Blockbuster Total Access subscribers will soon have the ability to rent video games alongside DVDs, the company recently announced.
Total Access allows subscribers to rent movies online and then exchange them at Blockbuster or by mail. Subscription plans start at $10 but the company's $20 plan is the most popular among subscribers, according to Blockbuster officials. Subscribers interested in renting video games will be forced to pay an extra $5 per month, but only for the months they rent video games.
"We already rent more video games than any other company, store-based or online, in the nation, so we know our core customer loves games as well as movies," Blockbuster.com VP and GM Bob Barr said in a statement.
Subscribers will be able to rent video games for the Sony PlayStation 2 and 3, Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360, as well as the Nintendo Wii video game consoles.
Blockbuster expects to add video games to Total Access sometime in the second quarter.
All Blockbuster retail locations offer video game rentals and movie rentals, though movies can be exchanged in-store for free, while video games will be exchanged with a 50 percent discount.
Netflix, Blockbuster's biggest DVD rental rival, does not offer video games at the moment. GameFly, the online video game rental service, isn't interested in renting movies, so Blockbuster will be the only company to do both. Blockbuster has struggled as of late due to Netflix's growing popularity, with the company notably closing store locations across the United States.
