Gamestop president: Sony and Microsoft 'see the value' in used games on next-gen

Trade-in and resell programs have a clear "benefit and a value" for gamers as a whole and add "residual value" to products, GameStop president Tony Bartel told Polygon.

Speaking with us shortly after Microsoft's Xbox One reveal, Bartel spoke about both the company's resolve to transition gamers from the current generation to the next and the importance of second-hand games. Wired reported earlier that Xbox One will include a mandatory install before games can be played, and that second-time users would need to pay a small, one-time fee. Polygon is currently waiting on comment from Microsoft.

When asked about Xbox One's potential second-hand fee, Bartel said the information came "as a surprise" and declined to comment "on speculation."

"All that Microsoft has said so far is that they've designed the Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games," Bartel said. "That's what I'm going with at this point. I think there's additional details they're going to reveal later on."

According to Bartel, 16 to 17 percent of new games and DLC and paid for through trade-in credits. Used games not only add a residual value to games for buyers, but also help make new titles and consoles more affordable.

"You can be sure that GameStop is going to have a way to help our consumers that want to move to the next generation monetize their existing platforms that they have and use that to be able to turn into currency that they can use to afford the new systems."

Bartel added that he believes that Sony and Microsoft place an equal importance on the second-hand game market and what it means for consumers.

"I think that if you look at [Sony and Microsoft], both of them have come out and said 'Hey, we're going to support the transfer of games in trade-in and resale,'" Bartel said. "I think that both of them see the value of that. They understand that consumers put a high value on the ability to transfer games and the ability to get that residual value out of games."