Source: Last week, GameStop called up customers who had preordered Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol for the DS and told them the game was canceled, according to a poster on the NeoGAF message boards.

What we heard: When Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol for the DS was announced at E3 2006, it looked as if Nintendo was ready to make its cute robotic plug-toting automaton into a new franchise. However, the DS game was never positioned as a high-profile release. As the weeks and months dragged on, it seemed DS gamers and even Nintendo forgot about Park Patrol.

The company included the game on its third-quarter release list, and released a handful of screenshots during this year's E3 Media and Business Summit, but it was far from emphasized.

It certainly doesn't bode well for a game when the retailer selling it goes around telling customers the thing's been canceled. Nintendo's initial silence when asked about it didn't brighten the picture, either. However, today the publisher dropped GameSpot a note that reassures those looking forward to the game, and explains why GameStop's preorders were canned.

The official story: "Chibi Robo: Park Patrol will launch October 2. The game, which features an adorable miniature robot who wants to clean up the environment, will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores nationwide."--a Nintendo representative.

Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus.

65 Comments

  • KittyKatLaura12

    Posted Aug 26, 2007 6:03 am PT

    Walmart, eh? That's not going to do any good for the game's sales, but it still looks fun and I plan on getting it.

  • thps48

    Posted Aug 16, 2007 5:37 pm PT

    Why exclusivly at Wal-Mart? That's reeeeeally unusual...

    Like if Codemonkeys was funny or mildly interesting strange...

  • PolaroidAndroid

    Posted Aug 15, 2007 5:43 pm PT

    PolaroidAndroid says: I have never met a robot that wants to clean up the environment. Chibi must be an awesome Robot !

  • innuya

    Posted Aug 11, 2007 9:22 am PT

    sold only at WalMart? Laaame

  • PixyMisao

    Posted Aug 10, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    Nintendo needs to stop doing store exclusives. It sounds silly to say, but if Tenchu DS didn't suck, it's Gamestop exclusivity would have killed it anyway.

    Chibi-Robo for Gamecube was a decent game. But if you make a game about cleaning, having the same messes appear every other day by a somewhat ungrateful family don't do much more than dampen a player's spirits. But at least now I know how my poor mother must've felt cleaning up after us.

  • rynmls

    Posted Aug 10, 2007 5:01 am PT

    what is the reason behind the cancellation of it... hmmmmm

  • Lord_Artix

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 4:59 pm PT

    wild_world_girl:

    I know that it's the second game, but compared to say...Metroid and Zelda, yeah, it's a new franchise.

  • joshuarocker

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 2:38 pm PT

    Only at Walmart. Such a shame. I hope this game sells horribly so that store exclusives don't become the future.

  • bloodcow666

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 11:41 am PT

    whos cares about chibi-robo, u should care more about HALO 3 and RESI 5

  • Agreb91

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 9:29 am PT

    I really don't care to say the least

  • GKBeetle

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 4:50 am PT

    I loved the original game for the Gamecube. It was a lot of fun and had a great sense of style. I hope the DS version is close to being as good.

  • ClaudeLv250

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:59 pm PT

    ONLY at Wal-mart?

    It's a good as dead now.

  • pikmin654

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 9:24 pm PT

    I'll get mine off of GAMEFLY!!! that how I got the original!

  • pikmin654

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 9:21 pm PT

    WALMART!!!!! WHY WALMART!!! ( P.S. I;m Anti-Wal-mart, Those scandalists!)

  • subrosian

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 9:07 pm PT

    Walmart supports censorship, wage-slavery, and the exploitation of humans in slave-like working conditions in other countries. I do not shop at Walmart - so Nintendo has lost my sale on a game It had its moments on the GCN. It was a bit like Toy Story on the N64... Chibi-Robo came too late in the GCN's life-cycle, it was extremely dated - the DS offered a chance to revitalize it. This is essentially, in my eyes, launching into a clearance bin - what an utter waste of a franchise.

  • albedos_shadow

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 8:40 pm PT

    Only available at Wal-Mart? That's a really weird choice... What was Nintendo smoking?

  • AmazoLK

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 7:27 pm PT

    People honestly care about this game? Ha!

  • WINDWAKER1

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 6:09 pm PT

    Wait, Wal-Mart ONLY?!? Wow....over the months, I have lost about 85% of my will for nintendo. I loved the first...

