Epic Games designer Cliff Bleszinski, creator of Gears of War, sat down with Joystiq to discuss the new game and multiplayer prospects. But as gamers fervently await the release of the upcoming triple-A title, he also discussed the new Online Pass from Electronic Arts.
“But the industry is nervous, right? It's very scared about used game sales,” he states. “Another thing is the type of genre you make, you know? I wouldn't want to make a horror game right now -- that's only single-player -- because a lot of players are like, 'I rented it.' You want to make a game that has a great single-player experience, but continues online, continues to breath.”
Though some analysts believe the new Online Pass is “brilliant,” gamers and some journalists have seen the new system as an abomination. Bleszinski takes a more reserved approach, commenting on the effect that the new setup could possibly have on the industry in the long run.
“Yeah, and we're watching it closely -- and that's not to say we're committing to anything like that. We want to find ways to positively incentivize first-time buyers to pick up the game new. Penalizing is not the best way to deal with things like that. You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
7 Comments
June 22, 2010
You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar> Thats an interesting line Mr Bleszinski
well first you dont atract me maybe because im not in the catagory Flies i guess.
You can code and do whatever you want i wont buy it regardless your efforts hows that eh :)
Thats what i call powned
June 23, 2010
How about attracting some flies to PC? I own Gears1 on PC, but only rented Gears2 for X360. My PC gives me much better experience/graphics/framerate/etc., so why would I buy a game for a lesser system? If Gears3 doesn't come to PC, I will be renting it.
June 23, 2010
Oh dear, I'm sure between earning millions of dollars, driving a dream sportscar and sleeping with a top model, Cliff will shed a tear because Frank doesn't like him.... boohoo :(
June 23, 2010
mkxr you're going to be very disappointed about Gears of War 3, then.
June 23, 2010
I think this all just shows that there is such a large portion of consumers being represented that have little respect for gaming as a medium. They rent single player experiences and recylce them for the trophies/achievements, with no intention of giving it a second look a few years down the line.
Online pass doesn't effect me at all since I've never sold a game to Gamestop/Babbages/EB and I rarely if ever buy a game used. I usually buy one EA sports title from each sport each console generation, and I keep those games to go back to them, do more career, and play it with friends when they come over.
June 24, 2010
David, I won't be really disappointed, because there are many great titles available on PC, and many of those offer great FPS experiences. Gears3 will not be a game that I 'must' play. Although I own all consoles, my money mainly supports PC gaming, so I will be quite satisfied with renting Gears3 for a couple of $, and saving $50 for an actual PC game, or perhaps a new PhysX card for my system.
June 25, 2010
Let's remove used games from the industry -- what does that change? Still Joe Gamer cannot buy every game released between September - December. Many consumers only purchase 1-2 new games per month (based on internal Goozex survey). That same number holds true for used games purchases as well in our research.
What I'm driving at is a trend we see over and over again on Goozex. Games that have a good combination of production, marketing, buzz, promotion, reviews, WOM, etc get purchased in week one. I would say after two months, demand begins to wane as the next big title is released. My question is how long is your typical game life cycle?
I would argue that if publishers are concerned that used games affect their product launch, then the info I see does not support that notion. Cliff's point about extending the playability online is correct. We see many consumers holding onto CoD4, MW2, L4D, for just this reason.
I think more interesting than the Online Pass is what THQ is doing with Company of Heroes online free-to-play model. Micro transactions on AAA titles is going to be something very interesting to watch.