GameStop is rolling out an all-you-can-eat subscription service for its used game inventory, according to an advertisement spied in a magazine over the weekend. Under its terms, subscribers can pick any used game, play it, return it and get another as often as they like.
Moreover, players can keep the last one they take. Polygon has emailed a GameStop representative for more information on what that entails.
The advertisement was first seen at ResetEra, the new gaming forum. It appears to be from the newest issue of Game Informer (which is published by GameStop).
The “Power Pass” subscription lasts six months and costs $60, according to the advertisement. Sign ups will begin on Nov. 19. The fine print says the Power Pass must be activated by Jan. 31, 2018, possibly hinting at when this service will go live.
The subscription requires that the user be a PowerUp Rewards member, and the offer will be available only to the used game catalog in a store (i.e. physical discs), not from GameStop’s online library. The PowerUp Rewards requirement apparently is there to help GameStop track the game currently in a user’s possession.
It sounds like a fair deal, but the real trick for subscribers will be timing it so that they play the game they really want last in their subscription cycle.
Update: A GameStop representative has confirmed the plans. Players can choose any game they played in their six-month subscription to keep at the end of it, not just the last one played. This is why the PowerUp Rewards membership is needed, it helps GameStop track the games users took in and out of the store.