Gamer fans that are into classics can now rejoice, as game retail giant GameStop is thinking of going into the retro games business.
Beginning April 25, GameStop will launch a trade-in program for old games, consoles, and accessories. The pilot will be first tested on two, gamer-heavy areas, New York City and Birmingham. GameStop hopes that their almost 250 stores on these two locations will be able to accommodate the influx of retro items.
Stores around these two key areas will begin assessing and accepting retro accessories like games and peripherals, and console systems which include the SEGA Genesis and Dreamcast; NES and Super NES systems; the original Playstation; and the N64.
However, even if the experiment program kicks off at April 25, GameStop will still have to check all of the items and will take about two months before retro items begin to be seen on their stores. The company will send all retro items for inspection at their Refurbishment Operations Center in Texas. Speaking in an interview with IGN, a GameStop spokesperson said, "We will bring all of the product back through the Refurbishment Operations Center for inspection, testing and repair."
If the experiment seems successful, GameStop is planning to launch the retro trade-in nationwide.
GameStop seems to be pulling all the stops for a much-focused marketing strategy. Last month, the company announced that it would be pulling back a decision to stop trading in Playstation 2 consoles for in-store credits, and again jumpstarted the program.
For the latest retro items trade-in program, no details yet on how much price range fans hope to get from trading in their old consoles and games, or how much GameStop will tag retro items from its stock. However, the company says that even if the items are 'old', they would still be considered as retail pieces and will come with a standard GameStop warranty.
