DrunknMunky Veteran Posted June 28, 2010 Veteran Share Posted June 28, 2010 June 27th, 2010 @ 11:21By Joe Anderson The games industry is suffering from declining sales again, and analyst group Cowen and Company is blaming pre-owned games. Speaking in a note, Cowen and Company said software attach rate for PS3 and Xbox 360 is down compared to that enjoyed by PS2 and Xbox in 2003, with the growing trade in pre-owned being the driving factor. The company said software sales for the latest machines are down 20 percent from that of the Xbox and PS2, standing at 106m (Xbox 360) and 85.5m (PS3). Sales of titles in their second month of release have also fallen, dropping 62 percent since 2001. Some analysts are suggesting the use of initiatives, such as EA’s Online Pass, will help to curb used game sales. Thanks, MCV. http://www.vg247.com/2010/06/27/report-used-game-sales-blamed-for-industry-losses/ Peter Moore is speaking out about traded games too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrCheese Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 no, the real reason is the retarded prices of new games nowadays, i.e activision and COD MW2. Given how short the single player experiences are nowadays, a lot of copies appear on the second hand market pretty quickly, so gamers wait for those. Raa and -Vivicidal- 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedon Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Actually, it seems games are on par with game pricing of yesteryear and have gone up substantially less than inflation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Anarkii Subscriber² Posted June 28, 2010 Subscriber² Share Posted June 28, 2010 no, the real reason is the retarded prices of new games nowadays, i.e activision and COD MW2. Given how short the single player experiences are nowadays, a lot of copies appear on the second hand market pretty quickly, so gamers wait for those. This was the case with me. I finished COD MW2 6 hours after I got it on the PS3, and havent played it since. After the hype for the game, it was one of the biggest let downs ever. Bargain bin for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodan Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 no, the real reason is the retarded prices of new games nowadays, i.e activision and COD MW2. Given how short the single player experiences are nowadays, a lot of copies appear on the second hand market pretty quickly, so gamers wait for those. Erm... You don't exactly buy a game like Call fo Duty for the Single Player experience... Games such as that are always going to have a lackluster single player. >_> These games are mainly meant to be Multiplayer titles. Unless of course, it's a Bungie title... They always try to at least balance SIngle Player and Multiplayer. Actually, it seems games are on par with game pricing of yesteryear and have gone up substantially less than inflation. Speaking Canada-wise, at least. Games were only about $50 in 2007 or so. In 2008, they rose to $60, and have stayed around there with a few mega titles (e.g Mass Effect, Fallout 3) being $70. And since about 2009 up until now, $70 is roughly the average you'd expect to spend on any game, at least here in Canada. Except for a few mega titles being substantially more expensive (I spent $80 on Mass Effect 2....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Decryptor Veteran Posted June 28, 2010 Veteran Share Posted June 28, 2010 So is it the piracy or the used games? I need to know which scapegoat to blame! +hedleigh 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunknMunky Veteran Posted June 28, 2010 Author Veteran Share Posted June 28, 2010 Speaking Canada-wise, at least. Games were only about $50 in 2007 or so. In 2008, they rose to $60, and have stayed around there with a few mega titles (e.g Mass Effect, Fallout 3) being $70. And since about 2009 up until now, $70 is roughly the average you'd expect to spend on any game, at least here in Canada. Except for a few mega titles being substantially more expensive (I spent $80 on Mass Effect 2....) And people called me crazy when I said game prices were rising and would continue to rise :whistle: Kodan touched on something the article doesn't mention though, and that's a lot of games now hold their audiences with multiplayer modes. Instead of developers/publishers rushing to churn out titles every year (looking at you CoD/Acti), then they should maybe think about supporting their current games longer. CoD4 was terrible for it when it's still one of the most popular games today but it only received one DLC pack. That's a huge loss of potential sales there. People are far more willing to invest money into a game they already own with micro-transactions than lay $60+/£40 down each time. Especially when those experiences only slightly differ. Games like Rockband & WoW can attest to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathachew Veteran Posted June 28, 2010 Veteran Share Posted June 28, 2010 Buying used games has been around for years, longer than some people on this forum have been alive, and now it's a problem? Sounds like these companies need to learn to properly budget. LingeringSoul 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas-c Veteran Posted June 28, 2010 Veteran Share Posted June 28, 2010 Surely if they make good games with plenty of re-play-ability and good length people wont feel the need to trade them in for cash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted June 28, 2010 Member Share Posted June 28, 2010 I buy a lot of used games. I've never had any problems with them and they are a heck of a lot cheaper. I don't see buying games at full price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treemonkeys Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Used games also help sell new games because a large percentage of those used games at Gamestop ended up there because they were used to trade in for a new game. They