Activision Joins the Anti-Used Games Crusade

[Andy Chalk]

Activision Joins the Anti-Used Games Crusade

Activision [http://www.activision.com] is joining the parade of publishers taking a stand against used videogame sales, saying it will increase the focus on DLC to "limit the supply" of content to used games.

It's a well-established fact that publishers do not like used game sales. Retailers and consumers, on the other hand, really do, which makes it a tricky dyke to plug. But the use of bonus DLC included free with brand-new copies of games, but that pre-owned buyers must pay, for has shown potential that hasn't escaped Activision's notice.

"We are still evaluating various possibilities for greater participation in the used-games business," Chief Operating Officer Thomas Tippl said during the company's second quarter earnings call. "What's been working the best so far is providing additional content and therefore limiting the supply to used games."

"Today [we have] more resources than ever dedicated to creating additional content for Black Ops [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=Call+of+Duty&x=0&y=0&ih=4_5_2_0_0_1_0_0_0_1.49_33&fsc=-1]," he added.

So, lots of DLC planned for Black Ops. Will Activision go the Mass Effect 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98497-Retailers-Warn-Project-Ten-Dollar-Will-Hurt-Consumers], I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised. Call of Duty: Black Ops is scheduled for release on November 9 for the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=258926?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS]


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[Woodsey]

Normally I side with the publishers on this, but Activision are shooting themselves in the foot.

Modern Warfare 2 was what, £50? No shit, I can't believe people bought that second hand!

 

[SomeGuyNamedKy]

I bet if they go the "Project Ten Dollar" route, they'll use it as an excuse to raise the prices of their games again...

 

[Sean Strife]

Really, given all of the shit that Activision's piled onto their laps as of late, does this really surprise anyone?

 

[ryo02]

I havevnt even bought modern warfare 2 yet and most likely wont til it hits £25 come to think of it thats what I bought the first modern warfare for.

 

[The Austin]

Jesus, I'm not going to pay $60 for a 5 hour game Activision!

Leave us alone! Leave us aloooone!

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Meh, I don't really buy usd games for a number of reasons (Namely that I don't usually trust whoever had it last. Bad expeirences at Blockbuster will do that to ya.) so if the prices for new games remains the same, I will not complain if I get something extra out of my purchase.

 

[Antari]

Well looks like Activision is off my list perminantly until they make some major changes to the board of directors.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

What dipshits! I've said it before and I'll say it again, the sale and resale of goods has been part of human society and economy for centuries and so far only these dipshit game publishers have made an issue of it. Hell Ebay was set up for the express purpose of reselling used goods!
This is just bullshit. Not to mention the fact that they're wasting money that could be better spend making decent games.

 

[AvsJoe]

I will continue to buy used games until the practice becomes illegal. Sorry, but I can't afford to spend $20 on a game, let alone $50 or $60.

 

[Wakefield]

All this shit is goint to lead to a massive activision boycot eventually. We should all get the ball rolling for black opps. Make facebook groups and everything. If enough people refuse to buy their games maybe they'll STFU for a bit.

Mass Organized boycotts never really work.(I believe there was a steamgroup screen shot that illustrated this effect but I can't find it) Best way is to decide for yourself where to spend your money. Get the message out there in any case.

My money doesn't go to Activision or Ubisoft anymore.

 

[Starke]

Normally I side with the publishers on this, but Activision are shooting themselves in the foot.

Modern Warfare 2 was what, £50? No shit, I can't believe people bought that second hand!

Sixty USD, I'm not sure what that works out in Pounds Sterling, but, yeah. Especially since it hasn't come down in price since it was released.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

While I don't like the whole "stop used game sales" thing, I don't care much when Activision does it. It's not like I am going to buy any of their games again in a looooong time anyway. When they get rid of Kotick, and prove that they are a decent company, then maybe I will buy their games again.

 

[OceanRunner]

You have made a powerful enemy Activision.

