The games industry is searching for a way to profit from used game sales. After EA introduced its “Project Ten Dollar,” which packaged free downloadable content codes with new game copies, other companies like THQ and Sony announced plans to follow suit. Now Take-Two may be getting in on the act, but is being particularly cagey on the how, reports CVG.
At the Think Equity conference, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder commented on the legal rights of used game sales, but stopped short of mentioning specific plans to monetize the market. “The used game market is protected by U.S. law under the First Sale Doctrine,” he said. “We do believe that developers should participate in some way in the product they create, but it’s a protected environment.” When pressed, he refused to disclose specific plans, but did say, “we think the used game market is large, it’s an interesting market and something we should participate in. Beyond that I don’t have much more to comment.”
The DLC model seems to be working for participating companies, giving incentive to buy new copies and a possible bump in profits if used buyers want the content as well. EA took the process a step further by restricting online play for its sports titles to new or DLC buyers, and THQ imitated the move for its latest sports games as well. Though fans don’t seem to mind freebie extras, roping off online play was a controversial move. We’ll have to see which method, if either, Take-Two chooses to implement.
