Obsidian Hopes "Digital Distribution Stabs the Used Game Market in the Heart"

[mad825]

....

Expect, it might increase the amount of pirating. You can't win one way or the other.

 

[viranimus]

Im sure by now other, similar things have been said to this effect, but after saying this Avellone is like begging to be subjected to a forceful broken glass enema if this is truly what he wants.

Its sad really because that sort of comment if that is representative of Obsidians position is enough to make me swear off their products and honestly after seeing the DLC for New Vegas running 40$ for all of it, Seems pretty much a declaration of intention.

Seriously. That is a massively messed up thing to say and the only fitting thing that can result of a statement like that is immediate termination for a massive public relations gaffe. Simply put you do NOT insult the people who pay your salary and that is exactly what that statement amounts to.

EDIT: In the mean time If I do purchase anything from Obsidian again, it WILL be used or not at all.

 

[Berenzen]

....

Expect, it might increase the amount of pirating. You can't win one way or the other.

I've cracked new games off of discs, it's harder, but it'd still happen nonetheless whether or not the game is digitally distributed or on a dsic. (I don't put them up on torrent sites, I just do it for fun)

 

[Savryc]

Looks like I'm buying Obsidian games used from now on.

 

[Jfswift]

I think developers and publishers should stop bitching about used games and start doing something about their sales like oh, I don't know...Not sell every game they make for the full $60. If your game is 4 hours long, is not very replayable sell it for cheaper, more people will buy it and less people will sell it because of the low price they get in return for it.

But no it's used games and pirates fault, not the price or the DRM these idiots push into it.

I agree, if they're so worried about losing sales then drop the $60 price tag (which I have always felt is unreasonably high) and maybe offer incentives like turn in credit if you happen to own a used version of one of the companies earlier games.

 

[d43dr34m3r]

This attitude that people in the games industry have towards used games is disgusting. I don't see car manufacturers or construction companies bitching about people buying used cars and houses, and I'm sure the amount of potential profit those industries are losing is much larger. Make a game people want to buy on day one or lower the price of your games to something a reasonable person could justify spending for the mediocre experience the average game consists of. All this comment does is ensure that I'll be buying Obsidian's games used from now on.

 

[Syzygy23]

I hope Obsidian's digital distribution model stabs all the money they would've spent on retail profits and physical objects off the digital price.

But I guess that would be just silly, now wouldn't it?

Pretty much my thoughts on the subject. You'll notice digitally purchused games cost the same as their physical counterparts, and oftentimes more if you look at the console distribution services.

Given that the high asking price is justified by the abillity to recoup part of that expense through trade ins, one would expect them to lower the prices if they wanted to cut down on used game trade ins, but at the end of the day they aren't REALLY concerned about the principle of the thing but how to make as much money as possible and there is no point in going after used games if they don't make any more money in the process of doing so.

Personally I'd ask Chris what he thinks the differance is between supporting a product between one user and several. I mean the bottom line is they sell the unit, it's on the market, they are supposed to support it for as long as it's in use. In the end does it matter if the same guy plays it regularly for 10 years or so or multiple people do? It's still one product that they have been paid for.

What's more with the high prices, I don't think the gaming industry realizes a lot of people who buy games used do so because they can't afford the full retail price, especially when your looking at how game developers increasingly demand leaps of faith on the part of buyers. This is especially a problem when you look at how many utter turds the industry polishes up and carries to market with slick advertising. Nowadays you can't even trust a playable demo or gameplay footage to be an accurate depiction of what they game is going to be like.

In short, the industry has gotten so greedy that I think it's lost touch with reality, this goes for both publishers and developers. Given the explosive growth of gaming into a multi-billion dollar industry I have a hard time taking any of these guys seriously when they want to cut out used games, or dampen consumer rights, so they can make even more money. I mean when is any amount of profit enough? Why can't anyone just be content and stop constantly reaching. When billions of dollars in profits are being raked in do they really need to squeeze for more? I'm a believer in capitalism, but there is such a thing as simply getting too greedy. When guys like Bobby Kotick have their own private jets and personal stewardesses (a sex scandal involving that was floating around the gaming news once upon a time), do you REALLY think they somehow need yet more money? Executives being able to afford a private jets isn't enough of a profit from a gaming company? WTF more does he want? Do Activision and EA executives want their own private islands? Does Bobby Kotick want a man made Volcano sculpted to look like his head with his own personal doom fortress inside of it? When is enough enough?

This guy gets it.

The thread ended with this post as far as I'm concerned, nobody else has said anything that was not reiterating this guy or being stupid.

 

[Koroviev]

You can go as digital as you want, just give up making full price for your games, I have allot of games on my steam but only like 3 of them were bought for full price and 2 of those are from valve, the rest are all on sales for cheap as hell.

Yeah, I haven't paid full price for a digital title in more than a year. Why should I? I'm not rich, but I'm very patient. (Deal of the day: DA:O Ultimate Edition from GamersGate for $10.) Everyone is playing Skyrim? I just picked up Oblivion: GOTY for $5.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

It's time for a public service announcement brought to you by Sober Thal.

