ASDA and Tesco enter pre-owned market

MCV can reveal that both Asda and Tesco have begun selling pre-owned video games in some of their UK stores.

Asda is currently trialling the scheme in its Leeds Living store at Crown Point. It is believed that the offer began on Monday.

It has also emerged that late last year Tesco begun trialling pre-owned games in its Basildon Pitsea store, MCV understands that the trial may since have been rolled out into other outlets.

Both are selling second hand titles and allowing customers to trade in their games.

Asda first signalled its intention to target the pre-owned games market in July of last year. Tesco has never voiced its aspirations top enter the sector.

The pair become the latest in a long-line of non-specialist retailers to enter the second hand market, following the likes of HMV and Woolworths in the UK. US retailers Wal-Mart and Toys R Us – as well as online giant Amazon – have also done the same in the US.

Pre-owned sales have long been hailed as a cornerstone of specialist games retail and remain one of the key differentiators between dedicated games retailers and generalists.

The sector has always proved controversial – particularly with publishers who see pre-owned sales as a direct attack on their profit margins.

In recent weeks both EA and Sony have announced plans that reward those who buy new games with additional DLC. However, anyone picking up the same titles second hand must pay a premium to access the same content.