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Gamestop offering buy two, get one free sale on used games
If your video gaming archive possesses a few shameful gaps, you might want to turn your attention to a promotion Gamestop's running from today until Saturday. Both online and in-store shoppers who purchase two used games or accessories can grab a third used item of equal or lesser value for free.
Walmart trying used games market again
Walmart is taking another pass at the used games market after it appeared to bow out months ago. IndustryGamers reports that Walmart – the international mega conglomerate that likely sold you your hamper – informed the site in a statement that it's "currently working with Game Trade, a start-up services provider, in a lease agreement to test their Game Trade stores in five Walmart locations." According to Walmart, the locations will offer "previously-owned" games, movies and entertainment hardware for "store credit or cash." Considering any monkey reading a spreadsheet can see the monumental amounts of cash GameStop reaps from used games, it's no wonder that even a mega-corp like Walmart wants a piece. We also hear Weyland-Yutani is interested in the used games market to fund some special projects.
7-Eleven to begin selling used games for $20 and below
[Flickr user Emples] Beloved Slurpee vendor 7-Eleven plans to nab a share of the video game re-sale market by soon offering budget-priced pre-owned titles as part of a partnership with Game Trading Technologies, which announced the program today. The new initiative, excitedly dubbed "GREAT GAMES BELOW $20," is currently being introduced into more than 3,000 U.S. 7-Elevens (or roughly 50 percent of all franchises), with plans to eventually extend the service to most locations. "The program is available to all 7-Eleven U.S. franchisees, and we hope to have most U.S. stores on board by September," said GTT president Todd Hays. The partnership will have GTT providing 7-Elevens with a "broad selection" of used games for "various" platforms at price points of $19.99 and below. If the selections are actually decent, we fear for how costly our surprisingly frequent late-night hot dog runs might soon become.
GameStop: Used game buyers uninterested in free DLC
We're usually pretty competent parsers of corporate quotes, but we may need some help on this one. Referencing the publisher practice of putting free DLC in new copies of games, GameStop boss Dan DeMatteo said on an investor call today that "we have learned that the second-hand user is a value-oriented consumer ... we don't believe that a $10 add-on piece of DLC is compelling to a used game buyer." So, they care about getting the biggest bang for their buck, but they just don't care about missing out on free things? Here's another one: "Publishers can participate in our used business by offering add-on content for the most popular used titles, creating a win-win situation for publishers, retailers and consumers," he said, according to Gamasutra. Wouldn't the win for publishers and developers be to make money every time someone bought the game they made? It may be that the statements are unclear, but it's also possible that we're just so unfamiliar with GameStop trying to be a team player that our primitive minds can't process it. Hard to say.
GameStop offering 50% bonus on every trade-in
GameStop's TV ad proudly proclaims that it's the "biggest trade event ever." We can't really disagree. Starting today, GameStop stores will be offering an extra 50% bonus on used game trade-ins, boosting their usually-paltry offerings into the "sort of worth it" zone. Your old copy of Madden 08 won't really help you much in this promo. Instead, look to capitalize on newer game trade-ins. Using the CAG database, we discovered that Modern Warfare 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Dante's Inferno, and BioShock 2 will net about $35 of credit each. The best bet right now seems to be Mass Effect 2, which will net you a whopping $52 worth of credit (and if you have an Edge card, you'll earn 10% more). Just make sure that, as with many of last year's and this quarter's games, you don't intend to stick around for all that DLC. As much as you may sympathize with the difficulties publishers face in the used games market, the ongoing 2010 onslaught of games -- including Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, God of War III, Pokemon, and more -- might force your wallet to seek out as much help as it can find. [Thanks, Alan S.]
