Open Letter to Game Publishers

[MelodieOctavia]

Game Companies: If you really want to fight the used game market, you should try to do things that benefit the consumer. Not screw them over. This online pass BS? That will just make me not buy your game at all. Don't worry though. I have a few ideas.

1. Here's a novel idea...How about dropping your prices after...let's say 6 months? Paying full price for a year old game brand new, vs saving a whopping $20-30 getting it used I think it's a no-brainer.

2. Instead of giving the consumers a crappy online pass to play your game online, how about this...For people who buy your game NEW, include a snazzy piece of DLC. Something that justifies paying $50-60 vs getting it used. Or maybe a DLC code to download one of your hit XBLA/PSN games. (Gunstringer and Fruit Ninja for instance) No, that doesn't mean cutting the game in half and including the other half in a DLC code either. That's worse than an online pass (looking at you Batman Arkham City)

3. How about making your digital download games CHEAPER than retail? No case, no disc, no manual...so why am I (or why WOULD I be) paying full price for an incomplete product?

Those are just a few ideas off the top of my head, but the bottom line is, you are NOT entitled to any money from used game sales. Period. Once your product is purchased, the purchasee is entitled to do anything they want with it, including playing it, letting their friends play it, letting their friends watch them play it, use it as a frisbee, burn it, freeze it, microwave it, or even *gasp* SELL IT!

Defeating used game sales is the Kobayashi Maru. You cannot win. If you do end up defeating games sales, you would have alienated your consumer base to the point of no return. Think about it. How many people have become a fan of your games and are now buying NEW copies of your CURRENT games because they enjoyed an old out of print copy of one of your games sitting on a dusty store shelf that was developed 10 years ago.

In short; Don't be an idiot. Used game sales help your bottom line just as much as new. Maybe not directly, but it does help.

Sincerely,
(If you keep this up) A Soon To Be Ex-Gamer

 

[junkerde]

nice points, but in truth game companies dont care about these types of open letters, sadly.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

nice points, but in truth game companies dont care about these types of open letters, sadly.

It's more of a rant than anything. I don't actually expect anyone important to read this anyway.

 

[KingVamp]

Wouldn't more people just wait for a price drop of new games?

Isn't holding even a small amount of DLC back just to entice gamers to buy new, goes under "incomplete game, should have already been in the game"argument?
More people need to go back to the pre-order gifts like free shirts or something.

DLC should really be something way after, but even then they could be holding back to make it seem they work on it later. So annoying.

 

[prowler]

1. Here's a novel idea...How about dropping your prices after...let's say 6 months? Paying full price for a year old game brand new, vs saving a whopping $20-30 getting it used I think it's a no-brainer.

6 months? I expect games to be dropped in price after 2 depending on the game.

 

[purplesludge]

1. Here's a novel idea...How about dropping your prices after...let's say 6 months? Paying full price for a year old game brand new, vs saving a whopping $20-30 getting it used I think it's a no-brainer.

6 months? I expect games to be dropped in price after 2 depending on the game.

That's why I like pc games.

 

[alidsl]

Here's a novel idea...Game producers should try and make as much money as possible because it's their job. Maybe you do the same at your job (if you work), I'm sure everyone likes to make money. It just so happens that game developers like to release a game that will make the most money NOT a sequel to a game that some of us in our little corner of the internet like.

 

[Armadillo]

Most games can be got cheaper a few months after release online anyway. Dues ex human revolution came out in August and is currently available for £12. Bit of a big drop and a little unusual, but smaller drops are not. I got motorstorm apocalypse for £17.99 three or so months after release. Infamous 2 £18 just recently, jumped up a bit now and is at £24, but seems to regularly drop to £18. Castlevania dropped to £17.99 most places just after Christmas.

Driver has dropped to £15 for the standard, £29.99 for the one with the model car. That's only a few months old. Epic edition of Gears 3 has gone down to £70 from £99.

Pretty much everything can be had significantly cheaper a couple of months after release anyway, pretty much the only exceptions seem to be sports games, Call of Duty and Nintendo games.

 

[Chikaku-chan]

*Publisher reads*
WTF is this shit.... we need to make money as well.
Plus we basicaly dont care about the consumer.
*evil laugh*

 

[Deleted-236924]

3. How about making your digital download games CHEAPER than retail? No case, no disc, no manual...so why am I (or why WOULD I be) paying full price for an incomplete product?

Am I the only one who thinks this is kinda funny?

 

[Forstride]

Am I the only one who thinks this is kinda funny?

No. It's quite funny how he thinks that a case and manual are going to affect the cost to where it's significantly cheaper (As in $10+ less, not a measily $2 cheaper).

 

[alphamule]

Well don't ignore store markup+tax versus the electronic equivalent of shipping+handling. There are costs to delivering content online, but they're no where near as bad as retail. This is probably the #1 reason you don't see that many PC games in Wal-mart. Even they can't compete with the likes of Steam and Amazon.