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GameStop alters rewards programs, adds benefits
Video game retailer GameStop has introduced several changes to its PowerUp Rewards customer loyalty program, announcing that it will reward members with monthly perks in addition to discounts on used games. Starting this month, customers will receive a buy-two-get-one coupon after signing up or renewing a Power-Up Rewards Pro membership, entitling them to a free used game or accessory with their next purchase of two or more pre-owned items. Members will also get at least $50 in monthly offers as part of the revamped program. Customers currently receive an additional $50 in store credit when trading in a PlayStation Vita until October 31, and $50 off pre-owned smartphones starting on October 8. GameStop additionally launched a PowerUp Rewards-branded credit card this week, giving customers access to bonus reward points and in-store financing. Card variable APR starts at 26.99%, with a minimum $2 interest charge per credit plan. [Image: GameStop]
BioShock Infinite: Complete Edition listings point to Nov. release [update]
Update: A 2K spokesperson confirmed to IGN that BioShock Infinite Complete Edition is on the way. The spokeperson said, "We can confirm that the BioShock Infinite Complete Edition is coming to Xbox 360, PS3, and PC later this year, and we will be sharing more information about it very soon." BioShock Infinite may rise again in a new Complete Edition, going by listings on GameStop and Amazon Canada. Both retailers have the re-packaged edition of Irrational's game for Xbox 360 and PS3, priced $40 (US & CND) and due for release on November 4. 2K has not announced any new versions of BioShock Infinite, so we've reached out to the publisher for clarification. The box art on GameStop says the Complete Edition "includes all add-on packs." Also, the product details list the base game plus the Clash in the Clouds arena combat mode, the pair of Burial at Sea episodes, the Columbia's Finest gear and upgrades pack, and the similar Early Bird Special add-on pack which came with the season pass.
New 3DS XLs incoming, including NES-styled model
Three new Nintendo 3DS XL models will launch in North America by the end of this year, Nintendo announced today during the GameStop Expo in California. The red-and-blue Super Smash Bros. Edition Nintendo 3DS XL will hit store shelves first on September 19, commemorating the launch of Super Smash Bros. on October 3. The retro-inspired NES Edition Nintendo 3DS XL follows on October 10, featuring an NES controller design on its lid. Finally, the Persona Q Edition Nintendo 3DS XL is set to arrive alongside Atlus' dungeon-crawling RPG Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth on November 25. The NES Edition and Persona Q Edition 3DS XLs will be available exclusively at GameStop. All upcoming 3DS XL models are priced at $199.99. [Image: Nintendo]
GameStop will soon offer Cricket Wireless 4G service
Popular game retailer and reseller GameStop will soon offer no-contract wireless service to customers in the United States, expanding the company's reach into mobile. 2,800 GameStop stores in the U.S. will begin offering both phones and 4G service through Cricket Wireless no later than the end of October. GameStop has taken trade-ins on used smartphones and tablets for a while now, but since the company didn't previously have a service option, the devices were sold at retail prices. A partnership with Cricket makes sense from a practical standpoint -- increasing foot traffic to its physical stores is something GameStop has been struggling with a bit lately -- but since Cricket's wireless service is a no-contract affair, it's unclear just how much of a price break customers can expect on devices like the iPhone, if they choose to sign up for Cricket's service at the same time. [via iMore]
Choose your first starter again in Pokemon Monopoly
If you're going to start fights with friends and family members over imaginary property and play money, you might as well get a gameboard that recalls something you can consistently enjoy. As the Toy Fair International 2014 foretold, a Pokemon Monopoly Kanto Edition is now available for pre-order from GameStop, with the trip down memory Route lane priced at $45. Players will have to revisit the series' most important question: Bulbasuar, Squirtle or Charmander? Pikachu, Eevee and Jigglypuff are also available business tycoons, but why pass up an opportunity to stir up old starter Pokemon-related rivalries while playing a relaxing game of Monopoly? Judging by GameStop's listing, your financial type Pokemon battles can begin on October 1, the date you can first encounter Pokemon Monopoly in the wild. Of course, this assumes you've lost enough pieces from your 1999 edition of Monopoly: Pokemon Edition to render it unplayable. [Image: USAopoly]
Everything's coming up Gamestop in Q2 2014
Global sales, new hardware and software sales, mobile and consumer electronics sales and net earnings were all up year-over-year for GameStop in Q2 2014, according to the company's latest financial statement. Global sales were up 25 percent to $1.73 billion. New hardware sales more than doubled, jumping from $148 million to $332 million in the quarter; GameStop attributed this increase to "very high" demand for Xbox One and PS4 systems. New software sales rose 16 percent from $430 million to $497 million, due to "the strong performance of recently-released new titles, such as Ubisoft's Watch Dogs and Nintendo's Mario Kart 8," GameStop said. Net earnings in Q2 2014 were up 134 percent from 2013, to $24.6 million. GameStop's largest sales driver was "pre-owned and value video game products," composing 32 percent of total sales. GameStop recently revamped its trade-in process, establishing four tiers of price points that take into account whether customers want cash or store credit, and whether they are PowerUp Rewards Pro members. [Image: GameStop]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Xbox One bundle unveiled
Microsoft's second Xbox One bundle of its Gamescom conference was for another big-hitter, namely Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The limited edition bundle comes with a digital copy of the Day Zero edition of the Sledgehammer shooter, and it'll include a custom console with a 1TB hard drive, as well as a custom controller and a headset. The price is $500 stateside and £430/500 euros across the pond, and it'll be available November 3. The game's Day Zero edition will also be available at GameStop, allowing customers who pre-order to check out Call of Duty: Advance Warfare 24 hours in advance. Early birds will be able to enjoy double XP in multiplayer across November 3, as well the Day Zero in-game content including the catchily named Advanced Arsenal Bullet Brass Exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum directed energy weaponry.
