One of the biggest fears that video gamers and video game retailers had after Microsoft’s unveiling was that the Xbox One would not play used games. Writing in a blog post Thursday, Microsoft brought a major sigh of relief to GameStop and gaming fanatics by confirming that used games will indeed work on the software company’s new gaming platform.

“Trade-in and resell your disc-based games: Today, some gamers choose to sell their old disc-based games back for cash and credit. We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers.  Microsoft does not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games,” Microsoft wrote.

According to MarketWatch, conflicting media reports on whether Microsoft intended to charge a fee for playing used games on Xbox One led to a slump in GameStop shares at the end of May. GameStop reportedly makes most of its profits from the sale of used games.

What about sharing disc-based games with your friends? According to Microsoft, the gaming system was created with this time-honored tradition in mind. Microsoft said that it will not charge any fees as part of these transfers. However, the software company noted that gamers can only transfer their games to individuals who have been on their friends list for at 30 days and each game can only be transferred once.

The Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog notes that the Xbox One will need to be connected to the Internet at least once every 24 hours if a person wants to game offline. Microsoft’s effort to limit how long someone can game offline is an indication of how hard their pushing the online world of gaming in their newest system.

Both the Xbox One and its chief rival, the PS4, are set to be released by the end of 2013.

Do you plan on playing used games on Xbox One? Are you a fan of what Microsoft has revealed about the company’s new gaming platform so far? Share your thoughts in the comments section.