Is this the real reason Publishers are all up in arms about Used Sales all of a sudden?

[GonzoGamer]

I didn?t believe it at first but after hearing about this from a friend and doing a little research, it?s actually true:
Apparently at this point in the last console cycle, there were a lot more console owners. So basically, when the ps2 was the same age that the 360 is now, it alone had sold roughly as many units than the 360 and ps3 combined. Also take into consideration that the defect rate of this generations consoles is much higher, and that?s a big difference in the amount of people who go out and buy games no matter if they?re used or new.
So it?s not so much that used sales and piracy is ?hurting the industry? as it is the lack of console owners.
I know that gamestop?s relatively recent habit of only carrying used copies of titles (unless of course you ordered a new copy ahead of time) causes problems too but I get the feeling that the smaller base of possible customers is a greater worry.
I can?t say that I?m very impressed with this generations consoles (I felt like I was choosing between crappy hardware with good support or good hardware with crappy support) but I didn?t realize so many people were turned off to it this generation all together.

So I know people will want a link for proof but I just did some searching:
Before it turned 6, the ps2 had sold 100 million units.
The 360 (which is just turning 6 now) has sold 57 mil.
The ps3 (which is turning 6 in what, another year?) has sold 51 mil.

I?m not saying that this justifies the crappy online pass, day 1 dlc, and all those other schemes publishers have been using to bully us into pre-ordering. But I do at least understand that they aren?t making as much as they were last gen.

Also, I know that I?m overlooking the Wii which has sold about 80 mill but for good reason. A lot of the AAA games that publishers try and bully people into buying new copies of, don?t usually release on the Wii and when they do, there aren?t online pass (or any other sort of) codes they need to punch in to prove they bought new. A lot of the people who bought a wii get maybe one or two games a year and usually as gifts; it?s not a big software moving console the way the ps2 was and many Wii owners are infrequent gamers.

 

[MrLlamaLlama]

Consoles this Gen are a far bit more expensive than they were last time around though, not to mention the actual games and so on ; prices of additional controlelrs and addons such as move and kinect.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Hmm... Interesting. That certainly is a possibility, but can you please provide the sources for all the statistics? I don't whether you made up these numbers or not at this point.

EDIT: I think your argument might be flawed.
Total Hardware sales (world-wide) for last generation:
Gamecube: 22 million. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameCube#Reception_and_sales]
X-Box: 24 million. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Box#Sales]
PS2: 153 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2#Sales]
Total Sales: 199 million consoles sold world-wide.

Total Hardware sales (world-wide) for this generation (sales numbers rounded up):
X-Box 360: 58 million. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Box_360#Reception_and_sales]
PS3: 52 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3#Sales_and_production_costs]
Wii: 88 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii#System_sales]
Total Sales: 198 million consoles sold world-wide.

And this generation isn't even done yet.

 

[Richardplex]

Consoles this Gen are a far bit more expensive than they were last time around though, not to mention the actual games and so on ; prices of additional controlelrs and addons such as move and kinect.

Games haven't gotten more expensive; Ratchet and Clank 2 costed £34.99 back when it was new; it still has the sticker on it to prove it.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Hmm... Interesting. That certainly is a possibility, but can you please provide the sources for all the statistics? I don't whether you made up these numbers or not at this point.

I don't know if you're joking or not. I explained above.
Seriously, just google it, look on wikipedia, or any of the 100 other sites this info is on. It's really not hard to find the sales figures.
Just go to the wikipedia pages for these consoles and you'll see the figures.

Consoles this Gen are a far bit more expensive than they were last time around though, not to mention the actual games and so on ; prices of additional controlelrs and addons such as move and kinect.

And there are more reasons than that. The games are more expensive but you may also need to pay more money down the road for the rest of the game. There isn't a console that has both good hardware and good support. A certain console requires a fee for online. Another certain console doesn't have any sort of backwards compatibility. They've all retained a higher price than predecessors.
I understand why people aren't buying consoles; it's not a good deal or anything.
What I'm wondering is if the publishers have taken this into consideration (which I'm sure they have) and they know that a certain game retailing monopoly tries it's hardest to not sell any new games (which I'm sure they do), why are they trying to squeeze more blood out of the few customers who still have the patience to put up with them rather than working with the console developers to try and expand the install base.
It seems like all they're trying to do is get more console owners to be fed up.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The used games market didn't bother anyone for decades, and then, out of the blue and since, oh, the last two or three years at the most, buying your game used has become a crime of the worst order. The publishers and devs are desperate for cash, which they'll use to fund bigger, more expensive AAA games with just about zero creative direction, which in turn NEED to turn a profit or else the studio gets shuttered...

