I don't see the problem. Gamestop would have been screwed either way.
1. They could have not sold the games, but they would have been in trouble with the people that pre-ordered it
Edit: 1.5. They didn't know the cards existed in the first place
2. They could have started selling passes to a competitors service
either one of these would have been bad. Sure I don't like how they didn't tell anyone, but still. They were caught between a rock and a hard place