GameStop confirms new four-tiered trade-in pricing policy
GameStop announced a new trade-in pricing policy today, which simplifies the company's current pre-owned purchasing structure. Set to launch August 18, the program will enforce four price points "depending on whether a customer chooses cash or in-store credit for their items and whether they are a PowerUp Rewards Pro member," the announcement states. The announcement serves as a confirmation of last week's report of an incoming change to GameStop's trade-in program, which stated that the flat rates for traded goods would rise by 20 percent, on average. As an example, GameStop noted that a game valued at $20 would be bumped to $22 for PowerUp Rewards Pro members that opt to receive in-store credit and drop to $16 for non-members only seeking cash for their games. GameStop's senior VP for pre-owned business Jason Cochran said the previous trade-in structure included 10 different price points. [Image: GameStop]
GameStop's trade-in pricing is now less confusing
You've brushed up on memorizing lines of dialog from Goldeneye, yeah? Well good, because they'll come in handy now that GameStop has confirmed the specifics of its new system for selling back the games you no longer want. The outfit has issued a press release that it's moving from a ten price-point system for trade values down to four: cash, credit and cash or credit with its in-store loyalty system -- the latter of which will net the most for your transaction. What's it all mean? Well, apparently there are now over 100 titles that are worth at least $20 should you want to pre-order Destiny come August 18th. We wouldn't count on any of them being more than a year old, though. [Image credit: Alamy]
Play Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at the GameStop Expo
If you've got an itchy trigger finger and that over-the-counter cream just isn't satisfying it, you might want to check out the GameStop Expo going on September 9 and September 10 at the Anaheim Convention Center. According to a news release from GameStop, it'll feature the first public, playable build of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in North America. So if you want to get a headstart on those killstreaks, this might be a way to go about it. Of course, if you're not particularly interested in Call of Duty: Kevin Spacey Edition Advanced Warfare, there will be plenty of other games at the show as well, including Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Alien: Isolation and of course, Video Game, Colon, Subtitle. Tickets for the expo can be purchased through GameStop's website. Until August 15, general admission tickets will cost $40, while a VIP pass will run $110. After August 15, the cost of general admission rises to $50, while the VIP jumps to $125. [Image: GameStop]
Report: GameStop to revamp 'complex' trade-in program
Hot on the heels of word that fewer than half of the people who walk into GameStop are aware of the company's lucrative game trading program comes word that the ubiquitous video game retailer is looking to make that program less complicated and more generous. According to documents obtained by Kotaku, come August 18, GameStop plans to strip out its deluge of trade-in promotions in favor of a flat rate that is, on average, 20 percent higher than what the store was offering customers previously. The store's Power Up Rewards card will continue to offer users a 10 percent bonus on trade transactions (whether cash or store credit), but pre-orders and extraneous services such as Game Informer subscriptions will no longer offer a trade-in bonus. "By eliminating the higher end price of products we buy and raising the lower end, we are able to raise the overall value the customers will receive," explains one of the internal documents cited by Kotaku. "With this program, we will not have complex multi-tiered trade promotions for the associates to remember and less math for the customer to understand what they are getting for their games." [Image: GameStop]
Engadget Daily: planes without TVs, limited edition Pebble styles and more!
Today, we review the Slingbox M1, check out new limited-edition Pebble styles, visit a plane without any TVs, learn about how Google helped nab a sex offender and more. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
GameStop now offers 20 percent more cash for your old titles
Between pre-orders, promotions and credit offers, it feels as if you need a PhD in economics just to trade-in used games. Thankfully, GameStop has decided to simplify its arcane pricing structure and, best of all, increase the price of each trade by 20 percent. According to documents leaked to Kotaku, you'll get the "optimal value" for each title, the only difference being if you take credit and/or have a Power Up Rewards subscription. In the example, an untitled game that you could swap for $29 in cash would be worth $37.70 if you took credit and were part of the rewards program. According to the slides, the new rules will start on August 18th, and you'll know the staff have been given the new details if they ask you "when's the last time we bought some of your items?" The correct answer, of course, is to wink, pause a moment and then say "In London, April is a spring month."