'Used sales seem to have replaced piracy as the average developer's boogeyman of choice these days.'

You silly little fuck head moron shit face dumb twat.

You obviously have no eyes nor an internet connection to be able to view the tens of thousands of PC games being ripped off by pirates right now, eh? 'the end result is very similar; the publisher is cut out of the sales loop.' No shit Sherlock!

You should be on your hands and knees thanking used games sales for having an original sale in place to start the statistic going. It's the pirate fucks who make one games sale last into the tens of thousands that fucks you over. If you don't realize that, then you are just an *********&*********&*^^&****^%&^****** and I shouldn't care about what you say.

Regardless of your name calling,

Cheers!

Ok, that made me laugh out loud. I got to admit it. Cheers!

OT: Had he said "We like DD because we can bring the product to consumers for a lesser cost at the same time as a greater profit for us." I would have been fine with that. But this whole Demonizing of the Used game industry? Not a huge fan. Regardless, in a few months, they'll latch on to another issue to complain about. I have faith in that much, at the very least.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

Your fallacy is in assuming they won't. Your assumption requires that every individual who buys secondhand or who trades in will give up gaming if they can't trade games in. Thats full of shit. Gaming isn't something you can find a cheaper equivilant substitute for - if people don't have the option, 90% of the cases they will pay the price.

Also, if a person is so poor they have to buy secondhand, then obviously they're going to trade it.

I'm not trying to say that in 100% of cases it's going to be one way or the other. Human nature is hard to pin down. Also, calling you on a fallacy is not saying that I assume the opposite, my dear, dear friend.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Annnnnnnd there goes quite a bit of respect I held for the man. Pity. I love his writing skills.

Spoiler: Also related

Yeah. Way to alienate quite a few fans. In related news, I know what game I'm going to definitely buy used. Hint: the next one Avellone works on.

 

[UnderCoverGuest]

The problem is, you're not buying that product. You're buying a license that entitles you to the software.

It's sort of like Windows or Mac or whatever--you buy a license of Windows--that doesn't make you a member of the company. It just allows you to enjoy the software that was created.

I bought Skyrim, for example. That doesn't entitle me to begin distributing copies of it, undercutting the developer and initial distributor. Samething with used books.

You know why College Books are so expensive? Not as much as all the tedious research and thought that goes into writing them--but the loss of profits when a book purchased new is resold dozens of times over--with each individual sale post-initial purchase not at all going to the makers of the book itself.

Bah, whatever. Going back to Zero Punctuation. Wish the Hot Topics thread would quit distracting me.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

It's time for a public service announcement brought to you by Sober Thal.

'Used sales seem to have replaced piracy as the average developer's boogeyman of choice these days.'

You silly little fuck head moron shit face dumb twat. edited for child viewing.

You obviously have no eyes nor an internet connection to be able to view the tens of thousands of PC games being ripped off by pirates right now, eh? 'the end result is very similar; the publisher is cut out of the sales loop.' No shit Sherlock!

You should be on your hands and knees thanking used games sales for having an original sale in place to start the statistic going. It's the pirate fucks who make one games sale last into the tens of thousands that fucks you over. If you don't realize that, then you are just an *********&*********&*^^&****^%&^****** and I shouldn't care about what you say.

Regardless of your name calling,

Cheers!

Used game sales have been hurting publishers for years. This isn't news nor is it wrong. I actually side with the publishers and devs in this. If you're going to buy a game they worked their ass off to create, then pay them instead of those brick and mortar hellholes that are screwing over the gaming industry economy so badly.

That helmet in the avatar may be what invoked the 'special' impression when I looked at your post, but more likely it was the eyerollingly ridiculous hatred for pirates. You see, every time there's a used sale then that is one guaranteed loss for the publisher/dev. A paying customer that have the money to purchase a game pays some unscrupulous assholes in a brick and mortar trap instead of paying the ones who actually made it. A pirated copy will extremely rarely be a lost sale. Removing the pirate in that equation does not increase profits, nor decrease loss.

You want someone to rage at? Rage at the people who are doing damage to the game industry. That's the people who penny-pinch five freakin' bucks and in effect completely shut out the people who actually make the games to begin with.

A used game sale is a sale lost for them.

I apologize that my consumer rights hurt the industry so much. Oh, wait. No. No I do not.

Also, for it to be a "Lost sale" they would have to be entitled to it in the first place

Furthermore, Brick-and-mortar stores aren't the only way to get used games these days.

EDIT: Also, if it's hurting those poor publishers, why do they keep making more and more money each year?

Also, if you're trying to get people to change their behavior, insulting them or appealing to guilt isn't the best way to go, compadre.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Skyrim reminded why used sales are a very good thing. I had it on the PS3, it eventually became unplayable due to lag. So I traded it in and got two games out of it. One of those was new (Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle). Another developer got a sale and I was able to recover my losses on Skyrim. All thanks to the First Sale Doctrine.

 

[ckam]

Well, OK then. I like shopping for used games since that's basically what's left of the old consoles, but please stop blaming that market for everything bad. Start ripping on Gamestop for screwing you and the consumer over through this market.