only reason the used market even exists is because people buy new games that for whatever reason aren't worth keeping around, so if they want to cut back on used sales just make better games. I'm sure we have all noticed those "great" games that are almost impossible to find used even months after their release because not very many people trade it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pygmy_Hippo Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Of course it had nothing to do with the economy being in the toilet and therefore people not wanting to part with ?50 for a few hours entertainment :whistle: Let's hope that car makers and house builders don't start thinking along the same lines.....things could get mighty pricey! LingeringSoul 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodan Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 CoD4 was terrible for it when it's still one of the most popular games today but it only received one DLC pack. That's a huge loss of potential sales there. Actually, part of the blame goes to Activision for that... Activision didn't want InfinitiWard making a modern day shooter. They were convinced that the consumers only wanted more WW2 shooters, nothing modern. This is speculation on my part but I would think the reason it only got 1 DLC pack is because Activision was probably pretty miffed because they were proven wrong about it. I remember reading an article a while back claimed that InfinitiWard allegedly had to make Call of Duty 4 in secret, because of the above reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theclueless Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 if the game makers stop putting up insane price for low quality games, i might consider buying new games... but $59.99 for games i will only play once and no multiplayers? no thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
name in use Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Instead of dumping millions into crappy games (See: Britney's Dance Beat, or one of the 100's of crappy Wii games made just because of the motion factor), dump that money into something more worthwhile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leesmithg Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Actually, it seems games are on par with game pricing of yesteryear and have gone up substantially less than inflation. I paid ?29.99 for pacman on my ZX81 28 years ago, so I find that would probably be around ?130 nowdays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 There are less good games around these days, or at least fewer games that keep your interest, so you end up selling them on. What do they expect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emn1ty Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I paid ?29.99 for pacman on my ZX81 28 years ago, so I find that would probably be around ?130 nowdays. Actually it would be about $67. Prices aren't that bad for the games, actually. What is bad is their replayability. Games used to either be more difficult and thus take longer or just be longer games in general. Now there are only the rare few games which actually warrant a $60 price tag with a large majority of them being nothing more than $10-$20 impulse buys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WastedJoker Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Just you wait - console games will be pay as you play. You buy the game for ?25 and that gives you 15hrs game time and then you pay another ?12.99 for 10 more hrs etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunknMunky Veteran Posted June 28, 2010 Author Veteran Share Posted June 28, 2010 Just you wait - console games will be pay as you play. You buy the game for ?25 and that gives you 15hrs game time and then you pay another ?12.99 for 10 more hrs etc. Ha, that'll be the day I give up gaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted June 28, 2010 Subscriber² Share Posted June 28, 2010 Never buy used games and usually within a short while most new games are sold for very good prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDQuiksilver Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 no, the real reason is the retarded prices of new games nowadays, i.e activision and COD MW2. Given how short the single player experiences are nowadays, a lot of copies appear on the second hand market pretty quickly, so gamers wait for those. This man speaks the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 no, the real reason is the retarded prices of new games nowadays, i.e activision and COD MW2. Given how short the single player experiences are nowadays, a lot of copies appear on the second hand market pretty quickly, so gamers wait for those. Didn't seem to actually affect MW2 sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDQuiksilver Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Didn't seem to actually affect MW2 sales. Have you ever looked to see how many used copies of this game are out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Speaking Canada-wise, at least. Games were only about $50 in 2007 or so. In 2008, they rose to $60, and have stayed around there with a few mega titles (e.g Mass Effect, Fallout 3) being $70. And since about 2009 up until now, $70 is roughly the average you'd expect to spend on any game, at least here in Canada. Except for a few mega titles being substantially more expensive (I spent $80 on Mass Effect 2....) Dip back a little farther for "yesteryear" -- cartridge games (NES, SNES, Genesis) in the late 80's / early-mid-90's routiunely cost $50 - $70. So in that case, prices have overall held steady, espcially when counted against inflation. Have you ever looked to see how many used copies of this game are out there? I know there was about 15 million new sales out there. I'd say number of used copies says the game was overrated more than anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts