arcade game developed by Strider creator Kouichi Yotsui.
However, customers have reported significant delays between ordering and shipping. “Ordered my copy of Ray’z Arcade Chronology in August 2022,” said @american80s on X (Twitter). “Shipping has now been pushed back to 2024… 18 months and counting.” Others reported similar stories. “A 1 ½ year wait time is insane,” said @Microjubei.
In a statement published on its website, Strictly Limited Games first denied rumours that the firm was going bankrupt, before noting the lack of transparency regarding delayed orders. “We are fully aware that our communication hasn’t been the best, to say the least, and hasn’t met our standards,” it said. “We hear you, truly.”
The statement goes on to explain a few of the specific problems behind the delays. The Abarenbo Tengu & Zombie Nation Collectors’ Edition was apparently set back as a result the mask in the collector’s bundle being poor quality, necessitating the need to create a new mould. Another game failed its first-party certification process. Yet another simply took longer than planned.
“To be clear: these are not excuses but insights into certain production issues,” the statement goes on to say. “We need to do better; we want to do better.”
As part of that effort, Strictly Limited is introducing a trial initiative called Speedrun. “With Speedrun, we’ll invest all necessary development efforts upfront to ensure immediate shipping,” the company said. “These releases will be in stock, eliminating the need for pre-orders. We believe this will significantly improve the experience for our loyal customers.”
In addition, Strictly Limited Games has promised more transparency in the future. “We’re currently working on implementing a Production Status feature directly on the Product Detail page,” the statement says. “This will provide you with concrete information on a product’s progress through the production pipeline.”
The statement ends by expressing gratitude towards the community and asking for feedback. “We encourage you to critique us and share your thoughts on how we can improve,” the company says. “Strictly Limited Games is committed to our community, and your support and honest feedback are the foundation of our work.”
Read more: Studio profile: Strictly Limited Games
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