Gamestop To Begin Selling DLC In-Store

[DoctorFinger]

Whether or not they would admit it, executives at game retail giant Gamestop are worried about digital sales taking a bite out of the retail pie. While we're not yet at the point where even a plurality of game sales can be conducted digitally, we will clearly hit that point sometime in the not-too-distant future. Gamestop knows this, and they're trying to figure out how to enter the digital market without prematurely abandoning the physical media. Are you ready for in-store DLC sales?

Image courtesy Gamespot

Starting early next year, a few select Gamestops will begin testing a trial program in which store associates inform customers of DLC availability when buying a title. The customer would be able to buy the content with normal forms of payment, and the content would be waiting on their console when they get home. The details of how those transactions would work are still murky - imagine the headaches trying to read off Gamertags to an associate and hoping they get it into the computer properly - but for it to work on any level it would likely require the cooperation of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

Source - Gamespot.

[DoctorFinger]

Really, pick a Gamertag off of Xbox live, read it to someone and see how many errors are made. My local Gamestop can't get my zip code right, and it's the same zip as at least 20% of their customers.

[txshurricane]

Sounds like a decent plan.

[Suave Peanut]

I don't get how this works. Why not just print some codes?

[Ghostbear]

Great I can see it now
"Would you like preorder this game? We also can send you codes for game DLC, have you preordered the DLC?"

*Jeremy assaults Gamestop person*

[The Continental]

The world needs more middlemen.

[DoctorFinger]

Originally Posted by Suave Peanut

I don't get how this works. Why not just print some codes?

Thats what i thought it would be until i looked at the image. its implying that the download will start while you're still in the store, which means something more than just a code.

[Stoke]

Sounds like a good idea. Especially useful for those people that don't want to give Sony/MS their credit card info, or people who don't have credit cards (like kids).

[Suave Peanut]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

Thats what i thought it would be until i looked at the image. its implying that the download will start while you're still in the store, which means something more than just a code.

Bonus: they can sell download codes on paper that are easy to lose, so they can sell it again!

[Gorvi]

I know how to use the PS Store/XBLM/Wii Shop Channel just fine, unless they offer sales I don't have any reason to use this.

[Wilkz07]

and whats wrong with just buying the $20 or $50 psn cards? buying a dlc card for wolverine maps, batman, LBP, COD map packs seems overkill when you can just get one card with the $20 or $50 value.

[Urizen]

Smart way to incorporate this into their model. I'm sure they won't be able to offer sales because GS will have to take a cut on the price that it's being offered for on XBL/PSN and WSC. Still, for the instances where Gs is able to secure exclusive rights to certain DLC through pre-order bonuses or something (even though that's probably a very small fraction of the pie), this could be a boon.

Apparently, you can now buy your DLC in cash and not have to worry about entering codes.

[Telefrog]

I guess I don't understand why you would choose to buy DLC using Gamestop. Then again, I'm not even sure why people go there in the first place.

[Kelegacy]

Originally Posted by The Continental

The world needs more middlemen.

Heh. Good point.

If I could buy more things directly from the sellers (at good prices) I would. We buy lobster off the boat, I just bought 50lbs of Maine Kennebec potatoes for $12.50, and if I could I'd go to the manufacturer for every product if I knew I could get it cheaper.

With DLC this is not the case. It's actually more expensive in some cases. Makes sense, no?

[Esquilax1138]

If I buy shit in a store, I want to walk out with it, is that not the whole point of going to a store? The only benefit they could offer is to give you a disc to install shit faster, but since you still need to download it why deal with the fucking store?

This idea is full of fail.

[DoctorFinger]

They're betting that a significant portion of their customers are either too scared/ignorant/stupid/etc to buy DLC on their own. And I'd guarantee that they're right about that to some degree.

[Yeti2005]

I first thought this was going to allow people without broadband to download DLC at the store (i.e. bring in 360 HD or PS3 HD and plug it in). That seemed like a good idea but then I re-read the post again and realized it's just kicking off the download on your own machine which is ridiculous. If this is Gamestop's plan then they're going to be out of business in 5-10 years.

[Hotcod]

I don't have a credit card so getting any console DLC is a bitch that means i have to go buy a card off a middle man anyway in amounts designed to make you buy more than you need... like for the fallout 3 DLC, grrrrrrrr

[Stoke]

Wow guys, just because something isn't right for you doesn't mean that no one in the world could use it. It's amazing how much ignorance is in this thread.

[bstiff]

Originally Posted by Ghostbear

Great I can see it now
"Would you like preorder this game? We also can send you codes for game DLC, have you preordered the DLC?"

*Jeremy assaults Gamestop person*

yeah bad enough you get crap for not pre ordering, now you'll get crap for not buying the dlc. If they do this it should be by codes I would think. I can't imagine it working out any other way.