GameStop Stock Plummets After A 27.5% Decrease In Holiday Sales

[seether]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/01/14/gamestop-stock-plummets-after-a-275-decrease-in-holiday-sales/#67331f18249a

I think physical media is declining at a rapid rate year on year.

[bikingjahuty]

You're not wrong. I think during this next generation we'll see the number of Gamestop stores plummet, and by the end of the generation they'll be on death's doorstep. I can't see them surviving the next 10-years.

[kamikazekeeg]

You're not wrong. I think during this next generation we'll see the number of Gamestop stores plummet, and by the end of the generation they'll be on death's doorstep. I can't see them surviving the next 10-years.

I think even the end of the generation is too long at this point.  They are dropping hard and fast and even if they make the rest of the year when the new consoles release, I don't think it'll be a big enough boost to turn things.  They'll get a nice influx at the end of the year, but I don't know if they can keep it going.

[Warmsignal]

They're going to die a gradual death. It'll go through a period of closures where they're not a GameStop on every corner anymore. Then they'll start to become more scarce. I'd say in about 3 to 4 years people will be saying "GameStop is still a thing?" when all but a few odd stores will be gone. Kind of like RadioShack, and Block Buster were.

Sad because I like my physical games, and I'll continue to buy them for as long as they're produced. Once GS is gone, in my town that only leaves Walmart. I have to go out of town for any other retail option.

I would partially blame their decline on the 8th generation being so weak in terms of enticing new hardware, and especially new games. The game landscape in terms of physical retail games has stagnated into something awful during the 2010s. People have grown tired of the sequels after sequels and sequels and nobody can afford to take any risk that might bomb, or it could end a game studio single single-handedly. To me, it just felt like there was almost nothing out there worth picking up, compared to the 7th gen.

 When I first started to pay attention to games again in the later 2000s, and I saw all of the cool and interesting titles people had in their collections, I wanted those consoles and those games, badly. When 8th gen came about and the releases were slow and predictable, I felt very meh about getting any of the new systems. I new I would pick up the Wii U, and eventually did in 2013 but we all know how that turned out... I didn't get a PS4 until Xmas 2016, even then I didn't feel compelled to buy very many games for it and kind of lost interest in it pretty quick. Just this week, I finally picked up an Xbox One. There was just no desire this gen. Nothing that I absolutely had to have. It all just felt so whatever, in a way.

[shawndude82]

Things were better back when they were Funcoland.  Gamestop has been digging their own grave for a long time.  We had a Gamestop within walking distance of my parents house and I have never had someone who worked there tell me it's worth it.  And the constantly changing policies on Used and Returned games just so they can make a few extra bucks.  Maybe now some other more-deserving game stores will get more business.

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

[pzeke]

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

[sworddude]

Does it truly matter though

tons of people only complain about gamestop for it being bad as hell. to top it off as a physical story it is usually a bit more pricy than online. why would you still got to gamestop if online is cheaper and if the stores are bad anyway.

[hoshichiri]

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

I'm less sure about that. People will trade quality for convenience, and many youth are moving away from the idea of owning too much stuff to begin with. Even with the issues of digital, having all your games available with a couple buttons & nothing but the system to keep on your shelf is enticing.

I don't think digital will take over anytime soon, though- the high-speed internet needed to download these games simply isn't available everywhere (or at least not affordably.) The internet infrastructure in the US can't support an all-digital media structure.

I think this stat plays more on the state of Gamestop than anything else. Think about it: Walmart offers many major titles at $10 off on release. Target has regular sales, including B2G1 sales with preorder titles included. And of course, Amazon will drop darn near any title you want on your doorstep within 2 days. There isn't a huge reason to bother with Gamestop these days. Maybe if you prefer to save buying used games... but they just screwed that up by changing their Pro program, so I fully expect that customer base to start moving toward Amazon & Ebay.

I've been a supporter of Gamestop for some time, I've even defended a lot of the things they do that other people hate. But even I have to admit, they really aren't competing anymore. The new generation might give them a little more time, but without a serious shakeup, they aren't gonna see another one.

[bikingjahuty]

Whether we want it too or not, physical media is dying on all fronts. Physical music is nearly all dead, at least CDs, and vinyl is very niche. DVDs/Blurays have rapidly been vanishing while streaming and on demand has become the new norm, and now gaming is starting to become more and more digital over time. I say this not as someone who wants physical media to die, quite the contrary, but viewing this objectively this is what's happening.


