Remember when used games were an industry-threatening issue?

[SRO7]

So much that publishers had to invite the whole online pass fuckery in order to combat it?

That publishers were lobbying the console manufacturers to ban used games?

Remember when Microsoft actually based a major part of their console strategy on anti-used games policies in order to appeal to the publishers?

It's honestly surreal how just 7 years later and pretty much no one is complaining about used games eating into their sales anymore

 

[Etrian Darkness]

Was it a real issue or was it just hurting how much profit they made?

 

[TheMadTitan]

Yes, I remember when companies were just looking for bullshit ways to nickel and dime because they allowed their budgets to get out of control during the transition to HD.

 

[oni-link]

With more games being sold digitally, which means they can't be resold, the "problem" kind of took care of itself

 

[Knight613]

Lootboxes and the convenience of digital saved publishers

 

[Deleted member 31092]

They solved the issues with predatory micro transitions and overabundant DLCs.

The switch to digital also helped.

 

[Hamster Plugin]

Now the game disc is just a way to get you into buying microtransactions. Publishers no longer want to make an online pass because that would act as a barrier between you and the microtransactions.

 

[Dan Thunder]

I think that the digital market has helped a lot. I've bought a hell of a lot more digitally this generation than I did in the PS3/360 years.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

Microtransactions and lootboxes tripled their revenues virtually overnight, so makes sense they stopped giving a shit.

Plus more and more people have been moving towards digital, so it's become less of an issue as time has gone on.

 

[Cenauru]

It's honestly surreal how just 7 years later and pretty much no one is complaining about used games eating into their sales anymore

Click to shrink...

Cause digital is becoming more and more common and you can't trade a license. Also, it wasn't really a "problem", it was just giant publishers being greedy.

 

[cw_sasuke]

They never were industry "threatening" - pubs just wanted to make even more money.

 

[oni-link]

If anything it's even more amazing Xbox tanked themselves for an entire generation trying to implement something that wouldn't be a problem by the mid point of that very generation

 

[BashNasty]

They never were industry "threatening" - pubs just wanted to make even more money.

Click to shrink...

Yikes!

The games industry is a business, all businesses want to make money.

 

[Abominuz]

It was a created problem to invent others ways to persuade gamers to spend their money on online passes and DLC and micro transactions. Used games where always there. I remember buying used games and selling new games since the NES and SNES days.

 

[cw_sasuke]

Yikes!

The games industry is a business, all businesses want to make money.

Click to shrink...

So ? I didnt say they were wrong for it, every market is gonna protect their business. Doesnt mean that videgames were about to go extinct because of used-games. It was a fitting scapegoat to push other lock-in features between publisher and customer.

 

[Plinkerton]

I always felt like it wasn't a real issue, publishers just wanted to get rid of GameStop, Game etc. so they could push digital sales, and demonising used games was a convenient way to do it.

 

[MarcelRguez]

That no-one is complaining these days is a sign that it never was a real issue to begin with. We'd have loot boxess, micro transactions and the like from the big publishers with or without the existence of a widespread used games market.

 

[TheEchosOfTheCyborg]

Still can't believe how many people were supportive of the Online Pass back then, even when it became clear it was BS like games having them that didn't have online components so they just cut off parts of the actual game like with Batman Arkham City and being able to play as Catwoman.

 

[It’s Time To Go]

To this day, I have never got the platinum trophy on resistance burning skies because the online pass needed to play online.

 

[TheEchosOfTheCyborg]

That no-one is complaining these days is a sign that it never was a real issue to begin with. We'd have loot boxess, micro transactions and the like from the big publishers with or without the existence of a widespread used games market.

Click to shrink...

The microtransaction train was already rolling by that point, it had already been going on for a long time in the Mobile market and was already gaining speed in the AAA scene, hell Mass Effect 3 had lootboxes AND an Online Pass.

 

[Deleted member 2752]

It's mostly digital now, they won.

And even here people don't realise it.

 

[MickZan]

It's mostly digital now, they won.

And even here people don't realise it.

Click to shrink...

We all win as long as we keep the option to buy it physical.

 

[Deleted member 437]

Even Sony hated it.

I think a few of their games had passes, no? Resistance 3 maybe?

 

[MarcelRguez]

The microtransaction train was already rolling by that point, it had already been going on for a long time in the Mobile market and was already gaining speed in the AAA scene, hell Mass Effect 3 had lootboxes AND an Online Pass.

Click to shrink...

I guess that might be true. The timeline is a bit hazy in my mind (I was a teen during those years), but I don't remember it being that prevalent during the early 7th gen days (so, 2005-2009). 2010 onwards, sure.

 

[VideogameVices]

They moved to digital. Used Games WAS an issue.

 

[Deleted member 923]

There are posters on ERA who still believe they are lol

 

[Deleted member 2752]

We all win as long as we keep the option to buy it physical.

Click to shrink...

A huge amount of gaming content, from smaller games to season passes to online-only games etc can't be bought physically and can't get traded in. The $60 retail game is just one part of it.

