GameStop president Tony Bartel had some words for Forbes about why the rumored always-online-never-play-used-games next Xbox might be a bad idea. “Console manufacturers understand that recent surveys indicate 60+ percent of video game consumers would be less likely to purchase a new console that did not play pre-owned games.”
But surveys aren’t always accurate or include a representative sample, somebody at Microsoft might say. To which Bartel would would reply with some more concrete numbers:
“Also, used games generate more than $1 billion of trade credit annually, 70 percent of which is credited towards purchasing new games and new hardware.”
That right there gets to the heart of it. More people buy more new games when they can sell or trade their old ones..
What do y’all think? Do you even care about the secondhand market? Does its existence influence your buying habits?
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