Former People Can Fly creative director Adrian Chmielarz posted an article, over at Edge, explaining why he feels the Xbox One U-turn isn’t all good for consumers. Although seemingly controversial the article is sure to spark debate.
In an attempt to praise Microsoft’s vision of a digital future with the Xbox One, and to weigh in on the on-going used game debate, he takes his time to explain why practically everything about modern video gaming was born.
DLC, to artificial extenders and micro-transactions, are all by-products of publishers and developers ideas to counter used game sales. As Chmielarz says; “a mantra was born: ‘…so they keep the disc in the tray’.”
DLC follows this trajectory. With the cost of each pack priced at up to 25% of the original purchase, but containing a far less proportion in content, Chmielarz explains “It was often enough to cover the perceived loss from used game sales”.
He also goes on to criticise Far Cry 3 for using “filler content” to boost the length of the game. “Far Cry 3 is not a better game because you need two boar hides to craft a simple rucksack item, but it certainly is longer”. He makes a valid point, although some are sure to argue.
He adds further, “The hardest difficulty is inaccessible on your first play-through… It’s so you replay the game at least one more time.”
So where does all this fit in with the Xbox One? He believes that Microsoft had a “great idea”, one to “accelerate the death” of the retail box. A digital future so to speak.
He goes on to say that developers don’t like adding in DLC, or micro-transactions, in fact they feel “dirty” about using them to lure gamers into keeping their game in their console. If the box doesn’t die quickly then these “psychological tricks” wont anytime either.
So where does this leave us gamers? Are you ready to shun the pre-owned market? At the moment digital games are priced in a horrifying fashion, that’s not to mention what the omission of pre-owned sales would have on the industry, and the fact boradband speeds aren’t ready.
I’d say we are still a long way from saying goodbye to the “box”.
For the full article head here.
Starman
Something they never mention is sometimes buying a game preowned is the only way to get hold of a copy. I’ve bought several old games recently and theres no way I’d find a new copy in GAME, HMV or any other shop. Ultimately these devs are trying to convince us that less choice is better for us, when clearly its in their interests only.
C_S15
Here’s an idea, why not just make a good enough game people don’t want to trade in? Even bloody Activision have stated time and time again that as long as keep making good games, then people won’t trade them in.
Only way I’m heading to a purely digital future is when I’m assured I get to keep all my games and such when there is a definitive move to the Xbox Two. Losing all purchases when their servers get shut down is not a prospect I look forward to.
crow-proxy
Not because of used games but because of greed. Pure and simple.
Sad Panda
I can sum this guys argument up in 1 word, Bullshit!
DLC and microtransactions were born from the ability to connect a console online and not used games. I can never remember used games being a problem in gamings boom time at the height of the PS1 and PS2 sales. It was a convenient excuse used to justify charges for stuff you used to unlock in game and the failed online pass.
Digital distribution only works when the price or access controls are right. Take iTunes, the 79p music track revolutionised how we buy music today, Netflix and Love Film have wiped out the video stores. Steam has taken over on PC with its pricing model and the way you can log in and download on any PC.
The Microsoft model was an attempt to make money, pure and simple. Thankfully, for once gamers stood up to them. Voting with your wallet is the only way companies listen.
double-o-dave
Isn’t Bull Shit 2 words as its a ‘Shit’ from a ‘Bull’? I’m not sure. Or at least it should be hyphenated… ‘Bull-Shit’. Although it does look more correct written as 1 word… ‘Bullshit’.
Saying that, if I cast my mind back to Enter The Dragon it definitely sounds like 2 words when Williams says “Bull shit, Mr. Han-man”.
xdarkmagician
two words to describe actual brown, stinky bull shit. One word to describe something as “bullshit”. its even in the PS3’s predictive dictionary as “bullshit”
RocketSOL
I’ve never bought a pre-owned game before, I always buy them new so the restrictions on used games didn’t bother me personally but I felt it was the wrong way to go about it. They didn’t seem to communicate with the consumers about any of the benefits or the positive reasons why they would do this other than saying “you’ll love our vision”.
And even if this removed the pre-owned market and put more money into the developers pockets…I don’t believe for a second that we would see an end to DLC and micro-transactions.
hazelam
but you can have digital sales and not have horrendous drm infesting it.
there are other benefits than trading in when dealing with the boxed hard copy.
like competition.
monopolies are almost never good for the consumer.
and with these console, digital will always be a monopoly.
and also a manual that at least has a sheet telling you what buttons do what, usually that’s all you get in a manual these days.
i’ve probably spent a couple of hundred quid on digital on my PS3, so i’m not anti digital.
and microtransactions are a response to preowned sales?
then why were they first introduced in mobile gaming?
where there is no trade in option.
as for the “keep the disc in the tray” line.
yeah for a year until the next version is released, because almost any really successful ip gets turned into an annual franchise these days.
and respecting people’s rights is bad for consumers?
anybody got this guy’s email address?
i’d like to ask him what the weather is like in bizarro world.
even if preowned was hurting the publishers, they just have to see it as the perfectly legal competition it is, i’m sure pepsi thinks coke is hurting their profits, but if there was a way for them to prevent coke from selling, should they be allowed to do it?
no they shouldn’t.
and i don’t believe does hurt the industry, i believe the benefits far outweigh the loss of a few sales to preowned.
like subsidising lower prices in store, thereby increasing sale, the fact most trade ins are made to fun new game purchases.
and if trade in is a problem, why are so many mobile studios closing?
preowned has been a part of the industry, almost since the beginning.
gaming was making record breaking profit with the proewned market in full swing.
now, after a worldwide recession, that, as i have said many times, gaming weathered better than most, things are starting to get rough for game publishers.
and they seem to think they’re the only ones who are having it rough.
that they’re a special case, that they can put their profits above peoples rights.
and they call the gamers entitled.
pfft.
xdarkmagician
In the last several years I’ve started to hate game developers that I used to love just because they opened their mouths. Epic, Quantic Dream… and now the list continues. I don’t have a problem with these people expressing their opinions, its that they all try to justify their opinions but making up some bullshit like this. I get it, every little brat that can write code expects to be rich and “Brad Pitt” famous and if it wasn’t for us damned consumers fighting digital distribution they would be. It may be easier for indies to go digital, but there are many digital marketplaces where they can publish digital. There are no negatives to having disc based media, sure digital helps keep my fat ass on the couch when its time to switch games, but if discs are soo bad why do some digital games get a disc release after their digital sales start to decrease? Its sure as hell not because people trade in their digital copies creating used sales. Everybody in this business expects to have success, and when that success doesn’t come they resort to all kinds of consumer milking to get it and if they achieve success they’ll do even more to keep it.