THQ: Buying Preowned 'Cheats' Game Makers

In a recent interview with UK consumer news site CVG, THQ creative director for wrestling titles Cory Ledesma spoke out against the sales of used games, calling it "cheating" the developer. THQ recently confirmed that the upcoming wrestling title Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 will come with a single use code printed on the back of the manual which will unlock the game's online features and provide a DLC pack for free. Consumers who buy the game used can purchase the same features through the Playstation and Xbox 360 stores for a charge, similar to recent moves by Electronic Arts and a number of other console game creators. "I don't think we really care whether used game buyers are upset because new game buyers get everything. So if used game buyers are upset they don't get the online feature set I don't really have much sympathy for them," says Ledesma. "That's a little blunt but we hope it doesn't disappoint people. We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated," he continued. Ledesma also said that this offer was specifically crafted with the loyal fan in mind, and that THQ wished to reward gamers who purchased the title new with additional content.