The GameStop / Video Game Store Thread

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This just in: DEI and wokeness are the greatest barriers to running a GameStop store in Canada or France. Things are A-OK in woke-free America, no store closures here!

Video game retailer GameStop has announced plans to "pursue a sale" of its operations in France and Canada, in the latest setback for the company's international business. According to a brief press release posted to the GameStop website (via the Toronto Star) the move comes in the wake of an "evaluation of its international assets".

An SEC filing made in February last year stated GameStop had a total of 332 stores in France, and 203 retail outlets in Canada. No specific reason was given for the sale, but in a bizarre statement on X, Gamestop CEO Ryan Cohen seemed to take issue with the progressive nature of both countries. Requesting emails from individuals interested in "buying GameStop Canada or Micromania France", Cohen added that "High taxes, Liberalism, Socialism, Progressivism, Wokeness and DEI included at no additional cost if you buy today!"

Setting aside the unprofessional nature of Cohen's statement, it's bizarre to see a CEO advertise the sale of part of his business by highlighting all the things he thinks is bad about it. It's like a market stall hawker yelling "Come and buy my apples, a free worm in every bite!". Here, of course, the worms are entirely imagined, but even if they weren't, you don't promote the fact. It's a deeply irrational and counterproductive mindset.

The reality is that the physical side of GameStop's business has been in steady decline for a while. In 2019, GameStop closed around 200 stores in an attempt to "reboot" the company. GameStop's fortunes briefly rose due to its 2021 stock surge, but shares quickly plummeted following that initial spike.

Meanwhile, GameStop has continued to close physical stores worldwide. According to a separate SEC filing posted in December (via The Hill) GameStop shuttered its stores in Ireland, Switzerland and Austria in 2023, and initiated plans to wrap up its retail operations in Germany in 2024.

[ian]

They'll ride easy as long as they hold onto their EB Games stores. Wokeness, taxes and politics don't matter at all simply because prices here are so high at EB that one single sale at one single EB in Australia keeps the lights on at the entire company worldwide for another week.

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I forgot to mention that we lost our Gamestop location here in the mall about a month ago. It was a Software Etc. until 1997-2000ish and I think the Gameboy Advance was the last system I ever bought from there. But it is weird to think that there's no video game store in the mall anymore because there's been one since I can remember.

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https://x.com/gamestop/status/1908178571224387975/

[ian]

I forgot to mention that we lost our Gamestop location here in the mall about a month ago. It was a Software Etc. until 1997-2000ish and I think the Gameboy Advance was the last system I ever bought from there. But it is weird to think that there's no video game store in the mall anymore because there's been one since I can remember.

It's kind of an awww moment, like when the local video shop closes or the horrible local restaurant gets new owners who make it worse... Sure I didn't go in there for a decade, but I don't like knowing I can't anymore. :olol:

My local shopping centre has had an EB games forever.
I actually went in there a few months ago to buy Futurama tat.

Electronics boutique didn't exist in the shopping centre when I got my Super Nintendo, but did exist by the time I got my N64.
They used to be on one side of the entry hall to the cinema, and then a few years ago they inexplicably moved to the other side of the entry. They moved like 40 feet for an identical store layout, the only reason I can think for the move is cheaper rent.
I could throw a piece of pop culture tat from the new store and hit someone in the old store.

I don't often shop at EB because every other retailer will usually sell a game for $70-80 and EB will be like $100-110.

But I will hand it to them, they had Grandia 2 on Dreamcast for $59 when everyone else still had it at $99.