Is Capcom Trying to Thwart Used Games Sector?
One NeoGAF member has discovered that Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for Nintendo's new 3DS handheld contains a unique feature that has the press giving Capcom an evil eye. This feature reportedly resides in the European, Japanese and North American versions of the new 3DS game.
According to the Mercenaries 3D manual, saved data cannot be reset – meaning that users can't delete the data that's saved directly on the cartridge. Now imagine what will happen when all saved game slots are used, and the player decides to trade it in at GameStop for something new. For those wanting to purchase the Resident Evil game used, this particular copy would essentially be worthless, as the buyer couldn't start the game from the beginning or re-unlock all the bonus features.
There's speculation that Capcom deliberately made it impossible to delete user data in order to discourage used game sales. We already know that the industry frowns on its consumers who choose not to purchase games at full price; in fact, most publishers and developers claim that it's hurting the overall industry revenue, that used games sales does more damage than piracy. After all, said parties aren't making money off used game sales.
Shortly after the limitation became known, EB Games Australia said that it pulled Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D from the shelves just before the game officially went live. So far EB Games parent GameStop here in North America doesn't have plans to pull the game thus far, stating that "we've heard nothing down the line" and that "anything you hear otherwise, I'd say they're rumors put out by our competitors."
Eurogamer eventually contacted the UK arm of Capcom to find out if the limitation was indeed a deliberate plot to thwart second-hand sales. "The game's value at second-hand in the UK is not affected by whether or not the game can have its data reset," a Capcom spokesperson said. "Customers in the UK will not experience a reduced second-hand value should they wish to trade in their purchase."
But the statement doesn't seem valid, and now GameFly has even labeled Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D as "Not Rentable" due to the restrictions. Obviously the restriction will have an impact somewhere, whether it's the rental sector, the used games sector or even full-blown retail sales.
Publishers have recently tried to scale back used game sales by including one-time-use codes in the pricier, new copies. These codes usually offer certain content and in some cases unlocks the online portion of the game only once. Several publishers are now offering subscriptions to the online component in order to reel in some of the revenue lost with pre-owned sales.
This isn't the first time Capcom has come under fire in regards to DRM. Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 and a few other titles lock their save game data directly to the PlayStation 3 console rather than linking them to the users PSN ID, thus leaving consumers without their current progress if the console crashes or they've bought a new model. Several Capcom titles also require an Internet connection in order to play, and thus left legit Capcom customers without anything to play when the network went down for weeks.
But while Capcom may or may not have been deliberately thwarting used game sales with the save game limitation, the move may have opened the door for other publishers to do the same. For all we know, this may be something Nintendo is enforcing, and that we'll see similar limitations in its cartridge-based games from here on out.
Capcom's Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is shipping to store shelves nationwide starting today.
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So what if I like replaying the game more than the ammount of blank save slots but purchased the game new? This is crazy....
Another reason to not own a Nintendo, or anything capcom makes, Hurray!
Don't these companies realize that they get more money up front because us consumers plan on trading it in? Imagine if you couldn't trade in PS3 or XBox games that cost you $60 brand new, would you pay $60 for them? maybe a few, but you wouldn't buy as many.
This is what happened to the computer game genre, they kept putting more and more limitations on it because of "piracy" and all they ended up doing was killing the ability to sell them used, which means even less people are buying computer versions unless its a must have. And now most big companies are trying to charge $60 for the computer versions as well.
I am fine with no resale option if you drop the price to $30 for everyone, LOL thats basically what it is now, person buys it new for $60, sells it for $30, so you end up having two people paying $30 each for the game. thats all they are worth to us, $25-$30, not $60 and we own it for life!
Well look like Capcom is asking for a visit from lulzboat... just saying
This bs is the reason why piracy, jailbreaking, hacking, modding are still around...
Although I support the developers for their hard works, and I love Street Fighter, but they and Ubisoft need to stop screwing with customers
That's a stupid idea. I mean from their point of view they will make more money, but from our point of view it hurts replay-ability.
I am fine with no resale option if you drop the price to $30 for everyone, LOL thats basically what it is now, person buys it new for $60, sells it for $30, so you end up having two people paying $30 each for the game. thats all they are worth to us, $25-$30, not $60 and we own it for life!