If nothing changes, my humbly ignorant self predicts a drastic shift in consumer habits and choices. We'll be left with one or two big publishers, a gaggle of smaller ones desperately trying to compete, a dearth of choices as the only viable option becomes the all-powerful Brown and Grey Competitive FPS and a console market that will be all but moribund.

The only lasting option will be the further consolization of the PC, which won't fix anything at all. Again - this is all just some random schmoe's sugar-fuelled nonsense, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Michael Hirst]

It's more like the advent of our games being so intergrated with online systems and the rise of digital platforms have opened up forms of control over gamers that weren't possible in earlier generations, publishers want to capitalize on this by punishing gamers for buying used, ala online passes. After all it doesn't really matter how much the consumer hates the idea, noone wants to buy a game with its online features missing especially if its a big part of the experience like Resistance 3 which I'm told has an online pass.

For every major tech advancement there's always people who want to use it to squeeze a bit more money out of you and this has never been more true than in the videogames industry. Never forget the biggest concern with any released game is to make money, sure the design team may have wanted to make the best experience possible but it always comes back to money especially with publishers, used sales represent lost profits to them rather than fair competition and since they have the means to reduce them and make more money for themselves...why not?

NOTE: I don't endorse these measures in any way, I think they're wrong and will reduce a lot of sales in general but I can see the cold hard logic they're operating on to make more money.

 

[Rawne1980]

Hmm... Interesting. That certainly is a possibility, but can you please provide the sources for all the statistics? I don't whether you made up these numbers or not at this point.

Google is amazing at finding things like that....

http://www.vgchartz.com/

Worldwide sales figures
Wii ? 87.57 million as of 30 June 2011
Xbox 360 ? 55 million as of 4 June 2011
PlayStation 3 ? 51.8 million as of 30 June 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles

PlayStation 2 - 152.3 million

The only thing I don't agree with in the OP is this one statement.....

A lot of the AAA games that publishers try and bully people into buying new copies of

I've heard it a few times from people saying they feel "bullied" into buying games.

Do publishers employees come round to peoples houses and beat them until they buy?

No?

So basically people still have the same choices to buy or not to buy?

So they are not being bullied in any way, shape or form. They are under no pressure at all to buy any games. It is purely their choice whether they buy a game no matter if it's new or used.

I just don't understand where this "pressure" to buy is people talk about. I've purchased 2 games so far this year. Space Marine and Deus Ex. The only other games i'm buying are Skyrim and ToR. I felt no pressure to buy them they are games i've wanted and been waiting for.

Unless EA come round to house and take a baseball bat to my kneecaps for not buying Battlefield 3 i'm not seeing any "bullying" or "pressure".

 

[Twilight_guy]

I think publishers are just kind of dicks. Not because they actively try to be but because they aren't concerned about games as a art form or a quality item, they are concerned about money and how to make money. They don't consciously try to treat you like magpies with wallets but they wind up doing it anyways.

 

[Carl goes to mars]

When I was younger, the only way I could ever get a game was by trading two or three games for one. And if the desired game was a relatively new release I would have to trade in my entire collection (assuming I had any left at this point). And to make matters worse, I did just that for Final Fantasy X-2.

My point is the used game market was the only way myself and others could enjoy gaming and I know there are plenty of people out there who rely on used games to get their fill. If these developers get their way, and you can no longer trade games in or buy used copies, they'll do alot more harm than good.

 

[RikuoAmero]

Hmm... Interesting. That certainly is a possibility, but can you please provide the sources for all the statistics? I don't whether you made up these numbers or not at this point.

I don't know if you're joking or not. I explained above.
Seriously, just google it, look on wikipedia, or any of the 100 other sites this info is on. It's really not hard to find the sales figures.
Just go to the wikipedia pages for these consoles and you'll see the figures.

Mate, I'm just going to lay this out. If you come into a forum with a point to make, have the decency to back it up. You've just made yourself look lazy and elitist with what you said up there. Lazy, in that you didn't provide a source for your numbers. Elitist, in that what you wrote has the tone of "I'm far too important to do the important stuff in a forum, that's up to you peasants to do!"
And in case you haven't heard, Wikipedia isn't a reliable source. It is often the first place to go to get information about something, yes, but it shouldn't be trusted as a source when used alone.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

So I know people will want a link for proof but I just did some searching:
Before it turned 6, the ps2 had sold 100 million units.
The 360 (which is just turning 6 now) has sold 57 mil.
The ps3 (which is turning 6 in what, another year?) has sold 51 mil.

