Heavy Rain, the PS3 exclusive managed to sell 2 million copies. Bravo, Quantic Dream! That's quite an accomplishment. But Guillaume de Foudaumiere isn't happy because according the game's trophy stats, 3 million gamers played it "without giving me one cent", meaning a good chunk of Heavy Rain copies were sold used. Can I get a million gamers to give this guy one penny to shut him up?
You know how many developers would kill to see their game move 2 million units in just brand new sales alone? Zack and Wiki was one of the best third party games on the Wii and made great use of the motion controls, but it didn't even come close to selling 400,000 copies. That's just on a rival system. Competing with the numerous Call of Duty and Madden sequels on the PS3 is no easy task. And Mr. Cry-Me-a-River at Quantic Dream is mad because he didn't see that extra million? Pffft. Please.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. We're living in tough economic times. Money is tight for a lot of people. Most new games are $50 and on the PS3 and 360, usually $60. Not everyone can afford to put that much down on a new game. The option to buy used can be pretty enticing as it's often a money saver.
Selling things used is perfectly legal. Cars, houses, books, music, there's a used market for all of it. Yet, developers & publishers in the game industry are the ones crying foul more than anyone when it comes to used games. Some have went as far as comparing those that buy used games to pirates.
Punch-Out!!, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Those are all games that I bought brand new so the money went straight to the companies. Did I buy all of them for $50? Of course not. Punch-Out!! and Sin & Punishment were obtained at K-Mart for $20 and GameStop dropped the price or Kirby's Epic Yarn from $50 to $30 new. So yes, I do support video game companies but not 100% of the time. I've wanted Kirby's Epic Yarn since it released, but I knew it wasn't a long game, which made it hard to justify dropping $50 for it new so I figured I'd wait for a price drop.
I know video game companies work hard for their money. Well guess what? So do we, the consumers. Gullaume would get some sympathy from me if he didn't come off as such a greedy, money grubbing jerk. Despite the accolades, it's gotten, Heavy Rain looks like an incredibly boring game to me. And yet it sold 2 million units. Still not enough to appease Gullaume for losing that extra million. I have three words for you, sir: Get over it.
I hate this sort of self-entitled attitude game companies and producers are displaying with increasing frequency.
ReplyDeleteUnless Sony gets all the money, I would think that, regardless of it being new or used, Heavy Rain would still generate revenue from the dlc.
Granted, there is only one dlc episode atm, but there's also other things, such as the soundtrack being sold.
Maybe I'm being one-sided, but I can't help but think, does this mean anytime we borrow something from a friend, we're taking money out of these people's hands?
'Cause everytime I rent a movie from Redbox, or borrow a tool, I've deprived so and so due to not owning it new etc etc?
Anyhoo, give Heavy Rain a shot if you get a chance. I enjoyed it, and you can gain more appreciation for the funny vids people make, such as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76OwyG1tmKc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76OwyG1tmKc
You make some excellent points, Tommy. Redboxes have been around for some time now and I've yet to hear anyone really complain about them. It's a nice, cheap way to see moves as is borrowing from a friend.
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