EB Games is no stranger to some controversial practices and the occasional odd promotion. Well, how do you feel about pre-purchasing a game and getting it free for a week—providing you return it for store credit within that time-frame? EB Games Canada offers this very service for the upcoming Haze.

Developers and publishers don’t care much for the used game market. Gamers don’t appreciate the pre-order solicitations, limited stock on many titles, forced hardware bundles…I’m sure there’s more, but EB Games Canada has a new proposition for gamers to consider: pre-purchase games and get them free for a week.

The March flyer for EB Games Canada boasts that if you pre-order Haze, you can play it for a week, bring it in to trade and receive its full value in store credit (minus tax).

Is this an attempt to increase pre-order volume and used stock of the game, or are they working with Ubisoft to drum up sales, hype and word-of-mouth advertising for a title that may need it?

My mind is struggling to consider what may happen in this scenario, but it seems like more people will give Haze a try than might have otherwise. If people like it this could benefit the game, yet EB could be planning to stock up on used copies to then sell for a bigger profit.

Skepticism aside, maybe Ubisoft just thinks it’s doing something nice for its neighbors up north (they’re located in Montreal). There’s no mention of this offer on the EB Games US site.

If you’re curious about Haze, this could be your ticket to check it out. Just remember you’re getting store credit back, not cash.