AfterDawn: News

WhyBuyGames to add Blu-ray stock

WhyBuyGames.com,, the large European online rental company has announced that it will be adding Blu-ray movies to its current stock of video games.

The company secured external capital investment to fund the expansion, has said the decision was made due to the growth in Blu-ray player sales. The company also noted that sales "jumped sevenfold since the collapse of Toshiba's HD-DVD format."



Co-founder Aaron Barrett says he hopes that Blu-ray will account for as much as 20 percent of the company's profits in the future but that Xbox 360 games are the most popular at the moment. PlayStation 3 games were gaining popularity however.

"There has been a significant rise in PS3 game rentals this year," he said. "Due to the increase in PS3 game rentals we decided to expand our services to offer Blu-ray films and have noticed that customers are increasingly adding these into there rental queues."

"The videogame rental market has had significant growth over the last five years and is forecast to increase further but at a steadier rate," he noted. "With the cost of game development for next-gen consoles rising, the RRP has to be adjusted to reflect this - which puts game purchases for a lot of people at a low priority.

"Game rental will therefore become a far more attractive option as time goes on," he added.

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Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 7 Apr 2008 15:00

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• 5 comments

• ikari

  Makes sense now that a format has been decided. Can see more and more rental places doing the samething. Curious to see if they provide any actuals on rental stats at the end of the year for Blu-Ray.
  
  Quote:"The videogame rental market has had significant growth over the last five years and is forecast to increase further but at a steadier rate," he noted. "With the cost of game development for next-gen consoles rising, the RRP has to be adjusted to reflect this - which puts game purchases for a lot of people at a low priority.
  
  "Game rental will therefore become a far more attractive option as time goes on," he added. I think the "next-next-gen" game consoles will need to figure out a way to reduce development costs. The idea of having a "next-next-gen" game cost more than the current next-gen prices might turn more casual gamers off buying a console. Lets hope MS, Sony, Nintendo, and possible other competition realize and address this.

  7.4.2008 17:58 #1

• i1der

  Why does wii games cost so much? When they use last gen technology to develop games.... Don't even fock argue with me about that! If you want a prove just play any game on wii and the same game on on PS2 or even PSP (i did play manhunt 2 on wii and psp and look exactly the same) Since when adding new controllers is New gen.... People are so Stupid about this... If so, sony just developed a new new-gen now its has a Rumble and Sixaxe on same controller lol... And for what i heard its been super easy to develop games to Xbox360, witch makes me think that we are getting ripped off when games for these console still costing the same as the PS3(i know $50 for most of wii but some still $60, 50 bucks for old gen with new controllers still expensive) As the developers say "is focking hard to develop for PS3" would be the only one to make sense to cost more... My 2 cents.
  Obs: PSP is the best system ever made!

  7.4.2008 18:44 #2

• TBandit

  Its obvious why renting has grown so much, the prices of games have jumped too high for many to consider buying new. Why buy new when most of the games you get for the next gen you can complete by just renting it for a week or so. Must be super easy to develop 360 games seeing as how short most of the damn games are. They now have to depend on online play now.

  7.4.2008 19:02 #3

• i1der

  Originally posted by i1der: Obs: PSP is the best system ever made!
  just something to better finish that sentence... PSP is like wii on the go lol...
  Just a rant no hating plz, i have all the systems i comment about... I wouldn't talk about something i don't know... Personal opinion, personal experience!

  7.4.2008 19:03 #4

• Hunt720

  I'd say that a large part of the 360 titles being the "top" renter is due to the online acheivements that can be gained. If PS3 HOME actually has the "acccomplishments" (wtf.. seriously?) then maybe the renting will pick up. I don't rent any titles for games... I do however have a netflix account that I LOVE getting Blu-Ray movies with before I decide to buy.

  7.4.2008 20:52 #5