14 DAY TRIAL // Recently, we talked quite a bit about the second-hand market and the digital distribution market and how the two initiatives could combine their unique powers in order to open up the gaming market, potentially tackling the challenges generated by the current second hand sales and by piracy.
And then Sony Online Entertainment comes along and when launching their MMO DC Universe Online creates a new concept: “Disc and account are one.”
What this means is that someone who buys their superhero-based MMO on the PlayStation 3 will not be able to decide that he does not like the game, let's say after three months, and then resell his game package in order to recuperate some of his investment in the game.
On the PlayStation 3, the game costs 60 dollars and after a few months a second-hand copy might cost 20 or 30.
This means that the original gamer makes some of his game investment back, able to pick up another SOE-made title, maybe, while another gamer is able to get the package on the cheap and then only pay for the regular monthly subscription.
It would seem an all around good idea: Sony gets a new subscriber to replace the lost one, the first purchaser gets some money and the second one is able to enjoy an MMO that is pretty solid on the cheap.
It's true that Sony could get more money by forcing this new “one purchase, one account” policy by forcing another 60 dollars disk purchase, but it also forces a chance on a gamer, who might choose to use his 30 dollars somewhere else.
A policy to limit second-hand sales, like Electronic Arts is doing with Project Ten Dollar, makes sense for games that are single-purchase items but it's totally moronic for an MMO, a project which is supposed to generate revenue in the long term via monthly subscriptions, with packaged sales just a small part of the total picture.
Unfortunately, instead of going forward SOE chose to take one step back when it comes to openness and ease of use for the PS3 version of DC Universe Online.