MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Keep selling second-hand games and new retail releases will diminish, studio boss warns
Read More »Heavy Rain dev lost 10m to pre-owned sales
French developer Quantic Dream has estimated that it lost anywhere between €5m and €10m to pre-owned sales of its PS3 hit Heavy Rain. It came to this number by comparing the number of players registering Trophies on PSN and the game’s actual sales. On my small level it’s a million …
Read More »GameStop reverses Mercenaries block
In the latest twist in what is becoming a somewhat untidy saga, retailer GameStop has reversed a decision to block consumers from trading in copies of 3DS title Resident Evil: Mercenaries. It emerged earlier in the week that the game, which saves data directly onto the card, will not allow …
Read More »Resi Evil clear for pre-owned market
Capcom has told MCV that the second hand trade-in value of 3DS title Resident Evil: The Mercenaries will not be dented by the game’s strict data management options. As spotted by TinyCartridge, the game will not allow users to reset their game save data. The blog speculates that the move …
Read More »Dirt 3 receives Online Pass
Codemasters’ upcoming Dirt 3 comes bundled with a code that lets users play online and unlock five new vehicles. According to Eurogamer it is called the VIP pass and is only included in new retail copies, gamers that buy the game used will have to pay extra to go online. …
Read More »ChoicesUK.com enters pre-owned market
A new retailer has entered the pre-owned games market – online outlet ChoicesUK.com. The ChoicesUK chain collapsed in 2007 though the brand was eventually purchased by Webb Group and transformed into an online retailer. Webb was subsequently acquired by by Endless LLP in June of last year. The current pre-owned …
Read More »No trade-ins for DC Universe Online
It has been confirmed that consumers who buy DC Universe Online will be unable to trade in their copies of the game. This applies to both the PS3 and PC versions of the game. "Once the PSN key has been consumed with a disk it cannot be resold/ replayed with …
Read More »The used games/used cars argument
It’s an argument often trotted out whenever anyone attacks the pre-owned market – "You don’t see Toyota demanding a cut from the sale of a second hand Corolla." But Kaos Studios, the developer behind THQ’s upcoming shooter Homefront, says that the video games market can’t be considered under the same …
Read More »Can pre-owned prosper online?
Selling previously played titles online may open businesses up to a nationwide – or even worldwide – customer base, and provide an extra opportunity for making margins. However, the practice of trading games online doesn’t come without its challenges, specifically the postal aspect of such a service. There is always …
Read More »‘Games lose value quicker than cars’
"Brand new video games can lose as much value in percentage terms in just three days as a car would over three years" – that’s the eye-catching introduction to a report into the pre-owned games market by leading consumer watchdog Which? It claims that a Ford Focus loses around 60 …
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