Used game retailers respond to 'Project Ten Dollar'
It's unsurprising that most game retailers who dabble in the pre-owned market feel jilted by an initiative EA CEO John Riccitiello calls "Project Ten Dollar" -- after all, it was designed to reclaim some of the revenues earned by secondhand sellers. A number of representatives from used game retailers recently spoke to GamesIndustry (login required) about the perils EA faces by bundling DLC redemption codes with new copies of the publisher's games. Chipsworld exec Don McCabe said consumers won't prosper under this new system, as copies of the game will lose their resale value, but retailers will "just readjust [the price] bearing in mind you have to buy the voucher." Marc Day, CEO of SwapGame, says diminished resale value will do more harm than good to the publisher's bottom line, as "customers who trade in for cash or credit do so to acquire new games they could otherwise not afford." Check out GamesIndustry's full article for more retailer opinions on EA's new DLC strategy. It's an interesting read on what might turn out to be a pretty vicious cycle.
Sony tries out new anti-piracy measure with PSP game, hits used game market hard in the process
Sony's already taken a pretty big shot at the used game market with the download-only PSP Go, and it looks like it might now be going some way towards taking physical media out of the equation as well. In what's described as a "trial run," Sony has added a new authentication measure to SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 for the PSP that will require gamers to first register their game on PSN before they play online. Once that's done, you won't be able to use the UMD on another PSN account, and anyone buying a used copy of the game will have to shell out $20 for an additional voucher to play online. According to Sony, that's being done primarily to combat piracy, but there's no getting around the fact that it also makes used copies of the game a whole lot less attractive to potential buyers. No word on any future games that will employ similar measures, though we wouldn't count on Sony giving up on this one too quickly.
US citizens: want to trade at Best Buy? Head north [update]
Update: A representative from Best Buy Canada has told Joystiq that any decision made regarding trades in the US "will not have any impact on Canada's operations at this point." The representative went on to say the trade-in program has been "very successful" in Canada and Best Buy Canada Ltd. has no plans to discontinue it. Original: Although reports indicate that Best Buy America's used games trade-in operations will come to an abrupt end, Best Buy Canada continues to offer the used and trade programs in its own stores. On February 1, Industry Gamers reported E-Play, the company that distributed used game and trade kiosks to Best Buy and Walmart, suspended operations. Currently, neither major retailer appears to be pursuing replacement programs in stores. In Canada, Best Buy and Future Shop both operate under the umbrella of Best Buy Canada Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of its American parent. The company currently runs used game and trade programs within stores of both brands, where customers are given a store credit toward other purchases in the store at each location's customer service desk. The process appears to be modeled closely after GameStop's approach, and the companies even offer similar multiple trade-in promotions (such as drastically slashing the value of games immediately following release). Joystiq has contacted Best Buy Canada Ltd. for comment on the recent news affecting its American counterparts, and whether its own operations will change as a result, but has yet to hear back as of this publishing. [Thanks, Nathan]
Walmart and Best Buy cease used games trade-in operations
Well, that certainly didn't take long. Industry Gamers reports that Walmart's and Best Buy's stab at tapping into the lucrative used games market will soon come to an abrupt end. E-Play, the company that distributed used games kiosks to certain locations for the two retailers, suspended operations earlier today -- and as a result, said kiosks will be shut down and removed within the next three weeks. Neither Walmart nor Best Buy looks to be pursuing similar operations without E-play. We had an inkling that the two retailers weren't seeing significant returns from dabbling in the used games market through third-party vendor E-play, but the brevity of this venture is still a little surprising. Even our "mullet and horn-rimmed glasses" phase lasted longer than eight measly months.