 

[Deleted member 1659]

What's really surreal to me is that there used to be people who would claim videogames were a unique and special thing that should not be allowed to be sold on the second hand market. We've had a second hand and rental market for every other medium ever invented but video games were unique just because.

I absolutely hated the argument.

Personally, I think digital games should be allowed to be resold as well. You could probably use something like blockchain technology to transfer rights over. There's an asston of games on Steam that I own but will never play.

 

[MickZan]

A huge amount of gaming content, from smaller games to season passes etc can't be bought physically and can't get traded in. The $60 retail game is just one part of it.

Click to shrink...

That's all optional though and it was never any different. Better yet you can get it physical if you just wait a year and buy the complete edition or whatever. Smaller indie games sure, but they mostly self publish and have no ways to get pushed to disc and shipped to stores. There are some indie publisher that do this though.

 

[Deleted member 2752]

That's all optional though and it was never any different. Better yet you can get it physical if you just wait a year and buy the complete edition or whatever. Smaller indie games sure, but they mostly self publish and have no ways to get pushed to disc and shipped to stores. There are some indie publisher that do this though.

Click to shrink...

What' the difference if it's optional? All just part of the game in the end. And of course it was different back in the day, unless you're like 20 years old and don't remember.

Fact is, the majority of gaming content can't get traded in anymore when that wasn't the case in the past. We got better deals out if this change, though, I'm not complaining.

 

[unicornKnight]

Most basic versions of games end up very cheap soon anyway. And since you can't sell the season pass, dlc etc publishers don't lose that much. Also digital is now around 50% of market share? Could be more now with covid situation

 

[Deleted member 30681]

Most basic versions of games end up very cheap soon anyway. And since you can't sell the season pass, dlc etc publishers don't lose that much. Also digital is now around 50% of market share? Could be more now with covid situation

Click to shrink...

It'll be interesting to see what the long term implications of this will be, for the people who are buying digital for the first time, and decide that they find it more convenient compared to physical.

I've been digital only this entire generation, and have yet to buy a single PS4 disk. I remember my biggest frustration with the PS3 late into the generation was how some games would be available digitally while others weren't.

I remember having a field day in 2013 when Sony confirmed every PS4 game would be available digitally.

 

[oni-link]

It'll be interesting to see what the long term implications of this will be, for the people who are buying digital for the first time, and decide that they find it more convenient compared to physical.

I've been digital only this entire generation, and have yet to buy a single PS4 disk. I remember my biggest frustration with the PS3 late into the generation was how some games would be available digitally while others weren't.

I remember having a field day in 2013 when Sony confirmed every PS4 game would be available digitally.

Click to shrink...

I really feel for people that still go for 100% physical

It's like, the disc is just a key now with 60% of the game on the disc, the rest downloads, along with patches and DLC

If you have PS4 discs and they shut PSN down for PS4 in 20 years, your disc is going to be borderline useless, whereas anyone who went digital only and backed all their games up on a hard drive will be able to still play the complete games, or at least emulate them

So it's sad seeing people stress over getting the disc when it's long past the point where that is worth doing

More so when there are so many games now that only come out as digital downloads

 

[Dragonyeuw]

Mandatory installs for the most part drove me to mostly downloads, otherwise I would probably still be a physical gamer. It has made me far more selective of what I buy and the price point. The vast majority of my ps4 retail games were purchased under $20. So while I don't buy physical to potentially flip anymore( exception with the Switch), I also don't pay close to full MSRP and I couldn't tell you the last time I bought extra DLC. I figure it balances out losing the ability to sell the game down the line.

 

[Trup1aya]

So much that publishers had to invite the whole online pass fuckery in order to combat it?

That publishers were lobbying the console manufacturers to ban used games?

Remember when Microsoft actually based a major part of their console strategy on anti-used games policies in order to appeal to the publishers?

It's honestly surreal how just 7 years later and pretty much no one is complaining about used games eating into their sales anymore

Click to shrink...

Probably because used games arent really eating into their sales anymore.

Half of games are sold digital - which means there's dramatically fewer used games to buy. Then there's services like gamepass and EA access, psnow, gwg, ps+ that constantly throw games at consumers so there's no need to visit the physical bargain bin. There's also a ton of sales in digital stores.

What's really surreal to me is that there used to be people who would claim videogames were a unique and special thing that should not be allowed to be sold on the second hand market. We've had a second hand and rental market for every other medium ever invented but video games were unique just because.

I absolutely hated the argument.

Personally, I think digital games should be allowed to be resold as well. You could probably use something like blockchain technology to transfer rights over. There's an asston of games on Steam that I own but will never play.

Click to shrink...

That would be nice, but no platform holder would implement this willingly. Why allow one license to transfer between two people when they can instead sell two licenses? Especially when 1)a used digital market would speed depreciation and 2) there's no physical limitation on how many licenses they can create

 

[nekkid]

It was an issue, so publishers changed the game.

 

[DJtal]

Digital store sales, I just bought NBA 2K20 for 4$ I don't see the point buying second hand.

