Used sales double Dead Space userbase

By Tom Bramwell Published 7 July, 2009

Schofield: 1.5m bought it, 3m played it.

Visceral Games boss Glen Schofield has suggested that used-game sales doubled the amount of people who played Dead Space.

"We also did studies on sort of how many unique users there were on the PSN network and Xbox Live and realised, you know what, there's over three million people that have played Dead Space," Schofield told the EA Underground podcast (thanks Kotaku).

"Maybe we've only sold one and a half million or whatever the number is, but there's something there because that means that, okay, there were a lot of used sales."

Schofield was speaking as part of the apparently never-ending inquisition into why Dead Space (and Mirror's Edge) received good review scores and sold less than expected.

He also brought up the other usual suspects: the fact the games came out at a really busy time of year, that they were new IP rather thank bankable brands, and that neither had multiplayer features, which help prevent people flogging their finished games back to the shops afterwards.

Dead Space only managed a 7/10 with us but received heftier acclaim elsewhere, and you voted it your 10th favourite of 2008. EA has said to expect a sequel.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (74) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DFawkes #1 3 years ago

    I only just bought it, but it is the kind of game most people would play to completion then just trade on sell. I won't, since my days of just trading stuff in is over, but it is one story that most will just play through once.

  • siro #2 3 years ago

    1.5 m on just PS3 is a pretty good number considering its multiplatform. In the end probably 4-5 million will be sold overall, which is an amazing number for any new IP.

    Has there been a better selling original title than this? The Sims, Wii Fit (and if you count bundles) Tetris and Wii Sports spring to my mind.

    Edit: I sold Dead Space after finishing it recently (on 360). 7/10 didn't do it justice.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 09:30

  • matrim83 #3 3 years ago

    I thought 1.5 million copies was pretty good sales wise for a new IP. And thats excluding PC sales.

    Sequel please.

  • Eraysor #4 3 years ago

    That 7/10 score was probably the most wrong score of last year. It's awesome.

  • Vanmunt #5 3 years ago

    Dead Space only managed a 7/10 with us but received heftier acclaim elsewhere, and you voted it your 10th favourite of 2008. EA has said to expect a sequel.

    and from the ashes of one terrible review was born 'Dead Space Dan'...

    also this is just more fuel on the fire for the distributors to push downloaded games, they must really hate the pre owned market.

  • Xerx3s #6 3 years ago

    "Schofield was speaking as part of the apparently never-ending inquisition into why Dead Space (and Mirror's Edge) received good review scores and sold less than expected. "

    I don't know, it sold 1,5 million in a couple of months. For a non exclusive, non brand game in the busiest time of the year, that's nothing to be sneered at. Exactly how well where people expecting it to sell? :/

  • the_dudefather #7 3 years ago

    I wonder what this figure is for other games (it's hard to see if dead space is an unusual case or are most single player games like this)

    I was a fantastic game, although I could see why it would have been traded in, especially near that time of year, I wonder if they will shoehorn some kind of multiplayer into the sequel in an attempt to add longevity to the game? (optional co-op might be nice, i.e.: no AI partner)

  • GreyBeard #8 3 years ago

    Agreed, for what it is Dead Space is one of the best ever. As a single-player survival horror game, its easily the best this generation.

  • menage #9 3 years ago

    I will never get rid of my copy. I love it to space death. Oh, and why is every game played afterwards used? How about cheap sales (I bought mine in februari for 20 euro's) and borrowing from friends.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 09:41

  • Anthony_UK #10 3 years ago

    He fact he said it sold 1.5 million or whatever males me think it could possibly sold less than that....

    Either way releasing this and mirrors edge at such a busy time next to the likes of FIFA, Call of Duty and Need For Speed, surely they can't be suprised at the numbers it did?

    I don't know if it would work, but why don't some publishers try the Nintendo route and actually market there game beyond the initial 1-2 week period of it's initial release?

