Aksys "Japan Benefit Sale"

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DarkonJohn

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Just saw this on the Aksys twitter feed:

http://www.aksysgames.com/2011/03/16/japan-benefit-sale/

As most of you, I’m sure, already know, the country of Japan was recently hit by a serious earthquake, followed by an even more devastating tsunami. We decided we wanted to do something to help. Our CEO, Akibo Shieh, had this to say:

The thoughts and prayers of our staff are with the people of Japan. We have many friends, relatives, and business partners who have found themselves suddenly faced with a level of tragedy that most of us can scarcely imagine. The scale of destruction is immense, but we have no doubt that with a combined effort it can be reversed, and every contribution—no matter the size—will play an important part in doing so. We can all play a part in helping Japan overcome this crisis.
With that in mind, we at Aksys Games would like to announce the following sale. It will run from today until March 24th, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to charity efforts in Japan. If you can’t afford to buy anything, spread the word. Together, we can help.

Head to our store to check out the items on sale, or hit the jump for a list.


DS

Laevatein – $19.99 (same price, but now includes plastic folder and artbook)
Princess on Ice – $12.99 (was $15)
River City Soccer Hooligans – $14.99 (was $19.99)
Rockin’ Pretty – $12.99 (was $15)
Super Dodgeball Brawlers – $12.99 (was $15)
theresia – $14.99 (was $20)
World Cup of Pool – $7.99 (was $9.99)
PSP

Blazing Souls Accelate – $29.99 (was $39.99)
Gladiator Begins – $29.99 (was $39.99)
Mimana Iyar Chronicle + CD – $19.99 (was $29.99)
Jikandia + Phone Strap/Cleaner – $34.99 (New!)
PS3

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift + Vol. 1 & 2 of the CD Soundtrack – $29.99 (was $39.99)
Xbox 360

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger + Vol. 1 & 2 of the CD Soundtrack – $19.99 (was $35)
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift + Vol. 1 & 2 of the CD Soundtrack – $29.99 (was $39.99)
Deathsmiles Limited Edition – $29.99 (was $49.99)
Deathsmiles Standard Edition – $19.99 (was $29.99)
Guilty Gear 2: Overture + CD Soundtrack – $14.99 (was $19.99)
Record of Agarest War + Mousepad & Pillow – $39.99 (was $49.99)
Merch

BlazBlue Comic – $12.99 (was $15)

​

Update: Post #47 confirms that the full amount you pay will be donated, not just the profit.
Update: Post $58 confirms that all items in the store are included for donations and the list above are items that are also being discounted.
 
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Took advantage of the offer and brought Deathsmiles for myself, and support the cause at the same time. To offset the deal I'll be donating another $10 for the PSN theme.
 
Nice deal. Deathsmiles LE and BB:CS for me, 59.98 to aid the victims of this tragedy.
Every little bit helps.
Thanks Aksys and OP
 
[quote name='mkelehan']Irrelevant, in my mind. If Japan doesn't ask the Red Cross for help (and I'll bet they will), and Aksys gives their money to the American Red Cross instead of the Japanese Red Cross (and they won't), the money will still go to saving humans. Still a win-win for everyone.[/QUOTE]

Not arguing against the donations just pointing out they may end up somewhere other than Japan ultimately depending on various circumstances :)
 
[quote name='kidrocklive']I was under the assumption that proceeds always meant the amount after their costs of production the single item were covered.[/QUOTE]

Yeah about 100% sure this is the case. It is a great thing for them to be doing but anyone who wants to donate fully and thinks that buying a $30 game and donating $30 are gonna yield the same results should check first.
 
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[quote name='smcmanus1980']Yeah about 100% sure this is the case. It is a great thing for them to be doing but anyone who wants to donate fully and thinks that buying a $30 game and donating $30 are gonna yield the same results should check first.[/QUOTE]

This is what they've said.

[quote name='belisarius']Maybe "proceeds" isn't the right word. What we intend to do is send 100% of every dollar you spend in our store for the next week to Japan to help with earthquake/tsunami relief. In other words, it works like this:

  1. You buy, say, 999, for $35.
  2. We send that $35 to Japan.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='djricekcn']I do like Aksys and this may sound cruel but this sounds like nothing but "trying to get rid of old stock" to me...I mean I understand business can't donate for free for most part for obvious reasons but this one sounds like an excuse to me for some reason =/[/QUOTE]
I bet the people in Japan are going to send that money right back when they find out.

