Epic: Used Game Market Is A Huge Issue, Publishers Exploring Ways To Combat

[x3sphere]

Epic Games president Michael Capps has went on record to say that secondhand sales, or the used game market, is a "huge issue" stunting industry growth. Furthermore, Capps says publishers are conjuring up possible ways to dampen the effect of secondhand sales and encourage individuals to buy new copies of games. One idea being entertained is offering paid DLC free to consumers who purchased the retail version of a certain title.[blockquote2]I

 

[cory1492]

<p>"We don't make any money when someone rents it, and we don't make any money when someone buys it used"
-
As I said elsewhere, they are discounting the initial sales to the rental stores and the people that trade them in - and there are no small amount of rental shops or people who will buy something knowing they can trade it in when they are done but maybe wouldn't have if they couldn't.</p>
<p>If it weren't for rentals/shops there are many bottom of the bucket games that wouldn't sell half as many. They are seriously aiming to shoot themselves in the foot and piss off any fans they have left doing stuff like this and DRM that can kill an OS.</p>

 

[MenaceInc]

you know what,i'm gunna go with the unpopular option and say it's a good thing.
renting a game should be used not to beat a game but to get an idea of how it plays before buying it...to see if you like it.
buying used may save the consumer money but it's a lot of profit for the gamestore selling the copy.leaves nothing to the developer and since used is usually cheaper,most people would be more willing to pay for used than new.
leaves the developers with less money,less incentive to develop more games and is ultimately bad for the industry.

the online idea is a good one i think.the money that way can go directly to the developers that way.....well,almost directly

 

[KingPepper]

<p>Oh here's a novel idea ALL DEVELOPERS OF GAMES, ASK THE PUBLISHERS FOR MORE MONEY, that way we are all happy, better games are developed, we end up buying more games, and the publishers get more money back in there pockets, and so it goes around and around.</p>

 

[Tche]

<p>This is bullshit...

So what? Should General Motors sell now cars with an only-for-first-buyers protection code for ignition in order to promote the selling of new cars? Can you imagine no second-hand market for cars? (and of course that used cars sellers do way more money than GM, ha-ha-ha 9_9' )

That's stupid. I can understand if they are pissed off with piracy, but it is stupid to close the second-hand market of legal copies.

First, that make the games more popular among those without money to get a new copy (without that, the only way is piracy). Do you think GTA or Final Fantasy would be that big without it? Second, who spend time to sell an old copy is generally trying to make money for new copies (and, wait, if the second-hand market is so huge is because a huge amount of games was already sold previously).

Greed, man, just too much greed. They don't even have brains anymore to think beyond the immediately money in front of their eyes =P </p>

 

[MenaceInc]

This is bullshit...

So what? Should General Motors sell now cars with an only-for-first-buyers protection code for ignition in order to promote the selling of new cars? Can you imagine no second-hand market for cars? (and of course that used cars sellers do way more money than GM, ha-ha-ha 9_9' )

That's stupid. I can understand if they are pissed off with piracy, but it is stupid to close the second-hand market of legal copies.

First, that make the games more popular among those without money to get a new copy (without that, the only way is piracy). Do you think GTA or Final Fantasy would be that big without it? Second, who spend time to sell an old copy is generally trying to make money for new copies (and, wait, if the second-hand market is so huge is because a huge amount of games was already sold previously).

Greed, man, just too much greed. They don't even have brains anymore to think beyond the immediately money in front of their eyes =P

car's are a pretty good example i'll be honest.but however, cars are still completely different.

the timescales for games and cars are completely different.you buy a game,you play for a year at most,sometimes only to about 3 months.that means that the game developers have a smaller timeframe to try and develop a game of equal scope and quality.a car on the other hand is a big purchase but it's meant to last.and then there's the issue of having to bring it to a garage for repairs/MOT,putting petrol in it,paying insurance and tax...that's why a 2nd hand market in the car industry can be good since it has all that to back it up.

what is being proposed is something i want to call a "boss tax"...yea,you could buy it and play with it but you couldn't do all you wanted with it....with a car,if you didn't pay tax/whatever,then you could go to jail...not that i'm saying people should go to jail or whatever...haha...god this is a lot of typing....


yea,second hand games are a biiiiig market....but i think there should AT LEAST be a timeframe limit for the trade in....say that you couldn't trade in a game released in the last 6 months.at least then people wouldn't be going into a shop on the first week,see a new and a preowned copy and buy the preowned copy just to save a few quid and give the gamestore more profit.
when i say a few quid too,i mean a few quid.like

 

[mad2112]

<p>I think a good way to combat the used came market is to come out with games that people don't want to get rid of after 2 months.</p>

 

[jeffeulogy]

<p>maybe the companies themselves could take trade-ins rather than allow predators like gamestop to make a fortune exploiting younger gamers. i mean seriously, their trade in values are ridiculously low sometimes as low as $10 on a game they'll price a measly 2 bucks less than a new copy.</p>