Crytek 100% Supports A Console That Blocks Used Games
See Full ImageAlthough it's probably nothing more than an unfounded rumor, there is some talk about next-generation consoles blocking used games.
And as far as Crysis developer Crytek is concerned, that's just fine. In fact, it's "awesome." In speaking to CVG, Crytek director of creative management, Rasmus Hojengaard, first spoke about the problems of dealing with complex new hardware.
"The worst thing that can happen is they make something that's very complex for developers, regardless of how awesome it might theoretically be. So getting hardware that allows you to quickly get prototypes up and running, and any kind of scalability they can offer will be great as well, as long as everyone has that scalability and not just a select few."
Then, Hojengaard was asked about the possibility of the new systems from Sony and Microsoft banning the play of pre-owned games (a much-discussed topic), to which he replied:
"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."
The haul generated by the three million sales produced by Crysis 2 would've been much more significant for both publisher and developer had they not missed out on profiting from used game sales. Therefore, it's unsurprising to hear Hojengaard say this; he's hardly the only developer to support it. However, that being said, analysts have said it's very unlikely that either the new PlayStation or Xbox will actually block used games.
For the time being, the pre-owned game debate will continue to rage.
Tags: crytek, next-gen, next gen consoles, ps4, used games
4/25/2012 9:40:46 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (65 posts)
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:05:31 AM
A little too much drama, for me. ;p
Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/25/2012 10:07:28 AM
3 up, 11 down
telly
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:43:07 AM
3 up, 9 down
tridon
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 8:31:53 PM
3 up, 1 down
ProfPlayStation
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 3:47:18 AM
Want to lend an awesome game to a friend or play it at their house? Best pack your console up and bring it with you.
Want to rent a game you're not sure about? Nope. Full price or nothing.
Want to pick up an out-of-print game that you missed, several years later? Good luck with that.
Want to keep playing after they inevitably shut down the verification servers? How??
Schemes like this, by their very nature, create a broken product. It's already been tried during this generation, and it failed. The codes are wrong, or the servers go down, or any number of things happen that breaks the product for the paying customer. And then the inevitable happens: People turn to piracy for a fixed and WORKING product.
I would also be retiring from current gaming, if they ever tried to pull this nonsense. I have most every console produced prior to it, so I'll have plenty of entertainment; entertainment which I can still buy for the first time 20 years later, and it works.
8 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 12:08:54 PM
Fair enough then. Quit if you don't like it. I suppose it is logical.
But imo, you'll miss out on some great gaming experiences. And the industry won't suffer your loss.
0 up, 4 down
79transam
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 9:59:12 AM
Reply
Last edited by 79transam on 4/25/2012 10:01:41 AM
13 up, 2 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:06:09 AM
That 1 or 2 hours of complete access is actually a major consideration they are making. I know that for a fact. They're already testing it out with full 1 hour free trials on PSN. You can even win trophies and everything.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/25/2012 10:08:43 AM
3 up, 6 down
79transam
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:13:28 AM
9 up, 3 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:34:54 AM
You can't just justify it because you've decided "you don't personally consider them to be software". So, I don't consider stealing food when I'm literally starving to be wrong... doesn't make it not a crime just because I see it as necessity personally.
For the record, I don't think used should be blocked either.
I do, however, think the industry needs an overhaul, because it's the gamers and the developers that get screwed over the absolute most.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/25/2012 10:36:34 AM
4 up, 4 down
79transam
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 1:09:39 PM
2 up, 3 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 1:14:15 PM
You're just playing with grey area and subjectivity still. There are no established rules.
Some PC games still require a disk. Back in the day, a lot of different software still required the disk.
The activation key isn't really any different from the online passes, etc, we have now, is it!
Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/25/2012 1:15:24 PM
2 up, 2 down
Geobaldi
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 2:32:36 PM
You just defined software.
: something used or associated with and usually contrasted with hardware: as
a : the entire set of programs, procedures, and related documentation associated with a system and especially a computer system; specifically : computer programs
b : anything that is not hardware but is used with hardware, especially audiovisual materials, as film, tapes, records, etc.
Consoles are classified as hardware and audiovisual pieces of equipment are they not?
Games are software pure and simple, and always have been no matter what generation of gaming they came from and/or platform they are used on.
3 up, 2 down
79transam
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 3:32:48 PM
1 up, 3 down
BikerSaint
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:04:03 AM
Reply
I bought Crysis 1 & Crysis 2 both brand new, and even thought I really want C3 sooner than ASAP, I'm now officially putting any future Crytek buys in my "Buy USED only" list.
He's showing his displeasure his way, I'm showing my displeasure my way!!!!!
