I've not comes across this store before or its concept ... or even heard of them.

https://store.robotcache.com/#!/home

I was sent there via a free game entry at FreeGameFindings at Reddit.

The concept of the store, sure got me thinking though. You can also read about a take on the crypto currency aspect here.

On the face of it, great that your digital purchases could be resold, but looking beyond that immediate benefit, I wonder about the flow on effect in other areas. In particular, to a DRM-Free store like GOG.

One of the great aspects of DRM-Free, is that you get a real sense of ownership with your digital game purchases, unlike the DRM version with stores like Steam and Epic etc. But if you can sell your DRM games on, then all of a sudden your do get a big aspect of ownership coming to light. That in a sense, means DRM-Free is not quite so liberating ... at least for those who want to sell their games on ... something you can't do with DRM-Free legally, and any step in that direction is uncontrolled and therefor open to abuse ... DRM variants can get around that, because of the mandatory client involved.

Anyway, in case some of you were unaware, as I was, I thought I would bring this subject to your attention.

It is certainly interesting to speculate where it all could possibly lead, and on reflection, I am a little surprised that with the level of control over DRM games that require a client, that Steam etc aren't doing something like this officially. Sure, it would mean less new games being sold, but a percentage of takings for a resale would offset that somewhat. If you wanted to do something big to make your customers happy, this could be it.

And as an additional incentive, those who did sell their games, could at some point, be wanting to buy the game again ... maybe a few years down the track. So really, any loss of new game sales would be offset even more, by that kind of behavior. So they could see it as a good long term strategy.

Yesterday got an email about them with next message:

[spoiler]

Play now, sell later with Robot Cache™
Are you ready for a revolutionary way to buy, play, and sell games?
Powered by AMD, Robot Cache™ is the world’s first videogame marketplace to buy digital PC games, with the ability to resell them when you are done, and mine with your AMD hardware to earn free games, with a special promotion ending June 12!

START NOW

● PLAY: Choose from a huge selection of games from your favorite game-makers and content creators, from AAA to indie
● MINE: When not in use, enlist your PC and Radeon™ graphics card to earn IRON, credit towards digital games on Robot Cache™
● SELL: Ability to sell your games when you are done with them

Get a free copy of Trapped and Wasteland 2 when you sign up for Robot Cache until June 12.

LEARN MORE

[/spoiler]

Interesting concept. Not sure how well that will work out. *shrug*

One thing I didn't see mentioned by skimming their site is whether the games you sell are also cheaper to buy for the person who acquires that copy.

Its the only ever store I've seen that uses a Subscription Contract like Valve does.

The idea is you never own your license, so you can then "sell" it at a price dictated by the publisher with both publisher and Robot Cache taking a cut.

Absolutely no interest in supporting this underhanded control and double dipping by publishers

I don't think that is the first. Doesn't (or at least didn't) GreenManGaming have something similar, a system where you could re-sell games through them that you earlier bought from them?

I don't think that really caught on as nowadays GMG is more known as a third-party Steam key seller.

I would assume that for most the ability to sell your old digital games isn't top priority because you can buy games dirt cheap anyway, like the recent "get 1000+ games for five dollah" at itch.io, or all the steep 90% discount sales everywhere.

Like, I bought Life Is Strange from GOG for 3.99€ a couple of days ago. Even if I finished it tomorrow and felt I don't want to ever replay or revisit the game, for how much would I sell it to someone else? 2.99? 1.99? Oh and the store handling the transaction, plus the publisher, would want a cut of that transaction as well, so maybe I'd end up recouping 1€ for the game?

Do I really want to use any effort to get rid of an old digital game that doesn't take any physical space at my home, to recoup 1€ of it?

Selling and buying second-hand games made more sense back in retail physical game times when:

1. Games normally cost much more than nowadays, you just couldn't buy 3€ games from stores, at least in masses.

2. Physical games always vanished from stores at some point (to make more room for newer games, and/or when they supplies depleted), so quite often the only way to buy many games afterwards was to buy them second-hand. Heck, I even went so far as to order "Dark Eye" PC game from overseas (US) from some EBay user, as I had not seen the game in Finnish PC gaming stores for years. And I also paid quite a bit to get it too, it had become a relatively rare item at that point.

yes. required client side drm at least and they ditched it in favour of "razer gold" after making a partnership... which also got ditched.

Me either. The crypto currency aspect doesn't make it any clearer. As timppu later mentions, some games you buy are dirt cheap now.

So I am guessing, only guessing mind you, because as you say, it isn't clear, that while you might have a game for resale, it still needs a buyer to make it happen. I don't imagine the store buys it back from you. Rather it might sell on a commission type arrangement, where you still own it until a buyer comes along, and only then do you get your money or perhaps only a store credit.

So it will be about the current price of a game at any one time. And as we know, games do become unavailable, and many are very expensive.

Some aspects of this concept are troubling to say the least. I've already mentioned about a possible impact on DRM-Free and the GOG store in particular, which is near and dear to our hearts, but what about a model similar to the library model for ebooks? Where only so many copies are made available ... even though the damn thing is digital. Could we see something similar happening with games in the future?

It could be a tool, a bit like the old Disney one with their movies. To keep game prices high due to forced rarity or limited copy numbers available.

All that said, I could see a benefit in the fight against piracy, with this resell option.
Piracy is as much about price as it is about availability ... but not forgetting the dislike DRM aspect.
As things stand now, when it comes to games, there is a bit of a monopoly going on, especially with price, that has been unavoidable since games moved to digital release for the most part.
In the days of game discs that you could resell, it was possible to get an expensive new release, a lot cheaper second hand a week or so after release. That could be a possibility again. Which means the game is cheaper for new buyer as well as second hand buyer. It could be sold on again to a third buyer another week later, and so on.