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[digita1alchemy]

I need GameStop to exist, because they're the easiest place to pre-order hard to get stuff. I'm only competing with people in my area and not the whole damn internet.

 

[Uno Venova]

You want video games to lose their biggest retail presence? Why?

Mostly because people here are more on the 'cutting edge' of buying games, online pre-orders mostly, same day shipping, and digital.

They're in this bubble and think that's how the majority buy their games when launch nights at gamestop are still packed with people, but I guess fuck them cuz man they sold you a new game without the wrapper that one time.

 

[Pejo]

It's actually a shame that Gamestop is going to be gone soon. There's a place for that kind of market for games, even still, but the awful management and bad business practices just make it so you can't root for them, ever.

Also, I REALLY dislike the idea of games as a service moving forward, and I know MS is going to push it really hard. Nothing but positives for them, for getting consumers to go along with it.

I think EA Access was dangerous, and so is Digital Pass.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

As much as I hate Gamestop, I fear what would happen to physical games if they start to disappear.

This, and more than this the advancement of DRM tied to future iterations of their platform once Gamestop loses all their leverage as a retail presence. Maybe unlimited access to a huge catalog of games is a better user experience than cycling your games through GS's pawn shop, but this system feels like a carrot tied to a very familiar stick that consumers roundly rejected in 2013.

 

[vinnygambini]

I already see GameStops as Blockbusters.

Read their annual report and you would know that is not the case.

 

[Scrawnton]

Gamestop better hope Nintendo Switch takes off. If I was them I'd be pushing that machine like crazy. Nintendo is most likely to be the last company to put systems in place that make Gamestop redundant.

 

[QaaQer]

Could they really afford to not stock an entire hardware line?

Depends. Recently Walmart in Canada came within inches of dropping Visa from their payment options because Visa is top tier in terms of rent seeking and fucking over retail 'partners'. If Walmart can contemplate dropping something as omnipresent as Visa, GS certainly will mull sropping a single console.

None of us know what is going on behind the scenes tho, so just guessing. But if MS is making moves to hurt/kill GS core business...

 

[Screamapillar]

They will not be missed. I mean that genuinely

 

[breakfuss]

Pardon my hostility here, it's not directed at you, but the shopping experience is miserable at Gamestop. Being aggressively bombarded by sales pitches completely divorced from the products I'm actually shopping for, surrounded by tacky toys/merchandise that fill half the store space.

Gamestop can rot because the experience is bad. If that's what brick-and-mortar game shopping is to you, you have my pity. They only have the position they do from buyouts of previously established game shops, which could have had more opportunity to cater to individual markets if not for the adorementioned hostile, deliberate coprorate structure to buy and suppress competition.

Perfect post. There are way too many of us that can share miserable experiences for it just to be an isolated event or two. GS is fucking terrible. I've been outright misled and lied to by its employees. Their trade-in program is predatory to the uninformed. I just want it to go away.

So never then.

lol

 

[Kthulhu]

I primarily see Gamestop as a place kids drag their parents to and where teenagers trade in games. Do many adult gamers shop there? Don't they know better?

What would be better? Yeah, plenty of adults shop there.

Yup.

Some are viewing this as a digital rental service, and I can see how. But, to me this reads like MS inserting itself between the user and the games, and shifting ownership along with control of access to MS's side, and away from the player. They made it crystal clear what their intentions were at the start of this gen, and I never believed they ever really abondoned their oiginal vision with Xbox1.

Yeah. Ironically, I believe that digital only as it exists now will hurt consoles not help them.

 

[Obliterator]

Mostly because people here are more on the 'cutting edge' of buying games, online pre-orders mostly, same day shipping, and digital.

They're in this bubble and think that's how the majority buy their games when launch nights at gamestop are still packed with people, but I guess fuck them cuz man they sold you a new game without the wrapper that one time.

