Gamestop, Gamefly Happy about Microsoft 180
Gamestop have released a statement congratulating Microsoft for their change of heart concerning the Xbox One. It’s perhaps no surprise that they’re in support of the move considering their stocks dropped 5% when the Xbox One was announced.
“Gamestop welcomes today’s announcement from Microsoft about changes in functionality for its next-generation console, the Xbox One. This is great news for gamers and we applaud Microsoft for understanding consumers and the importance of the pre-owned market.”
Notice the specific lack of mention of just how good this move will be for their business. Gamefly co-founder Sean Spector made similar comments.
“I always felt good about the future of GameFly, but I feel better today. Today is a win/win for consumers, as well as GameFly. I think choice is always important and now consumers have more choice. And I give [Microsoft] credit for listening to their consumers.”
The Xbox One, while it would not have completely blocked used games (or, after launch, rentals), would have put things in place to make sure that developers got a cut of the pie. Gamestop and Gamefly both make a huge amount of money out of a single copy of a game, so it’s understandable that they wouldn’t necessarily feel too worried about the change in policy.
Article By Mat Growcott
Mat Growcott has been a long-time member of the gaming press. He's written two books and a web series, and doesn't have nearly enough time to play the games he writes about.
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