 

[Iztok]

I still buy physical but will often double dip when games go below $10, just for the convenience.

Going with online passes was a terrible idea, but if the problem even existed, it doesn't anymore.

 

[Redcrayon]

I remember Game shops here used to have endless racks of used games, and also sold them next to a new copy for £5 cheaper. This was never about specifically second-hand sales as a concept, but more about the turning of second-hand sales into a retail business directly competing with new copies at a national scale. They just framed it as a fundamental issue as they couldn't directly attack their own business partners. Now that more people buy digital, there's less used copies around, and so that has just dried up as a revenue source for retail chains.

Seeing as those shops are all pretty much on their knees as every attempt to diversify their business has failed, they've got digital that's been eating into them bit by bit for 15 years and online retailers selling the same stuff for £10 cheaper for over 20, no wonder it's no longer seen as a problem. Speciality games retail isn't going to be around much longer.

Personally my favourite thing about such shops was browsing the second hand sections for hidden gems and bargains. As smaller games tend not to get physical releases now, and centralised pricing has killed the 'bargain hunt' element, it's kinda removed a lot of the fun for me. I still buy physical as online retailers are still ludicrously cheaper than digital by up to a tenner here, but I just get them delivered instead.

 

[oni-link]

It was an issue, so publishers changed the game.

Click to shrink...

I mean, they didn't though, did they?

The whole world moved to digital, from music, to TV, to film, to games

It wasn't like the game industry decided to go digital to stop used game sales, it was the way all media was naturally evolving towards anyway

 

[Madjoki]

Games have changed to combat trade in or to delay it. Drip feed weekly content, roadmaps, DLC, etc.

 

[ghostcrew]

To this day, I have never got the platinum trophy on resistance burning skies because the online pass needed to play online.

Click to shrink...

Same! The one trophy I didn't ever get. I wasn't going to pay £9.99 for an Online Pass to play the online against nobody.

 

[Voytek]

I really feel for people that still go for 100% physical

It's like, the disc is just a key now with 60% of the game on the disc, the rest downloads, along with patches and DLC

If you have PS4 discs and they shut PSN down for PS4 in 20 years, your disc is going to be borderline useless, whereas anyone who went digital only and backed all their games up on a hard drive will be able to still play the complete games, or at least emulate them

So it's sad seeing people stress over getting the disc when it's long past the point where that is worth doing

More so when there are so many games now that only come out as digital downloads

Click to shrink...

What in the world are you talking about here? None of this is true. I only buy physical and I don't gotta download anything to play the full game. And I've never had to download a patch to finish a PS4 game. Ever. The game has been complete on disc every time I've ever bought one and 20 years down the road I would still be able to play it.

 

[RingRang]

I remember when publishers tried to use it as an excuse.

 

[It’s Time To Go]

Same! The one trophy I didn't ever get. I wasn't going to pay £9.99 for an Online Pass to play the online against nobody.

Click to shrink...

I wonder if anyone is still playing it....

 

[nekkid]

I mean, they didn't though, did they?

The whole world moved to digital, from music, to TV, to film, to games

It wasn't like the game industry decided to go digital to stop used game sales, it was the way all media was naturally evolving towards anyway

Click to shrink...

I was referring to other methods of monetisation. And while a trend to digital was universal, there was definitely publisher pushing in terms of marketing.

 

[blueredandgold]

It's a third party publisher's world, we (and the console manufacturers) only live in it. This has always been the case.

Joke's on them though, I almost tripped over something making this post on my Smart Phone so I went to my Personal Computer to finish it.

Ha hah!

Trouble is, that something was a Sega Dreamcast....

 

[Bomi-Chan]

in the last 7 years companies have gave up on online-passes and instead went for f2p.
they knew that even before that happened.
you can earn so much more with that.

i really wonder, if pirating is still a thing. i remember that in the psx till the wii-days it was a huge thing, but today? i dont know anyone pirating games. games become soo cheap within a year(except for nintendos stuff), so i consider this is a heavier thing.

 

[Laziness]

What in the world are you talking about here? None of this is true. I only buy physical and I don't gotta download anything to play the full game. And I've never had to download a patch to finish a PS4 game. Ever. The game has been complete on disc every time I've ever bought one and 20 years down the road I would still be able to play it.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much that, yes. I guess one could argue about how for some games those patches from psn, that are not included in the physical version, are huge gamechangers, and those would be lost forever when ps4's servers go down, but that's a bit different thing. The only thing that we've really lost is the playing from the disk itself. Like, all physical ps4 games must be installed on the system in order to play them, the disk is here just to check the license, not to actually play the game like ps1-2-3 (although there're some titles on ps3 that allow you to install some data from the disk to boost, idk, performance, I guess? Dragon's Crow had that feature, mb there're some other titles). I guess that thing is gone forever now? Same will apply to ps5 and etc, your disk is just to install the game on the system, like digital and then you only use it to check the license and start the game.

 

[Poeton]

I think places like game stop poisoned the well. I haven't traded a game in years. I prefer to keep a collection of game that friends can borrow or buy digitally.