Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was on the warpath about the video games business recently in an
interview with Joystiq. In said interview, Kotick took a not so subtle jab at the practice of issuing online passes, which we all know EA and THQ are both quite guilty of:
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"What we've tried to do is to really support our audiences and, you know, when you talk to players, they like the idea of having a currency. They like the idea of being able to take a game they no longer want to play and use it to get a credit to buy new games." We can't argue with that, and doubt EA would either, but it's a simple matter of economics: Retailers are cutting the game companies out of that second-hand sale. "We can do some of these things that EA and others have done," Kotick said. "We actually don't think its in the best interest of the gamer, and so we've chosen not to."
Instead, Activision's made some serious profits off of downloadable map packs for its Call of Duty titles. "From a financial perspective you look at it and say, 'Okay, well the retailer is not paying us anything for the privilege of doing it and you know we invest all this capital in making a game and we are not getting any credit, any return on their resale of the game,' but, you know something, the best way to keep people engaged in your game experience is keep giving them more great content." |
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I know, I know, it's kind of a lost art to provide content gamers want to buy in order to make money in the games business -- but I kind of dig this Bobby Kotick and his 'fresh and new' take on the gaming business.
No matter how old school it really is.