13 up, 3 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 2:28:03 PM
1 up, 1 down
BikerSaint
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 7:45:08 PM
Yeah, if it weren't for used games, I'd only have about 300-400 games rather than over 2,300 games I now have(FYI:the majority of my used games are mostly the older PS2 & PS1 gen games, plus the much older retro games).
And if there weren't any used games sold, I'd have absolutely no RPGs, Sports, RTS or multi-player only games(MAG, Warhawk, Etc) included in my collections.
Anyway, I "DO" try to buy "new" whenever I can just to support the developer, for those games that I know that I'd really want to play,.
But for all the other unknown question mark games, I buy them used to see if I'll like them, & then will buy the next one in the series "new" if I liked the used one I bought & sampled.
But I've got to say that a lot of times after I bought a used game, the developers wound up making money off me in the long run, just because that If I didn't happen to find out I liked that used game, I would have never even known or bothered to buy any of their future games "new", or at all.
I rarely do a D1P, so I just wait for a decent price drop, special sales, and during "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" deals.
But there's 1 giant exception to my "buy new" rule, I will never ever buy any Anti-vision title "new" no matter how much I might want a particular title, just as long as Kotex is still at at their helm. That A-hole will never put even a penny's worth of my money into his pockets.
3 up, 1 down
Rogueagent01
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 1:02:32 AM
Many publishers don't realize how much money and how many fans they have aquired because of the used game market. And I understand that they don't know because there is no numbers that can be put in front of their faces to show the importance of that market. I'll bet if you did a survey of say a million gamers you would find an extremely large portion that bought into a franchise day 1 because of a used game they purchased that was earlier in the franchise(hope that made sense). /end comment directed to Biker
New IPs would also take a huge blow if the used game market was shutdown. Only a select few would sell big numbers, and only because of the developers track record(example The Last Of Us), many others would absolutely struggle to probably sell even 250,000 copies just because of all the shovelware that exists. I don';t think publishers know what they are getting into requesting or advocating the stoppage of the used game market. It has turned this industry into one of the largest and used games are a BIG part of that. I am all for finding a way to get some money to the developers but not at this cost.
Unlike many I don't think that game rentals would be hurt as special discs could be printed for those companies. It wouldn't be hard to do, the only problem I could forsee is say Gameflys used game sales would obviously be hurt.
2 up, 1 down
Bigimpactpooch
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:17:02 AM
Reply
13 up, 3 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:37:22 AM
6 up, 16 down
SirLoin of Beef
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 11:22:15 AM
0 up, 0 down
richfiles
Wednesday, May 02, 2012 @ 12:01:56 AM
How do you think countries get that bad? The idiots stand by and let the freedoms they may have once had erode under the corrosive corruption of unchecked power.
1 up, 0 down
gumbi
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:25:58 AM
Reply
So instead of buying a $20 used game I'll get it for $15 and buy a $5 license to play it. When I'm done maybe I'll sell it to the next guy for $10 and he'll do the same. Publisher still gets paid, and consumers still save some cash buying used. The only ones who suffer are the GameStop's.
Blocking used games outright is the wrong approach. Everyone will suffer for it.
5 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:38:15 AM
Industry still needs change, though. Gamers get ripped off pretty badly too.
1 up, 1 down
Neo_Aeon666
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:29:49 AM
Reply
1 up, 1 down
oldmike
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 11:53:28 AM
most will just never upgrade
1 up, 2 down
Jawknee
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 3:00:22 PM
Funny oldmike, if someone made that claim about a Sony product some how I suspect you would be skeptical.
0 up, 0 down
JackDillinger89
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 6:58:06 PM
Last edited by JackDillinger89 on 4/25/2012 7:01:41 PM
0 up, 0 down
telly
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:46:16 AM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:50:28 AM
2 up, 0 down
telly
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 11:04:15 AM
2 up, 0 down
slugga_status
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 10:59:19 AM
Reply
The current format we have now, although I don't like it, is fine. If it's that serious charge for a pass similar to the Online Pass. In which used game retailers like Gamestop will pay the dev and the consumer. Banning used games restricts the purchaser from going to a potential customers house to showcase it.
It just seems that the consumer is getting punished in the end..
Last edited by slugga_status on 4/25/2012 10:59:44 AM
3 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 11:00:29 AM
Reply
These -SAME- people get screwed over by gamestop or waste resources on shipping costs by selling on amazon or ebay (lose money to posting on these sites, shipping, and closing costs... ends up costing them nearly $10 domestic! not to mention the delay in getting their money) And all the while, they curse and swear that -every single developer- is sitting in some ivory towered mansion, and all they care about is getting all our money... or my personal favorite... "If they want us to buy their game new, they should make a good game!" As if it's our duty to punish them by enjoying their game used... Such a contradiction! It's looney!
