Game to start rental service
GAME has announced that it will soon allow UK customers to rent games for all console platforms if they prefer.
Game currently deals mainly in the sales of retail and pre-owned games, but this new offer is to be borne of a new partnership with SwapGame and will adopt a LoveFilm-esque business model according to MCV.
What that means then is that players pay a monthly fee and can rent as many games as they want a month, but can only have two games at a time. You can keep the games for as long as you want, with no late fees and so on.
The rental system will cover all console and handheld platforms, but PC rentals will not be an option for fear of piracy, obviously. The service will go back a generation or two though - which is handy if you've still got an original Xbox or PlayStation 2 kicking around. The service will launch through the GAME.co.uk website.
“We spent a lot of time talking to customers, to find out what services they want from us and how we can help them enjoy more games and get great value,” Game's Alex Croft said in a statement.
Rental systems such as this tend to meet with mixed reception in our experience though - while there are some of us who maintain long-running LoveFilm subscriptions, there are others who don't see the point and who much prefer to own a copy of the game, even digitally.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Tell us what you think in the forums.
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9 Comments
Discuss in the forums ReplyThe good part was that I had to pay only when I rented the games, so no monthly fees. What do you do if nothing good comes out in a month? You pay for nothing.
Yeah, i think so too. If ppl had to pay like 20$/month and get 3-4 great games, is a great value, and i think piracy rates are gonna drop a little.
Let's say I want to play Mass Effect (just an example): i rent it now for a small fee, finish the game, and if i really enjoyed it and want to buy it, i can wait a few months for the prices to drop and get it then.
Sweet deal ;)
i mean... i can't see why they're bothering. wouldn't encouraging people to rent just eat into the profits they get for, you know, selling games? it's all well and good saying renting makes people want to buy their own copies, but i find that's rarely the case for myself -- i rent games i know i don't want to buy, heh.
Me too i saw it awhile ago and tried to look just a few weeks ago and it was gone!
Ive been burned too many times by cruddy new releases that I often rent from block buster at £5.95 for a week's rental, which isnt that cheap, but overall it actually saves me money because I rarely then go buy the game. GOW2 was the exception which I rented and then loved it so bought it.
Not sure I would sign up for a 'monthly rental fee' though. I tried that with Amazon for DVD's. What a load of rubbish. Never had what I wanted unless you were willing to wait ages... and then they would send you something from way down on your list.
If you have a LoveFilm account you can choose films and games for a small amount extra, then keep them till you complete them.