Just Cause dev: Most games traded in because they're too short

Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios founder Christofer Sundberg believes most games are too short and that is why they are traded in. Speaking with Edge, Sundberg said games that are longer--or more replayable--are less likely to be sold back to retailers.

"I'm sure it's been an issue but that's because games have been too short," Sundberg said about why used games have been a hot topic of late. "I mean, when you can play a game through from 8 to 10 hours, I would return the game too, because there's no reason for players to play it again."

Sundberg said Just Cause 2, released in March 2012, still has "hundreds of thousands" of daily players, demonstrating the strength of a highly replayable game.

"If you're offering little variation, then there's no motivation for the player to keep that game--unless they want to have a nice bookshelf. That's why we answered that with Just Cause. I go into game stores each week and I always go to the used-game boxes--I usually don't find that many [copies of Just Cause]."

Mario and Zelda company Nintendo shared a similar opinion. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said developers concerned over used-game sales should make more compelling and replayable titles so that gamers do not trade them in.

The latest project from Avalanche Studios is Mad Max, which will be released in 2014 published by Warner Bros. The car combat-focused game does not feature any multiplayer.