Best Buy to expand video game trade-in program across North America

North America’s biggest consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy, today confirmed the company will allow consumers to trade in their video game titles for in-store credit in the form of gift cards, across all stores, starting sometime by the end of this summer.

We firstly reported on August 10 that Best Buy started this program as part of a pilot project in Salt Lake City in the United States that included kiosks in select stores in the area.

The company today confirmed it has plans to push the project across all Best Buy locations in the United States by the end of this summer, following with Canadian locations later on, likely by the end of the year.

 Best Buy will utilize specially marked kiosks in its stores that will allow consumers to trade in their games for in store credits as gift cards that could be used to buy anything in the store, including new or pre-owned games.

The kiosks will also include interactive displays allowing consumers to learn more about upcoming and current games, including previews, reviews and ratings, pricing, and availability, among other information.

Total credit that will be received on games will be based on the popularity of the titles and the price the title retails for when new.

Other retailers, including the world’s largest general goods retailer, Walmart, already offers consumers the ability to trade in their console games in exchange for credit on their credit cards. That process takes up to three business days to complete, however, that credit could be used towards purchasing anything from any store.

Best Buy today also published earnings for the first quarter of 2010, missing Wall Street expectations, in turn sending the Best Buy stock (NYSE:BBY) price down by more than 6-percent to $38.56 per share.