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Wal-Mart, Best Buy end pre-owned games trial

Trial ends as partnering kiosk company suspends operations

Wal-Mart and Best Buy have ended the sale of pre-owned games in their stores after an underwhelming customer response forced the kiosk company they were partnered with to cease operations.

Kiosk business E-Play provided the 'videogame buyback' kiosks at selected shops beginning last May. Instead of handing out cash for used games, the automated kiosks applied funds to a credit card.

However, according to analyst Arvind Bhatia, speaking to IndustryGamers, the response to the kiosks was "underwhelming".

E-Play's website now states the business has suspended operations. Subsequently, kiosks are expected to be removed from their locations over the coming weeks.

Despite an estimated 100 million games being traded annually in the US, to the value of $2 billion, Bhatia notes "it is clear the used games business is not an easy one to execute."

It's reported that both Best Buy and Wal-Mart have decided not to offered pre-owned games under a different model in the wake of E-Play's closure.