VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => General => Topic started by: seether on January 15, 2020, 04:56:39 pm
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
(https://i.imgur.com/GdA7dUQ.gif)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
(https://i.imgur.com/GdA7dUQ.gif)
praying
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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.
Data caps are a thing, and probably be always a thing, it cost money to run the internet infrastructure and to keep everything running. Plus their is watchdogs to provide internet security from someone who is using the internet maliciously and that cost money as well.
with all digital if you lose your email and password you lose your games. I use the internet a lot and I can tell you some of the high security features for digital accounts is actually making it easier for hackers to steal accounts. cyber bullying is a thing that brings enjoyment for a lot of people, and nerds hack for the thrill if it.
Imagine losing your entire collection to a disgruntled online player or someone who you do not know that is in your neighborhood, that wants to be a jerk. I been there and dealt with this for almost 10 or more years of my own life.
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even if physical was as popular as ever
Gamestop does a ton of bad stuff. their stocks would plummet wether digital was going to become more popular or not.
@oldgamerz
Keep it a bit down with being paranoid your overeacting on multiple topics.
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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."
I used to loath Gamestop. For one, I hated how they essentially bought out all their competition in the early 2000s, with some of those chains being places I loved shopping. I remember around 2004 or so thinking that Gamestop felt like a soulless shell compared to the places I used to buy games like EBX and Software Ect. I also had a string of bad experiences with employees there leading up to the early part of the 2010s (its so weird to talk about the 2010s in the past tense lol).
But around 2013 or so I started to warm up to them gradually, and now I'm at the point where I actually enjoy shopping there. All my local Gamestop's have great people working at them who are always friendly, fun to talk to, and very passionate about gaming. If any of those stores get closed I'm going to be very sad, not just because that's one less game store out there, but also because I'll feel very bad for the people that work there. I will lament Gamestop going out of business in the next decade. I guess that means I should enjoy them as much as possible while I still can :/
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even if physical was as popular as ever
Gamestop does a ton of bad stuff. their stocks would plummet wether digital was going to become more popular or not.
As much as some people would hope that the reason they're dying is their anti-consumer policies and their greed, that's not it. They pulled much of the same crap in the 2000s, and most of us would came crawling back, asking may I have another please. What's killing them is digital distribution. I talked to a employee one day about why they get so few copies of some specific titles in, the reason is that they never know if even one copy will sell. This guy's store was stuck with over 40 copies of Smash Ultimate because the projected physical sales were way, way off. Nobody bought the game physically, they just downloaded it on their Switch. So GameStop bought all those games they can't sell. It's that, but on a massive scale.
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even if physical was as popular as ever
Gamestop does a ton of bad stuff. their stocks would plummet wether digital was going to become more popular or not.
As much as some people would hope that the reason they're dying is their anti-consumer policies and their greed, that's not it. They pulled much of the same crap in the 2000s, and most of us would came crawling back, asking may I have another please. What's killing them is digital distribution. I talked to a employee one day about why they get so few copies of some specific titles in, the reason is that they never know if even one copy will sell. This guy's store was stuck with over 40 copies of Smash Ultimate because the projected physical sales were way, way off. Nobody bought the game physically, they just downloaded it on their Switch. So GameStop bought all those games they can't sell. It's that, but on a massive scale.
what about social media though. all the bad stuff and horrible stories about gamestop does that not turn people away?
in the early 2000's social media was non existent. big ass computers for only messages games. The internet was early.
Wether it was bad or not you didnt know about it. from a casuals lvl you only saw some positive adds on tv. also obviously that online stores where way less back than so sure less options back than aswell. But I think social media and bad rep at the very least sped up the process.
gamestop has the advertisment power and brand if it had more positive stuff instead of the hate on social media surely it would have been somewhat different. this isnt a small store withouth good marketing.
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I think everyone knew that GS was super shady and brutal towards their employees from many years ago. Talk to anyone who worked there, and they had plenty of stories to tell. Now all of their dirty laundry is out in the open. It's blatant, everyone knows what goes on. That still doesn't turn me away from the convenience of stopping by and picking up something I wanted. No one forces people to work there, no one is forced to buy there. Ultimately it's run by a bunch of greedy power-tripping clowns, who think selling subscriptions is the end all be all to line their pockets before the bankruptcy, but dammit, it's somewhere to stop and pick up a game, or just browse through a bunch of physical titles at once. An increasing rarity in this day and age, and I'll continue to take advantage of the opportunity.
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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.
I think you inadvertently hit the right word here- physical is going niche. Think about it. Of all media to make a return, VINYL is available again. Quite possibly the least convenient form of music available today aside from a wax cylinder- and you can buy it in Target. Quite frankly, if it's available in such a big retailer, it isn't THAT niche.
We're seeing something similar within games- the rise of the boutique publisher. How many low print run publishers have come up in the last generation? Off the top of my head, I can name Limited Run, Super Rare, Signature Edition, IAm8Bit... and I KNOW there's more. And LRG's got their stock in Best Buy now... that's a notable expansion!