  • ZuluHero #11 3 years ago

    Well, I actually borrowed my brother's copy for a few nights (which I bought for him incidentally). The reason I didn’t buy it myself was mostly thanks to EG’s 7/10 actually. But I really enjoyed it and I would buy a sequel without hesitation.

    It’s an interesting point actually. I know that sales is what everyone gauges the success of a game, but I wonder if looking at the number of players who have played the game on various online networks is also a valid source to deem how successful a game is?

    If you could also tap into achievements, then that would give you a better outcome in determining success (for example, every game gives an achievement or trophy for finishing it) as most people who finish a game must have enjoyed it in order to do so.

    You could even set a cutoff point to determine ‘success’ – like, to use Dead Space as an example, if a player gets the chapter 8 achievement then that player would count towards the success of the game. Anything less and it wouldn’t…

    Now I know this doesn't really help a company make money (which is ultimately the reason people make games), but there must be lots of people out there like me that were perhaps on the fence and dissuaded thanks to 'external sources'. And these figures could perhaps warrant a sequel, If the projected retention figures were high enough.

    I think I might have discovered a new analyst position.

  • berelain #12 3 years ago

    7/10 felt bang on the money to me. I rented it, finished it in a week, and had no cause to ever go back to it, much as I quite enjoyed the experience and the Solaris-inspired storyline.

  • Dizzy #13 3 years ago

    I sold mine after finishing it and got a very decent price (75% of retail) so there was certainly a good deal of people who wanted to play it. It is the kind of game that you do not keep. Extra DLC levels would have done the trick probably. Great game with some flawed gameplay moments (invincible monster for example).

  • optimusprym8 #14 3 years ago

    Dead Space had everything that ResiEvil5 didn't: usable, playable controls

    1.5 million sold, 3 million played... what, everyone traded it in?

  • booner #15 3 years ago

    That 7/10 score was probably the most wrong score of last year. It's awesome.

  • siro #16 3 years ago

    Oh right, the invincible monster sucked (especially in the appearances before you got the means to take care of it). I also didn't particularly enjoy the cannon sequences. Still, an outstanding game.

    Edit: Someone deleted the comment I'm referring, too. :)
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 09:48

  • schnide #17 3 years ago

    Surely that's only counting the used sales that appeared on Live, and not everyone's on Live (yet).

    I only bought Dead Space recently (thanks WHSmiths - £9!) and have yet to play it. My personal take is that there's something distinctive missing in the branding and marketing of the game. With so many games on the market it has to jump out at you, and a game called "Dead Space" with a severed arm on the front is almost void of a psychological hook point. It's only people that pay attention to reviews (ie. us - shh - hardcore) who've really given it a chance.

    Oh, and the absolute toilet demo didn't help either. The fact that I've still bought it after how bad that demo was says something about the persistent reputation of this game.

    I'm interested to see how the full game actually plays (after I've finished Broken Steel).

  • muscleblade #18 3 years ago

    " Great game with some flawed gameplay moments (invincible monster for example). "

    The invincible monster parts where EPIC! It was nervewrecking and an awesome design decision for a game like this.

    I thouth the constant need to open boxes to get health and ammo and the very similar fetch quests was the flawed moments.
    Great game no doubdt 9/10.

  • muscleblade #19 3 years ago

    "1.5 million sold, 3 million played... what, everyone traded it in? "

    I did. No need to keep it after getting the full 1000/1000. Still i feel i cant do the same with the fantastic RE5 metal box even though i have 1200/1200 on the game. It might get more DLC though - Hopefully.

  • kangarootoo #20 3 years ago

    My issue with the invincible monster was that it wasn';t clear initially that it WAS invincible. So I wasted a fair bit of ammo titting about with it. Once it became clear it was holding out for a special scripted death type sequence, it was quite tense I guess.


