On Tuesday, March 18th, Walmart announced that it would begin a new video game trade-in program. Walmart already has – or so their announcement says – the “second-largest market share in the video game industry.”¹ The trade-in program could, very easily, propel the company into the number one spot. The company noted that the program would be very similar to other video ga,e trade-in programs:

Starting Wednesday, March 26, customers will be able to trade in their video games and apply the value immediately towards the purchase of anything sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club, both in stores and online. The traded-in games will then be sent to be refurbished and made available for purchase in like-new condition at a great low price.²

Although the Bentonville, Arkansas company noted that new releases will remain the focus of their video game offerings, used games will become a valuable component. Further, “Our strategy is to pay more for used games, sell new and used games for less, and give our customers the flexibility to spend their money how they want.”³

Duncan Mac Naughton, Walmart’s Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer noted the impetus for the new program: “Gaming continues to be an important business for us and we’re actively taking aim at the $2 billion pre-owned video game opportunity…When we disrupt markets and compete, our customer wins. They’ll save money on video games and have the flexibility to spend it however they want.”⁴

Walmart released a short video about the new program: