http://www.computerandvideogames.com/344972/crytek-next-gen-used-games-block-would-be-absolutely-awesome/

Now that they're done bitching about piracy on the PC and have turned their gazing eye more towards the console market, they apparently found another stepchild to beat on.
Well, maybe they're not done bitching about piracy either quite yet after all:

Asked if he'd like to see Microsoft and Sony introduce anti-used game measures, as has been rumoured for Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4, Hojengaard added:

"From a business perspective that would be absolutely awesome. It's weird that [second-hand] is still allowed because it doesn't work like that in any other software industries, so it would be great if they could somehow fix that issue as well."

Boosting sales on PC is arguably an even greater priority, given that Crysis 2 was named the most pirated game of 2011, with the PC version alone illegally downloaded somewhere in the region of four million times.

"It's very flattering and upsetting at the same time," Hojengaard said of the situation. "Obviously you miss so much revenue, it's so clear that a lot of people want to play your game but they don't really want to pay for it, which is unfortunately really disappointing.

"It's also a little flattering because people are willing to bother download these 10GB files or whatever the game takes because they think it looks great. We obviously want to avoid that this time, but even if we can convert 25 percent of those gamers into paying customers [you have an extra million sales]."

How do you go about doing that? "You'd have to ask someone who knows something about that, because it's not me," the Crytek man said.

Big surprise that people hate used games. Why should consumers look for deals anyways?

I had never really heard much of Crytek other than the fact they made Crysis but since I did start hearing news about them it seems to have mostly been bad.

Then again, they are owned by EA. Of course they will whine about piracy and think banning used games is a good idea.

Dandark:
I had never really heard much of Crytek other than the fact they made Crysis but since I did start hearing news about them it seems to have mostly been bad.

Then again, they are owned by EA. Of course they will whine about piracy and think banning used games is a good idea.

They're not owned by EA, EA publishes their games through EA Partnership Agreement.

It's weird that [second-hand] is still allowed because it doesn't work like that in any other software industries, so it would be great if they could somehow fix that issue as well."

The massive number of used DVDs, used Blu-Rays, and used CDs I've bought over the years say otherwise. Sure, they aren't technically software, but they're still a form of electronic media produced for entertainment just like video games.

And that's not even factoring all of the other second-hand stuff I've bought over the years from many other industries, none of which being as whiney as the games industry to the best of my knowledge.

Tuesday Night Fever:

It's weird that [second-hand] is still allowed because it doesn't work like that in any other software industries, so it would be great if they could somehow fix that issue as well."

The massive number of used DVDs, used Blu-Rays, and used CDs I've bought over the years say otherwise. Sure, they aren't technically software, but they're still a form of electronic media produced for entertainment just like video games.

And that's not even factoring all of the other second-hand stuff I've bought over the years from many other industries, none of which being as whiney as the games industry to the best of my knowledge.

Pretty much all digital software(that isnt freeware) has activation keys or something similar. I honestly do not see the big deal but then again I use my pc so I might have just gotten used to it.

Maybe they should make a decent game (like Crysis 1 or Far Cry) then it would sell loads, instead of this consolised Crysis 2 bullshit.

Hah, Crytek.

4.5 million for Crysis+Warhead as PC exclusives just wasn't good enough for them, so they flipped off their audience and tried to market to consoles, with illusions of CoD-grade sales.

I hope they enjoy their dying franchise and inevitable EA buyout.

4 million pirates? Crytek don't deserve that.

Terminate421:
4 billion pirates? Crytek don't deserve that.

try 4 million. I doubt we even have that many people buying the game legally.

worldruler8:

Terminate421:
4 billion pirates? Crytek don't deserve that.

try 4 million. I doubt we even have that many people buying the game legally.

typo. herp a derp on my part.

Das Boot:
from a business perspective he would make more money if they didnt exist, which is true.

Not really.

People pirate and buy used because they don't want to pay/can't afford full price/saw the game on a shelf for cheap....

Take away used games and find the miracle of stopping piracy and it still won't mean an increase in sales.

Those people will just overlook the game completely.

I've seen it argued before but can only use myself and my friends as an example.

We have bought used games but if used games didn't exist we wouldn't have bought those games at all.

There are only a few games a year released we want the rest we buy on the cheap. If you take away the cheap option then i'm just not going to buy that game full stop. It doesn't bother me I wasn't interested enough in it to start with, like I said, there are relatively few games in a year I have an actual interest in.

In short, just because you take away the option for someone to pirate/buy used doesn't mean they will run out and spend money.

If you can't support your business, why don't you change what you're doing instead of blaming the consumers and trying to take away their priveledges to fit something that is apparently broken?
I mean, that doesn't go for the pirates so much, but with used sales, definitely.

Hey my anti-secuirty is good for three computers so yeah. It works that way. Also, second hand books, movies and music all would like to raise their hands in the air about this. So yeah. Learn about other industries that work similar to yours.

LOL

they can whine when the make something that isn't hiding behind graphics to cover 'meh' everything else

Meh. I don't see why Devs feel the need to completely destroy the Used Game market instead of just working around it. If there's one thing EA did right it was their way of working around used game sales through the Cerberus Network in Mass Effect 2.

