Companies do have to prove their product is valuable when its not a pre-sale - via reviews, popularity, word of mouth etc. If you choose to buy a product when n

Companies do have to prove their product is valuable when its not a pre-sale - via reviews, popularity, word of mouth etc. If you choose to buy a product when none of those signals exist.. well.. expect to get screwed once in a while. The deal is pretty transparent - no one is lying or misrepresenting the good (a promise of a game) being sold, so its on the buyer to exercise judgment on whether to buy it. You are entering a contract to take on some risk in exchange for a better price/bonus features - don't be surprised when that risk materializes occasionally.