Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens believes that the pre-owned games market encourages piracy.
In an interview with GI.biz, the exec said the used games market "[kills] things like subsequent exploitation in platinum and classics... and it expands the potential for piracy".
The Codies boss pointed out: "Pre-owned isn't actually new - in 1981 there was Buy and Try, and that type of stuff.
"The difference was that it wasn't a significant percentage of the market, and it was never promoted as aggressively through the retail community as it is today."
He added: "You could argue for the retailer in that context, but also what it's done is kill things like subsequent exploitation in platinum and classics... and it expands the potential for piracy by default.
"They would argue that prices would suggest otherwise - I would say not, because by the time you get down through the food chain, a thing gets more and more ripped off."
Cousens said that the situation needs to be managed with both retail and publishers in mind because high-street stores aren't going anywhere soon and 35 per cent of the world market doesn't have broadband, ruling out an independent digital download market at this time.
"If retail takes a confrontational point of view and says that if we go online, they won't stock the box - and publishers then say that all they're going to do is put out DLC after launch that retail can't participate in... it's ridiculous.
"Actually, you need them to get to the stage where they stock the box. It's not inconceivable that you're going to ask them to give the box away at some point in time. But then, they participate to an extent in the subsequent DLC exploitation.
"How does that happen? Maybe it is through a code, or whatever - but it's stuff like that which I believe between us all we'll figure out."
There's hope for publishers and retailers to get along then, according to Cousens.
In fact, Asda's head of games, Andrew Thompson, spoke yesterday of how the store's move towards the pre-owned market can actually benefit its suppliers as well.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/ar ... ?id=275847
Can someone translate that for me?