Ownership is far less important to the masses than convenience, and that's why physical media is dying. The same is true with gaming as well, as digital only platforms like Steam are very attractive to millions, especially younger crowds that aren't as accustomed to physical ownership like those born in the early 90s and before. This trend will only continue over time. I know many disagree with me on this, but I think the Model X, PS5, and maybe Nintendo's next console will be the last game consoles to use physical media. After this next gen, it will be digital or nothing.


It amazes me how much ground digital has gained in the 2010s, and by the end of the 2020s I think we'll all be even more surprised by how little physical media truly matters to most people. I hate the idea of this, and even though I told myself I'd be done with video games when this happens, I don't think I could ever say goodbye to games entirely. It will however, change my purchasing habits for buying games since I already have major reservations about buying digital games for more than $10 each. I think the most I've ever spent on a digital game was $30, and doing so took a lot of self convincing to do. I'm under no illusion that I own anything digital in my Steam or GOG library, and that's why I'm way more hesitant to drop a lot of money on purchasing from these outlets. Unless my attitudes change on this, I pretty much won't be buying new AAA, full priced games around launch, and instead I'll gladly wait until they come down in price.

[bunnybear]

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

Preferable to whom, exactly? To us, diehard collectors? Sure. To the mainstream consumers who have helped bring about the death of Blockbuster and music stores? Not a chance. That ship has sailed. Physical may exist in some form for some time, but the general consumer has spoken, and for them physical is dead and it’s not coming back.

Having said that, I don’t necessarily think the change in distribution is the driving force behind Gamestop’s demise. Their disrespect for their own customers (selling opened copies as new), for their main products, and over expansion all played significant roles in their current predicament.

[seether]

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

This may be the most uninformed opinion ever expressed on the internet.

[pzeke]

Okay, in regards to the topic, fuck GameStop.

With that in particular out of the way, while I don't subscribe to the idea that digital will collapse and understand physical media will eventually cease to exist, as dramatic as it may sound, there's still a market for it—I'd venture to guess that out of 10 people, at least half would choose physical media. Once people realize the cons digital media has, they favor physical again; I've seen this around the Internet, and with people I know, where they stated they were on board until the streaming service they were subscribed to no longer had a movie or show they wanted to watch. And for the sake of this example, shawndude82 listed three games—well, two and a demo—that perfectly exemplify this disadvantage. I know, tough luck, but that's certainly a major point why many, not just collector's, prefer physical media.

For that I absolutely agree with shawndude82 that physical copies will always be preferable.

Lastly, one could also argue that the preference of digital media could also be a generational thing. Convenience is almost always the main talking point kids from Generation Z have.

I know many disagree with me on this, but I think the Model X, PS5, and maybe Nintendo's next console will be the last game consoles to use physical media. After this next gen, it will be digital or nothing.

Possibly. It has crossed my mind; I've given it a 50/50 chance of it happening. But as that age-old adage goes, only time will tell.

[kamikazekeeg]

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

There's nothing showing a collapse, everything is pointing towards physical going away and digital being the standard, I mean PC gaming has been almost entirely digital for years now anyways.  Physical copies only matter to those that actually care about having it physical.  A lot of kids and teens are growing up nowadays in a world of mostly streaming movies and music, with smart phones and tablets that bring them their entertainment, the desire for physical copies won't matter as much to them as it does for those like a number of us here who remember video stores and other local retailers who sold/rented actual physical games.

Not that I think it'll be soon, places like the United States don't have the infrastructure setup for going full digital yet, with a lot of people still having either no internet, bad internet, or have to deal with data caps.  Still a generation or two away from that, but it'll happen eventually.

And there will always be people who prefer physical, I'm one that grabs physical when I can, but this won't be the norm down the road.

[kashell]

I give Game Stop a lot of guff, but I'd hate to see them all go. Like everyone else on this site, I like my physical media. But, the writing is on the wall. I think it's just a matter of "when."

[oldgamerz]

I wouldn't say physical media is declining.  I predict digital is going to collapse eventually.  People want to own what they buy, digital games don't work that way.  You can pay a lot of money for something digital, and it's only yours until the company behind it decides to cancel it's availability (ex: Scott Pilgrim, TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, P.T.).  Physical copies will always be preferable.

praying