    Anyway, on subject. I can see this making a case for chargeable DLC in the future. We all complain about how stopping sales of used games would be a bad thing (I like pre-owned too), but we also accept that a pre-owned sale gives nothing back to the publisher. If a game has a reasonable amount of chargable DLC, even resales will accrue some income for the publisher.

  • menage #21 3 years ago

    @Berelain

    I don't see why re playability is such a huge factor. Myabe it used to be when I bought 1 game every 4 moths, but it's more 3 a month at the moment with all these bargains. I'd raher have 15 hours of pure awesome for my money. I haven't got time to play all the games on my pile as it is. let alone every game taking me 60 hours.

    Oh and the lack of multiplayer doesn't mean jack shit. Bioshock didn't flop now did it. Just sell it better, there's loads of people who don't give a fuck about mp. Most mp is crap tacked on and get's ditched for Halo 3 or COD after 2 weeks anyway.

  • Bitkari #22 3 years ago

    I don't think that this supports the idea of second-hand game sales as much as it does support the idea that games should be cheaper.

    Imagine how many copies would sell if it originally retailed at £20 rather than £40.

  • Bartacus #23 3 years ago

    Games are far too expensive on release £22.99 is a great price point that will end this pre owned madness.

    Then the shops will not bother with the hassle & everone will be able to buy a nice fresh unscratched disc. The game companys will reap more of the cash. Or just tie 1 copy to 1 console which is what downloading will do.

  • kangarootoo #24 3 years ago

    @Bitkari

    I don't see that making a difference to the market. If the rrp on games was cheaper, the resale value of pre-owned would be cheaper as a consequence. It would change the figures a bit, but not as much as you suggest.

    And also, its not like publishers just throw dice in the air and price games at whatever number comes back. If halving the price of games meant their profits would soar, you can bet that is exactly what they would be doing.

    Edit:

    "Games are far too expensive on release £22.99 is a great price point that will end this pre owned madness"

    Same response as above. A price cut wouldn't end anything.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 10:20

  • AliRay #25 3 years ago

    Loads of people must have rented this, surely? It's the sort of game you'd rent and blitz through in a short time. It would be very unwise for anyone to infer that there were 1.5m preowned sales of this game imo. 'OMG TEH EVILZ SECOND HAND MARKET' etc etc....

  • systems #26 3 years ago

    Good game. Very clever level design to minimise backtracking, good combat and probably the best audio I've heard this generation. Pretty pant-wetting at times if you're alone in the house playing at night and have a sub woofer. I let out many a little squeaker.

    Not perfect of course, but a good solo romp. Not much point in keeping it once it's been completed a couple of times so of course it will sell on. Nothing wrong with that. The trouble with making it cheaper is that it will then look like a cheap game, when it fact it is well polished. I guess if it were released for £25 that would be about right, which is what I got it for. £35 is ridiculous (I like to make at most £1 per hour).

  • Zomoniac #27 3 years ago

    People are stupid. This was £15 about 3 days after release, and cost more used than new for the first 6 months it was out.

  • muscleblade #28 3 years ago

    Games are way too cheap these days. The NES games had the same prices back in the 80s. With the inflation and all games should cost at least twice the amount of what they did back then. Their actually cheaper for some weird reason.

  • bad09 #29 3 years ago

    I don't need to say it...

    / Glares at Dan

  • muscleblade #30 3 years ago

    "My issue with the invincible monster was that it wasn';t clear initially that it WAS invincible."

    True, but after destroying it the first time you where told that it was regenerating and that you should run. So i did and the damn thing was right behind my back for quite some time. I loved it. Real andrenaline kick.

  • Beek4257 #31 3 years ago

    No, you don't bad09.

    / Growls at Dan

  • GiarcYekrub #32 3 years ago

    PLEASE GOD, DO NOT PUT MULTIPLAYER IN DEAD SPACE 2!

