DICE 2009: GameStop exec defends used game sales

Laughing Target

Well thats up to the taste of each individual. Personally I played through Uncharted about 4 times collecting all the unlockables and treasures (before trophy support was ever added). I have yet to play through it again since trophies were added (same with Fallout 3) but it will give me another playthrough of the game. Galaxy is similar with all the galaxy star things. Same goes for MGS 4 and getting the different designations and colletables. There are ways developers can extend a games longevity regardless if it's single or multiplayer centric. If your one of those gamers who needs a new title every week to stay entertained maybe you won't play through games multiple times even if they have unlockables.

I'm going to get more than $60 out of each game I buy because I am willing to invest time into each game until I know it inside and out.

Perks, unlockables (minigames) & incentives
expansions & DLC
content that can only be acquired by purchasing the title new
co-op or competitive multiplayer
non linear path

i agree with your point, single player isn't a problem if there is incentive to keep playing. That's why i said "short" single-player, which isn't necessarily indicative of sheer length (with Metroid Prime's 8-hour run and all), but its about having more to do than just play the story. Exploration, incentive. BioShock is a good example, as well as the games you mentioned

In a lot of cases, costs actually have gone up that much to merit the $10 price jack. Making a PS360 game such that it is actually a game that people will care about is very, very expensive. They're not all GTAIV, but most of them beat the hell out of the biggest budgets for last-gen and Wii games

isopropyl alcohol, lighter fluid, various commercial glue removers... There's plenty of solvents that will take that off without harming the disc.

Wait a minute.. you bought a used game that you could SEE the price stickers on, and it's somehow their fault that you decided to buy it?

@Jacksons-thanks, but I meant there was sticker on the cover art between the film and the box

@JB87- I don't try ripping off price tags in the store, I usually wait until I get home... Some labels peel off nice and clean, but they used the ones that were meant to stick. like, forever.

"How many new games from 2000 are still being bought?"

It's actually more common than you would think. I understand what your getting at but go onto e-bay and look at the price of an original FF7 case or even most PS1 games are at least $25. You will find that classic used games (chrono trigger, final fantasy, etc etc ...) fetch a hefty bounty online.

I don't know what the answer is but I agree with your sentiment that GS isn't helping the industry in any way when it sells new release used games. That's why developers need to convince customers to buy new games instead of used games. Give them content that can't be acquired used.

Why should video game producers be given such ridiculous protection? Why are they different from any other business?

"Every used game that is sold within that 6-12 month period is a game that the publishers see zero profit from. No profits, no funding for the next game...it's that simple."

Don't be so naive. Blockbuster games make hundreds of millions of dollars in profits, just like major movies. Many people have made fortunes off video games. Its a huge business and there is plenty of investment in it. Being able to resell games doesn't cut off sales in any unreasonable way. Piracy is a completely different story. Piracy is being able to download a game often even before official release for free. The used market is people who paid $60 for a new video game selling it (and never being able to use it again) in the free market. Being able to resell the game is a justification for some people being willing to spend $60 on a game in the first place. If its a game that they know they'll only want to play through for a week or 2 after release, they can figure on being able to sell it online for $40+. And then they can't play it any more and someone else can use the disk/"theoretical use license".

"People like to make comparisons of the used game market with reselling books or movies and cds, but new sales of books, movies and cds continue on for decades after the initial release. How many new games from 2000 are still being bought? 2005? Hell, 2007? Video games and their appeal are intrinsically tied to technology, and technology is continually advancing."

Correction: the success of BAD games is intrinsically tied to the newness of their technology. Classic games can make plenty of money. They are sold on the Wii store, the PS store, XBL Marketplace, as Gameboy/DS versions of NES, SNES, and even N64 games. Even as PSP versions of classic PS2 games. Also for PC at places like gametap. Its a perfectly valid comparison. Classic movies, books, and music have value because they are timeless works of art. Nobody is buying copies of 1800s pop literature. Its the good ones that still sell. Just like Super Mario Bros from the '80s selling on the Wii store or for Gameboy.

"Smaller publishers are being wiped out and all we'll be left with are the megaconglomerates who's business plan will likely revolve around sequels since those are the safe bet, financially, and Gamestop's business practices just aren't helping the situation at all."

I dont know where you get your information. I don't see how there has been a better time for a small developer to be in the industry. Things like the Wii, PS3, and X360 online storefronts make it easier than ever to get games to consumers without having to invest millions in producing the game retail packages. There are even games for download on the PSP. Steam and Stardock offer the same services on the PC. The iTunes Store is even doing it for the iPhone.

