GameStop wants to work with Sony to sell PlayStation Now

GameStop wants to work with Sony to sell PlayStation Now memberships to customers in-store, a senior public relations director for the Grapevine, Texas company told GameSpot today. Just like GameStop worked with Sony to add PlayStation Plus memberships to in-store shelves, the company hopes to do the same with PlayStation Now.

"GameStop has built a $600MM digital business, with most of the digital games sold through our stores. Similar to how we worked closely with our partner Sony to successfully sell the PlayStation Plus service, we are looking forward to working with them on including the new PlayStation Now service as part of our portfolio of gaming products we offer our customers," a representative for the company said.

Sony has not yet disclosed how it will monetize PlayStation Now, though the streaming service is expected to carry a separate fee from PlayStation Plus.

Immediately after Sony announced PlayStation Now during CES 2014 yesterday, GameStop shares plummeted more than 9 percent, presumably on the assumption that allowing users to rent PlayStation games could negatively impact GameStop's business. Shares rebounded today, but only marginally.

PlayStation Now would also conceivably impact leading by-mail rental company GameFly. However, a company representative told GameSpot yesterday that, "The PlayStation Now service is too new for us to understand potential impacts…"

PlayStation Now is Sony's Gaikai-powered streaming game service that will allow users to rent back-catalog games individually (or through a subscription package) and play them instantly via the cloud. The service launches in full this summer in the United States on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. A beta will be available this month.

Support for PlayStation Vita, Bravia TVs, other Sony devices, as well as non-Sony devices like iPads, iPhones, and other Android devices will come later. Sony has opened a sign-up page for PlayStation Now, but leaving your information there does not guarantee you access to the beta.