  • itsfuzzy #33 3 years ago

    This game scared the shit out of me. Was having nightmares of those freaky bastards shuffling from side to side coming to get me. Sequel please

  • metalangel #34 3 years ago

    Gosh, could it really be that if games were cheaper, they'd sell more than enough extra copies to offset the loss of profit?

  • GreyBeard #35 3 years ago

    @metalangel
    Fine in theory, but what happens when your modestly priced title still doesn't sell? You end up losing so much money that your studio goes under.

    Retail wants their chunk of the profits regardless of the price point, and a £50 quid game takes up as much inventory space as as a £20 one.

  • curtlikesmeat #36 3 years ago

    For me personally it's a solid 9/10 - it's been a while since I've played a survival horror game so tense and it shits all over the last few Resident Evil offerings. I bought it last year when it was released and still haven't quite finished it, it's felt like real value for money.... and that's something else that isn't that common these days.

    Good job EA, hope the sequel is just as innovative.

  • Figgernaggot #37 3 years ago

    "PLEASE GOD, DO NOT PUT MULTIPLAYER IN DEAD SPACE 2! "

    Not even co-op?

  • Bitkari #38 3 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    The proliferation of the second-hand market is largely due to the high retail price of games.

    Having a high-price means that for many there is more value in a game's resale price than there is in holding on to the game.

    However, if you're only going to get £2 for trading in a game, many gamers are not going to bother. Likewise, the current margins for retailers on second-hand games are massive; when these drop, it becomes less worth their time and money.

    While still good value, games really need to show much more flexibility in price if they're to get a true mass-market adoption. To say that publishers have arrived at the perfect price point is a tad naive as the reality of pricing is dictated more by a combination of niche marketing, retail overheads, and the risk-averse nature of the industry that dare not leave the incumbent pricing system.

    Only when downloads really start to dominate will retail pricing be forced into change.

  • MaliceMajorE15 #39 3 years ago

    You really have to take EG reviews with a pinch of salt cos unless its halo or something it will probably get marked lower. im just saying that on a few big titles it seems to be the trend.

  • miiiguel #40 3 years ago

    It is the kind of game that you do not keep.
    I keep all my games. I don't have Dead Space though.

  • erp #41 3 years ago

    Yeah I sold mine, but I did it on Amazon Marketplace rather than trading in at the parasitic High Street stores.

    I didn't finish actually finish it, because by Chapter 7 it was freaking me out way too much. I just had to stop. It's the game that made me realise it's Nice Games Only for me from now on.

    It was good though.

  • trooperdx3117 #42 3 years ago

    Sad is the day when 1.5 million sales is considered poor for a new IP, still though definitely lookibf forward to Dead Space 2

  • makeamazing #43 3 years ago

    I dont think the issue is that it sold 1.5 million, but more so the fact that it sold 1.5 million and many of those were heavily discounted.. in fact I had wish I had purchased it when it was cheap (as its much more expensive now I think - tried to pick it up the weekend new but they had no stock left).

    They reduced the price drastrically in a few days to hold up the sales figures. So i would suspect that was more of a problem. Though I think a sequel would do a lot better because many people seemed to have enjoyed it.

    The only issue now is many people (including myself) will be thinking with all the glut of games coming out at Xmas, dont buy straight away as one of the games you might want might buckle under the sales pressure... unfortunately this is not good for games companies, but they brought it on themselves.

  • miiiguel #44 3 years ago

    Why are your days of trading stuff in over? Are you saying you buy games, play them to completion then let them gather dust while you spend more money on new games?
    In my case, yes. Well, they don't "gather dust" has dust gets cleaned arround here, though, games, as movies and books, and pictures, and... memories are indeed collected and nursed in my kingdom.

  • lucky_jim #45 3 years ago

    Bought for £20 new from HMV a month or two ago, it's good but still in my to "complete when I get around to it" pile.

  • skillian #46 3 years ago

    Exactly. In this case it was felt right to start discounting right away, so that's probably the right move for lots of other games too.

