Most customers wouldn’t buy console which blocks preowned, warns GameStop

http://media.edge-online.com/wp-cont...op-610x344.jpg60 per cent of GamesStop’s customers simply wouldn’t buy a console without the ability to play pre-owned games, the US retailer has said.GameStop’s chief financial officer Rob Lloyd warned platform holders of the potential risk in blocking second-hand games during a presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference,reports GameSpot.“It does not have a big impact on the sale of new product,” said Lloyd. “So that’s why publishers understand how important the preowned business is to them. Sony has said publicly that they don’t intend to block used games in their next console. Microsoft has refused to or has not commented on the rumours that have hit the marketplace.”Lloyd said that GameStop had conducted some internal research since our next Xbox story broke and, unsurprisingly, stressed the importance of preowned to consumers. In its most recent quarter, used game sales accounted for 28% ofGameStop’s revenue and 43% of its profits.“Consumers want the ability to play preowned games; they want portability in their games; they want to play physical games. And to not have those things would be a substantial reason for them to not purchase a new console.”“I think it’s approximately 60 percent of the customers who have said they wouldn’t buy a new console if it didn’t play preowned games,” he added.

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