Eurogamer.net launches game rental service

Leading UK consumer videogames publication Eurogamer.net has announced the launch of a new game rental service in partnership with specialist firm SwapGame - and has simultaneously made significant upgrades to its community features.

The new Eurogamer game rental service offers readers of the site the ability to choose from a library of 1,500 console and handheld titles, and rent two at a time - keeping them for as long as they like - for GBP 14.99 per month.

Games are delivered direct to the doorsteps of users, and are supplied with prepaid envelopes for returning them. Upon the return of the game, SwapGame sends out the next title from the user's rental queue.

Eurogamer is also offering a 10 day free trial of the service, and two alternative pricing models are available - with a GBP 9.99 subscription allowing just one game at a time to be rented, while a GBP 19.99 fee allows three games at a time.

"We believe the new rental service provides a great alternative approach to playing videogames," commented Eurogamer's business development manager Patrick Garratt, "and offers outstanding choice and value for money to gamers. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with SwapGame."

Also today, Eurogamer - which earlier this month published the results of an ABCE audit revealing that almost a million unique users visited the site in October - launched a host of new community-focused features on the site.

Among the new features and services being offered to users are the ability to post personal reviews of videogames to the site, the ability to vote towards reader scores on every game, and extended user profiles, allowing readers to share information about themselves and their gaming lives - including aliases for Xbox Live, Steam, Nintendo DS Friend Codes and other gaming "tags".

Eurogamer.net is published by Eurogamer Network Ltd, which also publishes GamesIndustry.biz and MobileIndustry.biz.