    The trouble is we have this weird system where every game costs exactly the same, no matter how much it cost to make or market, and no matter what its expected sales.

    To say they have come up with the perfect price to maximise profits is just not true, because there's no way that price would just happen to be exactly the same for every game released.

    If customers had expected that lower price for Dead Space and it was advertised as such, it probably would have sold a lot more. Instead they had to rely on people looking at the price sticker on the game before they realise it's a lot cheaper than other similar titles.

  • bioreit #47 3 years ago

    @ kangarootoo

    Actually, I have to agree with bitkari on this one and say that the fact that it sold pretty poorly yet had a large number of players, which the devs themselves are putting down to re-sales, definitely leads towards proving that a lower price point for Dead Space would have resulted in higher sales.

    I doubt many people bought a second hand copy of Dead Space for more than 75% of retail - probably somewhere between 50 and 75% based on how shops price second hand copies of new-ish games - so it stands to reason that if Dead Space had been priced between £20-30 at launch, the devs may have enjoyed nearly 3 million of genuine sales, rather than 1.5 million plus 1.5 million second-hand sales.

    And industries do not have a good track record of listening to people tell them 'lower prices = higher sales = higher revenue = higher profits'. Look at the music industry - it far prefers to stick its fingers in its collective ears and bawl out 'La-la-la', resolutely staying with the demonstrably false theory that lowering the price of albums somehow lowers the 'perception of value' and that piracy is crippling their business model.

    Whereas if they reduced albums to no more than a fiver for brand new at retail, I'd bet they see all their sales sky rocket. Hell, I know I'd buy more than the one abum a year I do presently.

    But the problem is that its managers, accountants and lawyers who make that kind of decision - and they won't ever make that choice.

  • bioreit #48 3 years ago

    @ makeamazing

    £14.99 for either PS3 or 360 versions from Play

    Dead Space

    /yes, should have put this on the Bargains thread :-P

  • penhalion #49 3 years ago

    It's the age old idiocy, where the developer looses site of the positives i.e. twice the number of potential customers next time around. Instead they focus on the negatives and end up killing themselves in the process. These high figures would tell any savvy business person that they should be getting a sequel out there asap. Instead I'm willing to bet they spend a rediculous amount of time pissing off their potential customers by trying to stop trade-ins or something silly like that.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 13:18

  • darleysam #50 3 years ago

    You know, to say that it "only scored 7/10" is just perpetuating the idea that anything below an 8 isn't worth your time. Getting a 7 should be a good, respectable score.

  • miiiguel #51 3 years ago

    There are odd scores in EG though, the last two games I played had their scores, at best, mixed up. 5/10 for Wolverine and 7/10 for Ninja Blade.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 13:27

  • linksdad #52 3 years ago

    Eurogamers 7/10 unfarely put me off the game a little so I rented it (I am sure more than just me rented it)

    I thoroughly enjoyed it and the week or so it took me to complete was about right for a rental. (so thanks for the 7/10!)

  • edhe #53 3 years ago

    Single player story games have no replay value to the average consumer who'll only watch/play/read things once.

    Just reduce the price to hook more on release - just don't try to force in multiplayer or grinding into the game in order to try to prove that it needs to be full retail price.

    Or ensure that you have a DLC ready for after completion, release it 2 months after but ensure that there's a once-only coupon in the box for it, as well as available via pdlc.

    I'd gladly take more stuff from visceral, but if it's single player only and purely story based, linear with no replay value i will flat out refuse to spend more than £20 on it, and will most likely just rent it.

    Only the core of the core buy games at full price, or the stupid.

  • Evolution #54 3 years ago

    The 7/10 seemed fair to me, it put me off playing it until now (2nd hand) and for all the things it does right, it has little niggling flaws on the PC which break it a little for me.

