Ebgames to close 2400 US stores in Q4

[karnige]

He hasnt been wrong so far. He has a lot of insiders. You knew it was bound to happen. It sounds exactly like my old job. same exact phases. phase 4 was bankruptcy and end of the line. Right now its apparently hit phase 3

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[The Crypto Guy]

Gamestop*

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Not a shock at all

 

[Super Cake]

I feel like there will come a point where stores like gamestop and eb games will be obsolete just like blockbuster.

Everything is going digital now and if people don't have the bandwidth to download these games, they can always either order their games from amazon or step into a best buy.

I haven't stepped foot into a gamestop in years.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I think it's a bit of a shame. I'm not really a social person (far from it, in fact) but I always enjoyed walked into my local tiny EB Games store and chatting with the employees and other visitors while browsing.

It's a much different atmosphere than a Best Buy to me.


This (assuming my local store is closed at some point) likely marks my transition from majority digital gaming to full digital gaming. End of an era.

 

[Gardner McKay]

I feel like there will come a point where stores like gamestop and eb games will be obsolete just like blockbuster.

Everything is going digital now and if people don't have the bandwidth to download these games, they can always either order their games from amazon or step into a best buy.

I haven't stepped foot into a gamestop in years.

I don't know.

It is an entirely different model than Blockbuster and there is something to be said for owning a physical copy of things. Maybe at 31 I am just super old school but every time I buy a game digitally I instantly regret it, like with Madden 20. Terrible game but I can't trade it in.

There are a lot of gamestop stores in close proximity. For example, I live in what most people would consider to be a rural area and there are 3 gamestops within 5 miles of me. I don't see any reason why 1-2 wouldn't suffice which, could be enough to ensure profitability of more stores. Is it a forever model? No. But I certainly believe it will extend the lifespan of Gamestop/EB past what some would expect.

 

[Oogie Boogie]

The only time I go digital is if a game is on a really good deal, other than that I want it actually in my hands.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

It's actually sad that people prefer digital. There are games on these online stores that are still $80 which have been out for years that you can get in store for a fraction of the price. But I guess people would rather get bent over because it's more convenient. Sony really needs to do something to make buying digital worthwhile. The sales they offer are always garbage too, can't count how many times I've seen Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy games on them and there's never usually anything better than that. Online is really terrible if anyone bothered to look past the convenience factor.

 

[Supermassive]

I’ve pretty much built my Nintendo game library through GameStop. Gonna miss them when they go.

 

[Beau Knows]

It's actually sad that people prefer digital. There are games on these online stores that are still $80 which have been out for years that you can get in store for a fraction of the price. But I guess people would rather get bent over because it's more convenient. Sony really needs to do something to make buying digital worthwhile. The sales they offer are always garbage too, can't count how many times I've seen Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy games on them and there's never usually anything better than that. Online is really terrible if anyone bothered to look past the convenience factor.

On consoles online purchases aren't great because you only have one store to buy from. On PC there's different stores and constant sales. As long as Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have complete control of online purchases on their consoles the deals will remain underwhelming.

 

[Osprey]

I don't know.

It is an entirely different model than Blockbuster...

I think that a closer comparison is the old music stores like The Wherehouse and Sam Goody. They were everywhere in the 80s and 90s, with one or the other or both in every mall in America (and probably Canada). With the rise of digital music sales, they went bankrupt in the early to mid 2000s. It was an omen of what would happen eventually to gaming stores.

I imagine that EB will have to sell out eventually, perhaps to Trans World Entertainment, which acquired The Wherehouse and Sam Goody. Trans World may then add a gaming section to their FYE (For Your Entertainment) stores that they currently sell music and movies from in about 200 locations. I suspect that there will always be a demand for entertainment stores that sell/rent physical media, but they'll have to sell all kinds of media to survive, not be exclusively for games, exclusively for music or exclusively for movies.

 

[tealhockey]

my local one disappeared like 4 years ago and I think I've stopped in to a gamestop one time since just because I had some time to kill in the area. It has no appeal for me any more, order or download, but yeah end of an era

 

[syz]

I still buy plenty of physical copies of games, I just don't usually do it at Gamestop because their aggressive sales pitches actively drove me elsewhere. It's like if you work at a Gamestop/EB and you don't act like the world's worst used car salesman you get in trouble with your manager.

