Comic-Con CONFIRMS, Pre-Reg Badge Sale will NOT take place this weekend; introduces Random Waiting Room
The chance for returning San Diego Comic-Con attendees to land those ever-growing precious badges is now, more than ever, in the hands of fate with the introduction of a new Random Waiting Room to be implemented in the forthcoming Pre-Registration Badge Sale, which will NOT take place this weekend, CCI confirmed by website update this evening.
Serving as an additional element to the already updated Waiting Room forms, people wanting to purchase badges will now be selected at random to enter a determined Waiting Room session, irrespective of when they entered the sale process. Comic-Con International is hoping this will put a stop to the massive influx of Con fans who, in sales of recent years, have ‘stormed the gates’ of EPIC Registration on the date of announced sales , bringing the company’s beleaguered servers crashing to a halt.
In a website update today, Comic-Con called the efforts of previous years an ‘everyone-push-a-button-all-at-the-same-time’ model which they felt was ‘extremely problematic’. After reassuring fans that every avenue has been scrutinised and considered, the site announced:
“Working closely with the team at EPIC Registration, Comic-Con has decided to introduce a randomized waiting room. This decision was based on the number of suggestions we received and countless hours trying to find the fairest way to implement changes to what has been a problem plagued process.”
The announcement continues, “During 2014 badge preregistration, prospective attendees will be given a time frame in which they can log in to the EPIC waiting room prior to the badge sale. Once the badge sale begins, everyone who is inside the waiting room will be randomly assigned to a registration session. Your assigned registration session is not tied to the time you entered the waiting room. There is no advantage in arriving early.”
While not strictly a lottery system, this has placed an element of chance into the odds of prospective Badge Holders. Social media was quick to vent its concerns and frustrations at the changes:
Comic-Con looked at the Obamacare and said "Our registration process must be 3 times as frustrating and complicated."
— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) January 28, 2014
@SD_Comic_Con I'm sorry but this just screams to me that for whatever reason, Epic wouldn't upgrade their end to handle the bandwith
— Robert Odum (@Cldstrife) January 27, 2014
Some were also concerned about how late Comic-Con International were leaving the Badge Sales completely – and not just for Comic-Con:
Dear CCI, we're anxious about #SDCC, but @WonderCon is in less than 3 mo. You might want to, y'know…sell tickets. #WonderCon Love, Pink
— Pink Bunny (@pinkbunnyr) January 27, 2014
However, some have welcomed the changes, determined not to face the brutal hit-and-miss and technical worries of previous years:
Randomized entry to the badge sale. What will I do with all my hours spent practicing my fast mouse click? #SDCC #sarcasm
— Miss Malory (@malorybryn) January 28, 2014
In all seriousness, this sounds like an extremely fair way of doing #SDCC badge sales. Good on you @Comic_Con and EPIC!
— Miss Malory (@malorybryn) January 28, 2014
Whatever the changes, they will not be implemented in a Badge Sale THIS WEEKEND, the update confirms; watch his space for the latest news when a date is announced.
What’s everybody’s thoughts on the changes? Do you feel that, as CCI would have us believe, they ‘level the playing field’? Thoughts below, as always.