Two equity research firms have weighed in this morning on Microsoft's decision yesterday to give up on its Xbox One used games restrictions, region locking, and internet connectivity requirements. First up is BMO Capital Markets, who said in a note to investors this morning that this was good news for the industry - and in particular GameStop.

Update #2: The Wii U's Basic Set model is not being recalled, according to a statement from Nintendo of America to Polygon:

According to analyst Colin Sebastian from equity research firm Baird Equity, the trade-ins on current generation console software and hardware has the potential to generate an estimated $2.5 billion in credit at retailer GameStop (to be used on next-gen consoles). Sebastian came to this conclusion after speaking with executives at the specialty retailer to discuss how it could diversify sales through the pre-owned and mobile markets.

While Microsoft is being a little bit cagey about how it will handle used games on Xbox One, GameStop is trying to reassure consumers that next-generation games will be able to be bought and sold. Speaking to Forbes, GameStop president Tony Bartel explained why having the ability to buy and sell games is important as consoles transition.

According to the image to your left, GameStop will no longer be accepting trade-ins on various PS2 related items and systems as of June 1, 2013. That means if you want to trade those PS2-related items in for something new you'd better do it in the next couple of weeks. The image comes from a Reddit user named eGORapTure, who spotted the sign at his local GameStop.

While some may question the power of the PS4 at retail at the end of this year, retailer GameStop has absolutely no doubt that Sony's next home console system will be very, very popular.

"Although we have been given no official numbers by Sony we do believe that demand will far outpace the supply of this product during the launch window," GameStop president Tony Bartel recently told investors.

A research report on GameStop from equity research firm Baird Equity Research predicts that the games retailer will miss estimates for Q4 earnings. The company is set to release Q4 earnings next Thursday, along with initial guidance for fiscal year 2013. Baird Equity points to weak hardware sales and software prices that are " under pressure." GameStop could see a boost from the next Xbox announcement, the E3 trade show in June and launch of new hardware in the fall, according to the firm.

A former executive from GameStop's Texas division has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for embezzling $1.7 million from the company by setting up a shell company, according to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Frank Christopher Olivera, the now former Vice President of corporate communications and public affairs at GameStop Texas was convicted this week.

During its part in the recent Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, video game retailer GameStop revealed that it plans to close 250 retail stores in 2013. CFO Rob Lloyd said that the company would close unprofitable and marginally profitable stores and shift customers to retail stores that are "nearby" those locations. Of the 250 closures, around 200 of those stores are in the United States.

Speaking to Bloomberg GameStop VP of public and investor relations Matt Hodges said that the consumer's desire to purchase a next-generation console will be "significantly diminished" if manufacturers were to block the ability to play used games.

Video game retailer GameStop revealed that sales for the last nine weeks of 2012 came in at $2.88 billion, a 4.6 percent decrease from the 2011 holiday shopping season. The retailer blamed a lack of in-store traffic as the primary cause. Second-hand sales were also down 15.6 percent because of limited inventory, according to GameStop. New game sales were also down by 5.1 percent, while hardware numbers were down 2.7 percent.

Perhaps realizing that to compete with the Samsungs and Apples of the world in the tablet market it needed to expand its reach beyond its own website, Amazon is now offerings its Kindle Fire devices at GameStop. GameStop is now selling the Kindle Fire tablet at their retail stores and is offering a nifty promotional $25 Amazon.com gift card as an incentive. The device is available now for $199.99 in all 4,400 U.S. GameStop stores. The Kindle Fire HD and 7" versions of the tablet are also available in select stores.

Video game retailer GameStop announced that it suffered a $624 million net loss in revenue for the third quarter that ended on October 27. While GameStop said that results exceeded expectations for Q3, it highlighted the fact that sales were down on new software, used software and new hardware. Total sales fell approximately 8.9 percent to $1.77 billion while store sales also fell 8.3 percent. Overall, GameStop recorded a consolidated net loss of $624.3 million.

A former high ranking executive at retailer GameStop has pled guilty to embezzling $2 million from the company. According to a federal indictment filed on Friday, former vice president of corporate communications and public affairs for GameStop Chris Olivera diverted a couple million from the company into a personal business account. Olivera was able to do this, the indictment claims, because he processed invoices from vendors.

Video game retail giant GameStop is rolling out new stores geared towards younger children in North America this week in select locations. The new stores are called GameStop Kids. GameStop plans to open 80 GameStop Kids locations at malls in the United States during the holiday season.

