GameStop has made a killing over the years selling used games for roughly five dollars less than the new counterpart, but now it appears that Best Buy is mulling a way to fight back. Joystiq is reporting that the big box retailer is offering to match the price of used games at GameStop and GameCrazy with their new games.
This program is a local pilot and not a nationwide offer yet it would seem. Best Buy has dipped its toe in the water of used games before with another pilot program that made space for used-game kiosks.
Assuming this program goes nationwide, we know plenty of gamers that would gladly give GameStop a pass in favor of similarly priced new games at Best Buy; it might even put enough pressure on GameStop to start offering better deals for their used games.
3 Comments
August 10, 2009
It would be nice to see someone break the grip of the GameStoppo, and it would be a great way to insure more money reaches the pockets of the developers. Old games are okay used, but games that are only weeks from release sold used are hurting the industry.
August 10, 2009
It's the same here in Ireland. Gamestop does do nice deals on their new games through "sales" but otherwise their new game's prices are on par with ours or slightly higher.
When it comes to used game prices we blow them out of the water. In comparison, I'll take two Xbox360 titles that I bought from Gamestop a few weeks ago because I was too lazy to buy them from where I work a week later:
Street Fighter IV: €35 or so
Rainbow Six Las Vegas 2: €21 or so.
In total: €46 or so.
At the place I work:
Street Fighter IV: €26 or so
Rainbow Six Las Vegas 2: €9.95 or so (with a buy one get one half price slapped on it)
Total: €36 or so.
That's a whopping €10 difference!!!
You can imagine I was kicking myself when I saw those prices a week later after I bought those games at Gamestop.
It would seem Gamestop is no different here in Ireland then it is in the States.
August 10, 2009
I posted this story several days ago in a thread on DP. It's definitely a good thing for gamers but it still has to get beyond it's initial test phase.
I would gladly use it as I already shop at Best Buy. Plus, add the Reward Zone and Gamers ClLub discounts into the mix and this has the potential to save gamers hundreds of dollars a year.