Those big Redbox kiosks at the end of the check-out aisle at grocery stores across the US may only feature movie rentals right now, but they might be stocking videogames as well in the near future.
A grocery list for the future: milk (1%), bread, butter (unsalted), four pounds of lean ground beef, some Top Ramen, a few heads of broccoli, four bags of BBQ chips, some more Lucky Charms, and yeah, how about a copy of Modern Warfare 2. Seem impossible? Well right now the closest thing you can get to getting your groceries and your games at the same time is shopping at 7-Eleven, but if rental kiosk company Redbox’s plans go as well as they think they will, that could be changing very soon.
Redbox is the company that owns those giant red kiosks that you usually see near the front of a grocery store, at the end of the check out counter. You know, you’re strolling out of the store with a cart full of food when you see the box, and think, “Why not, I’ll rent Kickin It Old School for $1 a day.” According to VideoBusiness, the company is looking to dive head first into incorporating game rentals into this business model.
“Our customers and retail partners have been really clamoring for video games, and Redbox is responding,” said Mark Achler, Redbox’s newly hired VP of videogames. “We are very actively engaged in putting out a video game offering. There are changing demographics, where we see the casual market continuing to open as more women become involved.”
Redbox plans to experiment with two types of kiosks: one that offers movies and games, and another that rents out games exclusively. Achler says that the titles available will span all current-gen consoles, and some kiosks may even have trade-in functionality. That makes Redbox a threat not only to GameFly and Blockbuster’s rental business, but e-Play and Wal-Mart’s trade-in kiosks as well.
The testing is expected to take place over the course of the summer. Achler didn’t reveal what kind of pricing model they’ll be going for, but don’t expect the same “dollar a day” scheme that Redbox currently offers for DVDs.
[Via Joystiq]
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