Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere has joined the ranks of the idiotic in whining about used games. Wait, aren't we supposed to only play Heavy Rain once, right? Surely he of all people should understand why it got traded in so much!
"I would say that the impact that the recession had, that the most important impact especially on AAA games on console, was the rise of second hand gaming. And I think this is one of the number one problems right now in the industry," he bitched. "I can take just one example of Heavy Rain. We basically sold to date approximately two million units, we know from the trophy system that probably more than three million people bought this game and played it.
"On my small level it's a million people playing my game without giving me one cent. And my calculation is, as Quantic Dream, I lost between €5 and €10 million worth of royalties because of second hand gaming."
Fondaumiere dismisses the very real benefits of used games -- how trade-in credit lets gamers buy new games easier, and how new IP can sell better sequels in the long-term thanks to secondhand exposure -- and instead says that the industry needs to stop shooting itself in the foot and address the problem.
Then one remembers that, by his logic, he's already made between €10 and €20 million in royalties and is moaning that he didn't make even more because people exploited a very legal system and bought games that Sony had already sold once. Yeah, cry me a friggin' river, you destitute, poverty-stricken young man!
Quantic Dream [GI.biz]
Contest:
8:00 AM on 09.12.2011 | 
Used Cars cost Toyota, Ford, Honda and other Car manufactures millions!
Used Appliances cost GE, Whirlpool and other Appliance Manufactures Millions!
Used Books cost Publishers Millions!
Passed down clothes cost sweatshops Millions!!!
He should be grateful that 2 million people dropped money on his glorified interactive movie and not moaning like a bitch about loss of profits.
Finally. What a cunt.
Make better games that people will want to buy new at a price point that is affordable and that have enough value to them that said people won't trade them in. (You can't have a used game sale without someone trading in their previously new game)
or
Stop making games....
I suppose there is always the third option of QQ moar nub.
If one follows this logic, the man is getting 4 times what he deserves for each copy sold at full price.
>wake up, put on detachable penis and balls
>search internet for anything that will allow him to whine and act like a douche towards something he has previously whined and acted like a douche over, especially if it relates to Heavy Rain or Sonic
>post gleefully on Destructoid while drooling and squirting from his mangina
QQ moar
Online passes can go suck a fuck and so can developers and publishers. They have no right to whine about income loss when they squeeze their costumers for every penny they can with Day 1 DLC, specially DLC that's on the disc. Imagine If you bought The Dark Knight Blu Ray and had to pay extra to unlock all the Michael Caine Scenes?
While I really liked the game,once I finished it I traded it in for something new because I had no reason to go back.
He should be happy that people bought into this overrated piece of nonsense.
Suck it, de Fondaumiere.
"Options? Take them away from me! Content that used to be free? Make me pay for it!"
Oh yes, let's not be thankful people actually played my overhyped quick time event and actually sold 2 million units. Instead let's bitch about the money we didn't make while 1 million MORE people played my shitty quick time event. Any non-asshole would be like "3 million people played my game!? awesome!!" Shit man, I get amped when I see 500 people come to my bands concerts, but fucking 3 million people played his game and you're defending him being a whiny cunt? Wow
I understand your point though, I would probably be frustrated if I were in his position and saw all that potential profit go out the door, but used games aren't a "problem", as he and a lot of developers/publishers put it. There's nothing wrong with it, and it doesn't need to be stopped. It's a legitimate part of the market and something consumers have a right to. The proper response from publishers would be to innovate and provide value to persuade consumers to purchase games new, not to try and twist their arms and tell them where they're going to buy games and for how much.
Also, Heavy Rain is a great game.
What? Sterling didn't mention that part in his article? Well, that's odd. Hard to believe Jim Sterling would cherry-pick quotes that only support what he wants to say. Heh.
Without necessarily agreeing with the industry, I will say that some of the arguments people trot out are pretty goofy. "Make better games and people will buy them new", for example. I mean, seriously? And how many really good games have basically flopped, while CoD sells Trillions of copies? Or how about the "add more replay value" argument? Because every genre should have multi-player tacked on? Yeah, no thanks. Some types of games, especially story-driven games, will always have less replay value.
I agree with you. I really do.
@adrian smith
You are right, the 60 price tag is what drives the used games market.
Developers need to find ways to either add more value for a 60 price point or drop the 1st buy cost.
Of course, that same argument (as well as Jim's "you already sold it once" argument) could be applied to piracy. So all the people who bitch about piracy hurting the gaming industry should not dismiss the fact that use games are doing the exact same damages, only legally and morally acceptable. In either case, the devs don't get money.