    Besides no horror game in space will ever equal System Shock 2 :p

  • metalangel #55 3 years ago

    Games are almost entirely out of the impulse purchase category for me because they're too expensive new and it's rare that a shop ever thinks that it might outsell its competitors by knocking even a fiver off vs the RRP they all so slavishly adhere to. But hey, wow, second hand games are cheap and I *do* impulse buy them!

  • muscleblade #56 3 years ago

    "games, as movies and books, and pictures, and... memories are indeed collected and nursed in my kingdom. "

    You are without doubt a nerd. Nothing wrong with that.

    What memories?

    The memories of you getting the last achievement in a game once again.

  • sneetch #57 3 years ago

    @AliRay
    Loads of people must have rented this, surely? It's the sort of game you'd rent and blitz through in a short time. It would be very unwise for anyone to infer that there were 1.5m preowned sales of this game imo. 'OMG TEH EVILZ SECOND HAND MARKET' etc etc....

    There's the thing, assuming it's 1.5 million second hand sales is a bit self-serving. How many rented or borrowed the (short) game?

    Even if it actually was 1.5 million second hand sales (and no-one rented it or borrowed it from a friend) if there were no second hand sales then it could have been a lot fewer first hand sales. If people couldn't trade in a game against the cost of it new or sell on the game after playing it how many fewer copies would have sold?

    I'm beginning to believe that the second hand market isn't quite the villain it's been painted as.

  • menage #58 3 years ago

    "I'd gladly take more stuff from visceral, but if it's single player only and purely story based, linear with no replay value i will flat out refuse to spend more than £20 on it, and will most likely just rent it. "

    i cant' figure out why Dead Space isn't worth full price if you like that kind of stuff. It was superslick, technically brilliant and a hell of a ride. Sure replay value might be an issue, but that has nothing to do with price imo. You could well buy Halo 3 and never touch the multi, Not all of us feel the need to play every game 100 hours to get my money's worth, my backlog is way too big for that. Adding a deathmatch option seems to be standard nowadays but I never even try. Just not my thing. just like co-op, would kill a lot of the suspense in this game.

    I wish I payed for fullprice for this instead of Gears 2 or Killzone, cause I still can't be bothered to finish those. At least Dead Space was what Resi 5 should have been. I'm buying DS2 day one that's for sure.
    Edited by 3 at 07/07/09 @ 14:22

  • oktava #59 3 years ago

    If I wouldnt have played the incredibly bad demo I might have gotten it.

  • muscleblade #60 3 years ago

    @sneetch

    I believe your right. The borrowing from a friend and renting the games probably is a bigger issue. Hard to solve so they blame it on retailers that sells preowned games. Stupid.

  • Genji #61 3 years ago

    My copy possibly does not register on XBox Live because I am not connected to XBox Live.

    The horror!
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 14:34

  • stepneg #62 3 years ago

    Bought it on release, completed it within a week and sold it while it was still worth something, if the game had been longer or worth a second visit I would have hung onto it. Maybe adding some downloadable content other than over priced weapon skins would have helped as well.

  • Pickster #63 3 years ago

    If people couldn't trade in a game against the cost of it new or sell on the game after playing it how many fewer copies would have sold?

    I'm beginning to believe that the second hand market isn't quite the villain it's been painted as.

    This

    Honestly, the only thing I see wrong with the current system is the amount you get back for a game vs the price a second hand game sits on the shelf for. Other than that the balance is just about right.

  • tafkap #64 3 years ago

    Hmm...360 version for fifteen, or PC for a tenner?

    I'm tempted by both - the 360 for the surround sound and proximity of the toilet, and the PC because it's a shooter and I always get on better with a mouse. Any advice?

  • skillian #65 3 years ago

    I got the PC version but played it on the dowstairs telly with a 360 pad.

    So I guess that's no help to you really, except to say I normally much prefer a mouse but this game worked quite nicely with a pad I thought. :p

    edit: also, the surround sound was really something special in this game, so if you can't get that on your PC that's something I'd take into consideration too.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 15:21

  • jambo74 #66 3 years ago

    People RENT games and lend them to others as well, or did that slip his comments.