They'll be especially made when they realize that the promotion is actually for EVERYTHING in the Aksys store and not just the "old stock" items, like you seem to think it is.
 
Thanks so much for posting this. My dad was stationed at Yakota Air Force base for 4 years. We lived off base for 2 of the years. The Japanese people always treated us so well. I love Blazblue I love Japan! I wish them a speedy recovery! :)
 
[quote name='djricekcn']I do like Aksys and this may sound cruel but this sounds like nothing but "trying to get rid of old stock" to me...I mean I understand business can't donate for free for most part for obvious reasons but this one sounds like an excuse to me for some reason =/[/QUOTE]

If it were about trying to get rid of old stock, they'd be better off tossing them all in the trash(even though they're great games). They wouldn't get anything, but they wouldn't lose anything more. Since they're donating the full price and not just the profit they're losing additional money on each sale because there are costs involved such as shipping.

I understand where you're coming from though. Most of the time when companies do things like this they just donate a small portion of the profits and really use it to drive up sales and their own profits. Aksys donating the full amount is great, and it shows they really care about the cause.

I picked up Deathsmiles.
 
Just ordered BB:CS (PS3). Didn't notice that the $29.99 also included shipping... even better! Also donated $ through PSN and my work.

A little off-topic, but... Wasn't sure if you noticed, but according to the Aksys forums, there were some issues with the sound quality in the soundtracks, which appear to be the same ones from the BB:CT LE. I don't have the link to the forum but search for BlazBlue and Sountracks and you should find it. Anyway, there are links to three songs from the sountrack in the forum, "Rebellion," "SUSANOOH," and "Marionette Purple."
 
Yay get a game, and donate at the same time! We're winning all over the place. I picked up Record of Agarest War. I already have Deathsmiles LE. I like the face plate for the 360, which I use now! Hope the pillow case and mouse pad work well and feel good! ^.^
 
[quote name='Squarehard']That would be crazy if 100% of all sales went to benefit the earthquake.

It will definitely be great for people who wanted to donate anyways, and now can get something out of it for their good nature.

But how much of it will really go to benefiting the quake, I am still skeptical.

Still though, mighty fine of them to do something like this.[/QUOTE]
Yeah I know, but if all the money went to charity and this deals does amazing they would lose alot of money; and alot of items that could be sold. Great deal though.
 
This is still going on until Thursday. If you haven't read the thread, every penny you spend on anything in the store, sale or not, is donated to charity efforts in Japan.

If you have a 360, you should have Deathsmiles. I've now officially bought it twice.


Thanks, Aksys. ...Now how about bringing us Deathsmiles IIX?
 
[quote name='Bill Mcdougal']I just bought Deathsmiles. :)[/QUOTE]


Okay, now I went back and bought the arcade stick. I didn't realize until I went to buy it that it wasn't just $129.99, but was "$129.99 + Shipping" which is $19.99 shipping charge, but still totally worth it.
 
[quote name='kndy']Embassy of Japan has links to both Japanese and American Red Cross. And yes, win-win for everyone.

Belisarius, I was wondering if there will be replenishments for games like BlazBlue Continuum or what you have for this sale, this is all that was allocated?[/QUOTE]

We've been restocking the stuff that we can, but demand has been...impressive. If something is sold out at this point, it is probably sold out for reals.

[quote name='killerinthesand']Yeah I know, but if all the money went to charity and this deals does amazing they would lose alot of money; and alot of items that could be sold. Great deal though.[/QUOTE]

All of the money is being donated. Every cent you spend in our store through Thursday will be sent to charity.


Also, a note for you guys:
As stated before, the sale will run through Thursday, the 24th of March. What this means is that the sale will end right around the end of our business day (which is ~5 pm, Pacific Time). That means if you start shopping at, say, 4 pm, and don't submit your order until 6, you'll be charged the full price (not the sale price). So if you still want to get something, you should probably do it sooner rather than later.

Also, I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who picked something up. I'm glad to see you buying our games of course, but the response to this sale has been pretty amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to report back later on how much we raised, but so far it's been pretty impressive.
 
Wish these orders had tracking. Or the last email I got says it's untrackable anyway. I wish I knew when my BB would get here.
 
Fantastic "Japan Benefit Sale". I have a friend who lives in Japan right now teaching as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and I was relieved to find out that he was okay. But this made me more aware of those lives that have been dramatically impacted by this disaster and I knew that I wanted to do something.