Even now as we talk.... NO ONE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT I ALSO BELIEVE THERE IS A PLACE FOR USED GAMES! And rentals, too! And why does no one ever seem to acknowledge the fact I actually agree with them? Because I don't jump on the bandwagon of "poor me, I deserve everything"... because I know how to look at the bigger picture... because I'm not an idiot who doesn't see how the current used sales model is what is primarily responsible for limiting our industry (and our freedom of commerce, as it turns out!)... because I know it's just another good reason to go all digital in the future.
People only see their own personal wallet. And they constantly come up with -SUBJECTIVE- arguments to justify their actions. And as long as their current choices can be justified, then they don't have to consider any sort of change in behavior. I mean come on guys... you don't HAVE to recycle, either... but most people do. There was a time people complained about the extra cost to municipalities and taxpayers too... but as it turns out, there's a greater positive effect when we saw beyond our spreadsheets!!
Sure I'll get a bunch of downvotes... so freakin' what? Small price to pay for being right. I mean, pretty much every single person actually agrees with me, anyways! But they don't see that I agree because I don't side to the complete left or right of the argument! (Life is ALWAYS in the grey area, guys. ALWAYS.)
- I believe used game sales should stay
- I don't believe new systems should block used games
- I don't believe we shouldn't have cheaper options or be able to sell what we don't want
- I believe that -good- quality games should sell better than poor ones.
We all agree on every point, guys. I just think the current model needs a change. Because 90% of gamers are actually getting screwed. You either get a crap deal from gamestop or you lose money on a good sale from the cost of listing and/or shipping. And the biggest corporation of all (bigger than activision and EA!) is making the most money... the third party company that is the LEAST involved in our hobby. And -MOST- developers, who are not rich, could be getting more of that money going to even bigger corporations. And budgets would grow. In fact, there's proof of budgets and companies shrinking in the game industry.
And lastly, don't forget that gaming is a LUXURY. It isn't food, shelter, or clothing... It's a luxury... Entertainment. You aren't entitled to ANYTHING. So, like any -normal- individual that understands business... try and figure out the solutions that work best for all parties. And leave out the middle men that don't contribute to the industries.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/25/2012 11:06:25 AM
4 up, 0 down
slugga_status
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 11:29:36 AM
You know..the longer this situation exist the more it'll be discussed. The more it's discussed the more people will understand. For the most part you're right. The people with bad attitudes regarding this isn't looking at it with a clear mind.
It is true that used game sales are effecting the industry. But it isn't the sole reason..Piracy is a HUGE reason behind all of this. That is a fact as well. I can't say much in regards to ebay and Amazon as I've never personally used those sites.
Like you said, this is more the reason why some want to go straight digital. Yet the world we live in isn't ready for something like that.
When looking at used game purchases you have to have an open mind. There are some of us that can afford new games and those who can't. Now, the absolute bottom line is that if a game isn't in your budget new or used then don't buy it.
The only thing I disagree with you about is about game creation and pricing. While I agree with the notion that "Make a good game we will buy it new" it's a little more than that to me. I just want a dev/pub/etc. to sit back and play their game after it's been created and price it accordingly. We know not every game is going to be top notch 10s across the board but don't price at $60 and then wonder why it isn't selling. You see your game isn't in the same class as a triple A title, why not price it at $30-$40? Might just make a sell that way instead of a person knowing what a games is about and saying "Seems cool but can't justify $60 for it"
1 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 12:04:39 PM
Personally, I would never buy a brand new game at release if it was sub-par, nor should anyone else anyways. Bad games typically drop down to the 20's and 30's quickly anyways. So the pricing is sort of a non-issue for me.
But that wasn't really the point I meant to make on that one thing. What I meant to address was the people that say, "If they want me to buy their game new, they should make a game that people will never sell!"
That was the attitude I meant to address.
0 up, 0 down
79transam
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 3:35:31 PM
0 up, 0 down
AcHiLLiA
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 12:17:26 PM
Reply
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 4/25/2012 12:19:31 PM
3 up, 0 down
THEVERDIN
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 1:18:10 PM
Reply
And if you can't buy used or rent how do you know it's sub par? Don't tell me by reveiws cause I wont buy that. I remember reveiws for games I really like that got raked over the coals so I rented and then purchased.
1 up, 2 down
Underdog15
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 2:56:12 PM
lol.
You're exactly the type of person I was talking about that would argue with me despite the fact that I agree with you... *THIS* is exactly what my giant post was about!! lol
And I outlined in full detail how I agree that used and rentals NEED to stay for everyone. The system just needs to change.
If you can't have everything, you aren't willing to listen... this is exactly the response I predicted would happen. People completely ignore 95% of what you say (even though you completely agree with them) because they dislike the 1-5% part that asks people to be reasonable.
