Best Buy following Toys R Us into used games?

March 3, 2:28 PMSF Video Game ExaminerEdie Sellers

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This could be a trend.

Less than a week after Toys R Us rolled out a pilot program into the used-game business, electronics retailer Best Buy announced it, too, will test the game buyback waters.

According to online game news site Kotaku, it has a source claiming that Best Buy will be installing used-game sections in some stores by the end of the month.

The consumer-electronics giant — 165,000 employees at 1,800 stores domestically and internationally — could also be a formidable player in the market, which to date has been dominated by GameStop.

This wouldn't be the first time that Best Buy has dabbled in the used-game business. In 2005, it tried out the idea to no success, and last year it tested out markets in Canada with used-game buybacks in its Future Shop outlets.

However, much has changed for Best Buy since then. Retail rival Circuit City went out of business and is currently liquidating, making the company a virtual juggernaut of retail consumer electronics.

And with the economy sagging as it has with little end in sight, the lure of a growing market that requires little or no startup investment makes for a temptation that cannot be resisted.

Thank you to reader HEARTBREAK RIDGE for the tip!