GameStop says that the majority of video gamers would not be interested in purchasing a next generation gaming platform employing technology that prevents users from playing used games, based on data from a customer survey.
GameStop chief financial officer Rob Lloyd defended used games sales at today's Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, according to a Gamespot report.
"It's really only about four percent of our used game sales are games that were games released in the last 60 days," Lloyd said. "So it does not have a big impact on the sale of new product. So that's why publishers understand how important the preowned business is to them. Sony has said publicly that they don't intend to block used games in their next console. Microsoft has not commented on the rumors that have hit the marketplace."
Lloyd explained that internal research By GameStop has shown consumers want control over their gaming purchases, including the ability to buy pre-owned games and purchase physical versions of their games.
"Consumers want the ability to play preowned games; they want portability in their games; they want to play physical games," Lloyd said. "And to not have those things would be a substantial reason for them to not purchase a new console."
lloyd said that approximately 60 percent of customers would not purchase a next generation video game console if the system utilized some form of anti-used game technology. On the other hand, Lloyd said that GameStop will adapt to the gaming landscape, even if the systems block used games:
"We'll be able to sell the new consoles that come from Microsoft and Sony regardless of what features they have or what they do or don't allow," he said. "We'll have leading market share on the sale of those consoles. We'll adapt to what it does to the preowned business. And one of the ways we'll do that is through a continued healthy preowned business for today's generation of consoles."
Rather than blame their hardware partners, however, Lloyd conceded that the battle of used games is a two-sided argument with console makers caught in between. Instead he suggested that developers pushing a transition to a completely downloadable marketplace aren't keeping their customers in mind:
"There's two constituencies that the publishers and the console-makers...have to consider. One is the retailer like GameStop that is moving their product through the chain. The second are the development firms that actually develop the games. Developers have historically not liked the preowned game business because they don't participate in the revenue streams.
"I think that as the console makers balance those needs, they consider, 'Is this an appropriate thing to do? Would we make more money by doing this in the future?' I think what customers have told them at this point is they view it as a very unfriendly thing to do."
What do you think about anti-used game technology? Will you boycott next-gen consoles that block used game sales? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
