Retailers are ‘parasites and thieves’

Game developers have made no secret of their hatred of the used game market, but few people have vocalized it in such harsh terms as InstantAction CEO Louis Castle. According to him, retailers such as GameStop are parasites and thieves. 

“I still love making big traditional games that make a lot of money, and I want to think about different ways we can keep making those games,” says Castle, who currently makes Facebook games. “As it is, I think we’re heading for disasters in the retail space if we aren’t there already.

“They’re thieves. They’re parasites and thieves. Because they don’t let the publisher participate in the used games business. They take all the money. They take a game from somebody for ten bucks and then turn around and sell it for $30, and they don’t give any of that $20 back to the original copyright holder. Something would be OK, but zero is not OK.”

Once again, I need to point out that the game industry is not some special flower that only has to deal with used sales. At the end of the day, games are an expensive luxury, and where there are expensive luxuries, there will be people willing to sell used versions for cheaper. Game makers love capitalism when it makes them pure profit. They suddenly hate it when it’s another company raking in the money. Sorry folks, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too. 

Louis Castle: Retailers Are “Parasites and Thieves” [Edge]