Like all publishers, THQ hates used games a darn sight more than we customers do, and has revealed plans to combat the market with premium online play and downloadable content.
“We believe this will increase our digital revenue, engage players with our games for a longer period of time and reduce the impact of used games,” states CEO Brian Farrell.
THQ tried the online pass idea out with UFC Undisputed 2010. The game shipped with a one-time code that was required to unlock the multiplayer option. If you hadn’t purchased the game brand new, you were expected to pay for a code via Xbox Live or PSN.
Apparently that scheme worked out well enough for THQ (and EA, who came up with the idea) that it’s now going to be the standard thing. Bully for them, I guess, but I do think these publishers grossly underestimate the damage that the destruction of the secondhand games could do to the industry as a whole.
I think Red Dead Redemption‘s humiliation of UFC 2010 is proof enough that gamers don’t like to buy brand new $60 games all at once.
THQ: We’ll crush pre-owned threat [CVG]