Do not collect 200 rupees in Monopoly: The Legend of Zelda
You know, when we were kids playing Monopoly, all we had to choose from were the thimble, shoe, top hat, car, wheelbarrow, dog and battleship, and cousin Johnny always took the battleship! Hmph! Well, kids today won't have to suffer such indignities thanks to USAopoly, the company behind custom versions of classic board games; they're releasing Monopoly: The Legend of Zelda Edition, complete with way cooler player tokens. Customers who pick up this special version of Monopoly will be able to choose from such Zelda series staples as the Bow, Hookshot, Boomerang, Triforce and Hylian Shield to represent their progress. If you're picking up the board game from GameStop, you'll also be able to choose the Ocarina of Time. The GameStop edition also comes with six "Power Cards" to tweak gameplay and a Hyrule map lithograph, all packaged inside an exclusive square box. A GameStop pre-order page for Monopoly: The Legend of Zelda Edition lists September 15 as a release date. If nothing else, it might not be a bad way to pass the time until Hyrule Warriors hits shelves on September 26. [Image: USAopoly]
Fewer than half of GameStop customers know about trades
If you're a regular shopper at GameStop, you've probably heard it more times than you can count. If you've worked there, you might know the line by heart. "Thank you for choosing GameStop, where we buy and sell used games, how can I help you?" Although that phrase - and slight variants - might feel to us like they get repeated ad nauseum, GameStop president Tony Bartel told VentureBeat that only 40 percent of the retailer's customers know they can trade in their old products for in-store credit or cash. Bartel says even fewer know they can trade in mobile devices like phones and tablets. Despite fewer than half of its customers knowing about trade-in options, VentureBeat reports that GameStop saw $1.2 billion in trade credit spent in-store annually, with Bartel claiming that 70 percent of trade credit goes toward purchasing new games. Hey, that reminds us: The Last of Us Remastered is coming out on Tuesday, and GameStop is offering 50 percent off when you trade in a PS3 copy of The Last of Us. You know you can trade in your old games, right? [Image: GameStop]
Batman: Arkham Knight Red Hood DLC exclusive to GameStop
An exclusive batch of story mode DLC will be available for customers who pre-order Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Knight at GameStop, the retailer announced today. GameStop's "Red Hood Story Pack" DLC introduces Batman series vigilante Red Hood as a playable character, and features a number of exclusive single-player missions. GameStop pre-order buyers will also receive the Harley Quinn Story Pack, which bundles an additional playable character and four challenge maps. Today's DLC reveal follows up on GameStop's recent announcement that it would fund unique DLC for featured games. The Arkham series has a history of experimenting with retail- and platform-exclusive content; the PlayStation 3 version of Arkham Origins hosted exclusive Knightfall maps, and Arkham City's Catwoman DLC served as a retail-focused incentive to curb used game sales. Batman: Arkham Knight will hit the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms in 2015. [Image: GameStop]
GameStop offering 50% off The Last of Us Remastered with PS3 copy trade-in
Starting next week, GameStop shoppers can get a steep discount on The Last of Us Remastered for the PlayStation 4 by trading in a copy of the 2013 PS3 edition alongside a pre-order or purchase. Between July 27 and August 2, customers who trade in a PS3 copy of The Last of Us at GameStop will get 50 percent off of The Last of Us Remastered, dropping it to $25 at launch. The Last of Us Remastered includes all content from last year's PS3 version, upgrading the core campaign with a 1080p presentation and bundling a collection of post-release DLC, including the "Left Behind" expansion. The Last of Us Remastered launches on July 29. [Image: Sony / GameStop]
Engadget Daily: Ascend P7 review, FCC extends net neutrality comment deadline and more!
Today, we review the Huawei Ascend P7, take a look at an external E Ink display for your phone, dive into the world of wearable apps designed to ease the burden of flying and learn how Gamestop made millions by selling digital add-ons. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
GameStop explains how it made $724 million selling digital games and add-ons
It turns out that when a GameStop exec opens their mouth, it doesn't have to be controversial after all. Case in point: company president Tony Bartel recently broke down exactly how the brick-and-mortar retailer makes money selling digital goods in its physical stores; a figure to the tune of $724.4 million. Bartel tells GamesBeat that over 70 percent of the season passes for game developer-and-publisher Ubisoft came not from purchases made through each console's respective marketplace like you'd imagine, but through retail stores. What's more, he says that many customers actually like being up-sold (he describes it as "discoverability") on future downloadable content (DLC) packs at the time of pre-order or purchase, and he has the numbers to back it up too -- some 30 percent of all of Watch Dogs' catch-all DLC tickets were bought from his stores. If you notice the store's clerks are a little more pushy than normal when you put a deposit down for Assassin's Creed: Unity, well, now you'll know why. [Image credit: Moe_/Flickr]
GameStop promises it won't interfere with game development
It's understandable if the news of retail giant GameStop getting in on game development made you nervous. The potential of a store with vested interest in exclusive content dictating what goes into a game from its inception is more than a little frightening. It turns out those fears, however, may have been unfounded. Company CEO Paul Raines recently told Time that we won't see the outfit involved with the creative process, nor essentially mandating parts of a main game be blocked off for those who only buy it through his store. "We love to play games, and unlike our competitors all we do is gaming. But we will not be involved in the artistic or creative process. That's not really our domain."