Thank you, Belisarius for letting us know further details about how all the money being generated from this "Japan Benefit Sale" is being donated to Japanese Earthquake / Tsunami Relief efforts. I went ahead and purchased a copy of Deathsmiles SE (360) and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift + Vol. 1 & 2 CD (360).

One last question though: Does the BlazBlue Arcade Stick (360) also count toward the "Japan Benefit Sale" Donations? I was considering purchasing one before and knowing that all the money generated would go toward a good cause might persuade me.
 
[quote name='EYEL1NER']Wish these orders had tracking. Or the last email I got says it's untrackable anyway. I wish I knew when my BB would get here.[/QUOTE]

They're sent USPS Priority Mail, so generally they should show up 2-3 days after they ship.

[quote name='fei33']Fantastic "Japan Benefit Sale". I have a friend who lives in Japan right now teaching as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and I was relieved to find out that he was okay. But this made me more aware of those lives that have been dramatically impacted by this disaster and I knew that I wanted to do something.

Thank you, Belisarius for letting us know further details about how all the money being generated from this "Japan Benefit Sale" is being donated to Japanese Earthquake / Tsunami Relief efforts. I went ahead and purchased a copy of Deathsmiles SE (360) and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift + Vol. 1 & 2 CD (360).

One last question though: Does the BlazBlue Arcade Stick (360) also count toward the "Japan Benefit Sale" Donations? I was considering purchasing one before and knowing that all the money generated would go toward a good cause might persuade me.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for buying stuff. :) To answer you question, yes, the sticks do count. In fact, everything counts. Any money spent in our store on anything, including items that aren't on sale, will be donated to charity.
 
[quote name='belisarius']They're sent USPS Priority Mail, so generally they should show up 2-3 days after they ship.



Thanks for buying stuff. :) To answer you question, yes, the sticks do count. In fact, everything counts. Any money spent in our store on anything, including items that aren't on sale, will be donated to charity.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for answering all of our questions; it's quite awesome of you.

I ordered the stick myself last night and wouldn't have if it had not been for the donations (would just stick with Hori EX2). I was thrown off guard by the $20 shipping charge, but I went for it anyways (as opposed to $130 shipped free on Amazon), since $20 extra is worth it for all of the money to go to the relief effort. I bought it last night and this morning it's already shipped!
 
[quote name='belisarius']They're sent USPS Priority Mail, so generally they should show up 2-3 days after they ship.



Thanks for buying stuff. :) To answer you question, yes, the sticks do count. In fact, everything counts. Any money spent in our store on anything, including items that aren't on sale, will be donated to charity.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the reply. I went ahead and ordered a stick since you answered my question and confirmed the sticks count toward the "Japan Benefit Sale".

I will admit that I did temporarily balk at the $19.95 shipping and handling, for the same reason as Bill Mcdougal. But the fact that Japan will be receiving either $130 or $150 more in Earthquake / Tsunami Relief Aid was enough to push me over. (I know that you previously mentioned that 100% of the money generated is going to charity, but was uncertain whether that included the shipping and handling charge on larger items).
 
[quote name='fei33']Thank you for the reply. I went ahead and ordered a stick since you answered my question and confirmed the sticks count toward the "Japan Benefit Sale".

I will admit that I did temporarily balk at the $19.95 shipping and handling, for the same reason as Bill Mcdougal. But the fact that Japan will be receiving either $130 or $150 more in Earthquake / Tsunami Relief Aid was enough to push me over. (I know that you previously mentioned that 100% of the money generated is going to charity, but was uncertain whether that included the shipping and handling charge on larger items).[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the BB sticks have a shipping charge because they are significantly heavier than anything else we sell, and consequently cost more to ship. That additional $19.95 will be donated to Japan along with the rest of the money, though.
 
[quote name='belisarius'] That additional $19.95 will be donated to Japan along with the rest of the money, though.[/QUOTE]
That is pretty interesting!

Will there be a final tally of the total donation made to Japan after the sale ends?
 
