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Gaming publishers don’t make a cent from the used games market…EA is trying to find ways of remedying this…
For years gaming publishers and developers have derived zero remuneration from the second-hand gaming market, much to their chagrin.
Gaming companies tried various ways of garnering income from a USD$2 billion a year industry. There is nothing that they can do to stop the market, so they have done the next best thing – offered gamers some added value at a cheaper price than some of the second hand games on the market.
EA has taken the lead by stating it will be adding The Stone Prisoner pack to new copies of its Dragons Age Origins game, which will include several hours of gameplay, extras and a separate story thread. And the cost? USD$15.
What they are hoping to do is make gamers buy the new content over older games. However, it looks more like putting a sticking plaster over a gaping wound, with a 19 percent increase in second-hand games last year.
In the past, some of this type of content has been free, but EA are trying to sell it as added value, while detractors are saying it is an attempt to take from the used game market. But why wouldn’t they? It is a free market out there, but like anything, the market will decide.
