Developers Fight Back Against Used Game Sales

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It looks as though developers are trying to fight back against used game sales by offering additional content to people that buy the game new. Developers say that this is a way to reward “loyal fans” while providing incentive to buy new instead of used.

New copies of Epic's Gears of War 2 (360) will include a one-use download code that will reward players with 5 additional multiplayer maps, all pulled from the original Gears of War. According to GamePro, these maps will not be available for purchase through the Xbox Live Marketplace, with Epic claiming they are "special gifts [for] our loyal fans."
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You mean developers are getting upset that gamers don't want to pay the ridiculous new game prices and would rather buy used??!
 
I have no issues shelling out the money for a game I really really want (ie. gears of war 2). I'm gonna preorder the special edition soon (70 bucks of awesome).
 
People that fall for that..well...deserve to have their money stolen from them. They want you to pay for old content? If you can buy a used game say for $25, and brand new say $55, they want you to pay $30 for 5 old maps? pleeease.
 
Sounds like a good way to encourage people to buy new...I see absolutely nothing wrong with this.

At least they aren't doing something stupid like petitioning congress to ban used game sales.

Some of you people will complain about anything.
 
So the console gamers get more content while the PC gamers get more DRM? Good deal!
 
I never buy used games anyway, but it upsets me when microsoft/develeopers want to charge me for new maps.

I paid for the game, I'm paying for xbox live, and now I have to pay for new maps?
 
TheCAD said:
I never buy used games anyway, but it upsets me when microsoft/develeopers want to charge me for new maps.

I paid for the game, I'm paying for xbox live, and now I have to pay for new maps?
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Well in this scenario you should be happy then! Only people who bought the game used will have to pay for the extra content... buy it new, like you do, and you get a code that gives you access to the extra content.
 
Ockie said:
You mean developers are getting upset that gamers don't want to pay the ridiculous new game prices and would rather buy used??!
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I just bought WoW on amazon.com for $9.08 total and yep It's Used, All I care about besides the price is whether It will work(online and offline, If there's an offline part that is). :D

And of course I also bought Lego Star Wars for the PS/2 for $10.00 total and again It's Used, Sure It's not the newest shiniest stuff around, But It's My money which is a bit limited.
 
JokerCPoC said:
I just bought WoW on amazon.com for $9.08 total and yep It's Used, All I care about besides the price is whether It will work(online and offline, If there's an offline part that is). :D

And of course I also bought Lego Star Wars for the PS/2 for $10.00 total and again It's Used, Sure It's not the newest shiniest stuff around, But It's My money which is a bit limited.
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I am pretty sure you just payed 10 bucks for the WoW media (CD/DVDs), not the account. So you wont be able to play at all seeing as it online only and you need and account to play.. You will be able to install it, download all the patches and then look at the login screen. :(

Anyways I have no problem with developers offering incentives to buy new. Kinda kicks Gamestop in the balls a lil bit see that most of there revenue is off used games.
 
How bout' this, you start releasing demos weeks to months BEFORE the game is release, you start making better games. Don't treat me like a super ninja pirate and directly to you EA (I know this isn't about EA) Start Finishing your darn games!

Army of Two was a really good game but could have been stellar and is obviously a scrap of what it was suppsoed to be, too many cut scenes and dialogs refer to things that didn't happen, and the glitches!
Mercs. 2 is a great game but the glitches, OMG!

Now a more normal reply.
I think developers have every right to do this but I don't like it. I also don't like preorder downloadable insentives, I can't understand having nice things for them but after a while the game is through so why hold back older content.

Finally while thinking about the game is through concept, didn't MS Say something about older games would receive a sort of make over like their stuff on market place would be a bit lower and they'd have something like a package with all the content for less than it was originally as sometimes these things are small add-ons that are more than the cost of the game? Like a player's choice program?
 
New copies of Epic's Gears of War 2 (360) will include a one-use download code that will reward players with 5 additional multiplayer maps, all pulled from the original Gears of War.
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IMO it won't help much with used game sales at all. Most used game sales especially near the launch of the game are from people only interested in the Single Player side of the game. Any good multiplayer game will not have as many copies used. Since XBL is a pay to play system, I only play single player games on my 360 so I'll be happy to buy used.
 
TheCAD said:
I never buy used games anyway, but it upsets me when microsoft/develeopers want to charge me for new maps.

