Blockbuster tests online video game rental program

DALLAS Blockbuster announced that in keeping with its previously disclosed plans to pilot an online video game rental offering by summer, the company would be launching the program in the Cleveland area June 30. Blockbuster plans to expand the program nationwide before the end of the year, making it the only by-mail service to offer both movie and game rentals.

The Cleveland pilot test will be open to all Blockbuster Total Access and Blockbuster By Mail subscribers. Subscribers in the pilot test will be able to opt-in to add Wii, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 games to their current online rental queue for an incremental monthly fee, which will only be charged for billing cycles in which they have actually rented games. For the set fee, subscribers can rent as many games as they want during the month, one game out at a time. The game rentals will count toward the total number of rentals a subscriber is allowed under their current online subscription plan. Additionally, Total Access subscribers will get the same in-store exchange benefits with their by-mail game rentals as they do with movies under their current plan.