It's not a bubble anymore. 30% - 40% of games being sold are digital now. By the end of the generation that will be 50%.

Its not just the core demos switching to digital, its also casual. Flash Sales, Preloading, and ease / less hassle are the main reasons why.

Physical games will still exist for a long time. I expect the digital adoption rate to really start slowing down around 50%, but it will still account for a very large portion of game sales.

 

[Kill3r7]

Gamestop better hope Nintendo Switch takes off. If I was them I'd be pushing that machine like crazy. Nintendo is most likely to be the last company to put systems in place that make Gamestop redundant.

Ditto. Nintendo is the best thing going for GS. Their games rarely go on sale and as long as they are successful you get a lot of foot traffic from casuals and parents.

 

[QaaQer]

I need GameStop to exist, because they're the easiest place to pre-order hard to get stuff. I'm only competing with people in my area and not the whole damn internet.

It's also a place where young game enthusiasts can work. We've lost places where music and movie kids can work, I hope we don't lose this as well.

 

[Trup1aya]

So more pressure to make games free to play, or in this case, almost free to play. I wish there was some parental lobby trying to get gambling out of shit their kids play. I should tweet Trump.


Edit: although his bro helps run Zenimax. Maybe I'll tweet PM May.

It's not pressure to do any thing. Companies have been looking to additional revenue streams forever. This is an opportunity for current methods to bear more fruit since they can reintroduce older games that have new content.

 

[blakep267]

It certainly spells bad news for Gamestop longterm (hence their diversification through AT&T stores and Thinkgeek), but there will always be a marketplace for physical games sold in stores and that's where Gamestop excels - it's going to be hard work, but they'll make it through.

I could see their used games segment halved though as the subscription model takes more place in the marketplace, so they would need to capture that lost revenue through other sources of revenue - they've already started with game publishing, but they would need more than just that.

Target walmart Best Buy. Think of GameStop like a toy store. If the used game market is cut off from GameStop, they're gonna have to survive in new games which everybody else offers

 

[gamz]

By the way of blockbuster. Only worse.

 

[Deathknell]

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Gamestop should stop selling Xbone hardware and software in retaliation.

In the US, the Xbox One is selling basically just as well as the PS4 (family?). Why would GameStop intentionally cut off such a massive portion of their sales?

 

[QaaQer]

It's not a bubble anymore. 30% - 40% of games being sold are digital now. By the end of the generation that will be 50%.

Its not just the core demos switching to digital, its also casual. Flash Sales, Preloading, and ease / less hassle are the main reasons why.

Physical games will still exist for a long time. I expect the digital adoption rate to really start slowing down around 50%, but it will still account for a very large portion of game sales.

Last couple of years have seen printed books increase sales while digital has shrunk. Games may do the same at some point.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

I was about to say this. GameFly should be taking a hit as well.

GameFly probably less so I as I'd think a majority of users are renting current gen games. Saves a lot more money renting game selling for $40-60 than subscribing just to play old games that are mostly cheap used.

 

[CorrisD]

I assume GameStop is a lot like our GAME stores, so while I understand the sentiment of terrible service that wholly relies on pre-owned games I'm also not a fan of the idea of there not being any sort of dedicated gaming store presence anymore.

Times change though I guess, retail in general seems to be in a bit of a rut with online buying and streaming.

"Good luck making that money back" is what I'd say if that's true. My guess is that the reason they haven't been boasting about PSNow numbers is that the numbers aren't too impressive.

Honestly I think PSNow was/is at least a generation too early. Many folks still have Internet connections that are too slow to be able to use it.

I guess it depends how you look at it, I imagine someone would have sold it as being an investment for the future, if it's true and they supposedly have all the patents for both Gaikai and Onlive. If gaming does move to a Netflix like system where a hardware box no longer matters then they should be ready for it and have the tech to back it up.

Gamestop should stop selling Xbone hardware and software in retaliation.

