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Sony’s streaming game service PlayStation Now might not necessarily be the warning claxon for retail that some are predicting.
Retail already does big business selling digital content, with High Street stores in particular profiting from those customers who lack access to debit and credit cards.
One retailer beating the drum about the opportunity afforded by Sony’s new platform is GameStop which, like GAME in the UK, has already done a good job of claiming a slice of PSN’s existing revenue.
"GameStop has built a $600m digital business, with most of the digital games sold through our stores,” a rep told GameSpot.
Similar to how we worked closely with our partner Sony to successfully sell the PlayStation Plus service, we are looking forward to working with them on including the new PlayStation Now service as part of our portfolio of gaming products we offer our customers.”
The retailer’s keenness to fight its corner comes as little surprise – stock in the company fell in the hours following the PlayStation Now announcement, suggesting that the markets don’t share in the belief that digital growth can benefit traditional channels.
Sony has confirmed that PlayStation owners will have the choice between renting individual titles or instead subscribing to the streaming service, neither of which implicitly exclude High Street retail from the equation.
