Microsoft and any associated game publisher will automatically get a cut of any pre-owned game sold for the Xbox One.
According to retail sources speaking to MCV, Microsoft has debriefed key retailers on how it intended to profit from pre-owned Xbox One game sales.
The company has already confirmed that the Xbox One won’t require an always-on DRM connection, but need to be connected to the internet at least once per day. According to the sources, this is so that Microsoft and the game publishers can track pre-owned game trade-ins and receive a cut from any sales made.
Only retailers that have signed Microsoft’s terms and conditions and have integrated with Microsoft’s Azure cloud-based pre-owned system will be allowed to accept Xbox One trade-ins.
Any title a gamer wishes to trade in will be registered on the Azure system via the retailer. The gamer will then have the title removed from their Xbox One hard drive and no longer have access to that game.
The retailer then has the power to charge as much or as little as they so wish for said title, but will automatically lose a percentage of that price to Microsoft and the publisher.
Earlier we reported that this retailer percentage could be as little as 10 per cent, which is more akin to the cut retailer’s receive from the sale of a new release.
Players may also have to unlock the game’s license by paying a fee, which could potentially be up to £35. It is not known whether this figure includes the retail price of the game as well.
“We know there is some confusion around used games on Xbox One and wanted to provide a bit of clarification on exactly what we’ve confirmed,” said Microsoft in a statement. “While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail. Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios.”
“Another piece of clarification around playing games at a friend’s house – should you choose to play your game at your friend’s house, there is no fee to play that game while you are signed in to your profile.”
Next, read our Xbox One vs 360 comparison