@charlie
You keep using the exceptions to the rule to try and disprove the points, and that just doesn't mesh. If anything, you’re views are the ones that are coming off as naïve.

For every one blockbuster game that rakes in millions, there are 20 decent games that barely make back the amount of money used. Blockbusters can weather the profit losses that come from piracy and early game reselling, but these decent games that struggle from the moment they’re released to gain ground in the competitive market really feel the pinch. The developers of THESE games are the ones that run the risk of not having funding for future project.

Classic games are another exception that you feel disproves my point but actually goes to highlight what I’m getting at. For every classic game that can be successfully marketed long after its release or even rereleased, there are several dozen games that get lost in the ether a year after they see the light of day. How many games did you enjoy 10 years ago that you’d be willing to buy today if you hadn’t already played it? How many games did you enjoy 10 years ago that have actually aged well? Not every game can be a classic that can stand the test of time, but that doesn’t mean the game is automatically bad. Certainly, not all non-classics deserve to fail.

Movies, books, music…you’re completely missing the point. A movie released on dvd today will get a surge of sales immediately after release, but will still be able to make significant amounts of money in the long term without having to be a Citizen Kane or a Casablanca. The same applies with books and music. You can buy a book 20 years down the road and you’ll still get the same basic experience that you would have had had you purchased it the day it was released. If you purchase a game 20 years after its release, chances are you’ll picture it as dated…that’s even if you’ll still be able to play it because of the advancements in technology.

As for small publishers, you’re only looking at one end of the equation. I’ve been in the industry for a little while now and I’m seeing a lot of this first hand. It’s easier for publishers to get games out there, but that’s a double edged sword. The easier it is to release games, the easier it is to get lost in the shuffle because of the sheer number of games being released expressly because it’s easier. Then there’s the issue of what to do BEFORE the game can be released. There’s a ton of competition and the economy is in the crapper. That means that games are less likely to be considered extremely strong investments. Investors are wary of green-lighting projects that are surefire slam dunks, and the vast majority of small publisher titles fall into this category.

They do it for wall displays.

What pissed me off one time is that I bought one new and never played but when I tried to return it I couldn't because it was opened. I threw a shit fit and called the district manager. He called the peon and told him to exchange it for me no questions asked.

If it ever happens to you again I would suggest having the employee inital the reciept stating it was opened or taking a picture at the register with your camera phone. It's total bullshit considering they have empty display boxes when the games are pre-release.

Until they allow me to buy a SEALED new game, I will not again shop at GameStop.

"Until they allow me to buy a SEALED new game, I will not again shop at GameStop"

They do allow you to buy sealed new copies. Almost every new game they sell is still sealed. It's usually the wall display copies that are not sealed. If every other game is gone they will try to sell you the opened display copy. They will take the box off the wall, grab the disc from behidn the counter, and try to sell it to you at fiull price. That does indeed suck, but you make it sound like all their copies are opened.

Every single new game I have ever purchased from my local GameStop has been opened/unsealed.

Well from a business standpoint, what other option do they have?

Best buy has detectors for all their stores, so they can put the sealed game in a plastic case. Walmart/target/etc have display cases. But gamestop...all they sell is games...they don't have detectors (and never will) and it'd be impossible for them to put every game they have into a case because then they'd need to hire several more employees just to run around opening and closing cases all day.

The answer to this is they open up 2-4 cases and put them on the wall. The only other logical thing I can think of is if they were to print out thousands of Photos of the games cases and put them on the wall.

Wow... I don't know if you've just had bad luck or have a bad Gamestop, but they do not open every new game they get, just display copies. I've only ever had them try to sell me one opened copy and that was because it was the display copy.. and the last one in the store.

What ticks publishers/developers off is that Gamestop's bread and butter is the used game market and yet GS has the gall to try and push publishers around whenever they try to do anything that could potentially impact their business.

An example I've used several times is the case of a game that was initially planned to be released using digital distribution with an option for a retail box version later down the road for people who couldn't download it or preferred a hardcopy. GS balked and threatened to stop advertising that publishers games and hinted at reduced orders of that publisher's titles. Because of GS's clout, the publisher felt that they had no choice and relented, delaying the release of the game until the manufacturing plans could be implemented, costing them additional money in the process. Not only is Gamestop cutting into their initial profits by selling used versions of new games a week after release, but they're using the money from that part of their business to coerce publishers to do what they want. True, it's the way business goes, but it doesn't make it any less of a dick move.

Just curious - which game was this?

I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!

AJ

Yes because some of actually have jobs.