It's hardly the first time a company's sent a game out to die. Sometimes you make an investment, and figure out part way through that this game is a horrible idea (sales-wise), but you're too far committed to just pull the plug, so you just dump it out there and see what sticks.

Certainly what Sega did with Conduit 2...

No, I'm certainly not saying Nintendo are the only company to have done this (far from it).

It's just, the transition from showing it off everywhere under the sun last year and what seemed like a lot of internet hype to this completely under-the-radar launch worldwide has been really jarring.

What if it is just to encourage Digital sales?

The Bombaful 101 .... :(

The Walmart I work at had it on their shelves the day after it's official release date, although the neighboring Target store did not have it. I'll probably pick it up tomorrow.

I don't think they were really showing it off that much, though, were they? It wasn't one of the key titles for the E3 2012 keynote, and was rather glossed over at this year's E3 keynote as well, compared to Bayonetta which is still far out and got a whole new trailer.

Though that would not explain this even then, since this is Xenoblade levels of downplaying that's going on here.

30k wasn't really a 'measly' shipment in the context of its actual sales numbers though.  It's going to take months at least to sell through that in Japan.

I guess I can only hope my target will still have it on Sunday for the sale they are having. If they don't have it I will probably just get it on black friday when there will be some good deals.

Then the joke is on Nintendo because Platinum's games don't generate any kind of sales.

(That hurt me to say. )

Less than 100k LTD?