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Blocking used games unfair - Saber Interactive CEO

Inversion's Matthew Karch says players should be allowed to sell games they don't want, suggests digital distribution of single-player and multiplayer components for $15 each.

Earlier this week, a Volition developer said a console that blocked used games would be "fantastic." Now, the top man at Inversion developer Saber Interactive is saying quite the opposite.

Saber's CEO thinks games could, and should, cost less.

Saber's CEO thinks games could, and should, cost less.

In an interview with CVG, company CEO Matthew Karch said though he understands why a move to block used games would be appealing for some, he thinks gamers should not be prevented from playing, selling, and buying secondhand titles.

"As long as games are distributed on physical medium as physical goods, players should have the right to buy and sell them," he said.

Karch said the $60 price tag of most boxed games today is "a lot to pay" and noted that in the event the player does not enjoy a game, it is "just not fair" for gamers to have to hold on to the title.

"If people buy Inversion and it's not for them, then why should they be forced to turn it into a drink coaster?" he said.

Karch said he believes the $60 game can become $30, if digital distribution is used. He cited his belief that simply getting a game to retail incurs $30 in "waste." Instead, Karch suggests that a game's experience be broken in two components: multiplayer and single-player and distributed digitally for $15 each or bundled together for $30.

The rise in discussion concerning the used game business was sparked by a recent rumor that suggested Microsoft's next-generation console would block users from playing secondhand titles. Microsoft said it does not comment on rumor or speculation.

235 Comments

  • edwardsjnr04

    Posted Feb 11, 2012 10:48 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232 grow up!!!

  • armandoisgreat

    Posted Feb 11, 2012 12:47 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232
    Go to hell you bastard child of sodomy

  • clqtte

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 9:00 pm GMT

    "If people buy Inversion and it's not for them, then why should they be forced to turn it into a drink coaster?" he said.You guy hear that.

  • Henninger

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 8:38 pm GMT

    Thats actually not a bad idea. But im old school & dont like the digital only thing. I want a hard copy. But this would b a good idea.

  • bluedarrk

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 8:10 pm GMT

    @beeftaco3232 don't you have some landscaping to do?

  • ProMethUse

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 7:05 pm GMT

    once you buy any kind of physical goods (ex. videogames), its "yours"... so you can pretty much sell it (or use it as a drink coaster) ...

    plus, you'd be helping out people who can't normally buy games the moment they're released; that's always a good feeling.

    on the other hand... can't developers realize that buying/playing used games means that their games are "still" worth playing? they should appreciate the support even if they won't profit from it, which is of course (correct me if i'm wrong) the reason they're pushing on blocking used games.

  • NeilCardiff

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 5:03 pm GMT

    @beeftaco3232.
    You aren't richer than me in your wildest imagination little boy.
    My house, car and everything else I own is fully paid for.
    You live in your parents house and everything you get they pay for and own.
    Case closed.

  • Suikogaiden

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 4:34 pm GMT

    Yes its unfair business practices, I think M$ needs to be sued if this happens. There was a time long ago this would be illegal.

  • FreakyKid3

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 3:55 pm GMT

    See, this guy is someone that I would actually want to buy games from!

  • RavenXavier

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 3:09 pm GMT

    I will ALWAYS take a physical disk version of a game over a digital version if I can.

  • beeftaco3232

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 2:48 pm GMT

    @neilcardiff i dont need education, im rich, i can get anything i want. when i said my reuqirements for my friendslist is to buy 1 new game a week, thats for them. i buy atleast 3-5 new games. im richer than you will ever be with your mcdonalds job, sorry ur life sucks

  • NeilCardiff

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 2:12 pm GMT

    @beeftaco3232
    Your whole argument earlier is that poor people can't get good enough jobs to pay for new games but you are obviously illiterate, ignorant, aggressive and undoubtedly incapable of impressing even a McDonalds 'manager' enough to be promoted to head deep fat scrubber.
    I can only assume that your parents have given up trying to educate you and now just buy you endless video games as a way of averting the inevitable temper tantrums.

  • MW2ismygame

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 1:50 pm GMT

    @beeftaco3232 and i thought only hermits could be as snobbish as you ? http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZoibwUCeEUSBWBUiaIur3A3iPjMv6tt6RzUKwoaTMnKuoHlZXpO71tH8AdA


    and before i get hate its a joke i game on pc

  • MW2ismygame

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 1:48 pm GMT

    @beeftaco3232 wow you have to post the same thing 3 times as a cry for attention ? i really hope that you lose your privileges to speak/make decisions in life

  • beeftaco3232 posted Feb 10, 2012 1:41 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    beeftaco3232

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 1:41 pm GMT (hide)

    its so fair. i hate ppl who think its worth it to buy used games 5 bucks cheaper. if you cant afford an extra 5 bucks, why do you have a console u cheap loser. any1 who isnt rich should not be allowed to own a ps3 or xbox. on my friends list, i delete ppl if they dont buy 1 new game a week atleast. or if i ever see them play a game more than 1 year old, i delete them, im not gonna play with poor people. all you poor people buying used games should be ashamed of yourselves. get a better job u poors! and btw i am not trolling as alot of u may think, im sure it sounds harsh to you you because your probably the ppl who buys games that came out 3 years ago. im sorry to tell you this, but theres alot of ppl out there who arent poor and can afford a new game a week, my friends list is actually full right now, all though there is about 3 ppl who are on the chopping block because i just saw them playing black ops which is more than a year old, so 3 spots may become available shortly. so if your on psn and want a tryout to be on my list, send me a message

  • bballabarry

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 1:40 pm GMT

    here's an idea. Instead of changing the way we buy and sell games, I know it sounds crazy but I'm just thinking out side the box here, how about we keep it the way it is? mind blowing, I know.