This would never happen, but I could see Sony trying to use this as means to get more promotions for their stuff in stores.

 

[Okami Haundo]

It's actually a shame that Gamestop is going to be gone soon. There's a place for that kind of market for games, even still, but the awful management and bad business practices just make it so you can't root for them, ever.

Also, I REALLY dislike the idea of games as a service moving forward, and I know MS is going to push it really hard. Nothing but positives for them, for getting consumers to go along with it.

I think EA Access was dangerous, and so is Digital Pass.

Gamestop isn't doing as well as they used to, but where does the narrative of them being "gone soon" come from? They've already started transitioning into other revenue streams to make up for lost profit. That's why they offer a ton of gaming/nerd merchandise and have a games publishing division

 

[NightShift]

You could sill buy them at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, etc for as long as they are being sold.

From Australia. There's only one other place that's better to get your games from and they aren't nearly as big as Gamestop (EB Games). I just always had the view point that they are the leading charge for physical games after so many other retailers closed down years ago.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Pardon my hostility here, it's not directed at you, but the shopping experience is miserable at Gamestop. Being aggressively bombarded by sales pitches completely divorced from the products I'm actually shopping for, surrounded by tacky toys/merchandise that fill half the store space.

Gamestop can rot because the experience is bad. If that's what brick-and-mortar game shopping is to you, you have my pity. They only have the position they do from buyouts of previously established game shops, which could have had more opportunity to cater to individual markets if not for the adorementioned hostile, deliberate coprorate structure to buy and suppress competition.

Not to mention their deals and prices suck. There's really no upside to shopping at GameStop unless you're super into midnight launches.

 

[randomengine]

Well I now know whose games will be thrust in the back of the store. Nintendo just got its front facing placement back. Microsoft will take their place in the back corner next to the old Wii U games.

 

[Obliterator]

Last couple of years have seen printed books increase sales while digital has shrunk. Games may do the same at some point.

I'd be pretty surprised. You don't see that happening at all on the PC side, and really consoles are becoming more like PC's every day.

 

[Xyrmellon]

What would be better?

Best Buy and Amazon for one, which offer discounts on physical copies and pre-orders.

 

[randomengine]

You want video games to lose their biggest retail presence? Why?

That's my fear. As bad as GameStop is, and it's bad, less safe spaces for video games in reality is a bad thing.

 

[Trup1aya]

I'd be surprised if they didn't honestly see this coming. Any form of media that can be consumed digitally will inevitably kill its brick & mortar competitor. We've seen it with music, we've seen it with movies, and now we're going to see it happen to video games. The writing has been smeared on the wall in blood for a decade now.

Makes no sense.

As the console maker, they are no more between you and the game than they were before announcing this service. The whole point of making a console is to get a crumb off of all software sales.

They already have a digital storefront. This is inarguably a digital rental service. And ofcourse physical continues to be an option.

 

[vpance]

Could they really afford to not stock an entire hardware line?

I think so. GS makes nearly all its money from selling used games and accessories, and basically nil from new hardware and software.

 

[RipperGrim]

Sarcasm? Why wouldn't it have?

Lol no sarcasm

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Walked into EB Games to buy $200 PSN card. Thanks for that, EB.

 

[QaaQer]

It's not pressure to do any thing. Companies have been looking to additional revenue streams forever. This is an opportunity for current methods to bear more fruit since they can reintroduce older games that have new content.

The pressure is to maximize profits. Addictions are wildly profitable (gambling, smoking, heroin). Executives love dem bonuses so making games more addictive is very appealing. Now I'm off to buy some ultimate packs, pick up a pack of smokes, and chase that dragon.

 

[Type40]

Gamestop is usually the last place I go for games. Best Buy's GCU has been great, followed by Amazon, used games from gamefly, and a small smattering of local used game shops.

I worked there, it was nightmarish, nearly as bad on employee's as Media Play was. Few people make a career out of it, those who realize what kind of shit show it really is leave after a few months.

