Heavy Rain developer does not like second hand games, lost 10-million Euros because of it
Quantic Dream Chief Executive Officer, Guillaume de Fondaumiere (quite a mouthful to pronounce if we are honest), is not happy with the way the pre-owned gaming market does not stream revenue to the developers or publishers of a game.
Fondaumiere explained that the second hand gaming market may make it easier for gamers to get access to triple A titles at a lower cost, but at the same time the developers, who worked on the project, would not receive anything out of it.
While one may feel slightly aggrieved that a ‘money hungry developer’ is moaning about not getting any cash, Fondaumiere does have a point and an interesting fact to back it up.
According to the CEO of the studio, which was behind one of the most cinematic gaming experiences to date, Heavy Rain lost close to 10-million Euros due to indirect sales, namely from the pre-owned games market.
While that may not seem like much, if you take into consideration the fact that Heavy Rain sold an approximate figure of 2-million units in total and that according to data gathered by the developer, the total number of people of who played the game was
in the region of 3-million, it does make one more sympathetic towards Quantic Dream.
Basically, once a game is sold, or shipped, the developer and publisher get the revenue which keeps them going. However, once that game is resold, neither party gets anything out of it.
There has been much debate about how video game developers and publishers want to cash in on the second hand gaming market with their respective online passes, however, Heavy Rain is one game which does not have online multiplayer gameplay, which makes the
pass system ineffective.
Passes could be allocated for single player-play as well but that would pretty much be leeching everyone and not the best solution in an industry where consumers have not quite come to grips with the idea of the Online Pass.
However, the CEO was not all moans and complaints, as he did concede that the games were priced too high and that maybe the issue should be addressed in a way that is beneficial for both the gamer and the studios behind the games.
He said, "Now are games too expensive? I've always said that games are probably too expensive so there's probably a right level here to find, and we need to discuss this altogether and try to find a way to I would say reconcile consumer expectations, retail
expectations but also the expectations of the publisher and the developers to make this business a worthwhile business."
Whether gamers like it or not, it seems the online pass system is something that will be widely practiced, but with sound minded, consumer oriented developers like Mr. Fondaumiere, there is hope for the consumer yet.
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