preowned games Archives

Avalanche: Games Get Traded In Because They’re Too Short

Ben-Dutka June 17, 2013 Archive 23 Comments

The used games debate continues to rage, but Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios is more interested in why people trade in games.

Studio founder Christofer Sundberg told Edge that if games were longer, they wouldn't be returned to retailers quite as often:

"I'm sure it's been an issue but that's because games have been too short. I mean, when you can play a game through from 8 to 10 hours, I would return the game too, because there's no reason for players to play it again."

Sundberg cited Just Cause 2 as still having "hundreds of thousands of daily players," even though it was launched well over three years ago (March 2010). He added that if the game doesn't offer much in the way of variation, there's no motivation for the player to keep it. He said when he goes into game stores, he usually doesn't find that many used copies of Just Cause titles, which is probably true to some extent.

Okay. But how many copies are you seeing of Bioshock Infinite , Heavy Rain , and the God of War and Uncharted titles? Some of the very best games on earth fall into the 8-10 hour range; in fact, most of them do. And personally, I want to keep my great games, regardless of whether or not I'll play them again. But maybe that's just because I'm a collector.

GameStop: Sony And Microsoft “See The Value” In Used Games

Ben-Dutka May 21, 2013 PS4 35 Comments

Obviously, the used game market isn't going anywhere.

And as GameStop president Tony Bartel told Polygon , trade-in and resell programs have a "clear benefit and value" for gamers everywhere.

Bartel admitted that he was surprised at the news that the Xbox One will require users to pay a small, one-time fee to play second-hand games.

However, he opted to go only with the facts, which is that the next-gen Xbox will indeed play used titles. That's the bottom line. Plus, as about 16 or 17% of new games and DLC are paid for via trade-in credits, the president argues that used games "add residual value." And as for the game manufacturers, Bartel believes that Sony and Microsoft place a fair amount of importance on the pre-owned market:

"I think that if you look at [Sony and Microsoft], both of them have come out and said 'Hey, we're going to support the transfer of games in trade-in and resale.' I think that both of them see the value of that. They understand that consumers put a high value on the ability to transfer games and the ability to get that residual value out of games."

The pre-owned game issue has been a common topic of argument for years. For a while, it was rumored that one (if not both) of the next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft would block used games. Thankfully, that isn't true, but that little fee you must pay with the Xbox One is…interesting. We still have to pay for Xbox Live, right? And Kinect is mandatory? And the hard drive is unremovable? Well, all right then.

Sony Patent Might Stop PS4 From Playing Used Games

John-Shepard January 3, 2013 PS4 84 Comments

It's no secret that video game publishers are none too happy with the used game market, as only the retailer reaps the benefits of pre-owned sales.

That's why we've seen various strides taken by game producers like EA, THQ, and Sony; you're all familiar with the Online Passes that are only included with new copies, right? That's to discourage you from buying a pre-owned copy, because the Pass costs $10 if you have to purchase it separately.

And we've heard rumors before that next generation, console manufacturers might want to completely eliminate even the possibility of playing used games. Now that rumor will start afresh, thanks to information obtained by a NeoGAF forumite citing a recent patent application that could be used for Sony's next-generation machine; it would presumably not allow the playing of used games.

Basically, an RFID ID would be stamped onto the new discs and track the usage history, thereby restricting each disc to playing on one console. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan filed the application last September, but let's not forget that this patent might only result in the restricting of some of the disc's features, such as online play. Yeah, the online pass thing again. And analysts have said it would be stupid for Sony or Microsoft to put out a console that couldn't play used products…not that that would necessarily stop them. They'll do what they want to do.

We'll just have to see what happens when the PS4 is officially announced.

GameStop: “We’re Not Ashamed Of The Pre-Owned Business”

Ben-Dutka August 6, 2012 Archive 33 Comments

The pre-owned video game market has become controversial in a number of different ways. GameStop, a pioneer in the used game market, doesn't apologize for such a lucrative business.

In speaking to Gamasutra , GameStop president Paul Raines revealed that 70% of all income taken from the sale of used games is spent immediately on new titles. And they're also proud of how they've brought pre-owned software to the US High Street. Said Raines:

"We are not ashamed of the pre-owned business and in fact we believe that it's good for the industry. We're really not cannibalizing new game sales. That's a common misconception. The knowledge of how this model helps drive sales really resides at the publisher level.

A lot of our consumers tell us that the pre-owned business has allowed them to learn more about video gaming. There's a disconnect between a lot of the blogosphere and what consumers tell us."

That's not really surprising. And the majority of complaints still center around the fact that developers are struggling, due in part to one big problem: They see no money from the sale of pre-owned games. But Raines still believes in the used game market, and says game makers just don't understand how much it really helps.

We have not been successful in communicating to developers how this business really helps. So my answer to developers is that we are driving growth in a category that needs to grow.

We think there's a real lack of awareness as far as how it's good for the industry. The transparency you're seeing from us is because we want people to know about it, helping people understand what we're trying to do for the industry."

There's a lot of truth there. …of course, we can't really forget that GameStop pulls in $1 billion/year from the sale of pre-owned products. That's worth noting.

Tretton “Totally Opposed” To The PS4 Blocking Used Games

Ben-Dutka May 13, 2012 PS4 34 Comments

The used game war continues, and major industry executives continue to take sides.

While several developers are very much against the idea of pre-owned games, SCEA president Jack Tretton says he's "totally opposed" to a console that blocks used titles.

During a recent Bonus Round episode , Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said he asked Tretton "point-blank" if he'd like to see the PlayStation 4 block pre-owned games. Here's Jack's response:

"For the record, I'm totally opposed to blocking used games. I think it is great for the consumer that they can buy those. We have a customer that buys our console late in the cycle, pays less and is looking for value-priced games. I think it would be anti-consumer for us to do that."

He added that Japan might "think something different," but that's his personal view on the issue. The rumor that the next-generation of consoles would block the playing of pre-owned games began a few months back and although it generated plenty of argument and discussion, most analysts (including Pachter) dismissed it as exceedingly unlikely.

DICE: Blocking Used Games Would Promote Diversity

Ben-Dutka May 2, 2012 Archive 43 Comments

It seems like everyone is weighing in on the used game debate these days.

The latest is interim DICE CEO and Battlefield 3 executive producer Patrick Bach, who in speaking to CVG discussed the pros and cons of a next-generation console that blocks pre-owned games.

On the one hand, Bach says it's a loss if this "only means you'll be able to get fewer games for the same money," but it could also be a good thing, as "a lot of companies making games today are struggling based on second-hand sales." And getting rid of used games may also help promote variety and diversity; Bach argues that a lot of online-based games are very popular as are multiplayer-oriented shooters.

"So on the positive side you could see more games being created because of this, and also more new IPs, because there'd be a bigger market for games that don't have for instance multiplayer. There could be awesome single player-only games, which you can't really do these days because people just pirate them, which is sad.

From a gamer perspective, if you want to buy as many games as possible then this could be a problem, but if you want more diverse games then it's a more positive thing than negative. The only thing I know is that people are not doing it to be evil and stupid, it's about trying to create some benefits for consumers."

There are arguments for both sides and you can bet we'll hear plenty from developers and publishers in the future. However, just bear in mind that most analysts agree that next-gen consoles very likely will not block the playing of pre-owned titles.