I paid for the game, I'm paying for xbox live, and now I have to pay for new maps?
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I don't like that I have to be a paying member of Netflix and Xbox Live to use the streaming service when it starts
 
Jutsu said:
Anyways I have no problem with developers offering incentives to buy new. Kinda kicks Gamestop in the balls a lil bit see that most of there revenue is off used games.
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And their "deals" on used games usually isn't that great. Every time I've been in there the difference between new and used has only been something piddly like $5 or less.
 
This specific reward for buying it new could create an unnecessary gap between online players, as those with used copies would not be able to participate with players that bought it new.

And to be clear, I'm not against a merit system of rewarding those who buy it new. I just think this example has either 1) not been fully thought through, or 2) not fully clarified.
 
What a load of shit. They are just greedy and want more cash. Epic is becoming more and more like epic fail :rolleyes:
 
I cannot, CANNOT, believe how far greed runs. Is Toyota pissed off because they see no kickback on the used car market? If I Ebay my slightly used jeans is Levi supposed to be upset? Christ sake!
 
riot8ap said:
People that fall for that..well...deserve to have their money stolen from them. They want you to pay for old content? If you can buy a used game say for $25, and brand new say $55, they want you to pay $30 for 5 old maps? pleeease.
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I think this is only epic's point of view, buy our new game and we'll throw in some old maps for free... stupid i know.
However, what if others said buy our new game and we'll give you a one time code to get DLC for free. I think this would make more sense.
 
so what? now to download extra content we have to upload our receipts and wait for confirmation or something?? how do they know if you bought it new or used???
 
Vengance_01 said:
What a load of shit. They are just greedy and want more cash. Epic is becoming more and more like epic fail :rolleyes:
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Yes developers are greedy and only want our hard earned money, shame on them for wanting to make a profit from their hard work :rolleyes:. Welcome to the world of a capitalist market.
 
More proof that developers use DRM not to fight piracy but to fight resell.
 
I think developers need to consider lowering their prices a little bit. It's amusing that they've eliminated bulky packaging saying it drives up the cost needlessly, yet doesn't pass the savings to the consumers, but rather horde the profit for themselves by keeping games at $60 for the most part.
 
Epic is becoming more and more like epic fail
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Well said, well fuxxn said

I think this is so stupid. First of all I dont pay to play online, I have a PC and a PS3 for that and love both of them. Im gonna laugh so hard is Gears2 is just as short as the first one, and everyone beats it the day they buy it. Then they sell it used becuase alot of people dont want to pay to play either. Huge gap in online players, so some used buyers may not play anymore.

Second of all, if you know what you are doing, buying used is smart. Its nothing to get 25-35% off a used game if you know how to which is already 5-15 cheaper than a new game. Plus, im sure we all have a few games we dont play that we can take in and feed the system. I almost exclusivly buy used because my money doesnt just flow from my ass. I will by products new I want to support (100+ dollars for my metal gear 4 LOL) and same goes for movies. Movie resale places are the best, get like 10 movies for 30-40 bucks, cant beat it.

Third, how does porting old maps become a gift? atleast Halo remade the old maps... Epic is just gonna put them in the new game, no work needed. (Same engine, same everything) fail

Finally, back to my quote, since UT 2004 (which was a coverup for a failed U2 and UT2003) Epic hasnt made a game like they used to. Even their godsend GoW wasnt that great. It was ok, but it was more repetative than masterbating. and it was short as hell. Atleast with games like MGS4 there is alot of content (just did a run skipping every cutscene, and <10 detections in just over 8 hours). But this isnt about metal gear, because most great games reward you for playing differantly and most great games have a bitchin online mode that isnt held back. Gears took me about 4 hours to beat, then 6 with a buddy on the highest diff. setting. The game is the same formula repeated about every 10seconds. And it never changes, everything is scripted to the T and almost nothing is free form anymore. every play is just the same as the last. And online aint that fun, small maps with a few players, thats why I dont invest in XbLive.

-Sidenote, whos waiting for bad ass 60 player Resitance 2 ?? Or how about 8 player co-op? 2 entire campaigns, hell yes, theres a game worth its salt.
 
gaspah said:
so what? now to download extra content we have to upload our receipts and wait for confirmation or something?? how do they know if you bought it new or used???
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Usually, the codes to download the content can only be used once. If the original owner of a new copy uses the code, any subsequent buyers of that copy of the game will not be able to use that code. Thus, the only ways to obtain the additional content will either be to buy a new copy or obtain an used copy where the code has not been used yet.
 
