The future of Digital sales and Retail stores?

[Cyan]

they are finally making it. Editors achieved what they wanted: to eliminate the retail sales and the sale of second-hand games.

Some years ago those second-hand sales represented more than 50% of revenue in the videogames business. When a new game was released, it was the buyers who asked if the title is available second hand before talking about the sealed game. You could save between 15 and 18 euros in a 70€ product, and stores gave you one year warranty.

People wanted to save a bit of money, and a small store where I live could sell like 50 second-hand games a week and make 1000€ a week out of those.

 

[Cyan]

Maybe they just are economical. If I wanted to buy a gaming credit gift for friend of family, I'd give them generic credit rather than a specific game. That way they can spend it on whatever they like. I remember one birthday I got two copies of Bubble Bobble for the C64. Maybe Sony just decided to ease up on the rain forest murder.

that's a very fun game! Especially the arcade version. Not as good as Pang, imho, but very fun. Whether it was something you repent from having done..... or not...........xD those anecdotes talk about a very different landscape.

Companies made a lot of maneuvers to kill the used games market. From creating some kind of online Pass, curtail the multiplayer for those with a used copy and force them to buy a pass to re-activate, it disable achievements and rewards for the second to play, layer missions, levels or characters available as the maneuver of Warner Bros depriving of the presence of Catwoman in The last Batman: Arkham City, or tear the contents and then sell them as downloadable, despite being included in the album.

The Online Pass, layer online game and force to buy a pass to re-activate, disable achievements and rewards for the second person to play, cut down missions, levels or characters available like what Warner Bros did depriving players of the presence of Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City, or teardown the full content of the game and then sell that content -already in the full game- as downloadable, despite being included in the disc.

Then there is the presence of a human selling you stuff that you miss. I was keen on a girl at a Game store -I wrote her a secret letter-, and saw her when I purchased Doom for the Xbox One a couple of years ago, but I was opposite from the store a month ago and I noticed the store had closed forever.

Wherever you are Natalia, just know that I like you sooooooooooooooo much

 

[AlphaWolf]

Maybe if those 2nd hand sellers had found a way to share the profits with developers they would still be around.

 

[AzBat]

Hasta la vista, baby...

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/04/gamestop-posts-massive-loss-as-pre-owned-game-sales-plummet/

Tommy McClain

 

[Cyan]

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-is-launching-a-huge-sale-on-games-console/1100-6466056/