Gamestop looking to start selling used digital games...?
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grumpy_new_yorker
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The EU Court Ruling
Recently, a European Union court decided that Oracle could not collect damages from a German company that was buying used Oracle software product keys, and then reselling those keys to new users.
What this means is that in the EU, when you buy software digitally, you have the same right to resell that product as if you bought a DVD.
A reasonable interpretation of the decision is that it forces a company like Microsoft to facilitate the sale of a downloaded game from one Xbox Live user to another.
You can read the ruling here: http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=124564&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=773624
Gamestop's Plan
Currently Gamestop makes the vast majority of its profits off of used game sales. Gamestop typically pays a small amount for a used games it buys from a customer - much less than it pays game publishers for new copies. It then sells the used copy for nearly the same price as a new one.
This works great for Gamestop, but probably not so great for publishers. The above transaction gives money to the used game seller and Gamestop, but not the people who created the game.
Whether console manufacturers lose out on Gamestop's used game business is a subject of debate. Obviously console manufacturers don't get a cut of the money spent on used games. Then again, trading in used games forces a customer to visit Gamestop, where they're likely to buy another game.
In any case, console manufacturers have had the technology to stop the used game market cold for awhile. For instance, Sony contemplated tying new Blu-ray games to individual PS3 consoles, thereby preventing resale of the game to another player.
So far, console manufacturers have resisted implementing this type of technology because customers really, really like the used games market. If Sony put a stop to it on their system, customers would buy Xbox instead.
Now Gamestop wants to extend their used game business to digitally downloaded games - games purchased on Xbox Live and PSN. Legally, at least in the EU, it seems like they will be able to.
Read the full story here at...
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/IanFisch/20120729/174914/Gamestop_selling_used_digital_games__not_gonna_happen.php
Recently, a European Union court decided that Oracle could not collect damages from a German company that was buying used Oracle software product keys, and then reselling those keys to new users.
What this means is that in the EU, when you buy software digitally, you have the same right to resell that product as if you bought a DVD.
A reasonable interpretation of the decision is that it forces a company like Microsoft to facilitate the sale of a downloaded game from one Xbox Live user to another.
You can read the ruling here: http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=124564&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=773624
Gamestop's Plan
Currently Gamestop makes the vast majority of its profits off of used game sales. Gamestop typically pays a small amount for a used games it buys from a customer - much less than it pays game publishers for new copies. It then sells the used copy for nearly the same price as a new one.
This works great for Gamestop, but probably not so great for publishers. The above transaction gives money to the used game seller and Gamestop, but not the people who created the game.
Whether console manufacturers lose out on Gamestop's used game business is a subject of debate. Obviously console manufacturers don't get a cut of the money spent on used games. Then again, trading in used games forces a customer to visit Gamestop, where they're likely to buy another game.
In any case, console manufacturers have had the technology to stop the used game market cold for awhile. For instance, Sony contemplated tying new Blu-ray games to individual PS3 consoles, thereby preventing resale of the game to another player.
So far, console manufacturers have resisted implementing this type of technology because customers really, really like the used games market. If Sony put a stop to it on their system, customers would buy Xbox instead.
Now Gamestop wants to extend their used game business to digitally downloaded games - games purchased on Xbox Live and PSN. Legally, at least in the EU, it seems like they will be able to.
Read the full story here at...
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/IanFisch/20120729/174914/Gamestop_selling_used_digital_games__not_gonna_happen.php
Comments
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Used digital games? How does that make any ? sense?
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LOL thats crazy as hell.
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If this happens I wonder how much I could sale double dragon for on the xbox since its no longer available
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yeah i got the punisher psn game thats no longer available too.
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i wish i got TMNT before they pulled it.
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I got TMNT, didnt know Punisher was gone, why they remove it?
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they usually remove games because the original publisher/developer does not own the rights anymore.
like TMNT -
i was gonna say because it sucked like focus' mother backstage at the Staples center
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genocidecutter wrote: »Used digital games? How does that make any ? sense?