Agreed
or like let's say mini game like "Angry birds" for mobile phone, can't trade, can't resell, save game doesn't sync online, but it only cost like what? $1 $2? and people don't mind paying that
If they were to charge customer a hefty price, then give customer the contents that worth their money
I mean if they were to charge legit customers $60 for something that is worse than pirated version (Free, transferable, "modded save function (or whatever)"), well then no wonder they can't sell the freaking game
absolutely agreed
Of course, they are going to loose customers by doing crap like this and if they piss them off enough they will never get those customers back.Oh well
This is interesting.
after being burned by buying games outright, i refuse to buy a game before i try it out. if they keep dumbing down the games, then pull this crap, then they deserve all the bad sales that they get. keep shooting yourself in the foot, gaming industry!
Don't these companies realize that they get more money up front because us consumers plan on trading it in? Imagine if you couldn't trade in PS3 or XBox games that cost you $60 brand new, would you pay $60 for them? maybe a few, but you wouldn't buy as many.This is what happened to the computer game genre, they kept putting more and more limitations on it because of "piracy" and all they ended up doing was killing the ability to sell them used, which means even less people are buying computer versions unless its a must have. And now most big companies are trying to charge $60 for the computer versions as well.I am fine with no resale option if you drop the price to $30 for everyone, LOL thats basically what it is now, person buys it new for $60, sells it for $30, so you end up having two people paying $30 each for the game. thats all they are worth to us, $25-$30, not $60 and we own it for life!
personally i refuse to ever sell my games no matter how bad they are.
It's easy to get them to stop this BS: don't buy the game. Plain and simple. The business they lose will encourage them to change their ways.
EVERYONE READ THIS PART BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT KNOW IT.
capcom is a japanese company, in japan, because of nintendo, its illegal to rent games in ANY way shape or form.
the way i see it is this is less of a used game sale ploy, and more of an anti rent model considering game fly offers 3ds games.
that said, capcom also sold us content on disc, they are holding the new mega man legends hostage (selling beta, and judging if its worth developing from that) and so on...
i honestly think capcom should lose all its licences for this crap, and let someone else who knows how to make people happy make the damn games.
It's easy to get them to stop this BS: don't buy the game. Plain and simple. The business they lose will encourage them to change their ways.
but than they dont make the games you want because corporate mentality is "people dont like this game, dont make more" apposed to "people dont like the s#$^ we pulled with this game, lets patch it to fix it so they buy it"
If you can't resell your old games then just let the new games sit on the shelf for about 6 months until the prices drop to a reasonable level.
BOO HOO!! They make a game, set a price based on projected sales, then sell it. After that it's not there game. If people want to sell there game, then it's there game to sell, Period.
Other reasons profit's fail:
1. The game sucks (#1 for lack of sales IMO)
2. lack of advertising, people don't know it's out there.
3. The game is glitchy
4. Game is over priced - People can't afford it or don't think it's worth it
5. Developers have a bad rep with the buyers
6. Game has bad reviews (See #1)
7. Developers implementing stupid security systems (securom) that P.O. customers causing people to avoid future products
8. companies over hyping games disappointing fans
9. improper game design for a fan base, for instance pc games being ported from xbox 360, causing bad sales (see Crysis 2).
10. Bad customer support, the game doesn't work right, so instead of addressing customers or fixing via a patch, the developers just forget about it and move on to the next game.
11. No demo's to test run the game and see if you like it.
What developers want to believe:
1. All hackers fault, yes it's a problem, but if your game sucks, then hacking it isnt the problem with sales is it?
2. Customer reselling games. Projecting profit incomes shouldn't include games that are resold. Most of the time people who sell there games do it because they need the money, or because they want to use the money to buy a new game.
Just FYI from a customer to a developer, if any games come out that on any systems I own, wii, pc, or whatever, that effect game replayability, or game saves, "I WON"T BUY THEM". So in your next study of why your profits are failing, you can add that piece of information in there.
