id Software co-founder, John Carmack, thinks that given global component and hardware shortages, companies should directly auction their products in the interest of transparency, and cut the middlemen (in this case, bots and scalpers).
In a series of tweets spotted by Video Games Chronicle, Carmack wrote:
Given shortages and speculators on things like 3090 GPUs and new consoles, it seems like we really would be better off with a transparent auction system directly from the manufacturers and a more efficient market. The world of sales channels prevented that in the past, but we may be moving past that for a lot of products. There would be much indignation at reported prices out of the gate, but removing intermediaries should net out better for consumers in the end.
Carmack didn’t say how that would help to deal with bots deployed by scalpers, but did add that console makers are probably reluctant in going down his suggested path because shortages have historically helped to drive demand and brand value.
In a separate tweet, Carmack seemingly responded to those who criticized his suggestion, and said that he feels “many people dislike free markets.” “I take a fairly extreme position on the positive value to society of free markets and free speech, even when they produce distasteful outcomes, but I don’t expect broad agreement,” he concluded.
For now, customers around the world continue to scramble to get their hands on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with no relief in sight.
What do our readers think of Carmack’s comments?