Source: http://wpmedia.o.canada.com/2013/11/free.jpg?w=612&h=330&crop=1
Recently I stumbled upon a steal of a deal: Best Buy and Future Shop offered 3 new current-gen console video game titles for free if consumers traded in any current-gen title. This seemed too good to be true, considering anyone could trade in used titles of $5-10 values for new titles valued at $60. To my surprise, the only catch in fine print was the limit of one customer per exchange (and the impending Boxing Day-long lines outside Best Buy/Future Shop).
Source: http://www.ecanadanow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/free-games-futureshop.jpg
So why is Best Buy (well, and Future Shop which Best Buy acquired a while ago) offering this deal?
It’s all about inventory. These new titles that Best Buy is trading away are caught in a transition period: they will be available for current-gen and next-gen consoles. With the upcoming release of next-gen consoles (Playstation 4 and Xbox One), consumers upgrading their consoles will want to play these new titles on their new next-gen consoles rather than on current-gen consoles.
As a result of predicted decline in demand for these new titles on current-gen consoles, Best Buy has most likely offered this promotion to reduce inventory in order to better position games for their appropriate console generation. Currently, the incentive for consumers to trade in their used games cannot get better than this.
Check out the article here.
“Future Shop Offering New Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and Battlefield Titles for Free with Single Trade in.” Financial Post. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.<http://business.financialpost.com/2013/11/08/future-shop-offering-new-call-of-duty-assassins-creed-and-battlefield-titles-for-free-with-single-trade-in/>.