@ClaudiusCaesar I'm honestly not sure how it all works, taxes being a black art to most and all, but if it gets them even a tiny percentage on their total profits for the year, it amounts to a massive amount of money due to them generating well over a billion each year (probably between 2 and 3 bil).
CoD's PR isn't doing so hot atm either. The series has been steadily building hype backlash and they know it. Activision has seen this happen with multiple series (THPS, GH), and iirc the sales of Black Ops 2, while still strong, were not at the level of the previous releases. And while those series I mentioned were strong sellers, its a drop in the bucket compared to the pile of money CoD has generated; they do not want have find a replacement cash cow with the new systems on the horizon. They'll do anything at this point to ensure they stay on top and this is a small part of that.
All these comments mean is that Sony has given control of used content to the publishers, who will be more than happy to find a way to at least deter used game sales, an ongoing practice for roughly 2 years now. Don't be surprised when the newest products from the AAA publishers have more stringent pass systems in an attempt to curb used game sales. I'm sure Sony is quite happy with that arrangement as it allows them to save face from a PR standpoint, and the publishers already have terrible PR images anyway, so they'll be more than happy to continue down the path we're currently on.
@kljohns2 @Valdomer0 @hellangel_boy While publishers should shoulder quite a bit of the blame for the condition of some games at launch (ahem Bethesda), it is ultimately our job as consumers to speak with the almighty dollar. Word of mouth on a game's condition at launch spreads within days of a title's release yet we continue to throw down for unfinished games.
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