  • holycrowbar

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:58 pm PT

    I just saw ads on TV for this game a week ago in Japan, so it seems to be going strong

    and like alot of people have said before, walmart? ... meh ...

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:56 pm PT

    What kind of self-respecting gamer buys their games from Wal-mart.

  • SuperbGamer

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:39 pm PT

    I'm not much into Chibi Robo myself, but it is a bummer for those who'll have to wait because of the delay. I suppose it's better than buying a half-finished game.

  • Foolio1

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:32 pm PT

    Why Wal-Mart? That's stupid.

  • korn62586

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:24 pm PT

    I want to play this game a lot. But I don't like Wal-Mart very much...

  • sarevokmb

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:21 pm PT

    I guess I won't be buying it. I refuse to buy anything from Walmart.

  • jjharney

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:18 pm PT

    I've been looking forward to this game, but why a Walmart exclusive? It seems odd, unless Nintendo are getting a large financial incentive.

  • dslsd

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:03 pm PT

    WTF, making it Wal-mart exclusive

  • mkurts

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 4:51 pm PT

    That's a real pity ...

  • lamprey263

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 4:35 pm PT

    Walmart is great. When the TV is out and you need your NASCAR fix, you can just show up to Walmart and bet which of two dozen plus morbidly obese people driving the rascals will make it to the counter first.

  • Theman3788

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 4:29 pm PT

    wal-mart only? Thats wierd.... wondered why they decided to go that route...

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 3:19 pm PT

    Thank goodness it's bogus!

  • gigabrowser12

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    Wall mart?
    come on!
    Thos are rarely in canada!
    At least we got some eb games here!

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:57 pm PT

    lol...walmart

  • Donnyp

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:54 pm PT

    meh... it looks stupid.

  • Psygo2

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:51 pm PT

    Had me worried there. From your title it seemed like they wasent going to release it at all.

  • harleyrulesall

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    Why do some people only buy games from walmart? They have nothing there compared to gamestop

  • theclaw135

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:41 pm PT

    The first Chibi Robo also had an unusually long development cycle. I believe that was announced in 2003.

  • coollizy

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:40 pm PT

    I have never been particuarly fond of exclusives... I just want to buy a game! I'm already not liking the fact that each retailer has their own "version" of a given DVD, and I don't like the fact that this trend is starting to crop up with the video game market.

  • DontEatCream

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:25 pm PT

    That is retarded. I work at a Gamestop, and we did receive notice that the game was canceled. Are they telling me that I (or we, collectively) have to re-call every one of the preorder customers and tell them that the game is back on track? What was even the point in the first place? Argh, the stupidity.

  • darkdaej

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:22 pm PT

    What? You don't think Canada has Wal Marts? How very ignorant of you.

    @ cypher_187

    i know there are wal-marts in canada...i just balked at the "nationwide" how ignorant are you that canada is not the 51st US STATE...

  • Questlove711

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:21 pm PT

    Yay Chibi!

  • nini200

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:18 pm PT

    So what I want to know is, If the game IS indeed Cancelled, will the people who preordered the game get their money back?

  • frankeyser

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:18 pm PT

    i loved the original game. it was so different and i loved how all the sound consisted of musical instraments. great use of midi programing. i have been wondering how this ds version would turn out. i find it odd that i will only be able to buy it at wally world. i avoid that place like the plauge!

  • vashkey

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:12 pm PT

    A Wal-Mart exclusive? Strange..

  • Cypher_187

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:10 pm PT

    @darkdaej

    What? You don't think Canada has Wal Marts?
    How very ignorant of you.

  • gnbfd

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:38 pm PT

    wow. what a time for a wal-mart to open 5 minutes away from my house
    too bad I don't want the game

  • NBAmaster30

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    they better not can this or make it Wal Mart only.. I have not Wal Marts near me plus i have been looking forward to this game!

  • cfamgcn

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:32 pm PT

    I think this game can be good... maybe

  • REVOLUTIONfreak

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    Bogus. They just released new screens, didn't they?

  • Spektre41

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    I was'nt a huge fan of the first Chibi-Robo, but it had a nice appeal. I'm rather interested in this one. I hope it's bogus.

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