Green Man Gaming exec explains how digital trade-ins work
Ever since Green Man Gaming announced its plans for digital trade-ins last week, we've been scratching our heads and spinning the ol' think meat trying to understand how it's gonna work. Lucky for us then that GamesIndustry.biz got a couple of execs from the company to break down how it all functions in a recent interview. Allegedly, the folks at GMG have figured out an algorithm for calculating a game's worth at any given time based on a handful of (unnamed) criteria. "We sit in the middle as a market maker and we always offer a price on the game ... we always allow people to sell it back to us," says CEO Paul Sulyok. As previously announced, the company will offer a percentage of revenue from each re-sold game to publishers -- something the company expects to get prospective partners signed up with the quickness. Suylok even puts a percentage to it, estimating that publishers will see a "194 percent" jump in "additional revenue per SKU" (in Humanspeak, that means for each individual game). Us? We're just happy to finally get some money back for that drunken purchase of Daikatana. [Via BigDownload]
Report: UK new game boxed sales down 18% in 2009
Chart-Track/ELSPA reveal that new boxed game sales declined 18 percent in the UK during 2009, which is likely due to an amalgam of digital distribution and global financial issues (to put it lightly). As noted by GI.biz, the report does not include any sales information on used sales, Steam or other digital distribution networks. Thus, the 26 percent decline in boxed PC game sales during 2009 (a 22 percent decline in revenue) sounds tragic; however, considering the rapid adoption of digital distribution by PC users, it hardly gives the "full picture." Boxed console games fared better with Xbox 360 and PS3 sales up a healthy 14 and 9 percent in unit sales, along with an increase of two and four percent in revenue, respectively. The year wasn't as kind to Wii games, with a drop of 10 percent in units sold and an 18 percent decline in revenue. Of course, as with PC, none of these sales include each console's digital distribution network, which certainly adds a couple extra pounds, especially after the holidays.
GameStop 'Buy 2, Get 1 Free' used game sale starts tomorrow
You've probably got a ton of brand new games you want to purchase, but with Christmas just around the corner, the available funds to buy things for yourself are likely dwindling. Tomorrow through Sunday, GameStop's got a helpful solution: A Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on all used games. The sale is both in-store and online, though you'll need to use code B2G1FREE, along with SAVER to get free shipping on $25-plus orders. Just so there's no confusion, we're not suggesting that you buy used games for yourself to save money, far from it. We just can't help but think how much extra cash you'd have left for Assassin's Creed 2 if you got everyone on your list a second-hand copy of Wheelman. [Via CheapCollegeGamers] .nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Check out Joystiq's Black Friday Game Deals Hub or jump to a retailer guide below: Best Buy | GameStop | Kmart & Sears | Target | Toys"R"Us | Walmart For more Black Friday coverage, check out Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Sales, And other Black Friday 2009 stories today from Walletpop.com
Goozex temporarily drops trading fees for students
Goozex, the online game trading service, has announced a special promotion for its student members. Starting now and running through January 31, 2010, Goozex members that are enrolled in college will be able to trade their games without paying any trading fee whatsoever. Granted, the trading fee is normally only $1, but every little bit helps these days, especially with the holiday shopping season currently preparing its first major assault. Now, technically, the deal applies to anyone using Goozex under a .edu email address, so we suppose the less scrupulous folks out there could game the system. Then again, so long as it gets people using the service, we're not sure Goozex will mind all that much.
UK retailer GAME sees big boost from used game sales
Even though the economy has seen better days, UK brick-and-mortar retailer GAME is seeing growth. Its used games revenues in the first half of this year ending July 31 grew by a whopping 12.3 percent to now make up "25.7% of total sales," paralleling US retailer GameStop's yearly used game revenue percentage. But things aren't all Ferrari 458 Italia-filled days and caviar dreams around GAME HQ, with total sales dropping by seven percent."In the second half, the installed base of third generation consoles will continue to build ... price reductions on the Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite and Sony's new model PlayStation 3 are helping to stimulate the market for hardware, chairman Peter Lewis said in the financial results announcement. If you add to that the recent speculation of a Nintendo Wii bundle hitting UK store shelves this holiday as well, we imagine the market will get plenty stimulated, Mr. Lewis.[Via GamingIndustry.biz]
Best Buy CFO sees 'opportunity' in used games market [update]
Speculation among industry analysts has amplified surrounding the possible purchase of meganormous video game retailer GameStop by big box electronics/media retailer Best Buy. The Dow Jones Newswire (via the Wall Street Journal) followed up with Best Buy CFO Ryan Robinson recently, who, unsurprisingly, wouldn't directly comment.He responds, however, by saying that his company hasn't been taking advantage of the used game market in the way some competitors are. "We've not developed the capability to the extent that other participants have," Robinson says, calling the used game business a "very margin-rich portion" of the game sales market, and adding, "there's opportunity in that business." Opportunity that Best Buy clearly saw fit enough to enterprise on with a foray into used games in 2005 and another this year -- heck, they even price match new game prices with used game ones every now and then. Still, Best Buy outright purchasing GameStop would be a real stretch, says BloggingStocks.com. "There's no overlooking the roughly $4.2 billion it would cost to buy up Gamestop, and Best Buy doesn't have that much cash," the piece claims, saying Best Buy wouldn't see a return on the investment "any time soon." We've reached out to Best Buy for comment and have yet to hear back as of publication.Update: A Best Buy representative got back to us with the stock, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation." [Via Kotaku]
Get 20% off used PSP games at GameStop
Click to print. Screw the PSP Go! Show Sony how much you love UMD by taking part in GameStop's latest used games sale. With this in-store coupon, you'll be able to get 20% off any pre-owned PSP games. With coupon in hand, you'll be able to pick up physical UMD copies of classic PSP games -- at a significantly lower price than its digital PlayStation Network equivalent.You'll have to hurry, though. The coupon is only valid until 9/10/09.
