Ubisoft Watches Used Game Debate To See Which Console To Back

Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot thinks used game sales have been very good for the industry.

Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot, at a Ubisoft sponsored E3 dinner, has said that Ubisoft is waiting to see how the console makers treat used game sales before making a final decision as to what Ubisoft will do. Ubisoft appreciates that gamers feel strongly about the used game issue, and understands that used games have a role to play in the wider gaming market. Used games have been great for the industry, Guillemot says, because it allows gamers to invest in many different titles – maybe even “[making] some mistakes from time to time” – rather than just a small library of games. The more experiences a gamer can have, the better it is for the game makers, Guillemot thinks. “What we have to make sure,” Guillemot went on to say, “is there has not been too much money lost in between.”

Guillemot was cautiously optimistic about Microsoft, saying that he appreciated the console maker’s allowing publishers to decide whether or not they want to take a fee, while at the same time not charging a fee of its own. Sony has since announced that it won’t block used game sales at all, and that its console will be considerably cheaper, which may have tipped the balance, at least in Guillemot’s mind.

“We have not decided yet,” he said at the time, “we are waiting to see what Sony will do, and then we will decide after that.”

Source: Games Industry International