The industry is in financial straits right now. The industry took a 22% drop in profits in the year 2012 and publishers keep looking for reasons why their games are making less money. Some like EA, took initiative against piracy. Others like Quantic Dream's David Cage believes that the used game market can potentially hurt profits.
Knowing full well between the difference of the new and used purchases, I thought I would share what games I buy new or used and why.
Games I buy new are nothing that will surprise you. Games from publishers I'm fans of like Valve, WayForward and other such companies always get my new purchase. Simply because I really enjoy their work and wish to support it the only way I physically can. Take Portal 2 for instance. I bought the game new for $60 conscious of the fact that I was getting an additional copy for free. I would have gladly paid an additional $60 for said second copy on the grounds that I simply loved the game that much. To this day I still see Portal 2 as a masterpiece despite its brevity.
Another more obvious example would be Nintendo games, but not necessarily for financial support. Nintendo software is usually well off. I often buy Nintendo games new for Club Nintendo rewards. Rewards like this add value to a game in my opinion and I would like to see other publishers adopt this sort of "bonus when new" model as oppose to things like the ever annoying online pass or bonus day one DLC promotion.
A used game on the other hand is often a game that's been out for a while that I may have wanted to play, but only ever had a mild interest in playing. One example was Brutal Legend. Despite my interest, I never played the game until a year or so after its release. After having played it (and at a price under $20) I regretted this decision, finding great enjoyment in the title and choosing to follow and support Double Fine more closely. This even inspired me to go back and download the Xbox Original version of Psychonauts.
Other instances have been games I don't normally enjoy supporting, such as a CoD or Assassin's Creed game. I'm aware this isn't very impactful since buying a game used or new shows that there is at least one person demanding it. But in this case, I save a little money and the money goes to the retailer as oppose to the publisher.
So what factors do you take into account when choosing to buy used or new?
Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.
The stock mark is what makes Microsoft remarkable, They have convinced every institutional and retail investor to just keep piling money into them. Like many big tech giants they are just a big growing pyramid scheme. As long as people keep dropping money into ETF's that cover the market Microsoft will always be liquid. At the same time it is completely stifling innovation and competition. People need to start being more discreet in how they invest their money as it's killing the system.
Riiiiight because people will just flock back to them for one or two games per year.
15+ years of bad performance is what they call irreparable in business. It is time for them to sell off the assets and get out of entertainment.
These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse
The charity event will be streamed live from Gamescom in August.
Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
I always buy preowned games mainly because there are no rental stores within 40 miles of me aside from RedBox - if I don't like the game, I can return it within a week for a full refund or exchange.
The second factor that compels me to purchase preowned games is the price; if I can save money (whether it be a mere $5 or a nice $10) I'll buy it preowned. On a rare occasion, if there's an online pass I'm missing out on (that is if I even want to play the game online) or any other incentive to buy a new copy, I'd consider it.
Third is the developer and publisher, more so the former than the latter. I love to support developers that I appreciate such as Bethesda, Rockstar and Square Enix (for Tomb Raider) and I will - nine times out of ten - purchase a product from them brand new. Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age and Mass Effect games are usually an automatic first day pick up for me, because I know what to expect and I am never disappointed - on the rare occasion that I am, it's never enough disappointment to regret paying $60. I will not however support Activision by purchasing their products brand new.
Lastly is the rare event in which a new copy is cheaper than a preowned copy. I've purchased new copies of games from GameStop that were on sale making them cheaper than a preowned copy. I'll usually purchase the preowned copy first and if I like the game enough, I'll return it and purchase the lesser priced new copy.
I wrote a piece on new versus used games awhile back as well. It's a nice subject to shed light on.
http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
First of all, thank you for making proper use and spelling of "straits" in your opening sentence.
Second, I either buy brand new games or I buy heavily discounted games (either new or used) several years after they come out. There's not much in-between for me because I always have a huge backlog to play. So, like I said. If it's a game I just gotta play, I buy it new when it comes out. Otherwise, it's crammed to the end of the backlog list.
Third, devs need to understand that when their games are good, they aren't typically sold back to the game store. Game stores know this. The price of (for example) a used Mario Kart game or a used ATLUS RPG is going to be pretty close to retail. But when you have crappy yearly installments, or just a crappy game in general, people sell it back quickly before the value drops.
Buying used is fine if the games been out a while IMO, but I would discourage people from buying every brand new game used since if we all did that the industry would be in trouble for sure.
I would say if there's a developer you like and you want them to keep pumping out great games, support them by buying their games new, for everything else it's entirely up to you, for now at least.
Interesting synopsis there. I used to buy used games before along with new games. I remember one day I went to Game Stop for my Christmas shopping in 2010. I ended up buying Monster Hunter Tri and No More Heroes used for the Wii, while I picked up Uncharted: Drake's fortune new. It was after that trip that I saw some statistics about video game sales which led to my decision of buying games new from now on.
It would have to be under certain conditions, though. First, I will reserve a game I'm interested in (so I have a guaranteed copy ready for myself). Second, I will research the details of the game, which include watching gameplay videos and interviews and try a demo if it's available. Third, I will make a decision of whether or not I believe I will be satisfied with my purchase.
There are games that I have the feeling that I knew I would like regardless of my approach, but there are times when I look at a game and say, "Eh? Maybe?" Then I rely on reviews and rentals to try it for myself. Such is the case with Colonial Marines. Dodged a bullet there! Switched my reserves to better games and gave that shameful adaptation of Aliens a 4 out of 10 through a rental.
I think gamers just need to do their research before making a purchase. It will make them smarter consumers that way. Also, they will have the knowledge to know that they don't have to worry about not getting their money back.
If I can buy ODST and Forza 4 in a bundle for twenty five bucks I will buy it everytime.