  • menage #67 3 years ago

    It's not really a shooter, the weapons are also quite wide in reach. No problem at all on 360.

  • ThemisB #68 3 years ago

    I own a lot of games for my PS3, and funnily enough Dead Space is the only one I've bought used since Ratchet & Clank. And yeah, 7/10 is a little harsh for me too not that it really matters any more now everyone's played it.

  • tafkap #69 3 years ago

    Thanks for the insights. Looks like I'll be buying the 360 version then and cranking up the volume!!

  • miiiguel #70 3 years ago

    "games, as movies and books, and pictures, and... memories are indeed collected and nursed in my kingdom. "

    You are without doubt a nerd. Nothing wrong with that.

    What memories?

    The memories of you getting the last achievement in a game once again.

    I'm not really sure what "nerd" means, I have a US buddy who once told me that nerd is rather offensive, but tbh I'm not sure, so I'm keeping a positive attitude. Anyway, if it means a collector, yes, I am. And my "memories" do are not but "Achievements" like you promptly and in every thread stalk me with. Memories are everything and I'm a fan of keeping them, just the other day I found my 10 years old copy of Nietsche Zaratrusta, and thought, what a pretentious litle cocky teen I was, and laughed out loud.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 16:04

  • Bremenacht #71 3 years ago

    Don't all games of this type have the same problem? If there's limited replay value, then there's a good chance the game will get sold on or PXed for something else. I bet Bioshock has the same 'problem'. Maybe even Super Mario Galaxy.

    Games need some form of quality MP included if publishers don't want people selling them on, or some other gameplay element that encourages retention. Is 'value-add' the correct jargon? Digital distribution may solve the 2nd hand market 'problem' eventually anyway.

    Personally, I don't see a 2nd hand market for games as being a problem, but then I'm not a board-member or shareholder of a games company. I do hope that now they've quietened down somewhat about how to deal with piracy, they don't start trying to stigmatise 2nd hand sales - that would be plain greed. And plain stupid.

    edit: I just read sneetch's comment . +1 there.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/09 @ 16:14

  • metalangel #72 3 years ago

    Single player only games aren't as long as they used to be. When I was a kid and had even more free time than I did now, stuff like Wing Commander and TIE Fighter and Twilight 2000 and Jungle Strike and Metroid II lasted for hours and hours and had loads of missions and you really did get £40 worth out of them.

    Whereas with something like Dead Space (or indeed, Mirror's Edge) you can play through the whole thing and first think, "wow, what ride that was!" which is shortly followed by, "oh, and, er, that's it, then".

    I'm not saying all single player games have to be 100 hour FFVII epics, but they have to give us more than an afternoon or a weekend or whatever's play or we won't be so keen to throw the ridiculous full price at it.

  • thepiedpiper #73 3 years ago

    I'm playing through it right now and I must say, I'm enjoying it a hell of a lot more the Resident Evil 5! In fact I really quite like Dead Space. A few minor quibbles, but nothing major.

  • muscleblade #74 3 years ago

    "I'm not really sure what "nerd" means, I have a US buddy who once told me that nerd is rather offensive, but tbh I'm not sure"

    Its not offensive at all unless you dont want to be one. Nothing wrong about being one. Nerds are usually quite intelligent on a technical level.

    "like you promptly and in every thread stalk me with."

    I try to stop - i really do. I cant help myself.
    Edited by 1 at 08/07/09 @ 09:43

  • m0thr4 #75 3 years ago

    "Schofield was speaking as part of the apparently never-ending inquisition into why Dead Space (and Mirror's Edge) received good review scores and sold less than expected."

    Come on! It's not exactly rocket science is it? Clearly the game was a superb example of its genre, but a genre that is nowhere near as popular as it once was.