Coming back to a GameStop near you

Earlier today we reported that questions had been raised about GameStop's increase in Xenoblade Chronicles stock; the title had been difficult to find for an extended period. Despite the title's rarity for a number of months, many GameStop stores now have multiple "used" copies available, as well as on its website, and these second-hand copies carry a cost of $89.99.

There was an implication that GameStop had produced these copies to fill its second-hand inventory, with a Kotaku source stating that "the retailer printed a few thousand copies of the game with no shrink wrap", though that was an unconfirmed statement. However the inventory was acquired, the retailer was suddenly offering plenty of copies at a high price, a privileged position as the sole retail distributor of the title.

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The retailer has now issued a statement on the issue to Kotaku, defending the Xenoblade Chronicles pricing and giving a relatively vague statement on sourcing that stock, and stating that more major "vintage" titles are on the way; one of these is confirmed as the hard-to-acquire Metroid Prime Trilogy.

GameStop regularly receives feedback from our PowerUp members regarding old titles they would us like to bring back, such as vintage games like Xenoblade Chronicles. We were recently able to source a limited number of copies of this title to carry in our stores and online.

In fact, we have sourced several more vintage titles that we will be hitting stores in the coming months, including Metroid Prime Trilogy.

As always, our pricing for these games is competitive and is based on current market value driven by supply and demand. PowerUp Pro members always receive a 10% discount and earn PUR points on pre-owned purchases.

Pricing by market demand is standard for retailers, of course, and it'd perhaps be naive to expect a company to pass up the opportunity to make as much money as possible, even if not all consumers will necessarily approve. Nintendo has declined to comment on the issue, meanwhile, which will do little to assuage some suspicion over the sudden re-stocking of Xenoblade Chronicles.

On the one hand some rare games are being made available, with more on the way, while on the other GameStop is perhaps cashing in cynically in the case of Xenoblade Chronicles due to its exclusivity over the product; therefore forcing the demand and high prices.

With more older games apparently on the way to satisfy demand, what do you think of this?

[source kotaku.com]