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GameStop has revealed that they are preparing to fund development of exclusive content and DLC. The retailer confirmed that publishers and developers who they had had discussion with were enthusiastic about collaborating with them to produce exclusives. This could mean that GameStop will be looking to partner with developers while they are working on projects, in order to decide what content to include. Exclusive physical content and DLC are some of the reasons that customers might prefer to go to a store rather than buy online, so it makes sense for GameStop to explore this option.
Paul Raines, CEO of GameStop did confirm though that his company would not be looking to interefere in the creative process of developers, instead just paying them to make certain elements exclusive to them. Speaking to Time he said: “I think we’d be foolish to tell developers how to develop games or publishers how to bring product to market. That’s what they do extremely well. What we’ll do well is put capital at risk and help distribute and connect with PowerUp Rewards customers.”
Exclusive content is something that is already fairly common. Many stores and online retailers offer extra incentives for buying a title from them. In the past this has ranged from small content such as exclusive costumes or outfits, to fully fledged DLC available only to those who buy from selected stores. None of these deals have included the store becoming involved in the development process, with negotiations simply taking place between the retailer and the publisher.
It should come as no surprising that brick-and-mortar retailers like GameStop are looking at ways to entice customers to buy from them. Over the last few years specialist gaming chains have struggled to make ends meet, with a number of high profile stores having financial difficulty. In 2012, the UK’s biggest game retailer, GAME, went into administration. Although it was eventually saved it came at the cost of a large number of jobs as many stores had to close down.
