If they have full control, that's exactly what they'll do. Hold on, examples and honestly the only reason for it being this cheap right now is used games. FIFA 15, which can be purchase in stores for £0.50 used on PS4 is £16 on PSN.

Technically they've already done this with Destiny. You want Destiny Collection or Taken King on disc? Noppe, it's the base game but the DLC is downloadable extra so if you sell the game, the next person doesn't get the DLC.

They'll do it for full games, I have no doubt.

However sales numbers will take a harsh fall if any publisher/developer tries to do that. The biggest factor which forces companies to offer price drops is OTHER GAMES, which are competing with their game. 

If your statement was true than Steam would never have the sales it does right now.

My post was a question regarding bofferbauer its statement. If the loss of warranty alters a product significantly to not be protected under the first sale doctrine. Doesn't that mean every product is significantly altered when warranty/guarantee expires and should no longer be protected by the first sale doctrine. If so that would be a very bad thing. 

and the slippery slope begins

If competition with other games forced companies to offer their games for cheaper, then we wouldn't see so much content carving, that effectively makes the true price of many games to be well above $60 at launch. Just look at all the "Digital Deluxe Editions" that come with extra missions, extra skins, and a season pass (For content that isn't substantial enough to even be considered DLC). 

Also if competition with other games forced companies to offer their games for cheaper, then it would also force companies into having ethical business practices. And yet nearly every western AAA publisher out there still engages in downright insulting behavior towards the consumer on a yearly basis. 

Sorry, but the invisible hand of the free market doesn't always work. There's such a thing as market failure, and it happens more often than you think. 

Steam has the sales it has because my statement is true, not in spite of it. Just look at Arkham Asylum a ten year old game. Still being sold for $20, when a used copy is $5. Even if it is the PC version, with all the DLC it should only be worth $10 tops. And yet 90% of the time the price is listed as $20 on steam, until a summer or holiday sale happens. This sort of price gouging is even worse on consoles for digital only games. I could have gotten my entire Switch Indie library for a quarter the cost if I had gone through Steam. But I happen to like supporting fledgling Indie devs, and I like being able to play on the go so I pay more. 

That's easy to say. Risking to lose that lawsuit with expensive lawyer expenses... for mere $20 - $40?

Not worth fighting but surely trade law means you can sell whatever you buy?

I feel if this was a TV this would never happen.

https://uk.gamesplanet.com/game/batman-arkham-asylum-goty-edition-steam-key--2203-1?ref=itad

It's an easy case, and the ACLU exists. You might even be able to countersue. But I'm no legal expert on countersueing. 

Yeah, Kinguin also has it for around that price. But on the main Steam page it is still listed for $20. 

If Bethesda is upset about used game sales they should simply stop making physical games.