Alright Developers/Publishers, Let's Talk

[Rangerboy87]

Alright Developers/Publishers, let's talk.

So you're having this little war with the used-game market. You are now in talks about finding (and have implemented) ways to cripple the used-game market. Activation codes and day-one DLC available only for new sales while used-gamers have to pay have been some of your attempts to stem the tide. The next-gen consoles might possibly be equipped with anti-used-game technology which some of you have come out in full-support of. You claim used-games are hurting your business. We get it.

But gamers are not fans of the idea of used games going away (and I'm sure companies like Gamestop, Ebay, Amazon, and Book & Music Exchange aren't either). To us, it is another attempt to monopolize how we can buy our games. It has caused an uproar from the gaming community (especially the idea of anti-used-game consoles). Their have been ideas of banning consoles that implement this technology.

Obviously, both these stances will hurt the gaming world worse than it is now. We need to come to a consensus on this issue.

You know what developers/publishers? I'll play ball with you. You want to eliminate used-games because it's "hurting your business"? Go ahead. But this isn't a one-way street. It can't be just your interests on the table. If you want to keep the gamers' support of you and your games/console, you need to make a few concessions with us. Here are my demands (which I feel match a lot of gamer demands):

1. If you want to get rid of used-games, make new games more reasonably priced (especially
older new games).

Prices should vary on the level of the game (I think Extra Creditz
commented on this). For example, a AAA title can be $70 bucks, but a lesser known title
(like a Kingdoms of Amalur or a Psychonauts) for a little cheaper, like $30 or $40. Prices
should drop after certain amounts of time so gamers who don't wish to pay full price can
still get the game for a better price for them. Also, quit messing with Australia on price
and release dates (you're welcome, Yahtzee).

2. Get rid of pre-order specials.

All this is is a ploy to get gamers to buy early with the promise of stuff other people
won't get. That's fine in theory, but when multiple stores have pre-order specials, it
just punishes gamers. They have to choose which bonus they prefer and sacrifice the rest
as DLC purchases (I'll come back to this). Honestly, let the stores create their own
pre-order bonuses (gift cards, rebates, discounts for other products, a free gift that
isn't selling, ect.). It offers the incentives without punishing the players.

3. Make all DLC free or get rid of it.

I realize this is a big money-maker for you all, but if you want gamers to commit to buying
all games new, you have to give us an incentive. Since pre-order specials are out the
door, let all the DLC be a FREE bonus for those who have paid for your game brand new (even
after it has been discounted). The other option is to just get rid of DLC altogether and
just put everything in the game to start with.

Companies, keep to this agreement. Any attempts to victimize the community will have serious consequences (as the supporters of SOPA and PIPA have discovered). Finally, gamers, we have to keep the companies on the straight and narrow. The reason we are at this stage right now is because we let the companies get here. We let things go that we shouldn't have. They kept taking, we kept giving, and the cycle continues. Now, we have to fight to keep control of what we love.

So this was just some wishful thinking on my part. I am sure this will never come to be. After listening quietly to all the controversies in gaming right now, I thought this would be a good time to speak up with my gaming utopia (I guess). If I missed anything, feel free to add your own demands (but be reasonable about it, wow this was a lot longer and more time consuming than I had first imagined).

 

[burningdragoon]

I've always thought (and have rarely said) that it'd be cool that instead of getting X DLC free with a new purchase would get Y amount of credit to spend any digital doodads.

Ubisoft's Uplay overall sucks the big one, but I thought the doodad store part of it is cool, especially since you earn credits for it just by playing the game. So if instead of new copies of Assassin's Creed: Revelations having an Online Pass for multiplayer (which again, sucks the big one), you would get Uplay points.

 

[ThriKreen]

2. Get rid of pre-order specials.

Have to get the retailers on board with that, developers and publishers usually don't like the idea due to all the confusion, logistics of distribution and time spent making variations.

But the big name retailers can just threaten to not sell the game and, well, there's a chunk of your sales.

 

[back pain]

You're asking game developers/publishers to make decisions that would be detrimental to their bottom line. Why should these companies act in a way that reduces their potential profits?

 

[tippy2k2]

1. If you want to get rid of used-games, make new games more reasonably priced (especially
older new games).

2. Get rid of pre-order specials.

3. Make all DLC free or get rid of it.

Well, as a representative of game publishers, let me put down my Cuban cigar lit with a $100 bill and give me a second to clear all the puppy blood off my chin (you caught me at dinner time you see) to give a rebuttal.

1. The price thing really doesn't work all that well. Basically, you would be forcing a company to say "We have no faith in this product, we'll sell it at $40", which no publisher would be willing to do. The market does dictate how much these games cost, so the games that are not so good (see Homefront, Enslaved, Force Unleashed 2, etc.) drop in price fairly quickly. Games that are great continue to stay high because people are willing to pay it (see Call of Duty, Halo, Madden, etc.) These eventually stay in the high range until either a sequel hits or a good chunk of time has gone by.

2. Pre-order specials are generally nice bonuses but are not necessary. I don't believe I've ever seen a pre-order bonus that made me think that not having this breaks my game. You usually get things like skins, guns, or neat toys.

3. That's just silly. They have released the game and people are loving it but are running out of things to do. You start creating some DLC and send it out and you expect it for free? As a studio, I just spent an extra million dollars or so to create Fallout NV DLC and you just want me to hand this over to you?

I assume you mean Day 1 DLC but even that stuff takes extra time and effort. If half my studio is done on the game, I can either hope that I have another project I can stick them in or have them work on DLC. If I do the DLC thing, they are now assets that are being used to create something extra, meaning we should get paid for it.

Are there companies who might take advantage of this (cut up the game and sell you the "extra" stuff)? Possibly but all it's going to take is one whistle blower and the entire operation goes out the door (not to mention that you may have just put in a death nail into your studios coffin). If you truly believe that the companies are splitting up their games and selling you each piece rather than the whole thing like they should, there is absolutely nothing I could say to you to change your mind on that.