[quote name='belisarius']Yeah, the BB sticks have a shipping charge because they are significantly heavier than anything else we sell, and consequently cost more to ship. That additional $19.95 will be donated to Japan along with the rest of the money, though.[/QUOTE]

Good to know! :) I understand completely on the shipping cost due to the weight, I was just hoping that the extra $19.95 would go toward charity too.
 
where is Record of Agarest War Zero Limited Edition? I was wondering if theres anything special you get for pre-ordering it vs just pre ordering it on amazons site. (ala NIS's preorder of hyperdimension, Ar tonelico, ect.. you always get an extra something. usually an art book or some cards or something)

Is there no bonus ordering straight through Aksyss? Do they even offer it? I dont see it on the site anywhere
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']where is Record of Agarest War Zero Limited Edition? I was wondering if theres anything special you get for pre-ordering it vs just pre ordering it on amazons site. (ala NIS's preorder of hyperdimension, Ar tonelico, ect.. you always get an extra something. usually an art book or some cards or something)

Is there no bonus ordering straight through Aksyss? Do they even offer it? I dont see it on the site anywhere[/QUOTE]

We don't do pre-orders on our site.
 
[quote name='belisarius']We've been restocking the stuff that we can, but demand has been...impressive. If something is sold out at this point, it is probably sold out for reals.[/QUOTE]

Thanks man! I've been checking each day... I definitely wanted the soundtrack and really wanted the PS3 version but since it's sold out, I went for the XB360 version.

Also, went for the Guilty Gear 2: Overture for the soundtrack as well. I heard there were two soundtracks for this game. Which version of a soundtrack did it come with?
 
[quote name='Kenshindono']so no extra bonus for ordering though you guys then? Just wanted to be sure of that before i pre order from amazon[/QUOTE]
That is correct. You won't be able to buy Zero from us until it's released. So far as I know, there will/would be no bonus for doing so.

[quote name='Borexz']@belisarius
Will you have restock in the BlazBlue folders?[/QUOTE]
No, they are all out. There are no more.

[quote name='kndy']Thanks man! I've been checking each day... I definitely wanted the soundtrack and really wanted the PS3 version but since it's sold out, I went for the XB360 version.

Also, went for the Guilty Gear 2: Overture for the soundtrack as well. I heard there were two soundtracks for this game. Which version of a soundtrack did it come with?[/QUOTE]
To the best of my knowledge, we only ever had a single GG2 soundtrack. There may have been another one in Japan or something, but this is the same one we've always had.
 
I bought over $100 worth of xbox games....and I don't own an xbox! :???:


Oh well, it's for a good cause. And at least I gots a purty purty pillow now.:whee:


Thanks Aksys & belisarius!:applause:
 
i just brought deathsmile and record of agearst wars i wish they had that blazeblue artbook i woulda so totally got it
 
Got my copy of Blazblue: CT and the CDs today, just 2 days after I got the shipping notification. Amazing! Looking forward to playing it when I don't have a million other things to do.

And thanks again to belisarius, you've been great.
 
Everybody, you've GOT to get 999. I just got what I call the Columbo ending last night (officially the "safe" ending), and this game is amazing. The only one I still need to get is the real ending, and another path showed me half of it... I can't imagine this game getting better, but I'm told it just blows your mind at the end. And I feel confident that it will.

I don't think a game has gripped me this hard since Snatcher. And since you get it for FREE by donating $35 to save human lives, you'd be foolish not to. Foolish, I say!
 
[quote name='ryogahibiki']Oh well, it's for a good cause. And at least I gots a purty purty pillow now.:whee:[/QUOTE]
Sorry to burst your bubble, but very likely, NONE of the money Aksys donates will actually be put to use. The Japanese Red Cross and other Japanese non-profits has publicly declared they do not need financial assistance. Of course, the American Red Cross has seen this as a bonanza and is collecting money on their behalf. How much money will the ARC transfer to the JRC? Most likely -- none. The American Red Cross usually gets the lionshare of all public donations for large disasters -- see 9/11, Katrina (70%) -- and sometimes spends hundreds of millions on marketing alone after large disasters to raise funds. The AMR used about 1/5 of the donations it received on 9/11 actually for the crisis. The rest of the money went into their reserves for purposes like paying a $2m severance package to its CEO after she was ousted for the 9/11 scandal (her annual salary before 7 figures). You know what happens when you donate blood to the ARC? They resell it to hospitals at exorbitant prices.

So let's come back to reality -- you're buying games for a console you don't have not because you're contributing to anything but because you're a compulsive videogame hoarder.
 
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[quote name='GuardianE']Are today's proceeds still going to Japan or was yesterday the last day?[/QUOTE]

Ends today at 5pm PDT/8pm EDT.
 
How long does shipping take usually? Just curious because my Blazblue has not arrived yet and I ordered it I think about a week ago. Not complaining at all, just want to make sure it gets here.
 
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