Gamestop giving used Arkham City buyers Catwoman code

[StBishop]

Thank god, someone finally putting up some sort of stance against these ridiculous measures imposed by publishers. Yeah game stop will buy them and it'll cost so publishers will still get money. But it puts a stop to the publisher thinking they can dick the customers over and get away with it, which they will because if I've learnt anything from here it's that many consumers will side with the multi-billion dollar organisation rather than call them out on being dicks.

...what has changed? The only difference is that you'll be giving your money to one "multi-billion dollar corporation" instead of another. Gamestop isn't trying to make a stand, they are trying to keep customers buying used games so they can keep their profit margins high.

Go fight the power somewhere else Che Guevera

Yeah sure, I'm all commie. Well done.../sarcasm

I'd rather give my money to Game, Game xchange etc. (i'm from UK) than to EA, Activision etc. Why you ask? Because they arn't sitting there thinking they're somehow entitled to money from something they already sold!

Seriously, if you can't come up with any justification for leg humping the producers at least don't think you can dismiss my arguments as easily as calling me Che Guevara.

Also you may want to actually KNOW something about the guy at some point instead of just crying red whenever someone says something you don't like, or I may just have to start calling you George Bush for your love of the right. And given the two I know who I'd prefer to be compared to.

Surely you mean socialist?

Regardless. I don't give a fuck about the issue. The money's all going to someone's coffers. I suppose the used buyers will be happy about it.

 

[FEichinger]

Soo ... because GameStop sacrifices 10 bucks off their used games prices (which are still insanely high, compared to what they actually pay), we're all praising them, while in fact, they only straighten the way by buying the codes beforehand?

I fail to see the point, in all honesty.

 

[Irridium]

I think Extra Credits and Extra Punctuation have mentioned this subject before.
Given the history I'm not sure if talking about EC will get a warnng but here goes.

They were talking about Project 10 Dollar. The discussion is deeper than this but here's the relevant stuff.
Used games earn the company $0 so EA includes a code that allows access to DLC content. Code only works once so if you buy a used game you have to go online and pay $10 to get the extra DLC for yourself.

Of course if Gamestop are giving the stuff away for free with the used copy then the company gets nothing again.

As I said, there's more to this I know but what's better. Go online and give Rocksteady cash for the DLC or take gamestops free code and know that the makers of BATMAN FUCKING ARKHAM CITY (You know, that beautiful game we're drooling over) will get nothing for your purchase.

Shall we screw over Bethesda in the same way? Bungie? Blizzard? And these are just the big names.

Think of that game you love, that one you've become a fan of on facebook, ranted about on forums told all your friends about. The one you've excluded other friends or family members for.
How do you feel to know that when you purchased that game used that you contributed nothing to the developers?

I wouldn't feel bad at all. Because they would have already been paid for those games. All used games on shelves, the publishers/developers have already seen money from those games. They're demanding more money from stuff they've already sold, which is ridiculous.

There's also the fact that most games getting passes are sequels, and sequels are the last games that need passes. Simply because the people who bought and loved the first game(s) will buy the new one new, and those who didn't like them will not buy it. The only ones who will buy used are the ones who can't afford to buy new. And I highly doubt there are so many people buying new that publishers think it's just as bad as piracy. And if that many people really are buying used because they can't afford to buy new, then perhaps it's time to lower prices.

I used to work in a store that sold used games. Damn near every customer I've talked to hate buying used, and would much rather buy new. But they can't. And judging by the general feeling towards Gamestop, damn near everyone hates buying used as well, but that's the only way they can play. In any other business, the executives would realize this and lower prices so all these people can buy new. I have no idea why the game's industry isn't doing this. Especially when EA said that the $60 price point was an issue that needed to be addresses way back in 2007.

 

[GeorgW]

I guess they're trying to make up for the Deus Ex fiasco.

I like online passes. I think it's fair for publishers to do what they can. That said, even though I don't like the used games market, I feel Gamestop has the same right. It'll be a fun war to watch.

It will be interesting to see the fallout of this, WB won't be happy...

It won't matter to me, I've already pre-ordered the CE.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I assume that Gamestop are paying for these new codes for the used copies. So I imagine the money for this is coming from their profits of used sales. So I guess they are are willing to take a small bite out of their own profits in an attempt to keep publishers from killing off the used game market.

Whether they do this for all games from now on, I sincerly doubt I mean $10 for each used game does adds up, it could be that Gamestop is using this move as a scare tatic to try and get publishers to back off with the online passes. I mean used games are a very profitable market for Gamestop I doubt they're going to let it go without a fight.

 

[Aprilgold]

Well then. At least it is something to get all the poor, whining people to shut up. It also helps promote their used sales, so solid business decision.

Thus why their doing it, they'll get more money, used game sales give more money then full price do. If I was a dev / pub, I would just not sell my game at places that wouldn't give me second hand profits.

What I want to know is how they are getting the codes. I imagine that they are paying the dev/pub for the codes, so the dev/pub still get a second hand profit from the used sales.

They probably got online passes to sell, thats how they are getting the codes.

 

[Leoofmoon]

Really i don't get why WB did it. The code was never needed in this game, as for the MP codes I don't mind them much because normally good company's will put a trail version of it online( Like Dead space 2 and Mortal Kombat.) This allows people to try the MP and if they don't like the game they can get a full refund at stores like Gamestop and buy a different one.

The MP codes arn't THAT big of a problem that that people make them out to be But this stuff is!
As for what TB sed in his mailbox as of the 14th He was wrong the people who push the codes are publishers and Developers of the games The stores suffer because of this.

 

[Something Amyss]

I doubt Gamestop is taking a hit, they still sell the same used copy if it comes with or without a code it's still the same price.

Not necessarily.

They will have some way of getting codes, surely it would be bad business practice for WB to deny them access to helping on that. I doubt GameStop is doing anything unlegit but I wouldn't be surprised if WB tells them to fuck off.

It'd be a bad business practice for them to facilitate more used sales? Isn't that what they're trying to fight?

 

[Lyri]

It'd be a bad business practice for them to facilitate more used sales? Isn't that what they're trying to fight?

You missed my point, I was only saying that WB will have to give some extra codes or a means of getting extra codes to Gamestop.
They probably didn't bank on this deal though.

 

[MrCalypso]

Wait wouldn't it be illegal for this to happen? If WB owns the trademark can't they force GameStop to not do this?

 

[Irridium]

I really cannot believe that gamers of all people are so stupid as to believe these codes have anything to do with second hand sales. How fucking gullible are some of you people?

Considering this is referred to by many, as an "online pass" and that "online passes" are used by EA, Sony, and others to combat used sales... it's that that much of a stretch.

 

[SergeantAnt]

So GameStop is finally giving it's customers an actual reason to pay $57.00 for a used game as opposed to $60.00 for a new one. It makes sense, GameStop only makes around $10 profit on new game sales while they can almost double that on a used game, even after paying $10 per copy to get the Catwoman code. It's actually a brilliant move and now WB actually gets a piece of the sale up front.

This guy got it!

This is how it should be i think!
Everyones happy, the publishers get some of the used sales money by selling the code to gamestop, gamestop will possibly sell slightly more used copies, and we now get catwomen whether we buy it new or used.

Well played gamestop

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

Wait wouldn't it be illegal for this to happen? If WB owns the trademark can't they force GameStop to not do this?

In all likelihood, no [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-sale_doctrine]. No, they cannot.

And again, it's highly likely they struck up some backroom deal.

 

[Loud Hawk]

Well phrase it better next time k u sounded like a ass sorry for going off there

No, he came off entirely rational, you came off as an ass.