SOCOM 4 Holds Features Back from Pre-Owned Purchasers

[GonzoGamer]

Platform: PS3. Deal breaker right there.

I wouldn't buy a game that would remove features for being used. The principal of the matter is they want more money. I frown on greed on matters like this. Like with paying for DLC minor changes to characters appearances.

Me neither.
I wont buy them new anyway. The same goes with Mortal Kombat and LA Noir too.
They have to really stop taking their anger at gamestop out on the gamers because this shit is starting to make me hate gaming.
This is coming from someone who doesn?t have to buy used anymore but schemes like this only encourage me to do so again.

 

[Koroviev]

I thought that said 'pre ordered' for a second and I was like: this is the stupidest fucking idea I've ever heard of.

but...yeah.

Same here. Still, it bothers me that the video games' industry thinks itself to be so damn special. If certain people cannot afford the new price, then I don't think they count as "lost sales" if they eventually buy used. Used books aren't missing pages, used cars aren't missing parts, etc. I have a feeling that the next console generation will entail virtually all digital distribution and, moreover, that each and every publisher is still going to demand $60 for each game. The difference will likely be that the price simply doesn't drop, or if it does, not by a significant amount. After all, who else are people going to purchase from? [/rant]

 

[Koroviev]

Platform: PS3. Deal breaker right there.

I wouldn't buy a game that would remove features for being used. The principal of the matter is they want more money. I frown on greed on matters like this. Like with paying for DLC minor changes to characters appearances.

Me neither.
I wont buy them new anyway. The same goes with Mortal Kombat and LA Noir too.
They have to really stop taking their anger at gamestop out on the gamers because this shit is starting to make me hate gaming.
This is coming from someone who doesn?t have to buy used anymore but schemes like this only encourage me to do so again.

I don't know about Mortal Kombat, but the deal with LA Noir is just plain rotten. Release-day DLC? They don't even have the tact to hide their greed anymore. I mean, the least they could have done was wait to announce it for a month or two.

 

[Aura Guardian]

I think if this didn't happen, this wouldn't be in effect. Oh well.

 

[Irridium]

Its funny you mention project $10, because it seems EA is scrapping that idea. Since Dragon Age 2 instead of giving the two pieces of DLC to new owners for free, you had to pre-order the game before January, and everyone else had to buy them separately.

So yeah, seems they're not using that anymore.

 

[Korten12]

Meh, don't care, I buy my games new.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Platform: PS3. Deal breaker right there.

I wouldn't buy a game that would remove features for being used. The principal of the matter is they want more money. I frown on greed on matters like this. Like with paying for DLC minor changes to characters appearances.

Me neither.
I wont buy them new anyway. The same goes with Mortal Kombat and LA Noir too.
They have to really stop taking their anger at gamestop out on the gamers because this shit is starting to make me hate gaming.
This is coming from someone who doesn?t have to buy used anymore but schemes like this only encourage me to do so again.

I don't know about Mortal Kombat, but the deal with LA Noir is just plain rotten. Release-day DLC? They don't even have the tact to hide their greed anymore. I mean, the least they could have done was wait to announce it for a month or two.

But if they waited a month or two, people would realize that it's not a very good game and it would be harder to bilk them.
MK is rumored to have the online pass scheme; not like I was planning on playing it online anyway, so if they do that, I'm buying it used. If they don't do that, I'll probably buy it new.
The really annoying thing I find about LA Noir is that even if you pre-order it from their preferred retailer and for the preferred platform, you will still not be getting 1 of the 25 cases. You will have to buy it a couple of weeks later... assuming you like the game.

 

[Koroviev]

Platform: PS3. Deal breaker right there.

I wouldn't buy a game that would remove features for being used. The principal of the matter is they want more money. I frown on greed on matters like this. Like with paying for DLC minor changes to characters appearances.

Me neither.
I wont buy them new anyway. The same goes with Mortal Kombat and LA Noir too.
They have to really stop taking their anger at gamestop out on the gamers because this shit is starting to make me hate gaming.
This is coming from someone who doesn?t have to buy used anymore but schemes like this only encourage me to do so again.

I don't know about Mortal Kombat, but the deal with LA Noir is just plain rotten. Release-day DLC? They don't even have the tact to hide their greed anymore. I mean, the least they could have done was wait to announce it for a month or two.

But if they waited a month or two, people would realize that it's not a very good game and it would be harder to bilk them.
MK is rumored to have the online pass scheme; not like I was planning on playing it online anyway, so if they do that, I'm buying it used. If they don't do that, I'll probably buy it new.
The really annoying thing I find about LA Noir is that even if you pre-order it from their preferred retailer and for the preferred platform, you will still not be getting 1 of the 25 cases. You will have to buy it a couple of weeks later... assuming you like the game.

This really wouldn't fly with respect to anything else. I can't imagine an author having a book published that's missing the last three or four chapters. Something tells me it would result in a major PR fiasco for the publishing house.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Platform: PS3. Deal breaker right there.

I wouldn't buy a game that would remove features for being used. The principal of the matter is they want more money. I frown on greed on matters like this. Like with paying for DLC minor changes to characters appearances.

Me neither.
I wont buy them new anyway. The same goes with Mortal Kombat and LA Noir too.
They have to really stop taking their anger at gamestop out on the gamers because this shit is starting to make me hate gaming.
This is coming from someone who doesn?t have to buy used anymore but schemes like this only encourage me to do so again.

I don't know about Mortal Kombat, but the deal with LA Noir is just plain rotten. Release-day DLC? They don't even have the tact to hide their greed anymore. I mean, the least they could have done was wait to announce it for a month or two.