Yesterday we reported that retailer GameStop halted its pre-orders for both models of Nintendo's Wii U console. Today the retailer wants those who didn't get in on the action to get in on a waiting list. The problem is it's only for PowerUp Rewards members. A cynical person would suggest that this is all some clandestine plan by GameStop to boot its PowerUp Rewards membership numbers.

From the FAQ:

If you haven't had the chance to pre-order the Wii U and were planning on heading over to Gamestop.com to sign up, you can forget about it for the time being. GameStop has stopped taking pre-orders for both version of the upcoming console as of yesterday. While there are likely retailers out there taking pre-orders still, it is curious that the world's largest games retailer would stop so quickly after opening them up late last week.

In a recent interview with Joystiq, GameStop CEO Paul Raines clarified a recent story about plans to sell vintage games and systems at retail stores throughout the United States.

GameStop CEO Paul Raines tells Joystiq that it will likely stock the OUYA console in its stores when it launches in 2013.

"We will be a part of any console launch in the future," he told Joystiq. "We think Ouya's cool. We love the idea of open-source components. Everything we've read is great."

"There will be games developed for that stuff. So you're going to see more of these open source type products, and we will be right in the middle of all of it."

According to a report on Polygon, video game retailer GameStop is seriously considering including a destination inside its retail stores specifically for shoppers looking to purchase classic game cartridges and discs that are no longer being carried by most retailers.

I am not sure if GameStop is one of the top ten worst companies to work for in the United States, but analyst firm Glassdoor does. Glassdoor lets employees rate the company's they work for, and apparently GameStop employees voted for the company enough to push it in at number ten on their list. Employees that contributed to the study say that GameStop puts too much of an emphasis on high sales and doesn't provide enough attention to customer service.

While some game publishers and developers have come out hard against the sale of used games, GameStop's president Paul Raines says that the myth that used games are cutting into new game sales is just - a myth. Speaking to Gamasutra, Raines said that 70 percent of all income derived from used game sales by consumers is almost immediately spent on purchasing a new game - to the tune of $1.8 billion to the US games industry every year.

GameStop is apparently paying close attention to the recent decision by the European High Court that digital purchases could legally be resold. Speaking to GameSpot, GameStop CEO Paul Raines said that the video games retailer is seriously looking into the idea of creating a business out of reselling digital downloads in Europe, but cautions that it is too early for him to say if it is something they will get into. At this point the company is simply investigating the idea.

If you would prefer to spend your hard-earned cash on digital goods but also want to trade-in some of your used games too, then GameStop is offering a deal worth mentioning. For the remainder of Steam's massive summer sale trade-ins at GameStop will net you an additional 30 percent in value if you put that credit towards the purchase of a Steam gift card. The deal runs until July 23.

Despite all the talk about a next-generation console future where consumers are not allowed to play their used games by evil platform holders like Microsoft and Sony, retailer GameStop says that such a future is unlikely. The video game retailer firmly believes that the next generation consoles from both Sony and Microsoft will handle the business of retail trade-ins and used game sales the way they always have - by mostly ignoring them. The company made its remarks during an investor meeting with analyst firm Baird Equity Research.

GameStop International and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have partnered to bring PlayStation Network DLC to 1,600 retail video game stores throughout Europe and Australia. This includes stores in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Consumers can purchase downloadable content in stores using cash, gift cards, and in-store credits from trade-ins to buy the DLC.

Video game retailer GameStop announced its first quarter 2012 financial results this week, showing that physical retail numbers were down, while used games and digital sales were up. While the company saw a decline in overall net income and sales for the quarter, its reported income was in line with earnings targets.

According to a C&VG report games retailer GameStop will begin stocking Steam cards May 15 in a majority of its U.S. stores. The idea of having a retail card is that it gives those who do not have a credit card the ability to put cash towards a card they can use to buy games on Steam.

Law firm Baron and Budd has reached a settlement agreement with GameStop over DLC. The firm filed a class action lawsuit against the video game retailer over DLC and labeling related to used games. In the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Senior District Judge Thelton E. Henderson entered an order approving a class action settlement Baron and Budd reached with GameStop.

GameStop is banking on a new deal with Blizzard that it hopes will shore up its digital sales over the next several years. The deal will see GameStop offer customers the ability to buy games and digital goods for Blizzard games in the retailer’s stores in the U.S. and other regions. Diablo III, coming May 15, will be the first game sold via download codes in the stores.