New Console Upgrades to Generate $2.5bn in credit at GameStop

According to Colin Sebastian at Baird Equity, who recently met with GameStop to discuss pre-owned and mobile market sales, GameStop will bring in almost $2.5 billion in credit from consumers trading in their old consoles towards the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. 

“Used inventory tends to increase into platform launches, and we estimate that GameStop could create nearly $2.5 billion in credits for consumers upgrading to new platforms,” said Sebastian.

A problem GameStop has been faced with though has been the lack of any clarity from Microsoft regarding their support for used games with the Xbox One. Rumor has it that players will need to pay an activation fee of some sort to play a second-hand game. This would also apply to games both rented or borrowed from a friend. 

Both GameStop’s and Microsoft’s shares have fallen due to the outcry over this controversial issue. Analysts expect Microsoft to clear up their policies over the issue at E3 next week, but expect that “shares will likely remain choppy near term from headline and sentiment risks.”

Whatever the outcome may be though, how used game policies for the next generation of consoles will affect retail outlets such as GameStop remains unclear. Where do you stand?