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Retailers building to E3 with deep discounts

Online retailers offering preorders on Red Dead Redemption 2, Super Mario Odyssey, more for almost 40% off

Price drops and pre-order promotions are common around the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but this year's discounts are a little steeper than usual, and going live a little earlier. Whether companies are attempting to clear out existing channel or drive preorders for the upcoming lineup, some of them are giving their customers more incentive than usual to part with their money. Here are a few of the more notable promotions we already know of going into the show; it's expected that they will be joined by more offers once the E3 announcements start dropping with Electronic Arts' Saturday press briefing.

While most of the deals are retailer-specific, Sony has packaged up a Days of Play promotion that will see a wide range of US retailers offer recent releases like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Nioh for $40 (33% off), while a new gold-colored PS4 system launches at the temporarily reduced price of $250 (17% off). (The Days of Play promotion is also running in Europe.) For those who prefer digital copies, the promotion will be reflected (and expanded upon) in the online PlayStation Store. On top of that, Sony is offering deals on its PlayStation Plus subscription service, and a promotion that will give $15 in PlayStation Store credit for those who spend at least $100 on content there between now and June 20 if they use a promotional code.

Canadian gamers are also getting deeper-than-usual discounts on physical preorders from a variety of retailers. Walmart was offering a wide range of preorders on upcoming games like Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Death Stranding, God of War, Call of Duty: WW2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny 2, and Star Wars: Battlefront II for $50 (38% off) this morning, though some were soon changed to "out-of-stock." Amazon.ca reflected similar sales, with some omissions (Switch games) and alterations (Destiny 2 on PC was discounted, but not the console versions).

Meanwhile, US retailer GameStop is having a Pro Day promotion for members of its PowerUp Rewards program. The one-day event will see Xbox One titles like Halo Wars 2 and Gears of War 4 sell for $25 (58% off) while select multiplatform games like Overwatch and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Edition sell for less than $30 (at least 50% off).

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Brendan Sinclair

Managing Editor

Brendan joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2012. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he was previously senior news editor at GameSpot in the US.