Ps2 approx sales for first 6 years: 100 million units
360 + ps3 sales for first 6 + 5 years respectively: 57 + 51 million units
= 108 millions units.

There are more console owners in the same relative timespan than last generation... your arguement is flawed.

 

[Smooth Operator]

It's simple, retailers found out their clientele have no fucking clue what their games are worth so they can buy them off for peanuts and better yet sell them back at near full price, it's marketing genius right there.

And with it they have outdone industries leading team in money making bullshit, EA.
They facepalmed for a moment because they didn't come with that scheme, but then quickly got around to cook up something on their own.
So they sent off the market research team finding ways to hustle money off second handers and their PR team went to sway public hearths and minds into their new scheme with doomsday propaganda.
OMG pirates second hand sales ARE KILLING TEH INDUSTRY! ONOEZ!

And if you just look over some threads on this topic it worked brilliantly, but one hasto where the "gamers have above average intelligence" claims come from.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Hmm... Interesting. That certainly is a possibility, but can you please provide the sources for all the statistics? I don't whether you made up these numbers or not at this point.

I don't know if you're joking or not. I explained above.
Seriously, just google it, look on wikipedia, or any of the 100 other sites this info is on. It's really not hard to find the sales figures.
Just go to the wikipedia pages for these consoles and you'll see the figures.

Hey, it is the responsibility of the one making the claims to provide the data to back it up. I should not have to look up the data myself to prove if your data is correct or not. That is just how arguments/debate works.

 

[Giest4life]

Unless EA come round to house and take a baseball bat to my kneecaps for not buying Battlefield 3 i'm not seeing any "bullying" or "pressure".

Shouldn't it be a cricket bat for you guys in the UK?

OT: It certainly is a possibility, but game developers can access a bigger market if they stop making shitty ports of their games and stop releasing exclusive titles. Just take Rage, for example, I've been led to believe that the game would have sold a lot better on the PC if it wasn't so terribly buggy and badly optimized for that platform.

 

[Lunar Templar]

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The used games market didn't bother anyone for decades, and then, out of the blue and since, oh, the last two or three years at the most, buying your game used has become a crime of the worst order. The publishers and devs are desperate for cash, which they'll use to fund bigger, more expensive AAA games with just about zero creative direction, which in turn NEED to turn a profit or else the studio gets shuttered...

If nothing changes, my humbly ignorant self predicts a drastic shift in consumer habits and choices. We'll be left with one or two big publishers, a gaggle of smaller ones desperately trying to compete, a dearth of choices as the only viable option becomes the all-powerful Brown and Grey Competitive FPS and a console market that will be all but moribund.

The only lasting option will be the further consolization of the PC, which won't fix anything at all. Again - this is all just some random schmoe's sugar-fuelled nonsense, so take that with a grain of salt.

I'm with this guy, and its kinda the reason I've given quiet a bit of thought to just giving up on this consul generation, and going back to my PS2
(yes i still have it, and the 28 games i had before )

 

[XaVierDK]

It's not that complicated really... This time, you had 3 consoles, which were all big contenders, compared to only two (Xbox and PS2) in the last generation (The gamecube never did particularly well)... And the Xbox was late to the party, so naturally the PS2 sold a lot more...
The higher price of today's consoles (Especially at launch), and the fact that the economy could probably be doing better, probably didn't help either...
And yet, the gaming industry is making more money each year... Huh...

 

[Rawne1980]

Unless EA come round to house and take a baseball bat to my kneecaps for not buying Battlefield 3 i'm not seeing any "bullying" or "pressure".

Shouldn't it be a cricket bat for you guys in the UK?

Yeah but Baseball bats are so round and smooth and more or less streamlined for kneecap cracking goodness.

I understand absolutely nothing about Baseball as a sport but the equipment is usefull for violence which must mean it's fun.

 

[dickywebster]

Well it could just be me, but the consoles were cheaper, more reliable and had better games on the last generation, so is it any surprise that this generation isnt doing as well?

Ignoring people who just hate older games cause they have worse graphics or are old cause really thats just a silly stance to take, i know a lot of people who think this generation is weaker than the last in terms of games, sure they look bigger and better than ever, but theyre also more expensive and are shorter so less play for your buck.

Actually one issue ive had lately, cause i picked up a 40gb ps3 on the cheap, is that its full with less than a dozen games installed, i have 4 ps2 memory cards and thats enough for over 50 ps2 games while been less memory and even with much more files.
I know ps3 save files are bigger, but considering ive got save and game files coming upto and even over half a gb it just seems silly and unless i buy a bigger ps3, i dont think i can expand memory, or is there a way?
(yes i know about online memory storage, but i dot have a psn account and im not getting one)