Test phase

Aug 11, 2009 07:56 GMT  ·  By

A while ago, a couple of big retailers, Best Buy among them, and even Internet-based Amazon announced that they planned to enter the used game business dominated by the videogame-oriented GameStop.

Now, Best Buy seems to be ready to make a big move, with some stores running a promotion that promises players new games for the price they would pay for the same game used in other stores.

The picture attached to this article was snapped by a user of a consumer forum focused on getting good deals for videogames. The sign clearly states that the prices from GameStop and GameCrazy will be matched by Best Buy. The company has not revealed which stores are part of the test program and when it is expected to become a nation-wide initiative.

Of course, the idea of selling new games at the price point of used ones generates some questions: how can the program be sustained economically and how will GameStop and GameCrazy react to the new initiative? Best Buy is probably seeing the matching price concept as a way of drawing in more customers interested in videogames and some titles will not be available under the new scheme.

The videogaming industry has long rallied against selling used games, claiming that publishers and developers not getting a single cent when someone trades in a game and when it is resold, the practice hurts the industry.

On the other hand, customers and chains like GameStop are saying that re-selling used games allows players to access a wider array of titles and that releases like Halo 3, Gears of War 2 or Metal Gear Solid 4 would not have been hits if some players had not gotten the money for them by trading in their old purchases.