I think as long as game companies have a good reason to put optical drives in consoles- and they do, gaming downloads need a LOT more data than other media, more than some people can access easily- they'll be physical games. However, I do see a shift to a focus more on the collector than the average consumer. You don't need to put out a disc for Fifa or Madden every year, people don't hang onto those. But weirdos like me, who want a hard copy of everything? The games we play will get that release. Becuase yes, I WILL buy Untitled Goose Game twice to have it physical, game length be DAMNED!
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With a metric ton of games coming out this Spring I took a drive to my main Gamestop tonight and preorders about 7 different games being released between next month and May. I also renewed my Power Up Rewards membership that I'd literally been hesitant to do for over a year. The reason I inevitably decided to go for it was because I know Gamestop will be gone soon. It won't be gone this year or next, but I'd say there's a very real possibility it might not exist at all in 5 or 6 years, although my money is more on 8 or 9-years. At the very least I can see many stores getting closed between 2021 and 2022.
I want to experience having a game store to go to and enjoy as much as possible while I can, because as soon as Gamestop goes away I don't think I'll get that many more opportunities to enjoy going to one. Sure, with Gamestop being as big as they are, not having any game stores might leave a vacuum that independent stores might fill, much the way record stores still exist despite places like Sam Goody or Media Play being gone, but at this point I have no idea, especially if physically media does disappear after next gen.
So yeah, I plan on shopping at Gamestop as much as possible while they're around. I'll probably go in to browse more often, and try and savor my experience there as much as possible. I know that once they're gone, I will miss them dearly, much in the same way I've missed many of my favorite independent game stores that have gone under the last few years. Sad times ahead people :/
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Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
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In my local area if people buy physical games they go to the retro sellers, and get the same thing as GameStop. Only more to choose from. with all the other game sources selling the same games as my GameStop plus retro and most other electronics as well, they are failing in my area because people go elsewhere for the same things and more.
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Regional differences seem to be a bigger thing for gaming than other areas- I have friends who moved here from the East Coast and spent the first year or so flipping out over the 'crazy rare' games that just turned up secondhand in our game stores. They've since figured out this stuff isn't rare around here becuase the Puget Sound is a tech nerd paradise.
Where I live, if I pop up the Gamestop store locator and set it to the 15 mile search (smallest area possible), I get 17 hits- 18 if you count the ThinkGeek store. If I reset to where my grandmother lives, I have to bump up to 30 miles to get one hit. If I move to where my grandfather lived, I have to go up to 50. This absolutely changes how people shop. If you can only access one location, then something like a B2G1 sale might not matter to you- you might not find 3 games you want. But me? I can hit up 3 different stores if I need to, doing a big return/rebuy at the last one to get the sale. Heck, I used to be able to do that on foot becuase I had multiple stores within walking distance. I was sad when I found out one of those closed, but not surprised.
Gamestop could get away with a lot of their crappier policies back in the day, becuase it was your only choice for getting all but the most mainstream titles. Nowadays though, with big chains taking their gaming business more seriously, and the rise of e-commerce, as well as digital in the areas that handle it best... Gamestop is hardly the big player it once was. And it's not doing a great job trying to compete.
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Things were better back when they were Funcoland.
I REALLY wish this notion would die off already, it's the "vaccines cause autism" of the video game world at this point. :o
FuncoLand was a SHIT company and the originator of a lot of the stuff people grief GameStop for now. All that upselling/pushing/pitching of things like products and subscriptions? That was FuncoLand. They treated their employees like shit and put your working hours/employment in jeopardy if you didn't hit enough cleaning kits and/or Game Informer subscriptions sold. I should know because I put up with that shit for two years before jumping ship to GameStop when Babbage's first created it. GameStop had some metrics (all companies will) but your job wasn't threatened if you didn't hit your percentages on the upselling nonsense. There was literally NO pressure and up until the merger with FuncoLand, working at GS was a dream job.
Maybe from the perspective as a customer, I could kind of see FU Land's allure but my time at FU Land and my time with GS before the merger were markedly different. Constant grief over upselling and a shit 10% discount at FU Land versus no pressure and a nice 35% discount at GameStop. Hmmmm....no give me the torturous hell of the former please! ;)
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.
AFAIK the return policy has largely been the same even from when I was there. New, unopened has 30 days to return. Opened is trade-in, used has 7-days for full refund/30-day exchange on defective. I'm going to avoid the whole open box/sold as new nonsense as it has been beat to death enough already (I never agreed with gutting when I was there anyway). As for other game stores...WHO are you referring to? In my area there are no other chain stores besides Half Price Books. I have to travel to Indy/Cbus/Cleveland before I start seeing smaller chains like Disc Replay or The Exchange (I'm honestly surprised neither chain is here). The Blockbuster/Game Rush and Game Crazy locations are all gone and that franchise based one called Play N Trade or something is defunct. The chain Video Game Exchange is ancient, Ancient history in these parts. :P
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.
