I have bought the Collector's Edition on PC and therefore I don't get a countdown or anything! I am giving CDPR an extra $200, yet CDPR don't talk to the exclusive distributor and the distributor doesn't talk to CDPR. This means I will be getting my package, probably, on 10th Dec, meaning when I get the key and use it, most others would have already installed their game. You'd think CDPR would ask for a list of CE purchasers as soon as payment is taken, so they can add the game to my account as a pre-order.

Sometimes spending $250 instead of $60 gets you LESS!

I mean... That isn't exclusive to the CE. All people who bought a physical edition will have to wait. But they know that.

Well, between that and PC physical copies have a code, and console physical copies have the game disks, and they BOTH cost £49.99. CDPR are making more profit from the PC copy than the console copy. Even CDPR, it seems, treats PC gamers as second-class citizens now, even though it was PC gamers that bought Witcher 1 in droves that got CDPR going!

AT the moment, I am seriously thinking of cancelling my Collector's Edition and buying the standard edition. AT this precise moment, I would buy on Steam too, to pay CDPR back by making sure they get LESS money!

And this is the reason why you don't get a code in advance. If you got the code already, what would stop you from cancelling your order and getting the game for free? I don't mean you would do it, but plenty of people would.

I think CD Projekt could have handled it better but it would be difficult for them logistically.

Maybe the store you are buying it from would be willing to open the box for you and send you the code before they ship it to you?

I have asked them to send it so I get it on the 9th. But i'll be surprised if they care enough to do it.

it's been this way for every. single. game of theirs- or any major dev. Grow up, and calm down.

Should have bought digital

too true. Also nice to see that there's someone else besides me who's rarely posted in the last 8 + years ;-)

Yea I don't really go on forum as much these days. I'm too busy playing games.

Personally it doesn't bother me too much, at 9 am AEDT on Dec 10th I'll pick up my CE then go home, redeem the code and preload the game, by the time 11am AEDT rolls around the game will have downloaded and then it'll download the Day one patch. So after all is done I probably wont play it until 2pm AEDT and that doesn't bother me. I think you're just being a little too entitled.

Hmmm? Stupid argument.. sorry. There are preLoad Keys for years now and they all have a time limit on such a preload key. It is even simpler, you can make a preLoad Key, that allows you only to download the Version on GoG and then you need the full Version Key to star the decryption on the files. So thats very very easy if you think about it.

Like square enix, who give you a preloadkey for the product even if you buy it on amazon or another reseller. They give this keys to resellers that they give it to the buyer in advance. Even if it is months befor the games arrived. But yes CDP don't think about it and you don't have the physical copy. So Box buyers are second class gamers now.

CDP only must give us the preload files... for the gog installer and all is good... we box people only want to play it as fast as all digital buyer. They only must give us an heavy encrypted installer.

That's a good point. With some extra layers it would be possible to implement this. It just needs to be scam proof because if there is any possibility for abuse, people will abuse. A separate preload key that requires a full key to decrypt would be one method.

If you don't use the "optional" GOG Galaxy you also can't preload the game. Galaxy only, a mod said in another section.
I pre ordered this game in July 2019 and I also have to wait until the 10th to get the files/game as I don't use Galaxy.
Some Digital buyers are invisible too it seems. ;)

From examples I've seen in the past, it seems those that order CE tend to also buy the digital edition so they can play it sooner since CE's tend to show up when most digitals are preloaded or playable.