  • Nightrain50

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:37 pm GMT

    i hate multiplayer anyway so $15 new games sounds nice, probably a pipe dream though

  • Vodoo

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:03 pm GMT

    Games should have different price points imo. New games should range in price from $30 (B-bargain), $40 (A-rated), $50 (AA-rated), $60 (AAA-rated). Games would be rated on technical merit and overall cohesiveness. Companies would make more money if games were cheaper also, they'd sell more. People would be more willing to spend $40 on a game than $60, especially if the game is unproven.

  • Starabyss0

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 11:19 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232 Something tells me you know nothing about games like the classics that people still own or buy cuz thats when games where at there best. i'm also sure you don't spend a cent on any of your games and you cry to your mommy for the money so you can play with your so called sophisticated friends list but i dunno why cuz its probably empty.

  • raydawg2000

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 11:01 am GMT

    if gamestop was gonna pay someone off to say this they could of at least got a bought a bigger voice

  • raahsnavj

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 8:28 am GMT

    This is the reason everyone wants to go digital with the distribution... then you never own it and can never resell anything. I don't agree with it but whatever.

  • moonlightwolf01

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 8:26 am GMT

    Got to admit as much as devs have a right to their money this guy does have a point, especially given the number of mediocre games out there.

  • Raxyman

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 8:10 am GMT

    I though this way before that guy saying it. Nevertheless, kudos to him for staying out of the "greed" circle.

  • CardiacKid07

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 7:48 am GMT

    I like the way this guy thinks. Although i would prefer having a hard copy of my game, at $30 i can't complain. The thing i really hate about this "blocking used games thing" is that me and my girlfriends and friends buy certain single player games and then we pass them around to each other because it doesn't make sense to have to buy it multiple times just for us to play it.

  • GTA-Like_Fan

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 7:31 am GMT

    I hope for M$ that they wont block users from playing secondhand titles otherwise they would make many enemies ... Even people who dont buy or sell used games would disagree with this, its a matter of principles ... You cant make an unfair war against your customers ... lol

  • Super-Saiyan_4

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 7:05 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232 ...Something tells me your family beats you.....

  • djforlife84

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 7:04 am GMT

    why don't they just give profits to the developers from used game sales? I know gamestop has a monopoly on this right now, but If they would suck up some loses themselves and give a share to the companies that make these games, all would be well. But NO! greedy gamestop has won this battle.

  • GrendelSP

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 6:51 am GMT

    I foresee me using the next gen's release as an opportunity to fill out my 360 collection with even cheaper second hand games.

  • zulwalks

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 6:39 am GMT

    I like this guy now....
    I also had the idea of separating games like Call Of Duty into single player and multiplayer games since ppl play it either for just mp or just sp.

    I dont like the idea of people blocking used games. Its not like the games were stolen anyway, it was paid for at a certain point so they would already have had the money given to them.
    And usually these games appear in the second hand market months after the game "dies" and gone from store shelves. so i dont really see what the big deal is.
    Its like saying oxygen is killing us

  • BoabDreeps

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 6:33 am GMT

    I'm struggling to see what the major benefits would be of upgrading to the nextbox or Sony equivalent.
    - Better graphics? Graphics are just fine as they are.
    - Bigger games? I struggle to find the time to complete every game I buy anyway (except COD...obviously).

    So giving me the added bonus of having to purchase every game new, then that physical product beoming instantly worthless? That's a real draw for me. I just love wasting money.

  • Wula_

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 6:15 am GMT

    Karch is one of the people that I like now. Simply because he has the same views on buying and selling games as I do. Too bad he won't be taken serious from rest of the industry :/

    And on a side note with me loving steam and its deals. Where I have invested more cash back into the industry then if I was to buy used at the same price. Also I would buy more if there were more demos or if I could simply try a 30 min full version on my PC. Just to see if my rig is capable of running the game or if I like it. There has been so many times I stopped myself from buying a game due to forums filled with "this game has _____________ issue".

  • GamerLegend10

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 5:32 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232
    I never said i hope you got shot, you moron, i just flamed you. I changed it as i prefer not to gain any more attention from the mods (it is a bit pointless writing a message if its just going to get deleted)...though i actually think they would agree with what i said.

    Now go away troll or whatever you are, crawl back to your hole.