But if they waited a month or two, people would realize that it's not a very good game and it would be harder to bilk them.
MK is rumored to have the online pass scheme; not like I was planning on playing it online anyway, so if they do that, I'm buying it used. If they don't do that, I'll probably buy it new.
The really annoying thing I find about LA Noir is that even if you pre-order it from their preferred retailer and for the preferred platform, you will still not be getting 1 of the 25 cases. You will have to buy it a couple of weeks later... assuming you like the game.

This really wouldn't fly with respect to anything else. I can't imagine an author having a book published that's missing the last three or four chapters. Something tells me it would result in a major PR fiasco for the publishing house.

I just said the exact same thing on another thread.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/9.277280.10831266

"I couldn't imagine another industry with consumers patient enough to put up with stuff like this: a book publisher saying that chapter 19 will only go to people buying the book from B&N and chapter 22 will only go to people buying from Borders. Or how about a movie where you get some deleted scenes and a commentary if you buy from Target and that there are other deleted scenes you can only watch on a Panasonic dvd player. I didn't mind it when people were just getting simple in-game items or swag but when someone lays down $60 for a game they should get all of the gameplay content developed for that game just like someone buying a novel should get all of the narrative content written for the book."

 

[mjc0961]

Not a bad point, but at the same time the reality is we're not talking huge savings here. We're talking losing sales to companies selling used copies for $5 or, at most, $10 less than a new copy. I may be wrong, and I know everyone likes a deal, but I would imagine most people willing and able to spend $55 on a game would be able to spend $60 on it too.

Exactly. All this talk about saving money... You still spent $55 on this game. Don't talk about new games being too expensive when you're buying $55 used games. That is what's too expensive. Used games should be a lot less than that.

And I say it's good for them to make the price of the pro thing $15. Do you want to pay $70 to play your "cheap" used game, or $60 to play an "expensive" new game? Think about it.

WRONG! Developers get paid on salary, they get paid whether you buy the game or not. Their available royalties are minuscule just like in the recording industry. Buying preowned games only screws with the publishers and publisher can just go fuck off for all I care.

Yeah, never mind that the publisher is the one who gives the money to the developers so that the developers can get paid those salaries. Fuck you publishers! *eye roll*

You mean the price that hasn't moved at all since videogames came around in the mid 80s, while the worth of the dollar has dropped? Meaning we are paying less now for videogames than we ever have?

A cookie for an excellent post. [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Choco_chip_cookie.png]

 

[Quesa]

There's a cottage industry built on the practice of buying back software and cutting the actual content provider as much as it possibly can to maximize its own profits, and the publishers/developers are constantly called greedy every time they attempt to stem these losses. You children are remarkable.

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

PC games are pretty much impossible to return, they are trying to make buying pre owned console games a bad investment. As a pc gamer this doesn't affect me, but it's fucking bush league on their part.

 

[Marudas]

Laughable title notwithstanding, I'm still perpetually confused by something.

What makes publishers think they're entitled to part of the money from the second-hand market? Could you imagine if Ford came around when you bought a used car asking for their slice? I know people buying used games can make it difficult for publishers to sell the amount of games they need to turn a big profit, but its already been proven time and again that if you make a good game, you will make good money. So whats with all the publishers grabbing at used game sales? What make them feel like they're owed the money from used titles? They aren't exactly paying for the shelf space these games take, or the employee's that are needed to make the sales, or stock the shelves, or run the store, so what in the world makes them think they can dip their hand into the second hand market?

If they want money from the second hand market, they have to get involved in it. That means make a deal with a big retailer (like Wal Mart or something) to buy and sell used games of yours. Maybe offer incentives to gamers to use said retail chain (Aside from the incentive that wal mart is typically open all the damn time).

It's hard to sympathize with publishers who are trying to turn a profit when they're using tactics like this to try to tear money out of people.

 

[WaysideMaze]

If your game is showing up used in less than a week, then you have a real piece of shit on your hands.

Not really. Games like this don't exactly have a long campaign length, taking most people less than a week to complete. Not everyone is interested in replaying games or in multiplayer, and will just return it once they're done to get credit towards something new.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

Buy pre-owned games = The developers that work their asses off get nothing
£10 for full content is fair.

WRONG! Developers get paid on salary, they get paid whether you buy the game or not. Their available royalties are minuscule just like in the recording industry. Buying preowned games only screws with the publishers and publisher can just go fuck off for all I care.

My mistake, developers indeed get paid from the magic money tree which is unlimited. U R ekonomiks pro.

 

[Rigs83]

Buy pre-owned games = The developers that work their asses off get nothing
£10 for full content is fair.

But they got the first person who bought it to pay full price. Now I know servers are expensive but that's why they sell add space in the game so the larger number of eyeballs in the game the more add revenue they can get. A smarter way to recoup dollars is to force the players who bought used to watch ads while the match loads.

Better yet make a 30 dollar version that can only be downloaded so they don't have to pay for packaging or shipping but the servers are corporately sponsored. I think it would be so awesomely humiliating to be playing on the server that's being sponsored by Tampax.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Laughable title notwithstanding, I'm still perpetually confused by something.

What makes publishers think they're entitled to part of the money from the second-hand market?

The biggest issue in my mind is that, as you point out, games only have one point of sale, that being a new copy. They don't have alternate markets like pretty much every other form of entertainment media (concerts/merch for music, multiple releases for movies, etc.), and they don't have any hand in licensing the sale/care of their products (dealers, official repair shops, etc. for cars).

Game companies should definitely come up with other ways to create money from their products instead of relying so heavily on trying to curb used sales, and they are working on it (see today's news about THQ's new atv game). I can't say I blame them though for looking at the most obvious source of lost income. GameStop and companies like it exist almost entirely on the labour of the game industry and I would say the vast majority of their "used" game sales could easily be new game sales when the price difference is often so small.