Drizol User Info

July 17, 2009 4:51:27 PM

I don't know of any developers who are upset with consumers for buying used games. It's perfectly understandable that people would like to get the best deal possible on a game.

Developers are pissed at Gamestop and the used game market in general. Here are a few details that weren't mentioned in the original article.

1. Gamestop takes far fewer orders for new games than competitors because they make more money on selling used games than new. They want as small an inventory as possible of new games and this hurts developers. Preorders and week one sales are so critical for projects that marketing budgets and sales efforts can and are slashed if there aren't enough products ordered.

2. Online game components cost money to run. Developers run these services for free because they increase longevity of games, can make games more fun, and help sell more copies. They count on retail sales to pay for it. Every used game sold costs the developer real money and not just the possibility of a lost sale of a new game.

3. Games used to drop in price relatively quickly after initial release. Now prices are being held longer in part to make up for lost revenue to used games.

4. Digital distribution and online games will make the whole issue moot in less than a decade.

You can try to rationalize what they're doing all you want but if at the end of the day Gamestop is responsible for developers losing money and taking on less risky projects then we all lose as customers.