SockMan! said:
So the console gamers get more content while the PC gamers get more DRM? Good deal!
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nononono don't turn this into another DRM discussion. :eek:

PC gamers get shit if it's Epic, not holding my breath for GoW 2. I didn't even like GoW 1 that much.. but I got 3 copies (2 on PC for coop LAN, and 1 on X360).

I can't say I like this idea. I hate the idea of buying a game, then finding that there are expansions and DLC you can buy just weeks after its release. Why wasn't that content included in the original game? In the end, it feels like someone intentionally left out content in the game so they could sell it to gamers later as an "expansion" or DLC. Oblivion comes to mind with its horse armor..

This "incentive" falls into a similar category. Here's the full game, but Epic intentionally left out content to stick their noses up used game buyers. Sure it's only 5 multiplayer maps, but this sets a disturbing precedent.
 
KingPariah777 said:
Sounds like a good way to encourage people to buy new...I see absolutely nothing wrong with this.

At least they aren't doing something stupid like petitioning congress to ban used game sales.

Some of you people will complain about anything.
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You're looking at this the wrong way.

If there is ANYTHING we've learned about big gaming companies is that they want to spend jack-shit on production, and still charge $60 for the game.

They're not offering extra content for new game purchasers. They're removing content from the game, then allowing you to download it if you bought the game new. Essentially they'll just be crippling the used games.

Instead of 20 levels, you get 10, but if you have a new game you get 10 level downloads for free!!1!!

See the problem?
 
I buy console games used because the new retail copies are insanely expensive.
 
Nemesis999 said:
They're not offering extra content for new game purchasers. They're removing content from the game, then allowing you to download it if you bought the game new. Essentially they'll just be crippling the used games.

Instead of 20 levels, you get 10, but if you have a new game you get 10 level downloads for free!!1!!

See the problem?
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Said what I was thinking.

Epic fail indeed.
 
incentives to buy new is ok
The alternative that DRM is used to stop resale is BAD!!! infact I am pretty certain if someone took a case to court in the UK such practices would be found illegal and again consumer statutory rights

I have pre-order games that I /really/ want (QuakeWars got a load of extra info, Lego:Batman I will be getting a keyring \o/) but they are ZOMG! I neeeds games
most other games its a meh i might buy if I am in a buying mood or see it cheap
 
Games that I know I'll want to keep, I'll buy new. Otherwise I'd rather rent a game from GameFly. Then if I decide I want a copy to keep I'll wait until the prices drop. But then if a Used copy is available, that has the case and manual, I'll buy it. And I don't care about "incentives", and I'm not buying just Anything they want to shovel out.

Oh and just for the record! EA can collectively take a flying leap off the nearest tall structure for all I care. I don't want to buy their games used, let alone for full retail. The reason is that I hate the DRM they used on Mass Effect, which arbitrarily limits the numbers of times I can install the game... One which I bought new!
 
If I bought this game, I wouldn't use the code, I'd Ebay both the code and the game separately when I was finished. Someone will pay enough for the code that you'll make all your original purchase price back causing even more incentive to sell you game.
 
I think this is just wrong, you pay the price to play the game when it is purchased and having to pay twice becuse It is given/sold to another person is just wrong.
The key should be for the game not the person who registeres the game. Now I can understand if someone pirates the game and they see a lot of people registering the same key number I know that happens but if you buy it used off of ebay that is the risk you take.
 
I think the only form of acceptable "incentive" would involve items that don't change the gameplay experience.

For instance, register at Epic's site and get a free Marcus figurine, or whatever the shit, maybe a poster, or X360 dashboard themes and gamer pics. It may be pushing it, but in MP, make it so those who buy the game new get a special skin or two.
 
If the developers offer exclusive content to the first buyer, so be it. It just sounds like sour lemons from the developers because they are not making money off second and subsequent sales of the used game and that some people are willing to spend less $$ for a used copy, again with the devs not making any $$ off of it vs making some $$ off a new copy.

The devs need to get over it basically and if they feel like offering extras to first line buyers, hey, go for it.
 
eah I stand by what I said about Epic in the other GoW 2 thread.

Epic has become lazy and greedy.

Bonus MP maps pulled from the original game to try and get people to buy new?

And looking at this thread you guys are eating it up...

Whats so great about bonus MP maps that come from the original game? Not to mention separating GoW 2 MP in to those who bought new and those who bought used.
 
Edit: I skimmed the thread a bit too fast, the bulk of you seem to see much the same issues with this.
 
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