The same way buying a used game instead of a new one just to save $2 - $5 "makes sense". Or the same way buying a game new at Gamestop can cost you $19.99, but buying it used can cost $29.99 "makes sense".
I always buy games new regardless so I don't really care where it comes from, usually the price is the same (unless you got through Amazon). But sometimes I be in Gamestop like, muthafuckas really fall for this ? ?
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genocidecutter wrote: »Used digital games? How does that make any ? sense?
The same way buying a used game instead of a new one just to save $2 - $5 "makes sense". Or the same way buying a game new at Gamestop can cost you $19.99, but buying it used can cost $29.99 "makes sense".
I always buy games new regardless so I don't really care where it comes from, usually the price is the same (unless you got through Amazon). But sometimes I be in Gamestop like, muthafuckas really fall for this ? ?
focus, u my ? and all but really?!
1. the question was how can it be possible to sell a digital game that you will still digitally have after its sold, and ..
2. when have you ever seen a game cost more used than new?? a 2 year old would compare the 2 prices and notice something was out of the norm .... -
kanggoodie wrote: »genocidecutter wrote: »Used digital games? How does that make any ? sense?
The same way buying a used game instead of a new one just to save $2 - $5 "makes sense". Or the same way buying a game new at Gamestop can cost you $19.99, but buying it used can cost $29.99 "makes sense".
I always buy games new regardless so I don't really care where it comes from, usually the price is the same (unless you got through Amazon). But sometimes I be in Gamestop like, muthafuckas really fall for this ? ?
focus, u my ? and all but really?!
1. the question was how can it be possible to sell a digital game that you will still digitally have after its sold, and ..
2. when have you ever seen a game cost more used than new?? a 2 year old would compare the 2 prices and notice something was out of the norm ....
1. I understood the question. In terms of illogical ? that Gamestop does, i'm just saying that this is not any different than some of their other standard practices. If you are asking me to explain it or make sense out of any of it, well...I guess you got me there.
2. I've seen it a few times actually. Surprised you haven't. I just went to their website and clicked on one of the first games I saw under "pre-owned" and sure enough...Just Cause 2 is $19.99 if purchased new, but $29.99 used.
Link: http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-360/games/just-cause-2/75650
And its not even a "mistake" type thing. If you tell them at the register they just act like its a "gotcha" moment. Like, "Whoops, you caught us". But they don't correct it or sell you the used one for cheaper. They just suggest that yea, maybe you should just buy it new. Yea, ? ...you think?
Most of their profit comes from used games, you shouldnt be surprised.
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used game prices (buy and sell) are based on some Supply and Demand system Gamestop uses. If a game is rare in the Gamestop inventory, they will give a good price for it, but they will jack the price up more for resale than if you were to hunt it down and find it brand new. I used to work in a Gamestop and that's what they told us to tell the customers. I never saw or knew how the Supply and Demand system really works because I never knew how many copies of each game the company had throughout all of the stores. That's why sports games are bought back at a cheap price because they are almost all platinum sellers and get replaced year after year. No replay and no resell value.
For example, if you luck up and get a rare Dragonball game that's not an import, Gamestop will give you a grip for it because they don't have many in inventory, but turn around and price themselves out on the resale and it just sits in their stock.
As for the digital downloads for resale, I'm wondering how the store is going to extract the game from your system and upload it to another. Or is this a scam by Gamestop to download the game from your system to a server or hard drive and then resale it back to multiple customers, so they paid one price for the digital download and make cash hand over fist by reuploading the game to multiple customers. -
but aren't digital games attached to your Gamertag/handle?
M$ and sony would have to create something to allow the game to be removed from your profile to be sold. I'm sure they're not gonna do it for free either. I don't see this happening for consoles. -
shout out to the ? eyed ? that works at gamestop near me who gave $120 for my old ps3 with a failing disc drive last week.
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? GameStop.
