Developer Claims Second-Hand Games Killing Market

[Nerfherder]

The entire console market is built on second hand games.

Why else would you spend R700+ on a game that you could never sell/swap.

Think about Max Paine when it came out... full price then its over in a weekend. That doesn't happen anymore because developers needed to learn a hard lesson about it.

You get simple cheap games on steam for R50 that will last you 100 hours, so your game needs to be really pretty if its old got 8 hours worth of playtime.

 

[Chevron]

I don't know about you guys, but with work and everything else I prefer the shorter games.

Just uncharted 3 took me over a week as well. Coz I also watch series and stuff.

I have no idea how you guys have all the time.

Shorter, better experiences are much more my thing.

That's besides the tonne of platinum games I have. I have never felt the need to buy second hand. Just have some patience for the game you want to go platinum. It's not that hard.

 

[grok]

Secondhand cars are killing the automobile market.
Secondhand cellphones are killing the cellphone market.
Secondhand games are killing the gaming market.

Spot the odd one out!

 

[Zewp]

I don't know about you guys, but with work and everything else I prefer the shorter games.

Just uncharted 3 took me over a week as well. Coz I also watch series and stuff.

I have no idea how you guys have all the time.

Then why slam people for wanting more than one game a month?

I spent between 15 and 20 hours a week on gaming. Needless to say, buying one or even just two short games is not going to work for me.

 

[Nerfherder]

That's besides the tonne of platinum games I have. I have never felt the need to buy second hand. Just have some patience for the game you want to go platinum. It's not that hard.

Wait... hang on. How is that different at all.

Games only go platinum if they do well, if the games shop just sell off the old stock at half price then they are the ones who take the knock. That also kills the market as the owners will be less inclined to stock games they think wont sell.

With second hand games there is potential that the seller will use that money to purchase a brand new game at full price. When you get a game for R100 or R50 the shop is just cutting their losses.

 

[Chevron]

Then why slam people for wanting more than one game a month?

I spent between 15 and 20 hours a week on gaming. Needless to say, buying one or even just two short games is not going to work for me.

Yes, but you can get two-three platinum games for the price of a newly released game.

 

[Chevron]

Wait... hang on. How is that different at all.

Games only go platinum if they do well, if the games shop just sell off the old stock at half price then they are the ones who take the knock. That also kills the market as the owners will be less inclined to stock games they think wont sell.

With second hand games there is potential that the seller will use that money to purchase a brand new game at full price. When you get a game for R100 or R50 the shop is just cutting their losses.

Count the games under R200:

http://www.takealot.com/gaming/all?order=price&direction=asc&platform=PlayStation+3

http://www.takealot.com/gaming/all?order=price&direction=asc&platform=Xbox+360

It's just an entitlement complex.

 

[Nerfherder]

It's just an entitlement complex.

Who doesn't have an entitlement complex ?

Still don't see how it has anything to do with entitlement.

Tell me another thing... where are school kids supposed to get R500-R700 per week to pay for games ?

 

[Chevron]

Secondhand cars are killing the automobile market.
Secondhand cellphones are killing the cellphone market.
Secondhand games are killing the gaming market.

Spot the odd one out!

Cars breakdown, so do cellphones. Games don't wear out, so not the same thing.

Also Nokia doesn't pay hosting fees when you make a call. Neither does Honda when you drive on the road. When you play multiplayer games the publisher has to pay hosting fees every month yet you only paid a once off cost.

 

[Chevron]

Who doesn't have an entitlement complex ?

Still don't see how it has anything to do with entitlement.

Tell me another thing... where are school kids supposed to get R500-R700 per week to pay for games ?

It's an entitlement complex because gaming isn't a right. They can go play soccer or watch tv. Also gaming on a current gen console isn't a right. They can play ps2 games. If they can't afford to game, they do without.

That's why you need to adjust your views slightly. Are you going to tell how is a school kid supposed to afford a Ferrari, or a house?

Games are a luxury. Not a right.

 

[greatwyt]

the sad fact is that many people cant afford the new game prices R599 vs R250 means 2 games instead of one for me, or sometimes even more, unfortunately i can understand publishers want to get paid many times for the same item, we all want more money but its just not feasible for everyone

in anycase i dont think they should complain? they anyway make DLC that requires purchase so they get money from that?

 

[pippa28]

Cars breakdown, so do cellphones. Games don't wear out, so not the same thing.

Also Nokia doesn't pay hosting fees when you make a call. Neither does Honda when you drive on the road. When you play multiplayer games the publisher has to pay hosting fees every month yet you only paid a once off cost.

Imho games do wear out. Cars last longer than games.

Also, the article refers to single player.

 

[Chevron]

the sad fact is that many people cant afford the new game prices R599 vs R250 means 2 games instead of one for me, or sometimes even more, unfortunately i can understand publishers want to get paid many times for the same item, we all want more money but its just not feasible for everyone

in anycase i dont think they should complain? they anyway make DLC that requires purchase so they get money from that?

But it's crap when they do that. FFXIII-2 doesn't even have an ending. You have to PAY for the ending to the game.

This crap with online passes wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for second hand game sales.

 

[Zewp]

Oh please. Second hand sales ain't got a patch on piracy. Second-hand games are nothing more than a convenient excuse for some developers to spew about why their games didn't sell, meanwhile it's actually because their games are plain ****.

The guy quoted in the OP, David Braben? He has quite the history of crying over used game sales. Did you also know he develops ****ty kids games for Kinect and now he wants to blame second hand sales for his games tanking.

Interesting read-up about it from Destructiod.

A quote of particular interest.

He claims publishers are unwilling to greenlight story-driven single-player games. You know, games like L.A. Noire, Alan Wake, or Heavy Rain. All of which have been huge successes. His own game, The Outsider, is struggling to get made, and he blames it on secondhand games.

...

The preowned market has become an excellent scapegoat for unsuccessful studios, especially since there are no definitive numbers backing up their claims. There's only speculation and assumption, which means they can point at something else to escape the many other factors that go into a game's ultimate retail performance. Meanwhile, publishers sell games at high prices, institute anti-consumer practices like online passes and sub-par DLC, then act hurt and confused when such activities weirdly don't harbor undying customer loyalty.

Used games aren't killing single-player experiences. Short-sighted publishers are.

Some more cryfacing from Braben. It would be okay if his arguments made sense, but they don't. They're factually incorrect.


Braben: 'Rawr rawr pre-owned games rawr rawr rawr'

Braben rides the Wahmbulence again

More bitching about pre-owned games from David Braben

 

[pippa28]

Thanks Graal! :thumbup:

 

[ponder]

I can't believe some people are defending this BS. What's next, I can't sell my car, DVD's, BluRays, TVs, Books etc etc etc because it is to the detriment of new sales. Go and get bent!

Why should software have special privileges over other goods.