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GameFly adds Elite rental subscription tiers and a movies-only option
The more expensive Elite and cheaper Basic tiers will exist alongside the standard one.
GameFly has expanded its video game rental service with new subscription tiers, which could have customers paying either more or less, depending on their needs. To start with, it now has movies-only subscription plans, likely for those who don’t have the time to commit to video games but would like access to movie Blu-rays and DVDs. GameFly has also introduced the more expensive Elite tier, which will exist alongside the standard option, for both movies-only and games + movies subscription types.
Elite subscribers will obviously get perks other customers won’t get, include early access to sales and the ability to rent new titles on release day (via a feature called GameLock) up to one week before they come out. For standard subscribers, they need to lock upcoming titles in six weeks before release. Both Elite and Standard customers can rent 4K discs, however, if they have a games + movies account. Movies-only customers can only get 4K discs with an Elite account.
For those on a tight budget, GameFly has also launched a $5 basic tier for games + movies customers. It doesn’t have access to new titles, 4K or GameLock, but it’s also $4.50 cheaper than the most affordable standard subscription.
GameFly Marketing Director Joe Slepski said in a statement:
“We’ve been taking multiple steps this year to meet our members’ needs, starting with our GameLock feature, which for the first time, offered members a guaranteed rental. Secondly, we’ve shouldered more inventory costs on our side, by increasing our inventory on almost all games across the board. This breaks from the traditional rental model going back over 40 years, where 1:1 fulfilment was not possible. Additionally, we’ve added more service levels, giving members even more control on how we fit into their gaming styles.”
Alliance Entertainment, a physical media distributor, purchased GameLock back in October. That gave the company access to a more extensive catalog of games to buy and rent. It launched GameLock shortly after that.