Rant = over
Solution to expensive games:
http://xkcd.com/606/
Oops, almost forgot, one more, hacking is a problem, well, not so much a problem as in "Piracy" but in multiplayer games, hacking is a problem. Nothing agravates me more then buying a game just to see that in-game hacking is destroying the multiplayer experience and the developers are doing nothing to fix it. Especially when the hacks right after the game is released.
Major problem IMO.
That could also eat into profit, because if the developers don't fix it and make the game harder to hack into, then why would I buy a future release from them?
Just saying..
Being mainly a PC gamer, I barely ever buy games used. That said, the most i've paid for a game in recent memory was 35 for portal 2 a couple months ago because it was new on amazon for that price.
I don't mind paying around that much for a new game, but shit 60 bucks? For the cost of 3 or 4 new games i could upgrade a component on my PC, or buy a console. Seriously, the only game i plan to get at full price is going to be Skyrim, that's 5 months away and, if past games are any indication, will be fully worth 60 bucks. is 10 hours of fun (standard game these days with no/bad MP) worth 6 dollars an hour for fun.
There are better things to blow 60 bucks on IMHO. I like games, but seriously, a standard 60 dollar price tag for "Fighting King II" for 360 or "Madden (insert year)" is stupid. Price a game by quality, not by MSRP "everything is $60"
Capcom......expect us.
Wonder if a powerful magnet will erase the data on the cartridge? Someone will figure something out...lol. Game developers do deserve to get paid for their work and the gaming industry as a whole is very risky due to used sales as well as pirating. So I dont blame CapCom for trying to thwart the trend. I personally buy games because I want the gaming industry to thrive but I wait for new games to go down in price since $59 for a new title is way over priced.
If they are gonna cry get them to put royalties on used games.
1. Make Game.
2. Put limitation to game.
3. ????
4. Profit.
2nd hand game stores are the ones that push preordering new games the most. For example, when I worked at Gamecrazy, and Halo 3 came out, we pushed preorders, to the point to where we had 600 preorders for the game in our one store.
If companies continue to try and get rid of 2nd hand games, the stores will fall, and sales of new games will go down as an unintended side effect.
Thumb me down if you want, but after news like this. this will be one game I definitely would pirate. I can back up however many times I want and make sure my hard earned save files are safe from accidental deletion or corruptions.
These people really don't get it, it's DRM all over again.
breaking news, capcom hacked, everything now on torrent
Thumb me down if you want, but after news like this. this will be one game I definitely would pirate. I can back up however many times I want and make sure my hard earned save files are safe from accidental deletion or corruptions.These people really don't get it, it's DRM all over again.
I agree. It's come to the point where pirating is not about saving money. I see, for example, Mirror's Edge, in a bargain bin for ~5$, but I don't feel like buying it because it comes with online activation and DRM headaches, and because the gameplay stank anyway despite all the hype. Not worth it.
They can save money by keeping only the real game designers on staff and firing all the suits who have nothing to do with gaming. With online distribution, I had hoped to see old-school programmers return to independence from these greedy corp publishers ...
Of course, they are going to loose customers by doing crap like this and if they piss them off enough they will never get those customers back.Oh well
Of course if everyone does it the playing field will be level and purchasers will go back to content quality.
I don't think this has been mentioned yet but if you think about this. This is actually quite a game breaking DRM. Perhaps not to Mercenaries as its really just stages and dying has no real effect. But imagine a normal Resident Evil game or many other games actually. Let's say you
are right before a tough boss fight, your already hurt and have no healing items you just saved and at the tough boss in one hit. Your screwed time to start a new game right? Wrong, your save game is stuck there. A save you will never use again is stuck there and possibly stopping you from ever saving again. Now your forced to buy another copy of the game if you wish yo have any hope of getting further.
@NuclearShadow. That was exactly the scenario I was thinking of. I have this happen to me many times and yeah unless there is a restart chapter option you are really screwed and gotta start the whole game over.
Not a smart move by Capcom.
I hope they don't decide to do the same thing to used cars.
I don't know about you folks, but when I see a video game I like (That isn't from some of my favorite developers like Bethesda) I either buy it used months after it comes out for a thirty dollar difference, or I download it.