Hoping to sell anything pre-owned

As you can tell from our tagline, it's with a sense of genuine delight that we can bring you news about potential industry changes with retail download software, and actually have an interest in the outcome. After so long lagging behind Sony, Microsoft and PC platforms in terms of full retail downloads, Nintendo will soon be joining the party and playing a role in this part of the games business.

One thing that's currently restricted to boxed games is buying and selling second hand titles. The trade-in and second hand games market may not be universally popular, particularly with publishers, but it's a part of the retail landscape and allows gamers with less money to still enjoy their hobby. Naturally, if retailers had the opportunity to buy and sell downloaded game licenses second hand, that would mean that any game purchase could, potentially, have resale value for the gamer. This could become a reality in the future, based on what GameStop CEO Paul Raines has told GameSpot.

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.

It's only natural that publishers themselves won't be keen, but it's interesting to note that a recent EU ruling stated that users shouldn't be prevented from re-selling their download licences for games. The reality of trading-in or selling a download title may not be right around the corner, but it could become a reality in the future.

[source uk.gamespot.com]