GamesIndusty.biz quotes David Gardner, CEO of Atari, on the topic of used game sales,
saying: "Obviously, it has economically been extremely painful for the
industry... the publishers don't benefit," though this is preceded by the
acknowledgement that "Second hand game sales represent consumer choice and
desire" (he doesn't mention if sales of other products that don't belong to "the
industry" are painful too). The article focuses on how Atari is looking to take
advantage of a more "network centric" gaming environment to add value going
forward, though for at least the next year they will continue to focus on sales
of boxed product. They also quote Atari president Phil Harrison, who seems blasé, saying, "The games that have the embedded community, the embedded
commerce, the extended, expandable experiences, are the one's that you would
never want to trade, the one's you want to keep hold of. And that's perfectly in
line with our future strategy so we're not that concerned about it."