Though video games may be hot right now, the rental option is not doing enough business for Redbox to keep at it.
Per a report from The Verge, the rental service has announced that it’s no longer taking part in video game rentals. A few eagle-eyed Reddit users noticed the service taking games off of their website, with no rentals available at any of their kiosks.
Redbox would later confirm this via its official Twitter page when a consumer asked about the availability of certain titles. “Games will continue to be available for purchase at the Box until early next year but we’re no longer making them available to rent,” one of the Redbox Care agents noted.
Once that point in 2020 passes, Redbox will be “permanently transitioning out of the games business” to focus on its streaming service and movie rentals instead.”
The company didn’t provide a specific reason for the move, but more than likely it has to do with more consumers purchasing digital versions of games.
There are still games available for purchase at select kiosks, and with reasonable asking prices. Death Stranding and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order are currently selling for $39.99; and some even offer Switch games for a decent value. Those interested in shopping around can do so via the Redbox website, which keeps track of which kiosks have games in stock.
This is sure to be a blow for those that have rented games exclusively through Redbox in the past. But there are other options, like EA Access providing 10-hour trials for its games, as well as Gamefly.
