The Going Out Of Print (OOP) Thread

[Master]

This thread is for those that may be interested when games goi out of print and need to be bought up before no copies are available.

There are rumors of JSRF being out of print, so you guys should probably check that out if you get a chance.

Also, Air Force Delta Storm is OOP and is pretty hard to find. Goes for quite a bit on auction sites (I didn't say Ebay, HA!) (Crap, I just said it, dammit).

Share the info fellow posters.

[BioMechanic]

You know, I was wondering about this very topic recently.

It seems games go out of print far more quickly than books, movies, or CDs. Why does this happen? Are the initial print runs that much less? Or is the industry just highly focused on the future?

Many times I've walked into a record store and bought an obscure album new, years after its release - this never happens in game stores.

Even though older games would still sell, and sell well if they were rereleased or reprinted, that hardly ever happens. They just fizzle out, and you're left to find something on an auction site or the used bins. You'll always be able to find certain old PSX games new, but what determines that? I mean, at Best Buy you can still buy Rayman and Strikers 1945 new...

[Dolemite]

Originally posted by BioMechanic
You know, I was wondering about this very topic recently.

It seems games go out of print far more quickly than books, movies, or CDs. Why does this happen? Are the initial print runs that much less? Or is the industry just highly focused on the future?

Many times I've walked into a record store and bought an obscure album new, years after its release - this never happens in game stores.

Even though older games would still sell, and sell well if they were rereleased or reprinted, that hardly ever happens. They just fizzle out, and you're left to find something on an auction site or the used bins. You'll always be able to find certain old PSX games new, but what determines that? I mean, at Best Buy you can still buy Rayman and Strikers 1945 new...

Very, very interesting point. I can only assume that the reason games seem to go out of print so much faster than other types of media is because, despite being a billion-dollar industry, the videogame market is still considered somewhat niche...it appeals to only certain types of people, while all types of people listen to music or read books or watch movies. I just don't think the demand's big enough that if they started re-releasing old games, they would sell in great numbers. But the market's growing and growing...I think, one day, you'll have national game chains that rival the size and selection of a Tower records. Well, it'd be nice, anyway...

[Saint of Killers]

My guess is that it has something to do with the mentality of mainstream gamers (god I hate saying shit like this. Makes me sound like an elitist prick. But it is true). Old = bad to the majority of gamers these days. Which is sad, because many of these same people have no problems reading old books, watching old movies, and listening to old music. There just isn't a market for old games like there is for other forms of media.

Yet another reason to support the emulation of dead systems and their games, as illegal as it may be.

Edit: now that I think about it, it's probably the only good reason to support emulation.

[Sqoon]

I think it's due to the liquid market of used video games.

[Saint of Killers]

I think the liquid market for used video games exists because games go out of print uniformly and with such speed. No real way to know for sure at the moment, though, with no company eager to challenge the status quo.

[Saint of Killers]

What's really funny is seeing people bitch when companies re-release older games on newer systems because they could be making something new, though. I wish MORE companies would do it, and with less popular games.

[burgundy]

Originally posted by Saint of Killers
What's really funny is seeing people bitch when companies re-release older games on newer systems because they could be making something new, though. I wish MORE companies would do it, and with less popular games.

What's even funnier is seeing people bitch when a rare game gets rereleased because it hurts the game's resale value.

Of course, if Delta Storm gets a rerelease before I get to hock it, that won't be funny at all.

[Sqoon]

Originally posted by Saint of Killers
I think the liquid market for used video games exists because games go out of print uniformly and with such speed.

Well, so do PC games, but there's virtually no market for used PC games.

I think Dolemite is more in the right direction: it's a big deal when games moves a million units in its lifetime, while popular CDs sell around 150,000 copies a week.

[Saint of Killers]

That's true. But console games have been more popular than PC games for quite awhile, and I suspect more people have an old NES or Genesis sitting around than a PC that can play games from the 80s and early 90s. Sure, there is DOS emulation and such (and many older games won't work on Windows 95 or 98 even through the DOS prompt), but it is not widely known.

And while popular CDs may routinely outsell popular games, you also have to consider that new CDs sell for $15-20 while new games usually cost $50. Gaming is a very profitable market now, and I'm not sure it's proper to call it niche anymore.