His comments come in an exclusive interview with MCV’s sister magazine Develop, which talks to the Frontier Developments boss about his upcoming titles Thrillville and The Outsider, plus the challenges that face independent studios.

When discussing how we as an industry can drive the market towards a ‘Golden Age of Gaming’, he points first to the High Street.

“There are plenty of obstacles to overcome to achieve respectability,” he said. “One worrying aspect is the retailers. Most do a very good job in a difficult climate, but with some there is an aura of the jumble sale.

“Pre-owned games in dog-eared packaging in gaudy bargain bins are a problem. Not only are their sales generally not recorded in the charts, but they further reduce the shelf-life of new games and so are an obstacle to quality, as they reduce the benefit of longevity to the original publishers and developers."

“I don’t see why the games industry cannot move to genuine rental, as with the video industry, where a ‘for rental’ copy costs significantly more than a retail copy – and have done with it.”

The full interview with Braben appears in the December/January issue of Develop. Find out more at develop-online.net