 

[Trup1aya]

The pressure is to maximize profits. Addictions are wildly profitable (gambling, smoking, heroin). Executives love dem bonuses so making games more addictive is very appealing. Now I'm off to buy some ultimate packs, pick up a pack of smokes, and chase that dragon.

Pressure to maximize profits is nothing new. That's business.

But this service isn't pressure to introduce rng micro transactions into games.

It's an opportunity for publishers to try to compel users to buy digital instead of used.

 

[KHlover]

*bye bitch.gif*

*hugs MediaMarkt & Saturn*

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Walked into EB Games to buy $200 PSN card. Thanks for that, EB.

Yeah, that's been my only usages for GameStop in years.

Trade in hardware when they have a promo that puts it near what I'd get from Craigslist or selling online with out the hassle and risk of scammers, and use the credit either for a newer system or just PSN or Steam credit. I'll take advantage of their occasionally decent hardware trade in, but want them to benefit from it as little as possible.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

It's actually a shame that Gamestop is going to be gone soon. There's a place for that kind of market for games, even still, but the awful management and bad business practices just make it so you can't root for them, ever.

Also, I REALLY dislike the idea of games as a service moving forward, and I know MS is going to push it really hard. Nothing but positives for them, for getting consumers to go along with it.

I think EA Access was dangerous, and so is Digital Pass.

I'll take EA and Microsoft's future over Sony's.

Fuck no to an all streaming future. Especially so as an Australian where we're going to have 3rd world internet for the foreseeable future.

 

[AlfonzoPalutena]

Gamestop should stop selling Xbone hardware and software in retaliation.

That would send them into a death spiral. They only really sell software and hardware from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. Cutting out what is likely more than 33% of their consumer base is very bad.

 

[Quonny]

GameStop is hurting because they bank on older, used games.

People thinking that GameFly, Best Buy, Target, or any other retail outlet/service are any more than minorly effected by this are gravely mistaken.

 

[bryt]

I need GameStop to survive I got a bunch of store credit.

 

[Seik]

Not really surprising, GS feels more like a gaming merch store than a gaming store now than ever.

Last time I went there half of the store was dedicated to those fucking Funko Pop, plushes, clothes, etc.

 

[outunderthestars]

Yeah, that's been my only usages for GameStop in years.
.

I just buy my psn credit through amazon now. Literally no use to me for Gamestop....

 

[cordy]

Good.

 

[Kthulhu]

Best Buy and Amazon for one, which offer discounts on physical copies and pre-orders.

Best Buy has less games and Amazon is shit with special editions.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

That's my fear. As bad as GameStop is, and it's bad, less safe spaces for video games in reality is a bad thing.

You want video games to lose their biggest retail presence? Why?

Yea, Gamestop may suck, but it'd be a massive shame there isn't a dedicated gaming brick and mortar store anymore. Especially one that has a used games scene.

Hoping against hope another business entity pops in their absence.

 

[JABEE]

I'm surprised that MS didn't wait till E3 to announce this TBH.

As scummy as GameStop can be, I do hope a better outlet(s) can take it's place. I have no intention of going digital on console, and I don't trust Amazon to fulfill preorders on limited goods.

You do realize a big part of E3 is meeting with retailers, negotiating shelf space, securing orders.

 

[QaaQer]

I'd be pretty surprised. You don't see that happening at all on the PC side, and really consoles are becoming more like PC's every day.

They aren't. General purpose computing devices are fundamentally different from computing appliances.

 

[The Flash]

Bye Felicia

 

[CosmicQueso]

For all those celebrating, GameStop is the one company that was fighting like hell against the original Xbox One announcement. GameStop is the only reason that initiative died as quickly as it did.

I don't think Sony will go this direction.

It will piss off publishers.

Laughably wrong take.

Are you kidding?

Publishers get ZERO cut from Used. All pubs will embrace this.