Amazon improves Prime service with videogame discount offer

Monday, January 18, 2016 - 13:20 by Mike Price

The value of an Amazon Prime membership has just improved significantly for fans of interactive entertainment, since the online retailer has just announced its intention to provide customers with 20 per cent off new videogames when they sign up to the service, according to the Independent.

This offer applies not only to games which have just hit the market, but also to titles which are available for pre-order. And, of course, all that is needed for eligibility is the £79 a year subscription to Prime, which already comes with free next day delivery and access to Amazon’s own-brand video streaming service.

Unfortunately, the only problem with this deal is that for the time being it is being made available only to those shopping online with Amazon in the US, meaning that people in the UK will have to wait to see if the retailer decides to extend its generosity across the pond. And since a variety of services have already made this leap, there is every reason to expect that a similar approach will eventually be taken in this instance.

Buying a new game in the UK can cost anywhere from £40 to £60, with pre-order bonuses and season passes adding up and increasing the costs above and beyond this upper limit, for titles like Star Wars Battlefront. So having the ability to save a fifth on the RRP would definitely give Prime users the incentive to stick with Amazon when carrying out safe shopping online.

Amazon has been pushing hard to get more subscribers for Prime, with this targeting of the gaming market being its latest attempt to convince people that paying £79 a year is worthwhile. And it will be interesting to see if any of its retail rivals are willing to respond with their own discounts.