Disturbing Trend

Below is a paste from the most recent email communication from Gamestop game store...

GameStop Exclusive Super Bowl XLIII Rematch Demo*

While you're waiting for the release of Madden NFL 10, you can relive the Super Bowl in our GameStop-Exclusive Super Bowl XLIII Rematch Demo between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, with four 5-minute quarters! Just reserve Madden NFL 10, and you'll be eligible to receive a code for the demo, while supplies last. The demo should begin in late July, and you should expect to receive your demo code in mid-July.

Wow, if you put $5 down, you are able to receive a code for a demo of the newest Madden game. You are going to get to play the game sometime in August, and now you can use the demo to get some early practice in with the controls to utterly dominate when you receive the full game. Makes a lot of sense.

The purpose of a demo was always to give you just enough of the game to leave you wanting more. You get to play 10-20 minutes of the game, and if the game is good you will go out and rent or buy it. This has worked several times on me (Burnout Paradise, Tiger Woods Golf, and Killzone 2). The demo was a ton of fun, proved that it would be a quality game, and got me to drop my $$.
All of a sudden a demo isn't used to prove how good the game is, it's to reward people who would have bought the game anyway. I really don't understand this from a marketing standpoint. Why not release the demo to the PSN and XBL and maybe have someone beyond hardcore Madden fans pre-order the game. A demo would never get me to pre-order a game.
This may come across as a bit of sour grapes, however I assure you it's not. I am all for rewarding those hardcore fans who pre-order games. Give them something extra...maybe a code to unlock a spcial playbook in Madden, or a special costume in an adventure game, or maybe even an extra car in a racing game.
My issue is that something meant to help move the game based on the quality and build is all of a sudden a gimmick give away. A demo can cause me to want to buy a game, but only before I have to lay down any cash.