Xbox One from Microsoft has already garnered an immense amount of interest since the time of its inception, and apart from the praises, there have been a quite a few criticisms related to the console, and one of them being the Xbox One used games policy introduced by Microsoft.
There is a cloud of mystery over the console after it was revealed that although owners of the titles will have the option to sell their used titles, the final decision will be up to the publishing company if they are okay with this business.
However, Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pachter and Baird Research senior analyst Colin Sebastian revealed that he feels that it’s unlikely that these publishers would block used game sales.
"In our view, it is still unlikely that publishers will block used games; however, they may try to extract a retail fee," Sebastian noted.
Pachter stated agreeing with what Sebastian felt: "We expect the majority of the large publishers to enable used gaming, at least in the early years of the Xbox One launch. In our view, any publisher that disables used gaming risks a backlash or boycott of its titles by gamers, negatively impacting sales."
Pachter also went on to explain that publishers who actually decide to block used games would be leaving themselves vulnerable to losing customers to competitors who allowed second-hand sales and trades. However, he did say that he expects that publishers will lock used game trades for a certain period of time near launch.
"We continue to believe that the currency generated from used game trade-ins is beneficial for the publishers, as it provides currency available for new game purchases. However, many believe that used games sold in proximity to a new game's release cannibalizes sales of the new title, so we think that some publishers may limit used game trade-ins for a specified period of time following the game's launch," Pachter added. "We expect used gaming to continue to be widespread, to the benefit of GameStop."
The analysts, as the Games Industry report states, believe that the announcement was “a mixed bag for GameStop. While a possible block on used games would affect the company, the revelation that all titles would be available for digital distribution on launch day could be a blow to the retail giant's new sales.”
The Xbox One is currently set for a full reveal with its planned exclusive titles at the upcoming E3.
