Bethesda: Used games 'absolutely' a concern

Used games are "absolutely" a concern for Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda. Speaking with Destructoid, marketing vice president Pete Hines said his company has attempted to lessen the impact of second-hand sales by supporting games with downloadable content that encourages users to hold on to their discs, among other things.

"Absolutely it's a concern," Hines said. "We have tried to mitigate it by creating games that offer replayability, by supporting them with DLC that's worth hanging onto the game for, or offering tools that let them take things further."

Hines conceded that Bethesda does not have all the answers when it comes to the multifaceted issue of the used game market. He said an solution that works for everyone--retailers, publishers, and developers--may be hard to come by.

"There's no doubt that being a videogamer is expensive. Games are not cheap to buy because they're expensive to make, and people are looking for ways to keep it affordable," Hines said. "I'm not sure anyone has figured out a solution that works for everyone, and there simply may not be one until someone figures out how to include developers and publishers in the loop on used games sales instead of keeping it all for themselves."

Most recently, debate and discussion has surrounding the second-hand market has related to the possibility of the PlayStation 4 and still-unannounced Xbox 720 blocking used games. GameStop management said last month that it has a "high degree of confidence" that the PS4 will play used games, while reports have claimed the next Xbox will block second-hand titles.