 

[Tarakos]

This can only end badly. For gamers. For Activision, I'm sure they'll make millions. Maybe they will go through with the subscription idea for their multiplayer games.

 

[Seldon2639]

What dipshits! I've said it before and I'll say it again, the sale and resale of goods has been part of human society and economy for centuries and so far only these dipshit game publishers have made an issue of it. Hell Ebay was set up for the express purpose of reselling used goods!
This is just bullshit. Not to mention the fact that they're wasting money that could be better spend making decent games.

I agree, the sale and resale of goods is part of any economy. As is attempts by the original manufacturer to limit the resale of goods. I mean, christ, why do you think Ford comes out with a new car every year? Style? Technological improvements? Or to ensure that the price of a used car is significantly less than the price of a new one?

We're well within our rights to resell games, they're within their rights to try to make it economically infeasible

 

[GodKlown]

It does seem weird that any dev would complain about a place selling used games. They already made their money when the game was first sold, and reselling a sold title wouldn't give them the benefit of making any new money anyway. When you buy a used car, the maker of the car doesn't get paid twice. We are still talking about the original copy of the game, and if you want to release "exclusive content" with the launch of a new game, there will always be people who miss out on that. With all the "exclusive" content they release for a new game through GameStop to encourage you to buy a game (or preorder in most cases), why do they then complain about GameStop reselling the same game?

The potential for someone to latch on to a franchise they might have missed during the initial release of the game should offset any worries they have about people not jumping on-board for a new release. With the amount of mediocre or worse games flooding the market, people tend to only bet on a sure thing. If you want to release a new game that doesn't have a decent history with the community behind it, that's the risk you run. And since you can't charge full price for years for a game after it has been released, regardless of the first years' sales figures, you should be glad anyone invests in your game after that. If they want to buy the DLC they missed out on when the game was first registered by the original owner, so what? At least you get to make something of a profit that way instead of completely missing out on any additional money on the resale of that game.

Resale has been a prominent feature of any commodity on this planet for a hell of a lot longer than any of us have been alive. Pawn shops, second-hand stores, used equipment stores, auctions houses and websites... these places all exist on the premise that people want things that probably they couldn't find or is a piece of history. Or else they might not have been able to afford something when it first came out because it was too expensive in the first place. For a developer to say they want resale to be illegal is just ridiculous. How would they plan to insure anyone who bought a game doesn't sell it or give it away when they are finished or tired of it? Do they want to buy it back directly from the original purchaser? I highly doubt that. Would they rather have a kiosk or something in every area for people to dispose of used games so they don't sell them to someone else?
They aren't really giving us a good alternative to a system that works, for better or worse. People want new games, and don't want a room in their house full of old games they don't play and don't want anymore. If they want to trade in their old games for maybe a tenth of what they paid for it, more power to them.

Jesus, I'm not going to pay $60 for a 5 hour game Activision!

Leave us alone! Leave us aloooone!

Damn straight! Why should I have to pay another $10 for some map pack that only works with multiplayer to get more use out of the game? I don't even understand why there was a single player campaign with that game when clearly they got their bread buttered off the multiplayer anyway. Cut the crap with your half-assed single player demo campaigns and just give the people what they clearly want instead of charging someone $10-$12 an hour for your short single player!

 

[Raesvelg]

I find the reaction to this... entertaining.

The only people who really have a reason to complain about this sort of thing are people who buy their games used, and people who for some unknown reason don't want have their console online. While I feel for the latter, they're relatively few and far between, and frankly typically just technophobic incompetents who probably shouldn't be gaming in the first place.

Now, as for the former group, the people who buy their games used, I'm going to clue you in on something:

ACTIVISION DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU.

They're not getting any money from you. In fact, in terms of games with online multiplayer aspects, you are arguably COSTING them money.

The argument of "I'm going to have to pay for stuff that should have been included in the game" is moot. You weren't paying ACTIVISION for the game in the first place, so it's not like you have any say in what should, or should not, have been included on the disc.