Heavy Rain developer estimates $13M loss on second-hand sales
Quantic Dream co-founder Guillaume de Fondaumiere estimates the studio lost between €5 and €10 million ($6.8 and $13.7 million) worth of royalties on Heavy Rain because of used sales.
"We basically sold to date approximately two million units, we know from the trophy system that probably more than three million people bought this game and played it," de Fondaumiere told GI.biz. "On my small level it's a million people playing my game without giving me one cent."
The three million "bought" math sounds a little fuzzy, especially if one were to consider the rental market and friends borrowing games, but he seems to be on the right path.
"Now are games too expensive?" de Fondaumiere continued, "I've always said that games are probably too expensive so there's probably a right level here to find, and we need to discuss this altogether and try to find a way to I would say reconcile consumer expectations, retail expectations, but also the expectations of the publisher and the developers to make this business a worthwhile business."
We bet that's especially true when your game does better than your publisher ever expected.