  • Valen_Ca

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 5:30 am GMT

    That is actually a good idea, selling the multiplayer and single player portions separately or in a bundle depending on what you want, although I don't think it would work at $15 given the constantly rising cost of development, $20 to $25 would probably be more realistic in the long run.

  • Japanese_Jade

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 4:44 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232 "on my friends list, i delete ppl if they dont buy 1 new game a week atleast" LOL That's the highlight of your comment. 9/10 trolling skills.

  • ZOD777

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 4:05 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232 I really hope you are just trolling. If not, just because mommy and daddy have money doesn't mean that you are rich. Wait until you turn 18 and your poor attitude gets you kicked out of the house. Good luck buying one game a YEAR after that because based on your spelling and grammar, you will only be able to get a minimum wage job at the zoo shoveling elephant dung. Uneducated toolbag.

  • gho5ty

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 3:43 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232 now thats funny as hell your friend list must just be you because buying a game once a week seems like a no lifer and the fact that playing a game 1-2-3-4-5 years old will get you kicked from a list i lol so hard at you.

  • TheWatcher000

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 3:00 am GMT

    @beeftacodouchebag You sound like a real close-minded, unpleasant person. You're lucky you have that "exclusive list" of fellow "sophisticated" like-minded douchebags to hang out with. Otherwise, you'd probably be VERY Lonely. Tell you what, you soldier on with the good fight and "keep the poor out of your life", and the rest of the Civilized Human Race will do our best to keep you out of ours.

  • Kyrylo

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 1:28 am GMT

    Reduce the prices for ne games, than we can talk. Other than that many companies may face the threat, where nobody wanna risk their 60$ for a new game.

  • ZOD777

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 1:23 am GMT

    Karch is really not taking the noble route as much as it seems. Sounds to me like he is all for digital distribution (which you cannot sell) and retaining the same profit margin. He only agrees that if it is a physical copy in your hand, that you should be able to resell it. I cannot sell any of my Steam games unless I want to sell my whole Steam account. But I either got my Steam games cheaply, or they are ones I would never part with anyway. The industry might just be looking to rid the market of discs entirely at some point. I hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, piracy will become worse than the used game sales problem that they just overcame. Lowering the price to 30 dollars would allow more people to afford more games, but not being able to resell them if they are lousy and have no replay value takes that lower price incentive away. They need to just leave it alone and make games that are worth keeping instead of jacking gamers for their hard earned money on half-arsed games that cannot be resold.

  • beeftaco3232 posted Feb 10, 2012 12:39 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    beeftaco3232

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:39 am GMT (hide)

    @mega_skrull how is that bad? im making sure i keep the poor out of my life. i have a very sophisticated friends list of people who only buy top og the line games

  • svenjl

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:23 am GMT

    On topic - I would be happy to forego trading and buying used games if new games could be purchased digitally for $30. I would happily pay $30 for ME3 without the multiplayer. But any attempt to stop used games sales/purchases while physical retail is a reality for many gamers will only bite devs and publishers in the a$$. I will, for example, not buy a next gen console that puts restrictions on used games.

  • svenjl

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:17 am GMT

    I would suggest beeftaco3232 is taking the mickey. Surely no one can actually be that much of an a$$hole.

  • Mega_Skrull

    Posted Feb 10, 2012 12:04 am GMT

    @beeftaco3232
    I can't believe what I just read. I really hope you're just trolling for trolling or something, because anyone capable of thinking that way should just be banned from life.

    Now back to reality, I'm glad to see yet another dev talking some sense. As CD Projekt Red said, the only acceptable way to combat used sales is to make good games people don't want to sell.

  • Unfallen_Satan

    Posted Feb 9, 2012 10:54 pm GMT

    Although it may sound like Mr. Karch's spirit is in the right place, his statement was not so much support for second hand sales as support for digital distribution. Digitally distributed games are just about impossible to re-sell or even share. His price cut of $60 to $30 means almost nothing since digital copies incur next to zero cost post-development and I cannot imagine digital copies replacing physical copies and still maintaining the price. As an example, one of the most anticipated games of this year, Mass Effect 3, has already seen the price of its Digital Deluxe Edition pre-order slashed on Amazon.

    Maybe because they never had a choice to begin with, I think console gamers usually have no problems paying MSRP for their digital content. PC gamers like me are often so cheap and so picky. However, do they really want to make consoles go all-digital in the near future? Taking another example from ME3, the pre-order for the Xbox360 physical Collector's Edition is already sold-out on Amazon.

    I do support the flexibility of separating components and the cost of a game. However, chances are good that a $30 game split into two parts will see the two parts each sell for $20 and then gradually increase, possibly to $30 in the end. It's already being done; they are called DLC. In those cases, the main game that was separated out never even had its price decreased.

  • S_Pac_316

    Posted Feb 9, 2012 10:35 pm GMT

    Nice to see a game exec. who is against the idea of blocking used games. $30 would be a reasonable price.

  • system3142

    Posted Feb 9, 2012 10:20 pm GMT

    One man's garbage is easily someone else's treasure, and you'd take that away from them too? The nerve.

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