Why it matters: In short, Redbox was simply a stop gap to hold consumers over until streaming matured. Some no doubt made a small fortune on the kiosks but it was never meant to be a long-term solution as physical media is destined for irrelevance. The continued emergence of streaming platforms like Disney+ and Apple TV and future-looking technologies like 5G will ensure that.
Redbox is exiting the video game rental business. The kiosk operator confirmed the news to The Verge this week after reports surfaced on Reddit that some machines were no longer offering game rentals.
The company additionally confirmed the news via its Twitter channel.
Redbox was a brief but important part of the transition from traditional video stores to digital delivery of movies and video games. In the grand scheme of things, it all happened relatively quickly with Netflix being the catalyst for change.
Redbox also told The Verge that it will end sales of games at its kiosks by the end of the year.
With Redbox now out of the game, your options for video game rentals are largely limited to subscription-based services like GameFly. I personally haven't seen a video rental store in years and with only a single Blockbuster still in existence, your odds probably aren't much better.
Masthead credit: Redbox kiosk by Jonathan Weiss