On a side note: I bought my first Atelier game because i looked up gameplay vids on youtube and liked what I saw. And I got the first Uncharted back in the day before it was huge because I downloaded the free demo and loved it. There are lots of ways to research. But that's beside the point.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/25/2012 3:07:01 PM
0 up, 1 down
COBB
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 1:51:36 PM
Reply
Next thing you know they'll start charging for games bought new well after the release date at a lower price.
1 up, 0 down
anjpikapp3
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 2:18:09 PM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 2:24:29 PM
Reply
You can't capitalize on used games by eliminating them. They got that original sale and that's all they were ever going to get for all intents and purposes.
3 up, 0 down
frylock25
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 2:47:42 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 3:31:20 PM
Reply
0 up, 2 down
Underdog15
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 12:10:00 PM
I later just assumed you were only replying to the smaller post that was a reply.
0 up, 0 down
ulsterscot
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 5:53:19 PM
Reply
4 up, 1 down
shadowscorpio
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 5:39:54 AM
0 up, 0 down
Palpatations911
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 8:30:40 PM
Reply
1 up, 4 down
Underdog15
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 9:55:55 AM
1 up, 0 down
sha4dowknight05
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 9:49:49 PM
Reply
It has been for many years.
Back in the day my friend bought half-life anthoplogy on disc. He installed it on my computer since it was good and could run it at the time.
But when he took the game home to install it on his own computer it wouldn't let him play on a new account but the one he had registered to my pc.
If they are ever going to stop against used gaming make sure it's something like steams where you can play the game as long as the steam account is registered to that piece of hardware and each time you want to switch to something new the old one's recogniiton is replaced with the new one.
Last edited by sha4dowknight05 on 4/25/2012 9:52:51 PM
0 up, 1 down
Laguna
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 1:36:29 AM
Reply
0 up, 2 down
___________
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 5:21:13 AM
Reply
BRILLIANT!
the industry SERIOUSLY needs to stop screwing over their customers and go to the source of the problem, retailers!
as the saying goes hey dont shoot me im just the messenger!
its not our fault publishers are not seeing any sales from used games, so why should we get stabbed in the back because of something totally out of our hands?
but of course crytek would be a fan of this, there very good at stabbing people in the back………............
1 up, 1 down
Bariikade
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 10:35:12 AM
Reply
Last edited by Bariikade on 4/26/2012 10:36:25 AM
1 up, 1 down
Geobaldi
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 2:24:50 PM
This isn't true as you can log into Steam on any computer and download any game from your account and play it.
1 up, 0 down
elric
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 11:30:04 AM
Reply
Might I also politely suggest that a good, very good, reason for used game sales is because games these days are SERIOUSLY EXPENSIVE. 60 dollars can still be a lot of money, especially these days. Especially when buying multiple games. A lot of people who buy manage to burn through the game in a week or two. Many games have little replay value, though admittedly that is improving, so they get sold for credit which goes to purchasing other games.
Any plan to make a console that would block used games would result in all sorts of technical issues, customer complaints, and would likely seriously increase hacking and piracy.
1 up, 1 down
Ather
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 2:17:37 PM
Reply
Time was, you could get a NES game for $25. Now, thanks to cpmpetiton, it costs 3 times as much. Excuse us for trying to find a little relief in a troubled economy. Today's prices for game you might not even like is too high risk.
0 up, 1 down
D3ath_Sy7he
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 3:47:03 PM
Reply
Lets say they do implement this, a year or two or three down the road, you have amassed a nice selection of titles (large or small). Now suddenly your console stops working (bad disk reader, hard drive goes out, over heats, etc. etc.) or if hard to believe that could happen lets say you purchase a second more up to date version (fat vs slim whatever).
YOU ARE SCREWED YOUR TITLES ARE TIED TO THE OTHER MACHINE, TIME TO GO BUY ALL NEW AGAIN.
Oh yes you could call customer service and try to talk your way into getting them reactivated, but why should they believe you, hey try that with Adobe, Microsoft, if you every loose your product key and see how far you get.
Just my two cents on this.
1 up, 0 down
Geobaldi
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 4:02:59 PM
Last edited by Geobaldi on 4/26/2012 4:03:37 PM
0 up, 0 down
saintaqua
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 6:04:36 PM
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Many if not most new adopters start out with used to see if they like it/
I prefer buying new but any company who tries to lock out used/rented/borrowed games is treading dangerous ground and will probably be the first to die next gen.
I'm okay with new and digital for my self but servers don't last forever and that's a lot of money we can never get back.
If it comes to my money or the developers, it's gonna be mine every time.
0 up, 0 down
Gravelight
Thursday, April 26, 2012 @ 10:52:44 PM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
tridon
Reply
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 9:54:01 AM
Last edited by tridon on 4/25/2012 9:55:02 AM