Pachter says Best Buy's new games at used prices program will fail
Best Buy surprised the gaming public last week with the revelation that it was testing a new pricing program that would see the retailer selling new games at used prices. Specifically, the test store in Utah will match the used game prices of both GameStop and Game Crazy. According to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, the program isn't likely to last very long."I don't think it will do well," Pachter tells Game Politics, adding that price matching forces Best Buy to "either cuts their profit per game in half, or wipes it out altogether." He expresses the opinion that Best Buy can't afford to chop $10 off the price of a $60 game, saying that such a practice won't be effective "in the long run." Furthermore, even if the program does take off, Pachter believes GameStop will simply lower its used game prices "to the point where Best Buy can't match without losing money."He has a point, but, from the consumer perspective, it's hard to see a downside. Whether Best Buy's program succeeds or not, it still means lower prices, if only for a short time.
Best Buy testing price matching of used games
"Why buy used when you can buy new?" asks a new Best Buy retail display discovered in West Jordan, Utah [via CAG]. According to the poster, Best Buy will offer new video games for the same price as used equivalents from GameStop and GameCrazy. With GameStop's used prices at least $5 cheaper than retail price, shoppers are guaranteed to get a small discount on every new game at this Best Buy location.It's currently unclear if this is a nationwide Best Buy policy, or if it's simply a localized test. We've contacted Best Buy for more information, and will update the story with an official statement. Until then, let us know if your local Best Buy is also participating in this program. Update: A Best Buy representative informed us that this is, indeed, a local test and not a nationwide program. Hopefully, the "test" proves positive, as we'd love to see this program expand.[Thanks, tmacairjordan87!]
Three million people played Dead Space
The sobering second half of that sentence? Only 1.5 million people bought it new. Speaking on the official EA podcast, Glen Schofield, EA studio manager for the Dead Space team, said that while the team had discussed adding co-op, he didn't believe the lack of that feature is what sent the game tape flying back to GameStop after players had solved it.Schofield explained, "We were up against Fallout, which was a 50-hour game to begin with. So, we didn't look at it and say we have to have online. What we said we've got to be bang for the buck."So, would you have held on to Dead Space longer if you could have gotten the pee scared out of you with a friend?[Via Kotaku]
Nielsen: Gaming time, used game sales at all-time high
Take that, crumbling economy! In a recently released report (PDF), Nielsen Media Research claims that, despite poor economic conditions, gamers are actually spending more time playing games in 2009 than they have in previous years. In fact, the number of hours spent per week playing games is at an all-time high. Nielsen attributes this rise to "mainstream gamers" spending more time with "broadly appealing" titles like Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Wii Fit. Playing these games for all they're worth can help gamers "stretch their entertainment dollar," according to Nielsen's Michael Flamberg, director of client consulting,Furthermore, used game sales are also higher than ever before. Since January, the average number of used games purchased in a six-month period has risen from 3.01 to 3.51, accounting for 36 percent of all games purchased. The firm also reports that subscription to game rental services like GameFly is on the rise, stating that some gamers may use such services as a substitution for purchasing new games.What say you, Joystiq readers? Has the economy driven you to purchase more used games?
