Monday, October 30, 2017

GameStop is launching a game rental subscription called PowerPass


GameStop, the video game store that has fallen from grace in the era of digital downloads, will start offering a subscription rental program, according to Mashable.
Over the past decade, it’s become incredibly easy to get your hands on a new video game without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. Alongside Steam, both Sony and Microsoft offer digital download access to just about any game you might want, making the prospect of getting up and buying a physical disc much less attractive.
So GameStop is changing up the business model.
For $60, subscribers will have the ability to rent as many pre-owned games as their gamer heart desires, so long as they only rent one game at a time. The $60 subscription, called PowerPass, lasts for six months at a time, and will include one free game to keep at the end of the subscription period.
To get in on the rental subscription, users must sign up for GameStop’s Power-Up Rewards program. Luckily, this program has a free tier, which makes users eligible for the rental subscription.
GameStop has had a rough go of it recently, with share prices falling 8 percent on the heels of its latest earnings report. It’s video game retail business, in particular, dropped 3.4 percent in Q2.
A rental subscription allows GameStop to offset its troves of pre-owned game inventory while getting revenue from subscriptions.
Mashable reports that the program will launch in November 19, just in time for the holidays, and could prove to be the gift that keeps on giving.
Disqus Comments