Redbox Kiosk News
From Engadget 12.10.19
The internet seems to have caught up with the games via Redbox. Xbox subscriptions have cut into the market. Consumers spent $400 million renting DVD and Blu-ray Disc movies in 2019 first quarter according to several sources. Most came at 41,000 Redbox kiosks, which accounted for 61% ($244 million) of spending, up about 1.3% from the previous-year period.
Privately-held Redbox is estimated in 2016 to have generated about $2 billion in annual revenue.
Excerpt:
Redbox has been handy for renting video games to get through their stories without buying a copy outright, but that won’t be possible from now on. The company has confirmed circulating reports that it’s no longer renting games at its kiosks. Not only that, but it’s bowing out of sales, too. While Redbox said on Twitter that it was ending sales “early next year,” a spokesperson told The Verge that purchases would only be available “through the end of the year.” Don’t expect to buy a game to usher in 2020.
The company wasn’t shy about what was happening. It’s “permanently transitioning out of the games business,” the spokesperson said. There will be good deals on purchases, however. New titles like Death Stranding and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be available for $40 — if you like physical copies of your games, that’s a significant bargain.