Developer Says Used-Game Market a Bigger Problem than Piracy

[Blackthornone]

How do they know when a game is "used"?

I can go to best buy and buy a game that is a year and half old, would that be considered used to them?

What about games that are rented?

Make games that have far more replay value and that will be start.

Totally. I usually buy year or two old games when they drop to $20, and have only bought 3 full price games in the last 18 years. Make better games that people want to keep and keep playing, and that will cut down on the secondary market. This is what happens when you have so many games coming out all the time. Very few people can afford to buy every game they want, especially at full price. I have one friend who, back in the day, bought every single game for the NES and Sega Genesis, and Sega CD, and Atari 2600, and Intellivision, and Sega Saturn, ect, When he was 20, he had 1500 games. That's because all he bought was games. He would never sell his games. Most people aren't like him. If these people who make games want to make something that cannot be resold, they should be making toothpaste or something.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

mabey if video games were not so expensive people would go buy these games new instead of used.

Exactly. $64 (After tax) is too much in today's economy for a freaking video game. Hell, I complain about the $43 for a PSP game. If they could knock off $20 it would still net them a profit, and save us some $$. I think $39 for a new game is about a perfect price point.

~~360 games have no excuse for the high pricing either. They're using DVDs for their software and I guarantee they cost maybe $.10 to make. Blu Rays on the other hand are probably a lot more expensive to mass produce.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

the only brand new game I've bought the last couple years was final fantasy XIII. I have halo reach pre ordered in sept.

 

[dr_teng]

~~360 games have no excuse for the high pricing either. They're using DVDs for their software and I guarantee they cost maybe $.10 to make. Blu Rays on the other hand are probably a lot more expensive to mass produce.

The physical replication costs of the game aren't the expensive part, they're basically a non-issue.

They simply charge whatever they think the market will bear, and since the market keeps increasing, they seem right. Pretty ridiculous for a dev to complain about used game sales, but whatever.

 

[Chimera 1]

This is complete BS! The game companies are making a boat load of cash off of initial sales. If a game is sold used, it WAS once sold new. This is how every industry works. Honda does not get a cut from used Honda sales at a Ford dealership. Dreamworks does not get a cut when blockbuster sells the movie used. If game companies want a piece of the used game sales then they need to open up their own stores that will buy and sell their used games. They are trying to double dip. When you sell a game you are selling all the rights to that game back to gamestop. Which means that the rights get passed on to the next purchaser and so on. EA is basically saying that instead of getting an online pass for all their sports titles you have to pay an extra $10 for each title. they have the right to do this but charging extra for online is absolutely wrong. We pay for internet, Xbox Live service and now we have to purchase rights to EA's servers? I think not. I can see Microsoft and Sony both pushing back on this as it will affect their numbers. If you can't play Madden etc online then what is the point in getting Live or the soon to be Premium PSN Network? If EA puts Gamestop out of business then they will also affect their own sales numbers. They shouldn't mess with what is not broken. If EA wants people to stop buying used games then they should shut down the servers to the old games, forcing users to play on the new game servers. I am all for giving freebies when buying new but don't charge a price for online play access when we are already paying for it through Microsoft/Sony (eventually).
If everyone starts charging for online play then we the players will find other means to play together online for free and will forgo paying for Xbox live and PSN. Individuals will create their own servers and host peer to peer matches through system link. Or hack the consoles to bypass xbox live and PSN. the closer the consoles get to being PC's the easier it is to play without paying. Remember it hasn't been that long since we were all playing Halo together without xbox live multiplayer. The game industry needs to remember that as well.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

^^^I hope Microsoft realizes they're going to have to drop their prices on their next console to compete with PSN. Sony's gained a lot of ground with it, and I don't think many people are going to continue paying for something that they can get for free from the competition.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

AH . . .

Reminds of the days when I used to work for EB Games (now GameStop). A new game is delivered by FedEx/UPS to the store on the release date. I'm processing the box and getting the games ready for display/inventory behind the counter. A customer walks in and asks to see the game. I hand him a copy. He looks it over and asks if it just came in today. I tell him yes. He then asks if a used copy came in as well. I tell him that is a great concept of how a publisher should ship new and used copies of a new game the same day it is released.

 

[Fritz]

This is complete BS! The game companies are making a boat load of cash off of initial sales. If a game is sold used, it WAS once sold new. This is how every industry works. Honda does not get a cut from used Honda sales at a Ford dealership. Dreamworks does not get a cut when blockbuster sells the movie used...

[RANT MODE ON]I'll take it a step further. There shouldn't be sales tax on used items either since the original purchaser paid sales tax on the original value, why does the damn government need to take a cut each time[RANT MODE OFF]

 

[jinroh75]

there will always be used games no matter. they should focus on making a better game overall. it sucks to buy a $60-70 game then beat every level and get everything possible within a few days and no replay value. and by the time they release packs or maps for it, there are tons of other new games already out

 

[jonny88]

Exactly. $64 (After tax) is too much in today's economy for a freaking video game. Hell, I complain about the $43 for a PSP game. If they could knock off $20 it would still net them a profit, and save us some $$. I think $39 for a new game is about a perfect price point.

~~360 games have no excuse for the high pricing either. They're using DVDs for their software and I guarantee they cost maybe $.10 to make. Blu Rays on the other hand are probably a lot more expensive to mass produce.

your right 39.99 is the perfect price.and im really sick of microsoft.they sell games for $65 after gst and the games are short then they release DLCs for another $10,they on purpose make games short and then they add the DLCs then charge for xbox live every month,im sick of it.l only buy games l really love other then that l rent and never buy the DLCs.dont tell me these companies need more money.