"From a business perspective that would be absolutely awesome. It's weird that [second-hand] is still allowed because it doesn't work like that in any other software industries, so it would be great if they could somehow fix that issue as well."

I remember that time I beat Adobe Photoshop and realized there was no replay value whatsoever and the multiplayer was a half-assed afterthought. I wish I could have traded it in for a new software!

Because all software is the same thing, right?

Buretsu:
You know what would be awesome?

If game companies didn't want to block used game sales AND still offer paid DLC. Hell, maybe even release a code with a New copy of a game to get a discounted price on the DLC. That way you can still make money from the used buyers and not alienate the few people who buy new.

They've been that for quite some time, to be fair, but yes, preowned trade in/sell off is fucking savage.

Thoric485:
Hah, Crytek.

4.5 million for Crysis+Warhead as PC exclusives just wasn't good enough for them, so they flipped off their audience and tried to market to consoles, with illusions of CoD-grade sales.

I hope they enjoy their dying franchise and inevitable EA buyout.

Not just that, but they went on about how PC exclusives wont work because of piracy! Yet Crysis 1 sold more than Crysis 2 on 3 platforms. Moral of the story: Make a decent game and you wont have to worry too much about piracy.

and they have every right to try to defend their profits. As for me, i never bought any of my games used and i don't plan to start.

the only way you are going to stop (read drastically reduce) is if you only sell customers an exe file. No game files are installed on your computer at all. Instead all the exe will do is connect you to a server where you can play your game.

*touches wood* thatll never happen.

as for used game sales i would like to point out to gaming companies in general that if the used game market is so huge its taking out significant sales revenue for you maybe you should consider your game was poorly made. i hang on to my good games. i only send back the games I hated to my local retailer.

Well if the next console generation does block used games, then I'm done. I'll hang back with my collection of PS2 gems.

Vault101:

DRM breeds piracy

No, it just gives pirates another excuse.

Piracy has been around a lot longer than DRM. I remember back when I was a kid, and there used to be little local meetups where everyone would bring their computers along and share games. I remember being able to buy pirated copies of games at markets. I'm talking about mid to late 80's here.

Back OT - I don't think i've ever bought a used game. I can see why the market is there, and I can see why publishers don't like it, but it really doesn't effect me in any way at all.

Balimaar:

*touches wood* thatll never happen.

Isn't that pretty much what OnLive does?

"It's weird that [second-hand] is still allowed because it doesn't work like that in any other software industries, so it would be great if they could somehow fix that issue as well."

Dafaq?
You can get second hand movies and music. If you couldn't play your movies or CDs on whatever you wanted to, people would be mad as hell. It's the same thing with games!

Well, I began boycotting Volition when they said the same crap. Traded in my copies of Saints Row 2 and 3 too, just to spite them. Looks like I'm boycotting Crytek too. But that's okay. So far, Crysis 3 doesn't look too interesting, and I'm already done buying EA games, so it's Crytek's loss, not mine. And if the next console generation blocks used games, then I'm switching all of my gaming to PC. I generally buy games new, occasionally used when I'm feeling cheap, but still, it's the principle of the matter.

What a perfect idiot....

It's weird that [second-hand] is still allowed because it doesn't work like that in any other software industries, so it would be great if they could somehow fix that issue as well."

And yet it's perfectly fine in every other form of art. When was the last time you heard, I don't know, J.K. Rowling fly off the rails about used Harry Potter books? It just doesn't happen.

"It's also a little flattering because people are willing to bother download these 10GB files or whatever the game takes because they think it looks great.

Because Steam doesn't do exactly that? Maybe my ISP gives me a bad deal, but downloading 10GB from Steam takes 10GB off my monthly usage. In fact I just checked The Pirate Bay on a hunch, there's a version on there taking only 4.5GB with most of the others not going over 8GB. Pirates compress their stuff, if a user is on a tight bandwidth allowance of course they're going to take the 5GB file over the 10GB file they literally can't download.

Thats a bit extreme. Im grudgingly fine with online passes and bonuses for people who buy new, but completely blocking off used games? Thats just absurd.

Dexter111:

Dandark:
I had never really heard much of Crytek other than the fact they made Crysis but since I did start hearing news about them it seems to have mostly been bad.

Then again, they are owned by EA. Of course they will whine about piracy and think banning used games is a good idea.

They're not owned by EA, EA publishes their games through EA Partnership Agreement.

Ah I see, my mistake then sorry.
(Do not want to get banned for low content)

Rawne1980:
snip

If you truly believe that piracy has ZERO impact on sales than you live in a happy illusion bubble. There are people with money to spend and they just want stuff for free or less, and under those there are enough that would pay money if they would get lose the possibility of pirating.

The thing is: I don't say that 1 pirate equals one lost sale. And no one has ever implied that. BUT the number is not zero either. I'd say it is something between 0.1 and 0.5 depending on popularity of title. And this is more than the guy there actually hopes to get.

Tuesday Night Fever:
Escapist - There can be only snip

maxmanrules:
Escapist 2 - The Endsnipping

Scabadus:
Escapist - The Shortening

So, would one of you gents point me towards the high street stores that promote used sales of books and music instead of the new products? Because in gaming I can point you the the blight that is the reason why those guys harp on used sales = GameStop, GAME and others.

Bonuscookies for the one who gets the snip reference.