This interview happened at the very end of GDC, but until this part was highlighted I had no idea of the extent of Reggie Fils-Aime’s… whatever it is. He regards the used game industry as a threat to Nintendo, understandably, but also to consumers. Wait, what?
Here’s Reggie himself:
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.
Has he ever played a Zelda game? Seriously. When was the last time a Zelda game had “levels?” Oh right, the first one. 22 years ago.
So what were you saying about the used good market, Reggie?
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.
Firstly, no. I don’t think I need to prove the existence of used music stores, used book stores, or used clothing stores. Raise your hand if you’ve never bought anything used. Oh, nobody raised their hand. Because used goods are practical and popular.
Secondly, what a callous thing to say at a time when people are more financially strapped than ever. “Not only is saving money a bad idea, but you can’t even do it because those businesses don’t exist.” Hopefully we’ll hear something a little less insane from Reggie in the coming weeks as our fearless games journalists take him to task for this astonishing blunder.
[via TechDirt]