 

[Commander Clueless]

It's actually sad that people prefer digital. There are games on these online stores that are still $80 which have been out for years that you can get in store for a fraction of the price. But I guess people would rather get bent over because it's more convenient. Sony really needs to do something to make buying digital worthwhile. The sales they offer are always garbage too, can't count how many times I've seen Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy games on them and there's never usually anything better than that. Online is really terrible if anyone bothered to look past the convenience factor.

Digital is very convenient for both parties.

Sales are fewer and further between, and we don't get any pricing incentive to switch though, that is true. Back when it was first getting popular, I expected digital sales would be reduced to incentivize people to save publishers on distribution costs, but I was wrong. On the bright side: when the sales do happen, they are easier to get to than scrounging through bargain bins.

I play most of games on PC these days, so physical copies were forced away from me. On the Switch thus far I'm about 50/50, mostly due to a rare eShop sale. To be fair, Nintendo seems to rarely have sales physical or digital.

 

[flyingkiwi]

I still buy plenty of physical copies of games, I just don't usually do it at Gamestop because their aggressive sales pitches actively drove me elsewhere. It's like if you work at a Gamestop/EB and you don't act like the world's worst used car salesman you get in trouble with your manager.

It's exactly like that.

The transition to merch is coming thick and fast, the margin on that kind of stuff is ridiculous and the future of the company is Zing Pop Culture. Have seen it in AU/NZ and now here in France. I imagine it's popping up everywhere. But honestly all we need is another recession and I imagine merch will fall pretty far down the priority spending list for many people.

 

[SupremeNachos]

I still buy plenty of physical copies of games, I just don't usually do it at Gamestop because their aggressive sales pitches actively drove me elsewhere. It's like if you work at a Gamestop/EB and you don't act like the world's worst used car salesman you get in trouble with your manager.

That's because you do get in trouble. Part of being employed is "selling" enough product. A big chunk of a managers salary is off commission.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I prefer having a physical copy of a game, so this is upsetting. A few Gamestops already closed near me within the last year.

 

[Unholy Diver]

I think you guys are really exaggerating the "aggressive sales pitches" at Gamestop, here is a little trick I use, when they come to you and ask if you need help say: "I'm just looking" and when they say to let them know if you need help go with "Ok". This has solved this "aggressive behavior" towards me every time.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

I think you guys are really exaggerating the "aggressive sales pitches" at Gamestop, here is a little trick I use, when they come to you and ask if you need help say: "I'm just looking" and when they say to let them know if you need help go with "Ok". This has solved this "aggressive behavior" towards me every time.

It's usually when you're at the register buying your game when you get bombarded with suggestions.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

I think you guys are really exaggerating the "aggressive sales pitches" at Gamestop, here is a little trick I use, when they come to you and ask if you need help say: "I'm just looking" and when they say to let them know if you need help go with "Ok". This has solved this "aggressive behavior" towards me every time.

Yeah I hear all kinds of things about the evil Gamestop/EB. But I feel like they're urban legends or I live in some kind of alternate reality where it hasn't happened.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Yeah I hear all kinds of things about the evil Gamestop/EB. But I feel like they're urban legends or I live in some kind of alternate reality where it hasn't happened.

I don't know if it's different at EB in Canada vs Gamestop in the States, but I've never had any sort of problem with it. If anything, I've found the local EB Games to be far more casual than your average electronics store....at least in my experience.

Not more casual than my local Wal-Mart though. You need to practically beg for assistance there.

 

[Beau Knows]

It's usually when you're at the register buying your game when you get bombarded with suggestions.

Or they'll get mad that you didn't pre-order the game you're buying like a moron, there's 100 of these sitting right there, why would I pre-order it?

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

Good! they f***ing blow.

"yeah this game is new even though its opened"

 

[Unholy Diver]

It's usually when you're at the register buying your game when you get bombarded with suggestions.

Ahh, well in such a drastic case as that you can use: "No man, I'm good"

 

[Hivemind]

EB Games still had 2400 locations?