Game kiosk company e-Play suspends operations
Retailers Walmart and Best Buy launched pilot programs last year to test game kiosks in some of their stores. Walmart tested the kiosks in almost eighty of their stores while Best Buy tip toed into the market with only two. Both retailers were trying to find a cost effective way to take a bite out of GameStop’s lucrative used game buy-back program. As of today both of those pilot programs will have to come to an end.
According to Industry Gamers e-Play, the company who supplied those kiosks to both Walmart and Best Buy has suspended operations. The company’s website only features the following ominous message:
e-Play, LLC has suspended operations. Thank you to all our customers. For more information call 1-866-602-6014
I called the toll-free number listed in the massage, it’s just an automated message explaining how to return games and asks if you would like to leave a message.
It looks like GameStop’s hold on the used game business will remain intact. Both Walmart and Best Buy will have to go back to the drawing board if they wish to get back into the used game marketplace.
Kiosks still left at the selected “test stores” will be removed in the coming weeks.
