Nintendo: Used games arent in the best interests of the consumer

Reggie Fils-Aime, the outspoken president of Nintendo of America, has claimed that the growing trade-in business at games retail is not in the best interests of the consumer – though he admits that the situation would be better if publishers were to receive a slice of the pre-owned profits.

More and more retailers are experimenting with the used game model,” Fils-Aime told Venturebeat. We have products that consumers want to hold onto. They want to play all of the levels of a Zelda game and unlock all of the levels. A game like Personal Trainer Cooking has a long life. We believe used games aren’t in the consumer’s best interest.

Describe another form of entertainment that has a vibrant used goods market. Used books have never taken off. You don’t see businesses selling used music CDs or used DVDs. Why? The consumer likes having a brand-new experience and reliving it over and over again. If you create the right type of experience, that also happens in video games.”

However, when asked if a profit sharing mdoel for pre-owned between retail and publishers would be possible, Reggie admitted: That could make it more palatable. But we just think it’s a bad idea.

The one retailer that has a substantial business in this has figured out a way to handle in a way that is effective for the consumer. That’s tough for other retailers experimenting with this, in part because their employees don’t have the expertise in this market.”