The stop in GameStop may start referring to digital games, as GameStop will no longer offer game console bundles that include digital copies of games. During GameStop's recent company earning call, company executives outlined a new plan to only sell consoles bundles with physical games, rather than with digital codes or vouchers.
"Consumers prefer those physical bundles, because they know that that disc has value in the trade-in program at GameStop . So we choose not to participate in the digital bundles."
"GameStop 's preference is -- we sell things at full price and provide great value through our trade program and that we have physical discs."
GameStop began this practice in August with the release of Madden 16. Rather than offering the Xbox One digital Madden bundle, GameStop chose to offer a free physical game with the purchase of a console.
It is important to note that during the recent release of EA's Madden 16, we worked with our partners to offer a free physical game with the purchase of either a PS4 or Xbox One and did not carry the Xbox One digital bundle. We expect that if a game is provided as a promotional item in a hardware bundle, GameStop will see more of these physical offers than digital pack-ins on upcoming third-party releases.
Digital sales of games have steadily risen over the years, and this move may be an attempt by the game's retailer giant to maintain a presence in the game's market. We've seen GameStop take other preventative measures in the past, such as selling phones and tablets, as well as acquiring ThinkGeek to sell more collectibles in-store.
How do you feel about this? Does this effect you at all, or do you expect it to affect you in the future? Have you ever purchased a console with a digital game bundled with it? Let us know in the comments below!