GameStop: DLC won’t deter used sales

Recent actions from EA, Sony and Codemasters to deter pre-owned sales will not work, says GameStop.

All three publishers are offering free DLC to those that buy their titles brand new. Games involved in the scheme includes Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, Race Driver GRID: Reloaded and SOCOM.

If a second-hand buyer wants to access the same content, they have to cough up a one-off payment.

But the retail giant’s COO Paul Raines feels that expensive DLC is something that does not appeal to value-orientated used game buyers.

"We have been asked questions on publisher actions to limit resale value of new titles," said Raines

"We have learned that the second-hand user is a value-oriented consumer. The average price of a used Xbox 360 game is $20. So we don’t believe that a $10 add-on piece of downloadable content is compelling to a used game buyer."

Despite this, Raines wants publishers to offer cheaper DLC to used games buyers, so publishers can earn some money from pre-owned sales.

"We are encouraging publishers to offer add-on content for new titles at a higher price, and then a lower price option for used games," he added.

"In fact, publishers can participate in our used business, by offering add-on content for the most popular used titles, creating a win-win situation for publishers, retailers, and consumers."