John-ShepardWithout used stuff, GameStop isn't half the mega-corporation it is now. Literally.
So unsurprisingly, the company is looking into secondhand downloadable products, as indicated by CEO Paul Raines. However, he does add that at this point, it's "not a meaningful business yet." Said Raines:
"It’s very interesting. There are some technologies out there in Europe, and we’ve looked at a couple that are involved. We’re interested; it’s not a meaningful business yet. Right now we’re not seeing that as a huge market, but I think we’re on the leading edge. There are a few companies, a few startups, out there that we’ve talked to that are doing this."
Raines didn't specifically name the outfits in question, saying he doesn't wish to disclose that information to their competitors. Bear in mind that a European court recently ruled that the secondhand sale of software was protected, so producers can't prevent users from reselling licenses. GameStop, by the way, packed away $2.62 billion from the used portion of their business during the last fiscal year.
