Why is it a big deal? Mainly because it's becoming the best trend to combat used game sales. One of the biggest battles videogame publishers have been faced with in recent history is used game sales, namely through GameStop. Buying a slightly used game for a few bucks cheaper seems like a great deal for the consumer, but none of the money goes back to the developers while GameStop sees all the profit. Many gamers that buy used copies have been outraged as they are now essentially paying for a new game where these online passes make up the difference in price.
In my opinion, these online passes are genius. GameStop is a nice store and it's given me a great place to get some of my money back on games I no longer play or didn't like, but the used sales business as a whole is very damaging from my point of view. The dawn of online gaming and connectivity has made it easier to track the effects of used sales and many companies are seeing startling results. Heavy Rain reportedly had 2 million copies sold, but close to 3 million people have played the game online, meaning nearly 1 million units and anywhere between $5 to $10 million dollars in royalties that it's developer lost. As someone who wants to be involved in the development of games, seeing series lose large chunks to used games is concerning to me. The PC went through a similar even in the late 90's when CD keys became a standard and now we are starting to see a similar revolution in the console market and I fully support any means to try and make it more attractive to by games new. Anything that can help raise developers see more money from their sales to raise the quality level of new IPs or create sequels to critical successes is a positive in my book. What do you think? Do you agree with online codes to promote buying games new? Do you hate it and want to see in ban hammered? Sound off below!!!
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