Physical media is declining but it would be foolhardy to say it'll go away completely. Like Hoshichiri pointed out, vinyl made a comeback from the brink. I'm not holding my breath waiting on cassettes, 8-track, LaserDiscs, or Betamax to come back but I think chip/cart media and high-capacity disc storage like Blu-Ray to be around in ten years time. Digital certainly isn't going to collapse but it will be interesting to see how "ownership" is handled in the future. As it is now, Nintendo makes zero qualms about how you actually don't anything digital with them, you merely own the license to access that digital content. I don't know what kind of blowback about that will occur if at all in the future but I know once all of these companies decide to stop with physical releases, I'm effectively done. :P
Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
I doubt they will be in their current state but as some kind of boutique, they might be. I'm not putting any money on that and at the rate they've been going, it'd be safer to bet they won't be.
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Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
I think this next generation of consoles will carry them at least 6 or 7 years, and then I can see them doing everything they can a year or two into the next generation to remain a viable company. That's not to say they'll probably close a bunch of stores in that time period, but yes, they will be around for close to a decade longer.
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I’ve already accepted the fact that physical games will be dead after this upcoming gen, so I’m just gonna enjoy it while it lasts. This is the only forum that I visit with its few active members that still love to collect physical games..
All the other major gaming forums that I visit with a high volume of members pretty much loathe physical games and clutter. The modern gamer finds discs a hassle and takes up too much space, and to be honest I don’t blame them. Not everyone is a collector. My only gripe with it is the removal of options for us to choose physical or digital versions for our games.
I read plenty of threads where users say they haven’t bought a disc in a decade. Or imagine buying a disc based game in 2020...
We’re in the minority here guys. Gamepass numbers keep rising, the percentage gap for digital purchases is closing in dramatically, Disc less consoles have been introduced to the market. Streaming and ease of play is a hot topic currently (even though I’m glad Stadia is dead)... We’re all gonna have to go digital soon.
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I personally think their demise is more imminent. I think it might be a wise move for them to proactively begin a process of transition into a purely online retailer, rather than milking the physical store model until the company is bankrupt from all the overhead and loss of sales. Hell, maybe even go into a joint venture with Walmart's electronics department, in a similar way Sprint has done in the cell phone department, to bolster both companies selling power of games and hardware. Walmart has kind of become lackluster in selection over the past several years. They could double a store's inventory. Probably wouldn't work as Walmart doesn't want anything to do with the nasty condition trade-ins GS depends on.
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If everything went all digital all the CEO's of these console companies would probably retire and lay off all their workers and claim everything and every game as their own personal property and say FU to all or most of the retro video game designers
(my future skit of a game CEO from Japan)
you Play my game? you give me more money. and I let you have. for a while,
you say you want to try my game? I'll let you try for, 2 day if you like you pay me money and I let you download full copy, from my computer.
sorry but it's how I feel
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I personally think their demise is more imminent. I think it might be a wise move for them to proactively begin a process of transition into a purely online retailer, rather than milking the physical store model until the company is bankrupt from all the overhead and loss of sales. Hell, maybe even go into a joint venture with Walmart's electronics department, in a similar way Sprint has done in the cell phone department, to bolster both companies selling power of games and hardware. Walmart has kind of become lackluster in selection over the past several years. They could double a store's inventory. Probably wouldn't work as Walmart doesn't want anything to do with the nasty condition trade-ins GS depends on.
These are all pretty pragmatic solutions, but I don't think a lot of companies want to help shoulder Gamestop's burden. They already tried selling the company a year or so ago and they had no takers. Pretty much everyone, including Gamestop, see's their demise on the horizon and they are literally operating on borrowed time. I think what will probably happen is they'll fire sale the company to another company for a bargain or they'll continue to try and keep it afloat for as long as possible while it continues to sink.
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Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
Why do you start a topic only to then mock people’s opinions without providing any sort of counter argument of your own? Seems rather trollish..
If everything went all digital all the CEO's of these console companies would probably retire and lay off all their workers and claim everything and every game as their own personal property and say FU to all or most of the retro video game designers
Wait, what?
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Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
Why do you start a topic only to then mock people’s opinions without providing any sort of counter argument of your own? Seems rather trollish..
The counter argument is right there in the title.
If sales are dropping by more than 25% a year, mathematically they go bust in 4 years. And that’s if things remain at the same pace and don’t, as trends obviously suggest, lean even more in favour of digital sales every year.
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Last thing I'll say; almost every year there's news that GameStop is struggling financially, and quite frankly, their demise couldn't come sooner. I do lament the fact that this would mean many of its employees will lose their jobs, but they have rarely, if ever learned from their mistakes, so let them sink and let's hope something new and better comes along.
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I doubt they will be in their current state but as some kind of boutique, they might be.
Well, that would be ironic.
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Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
Why do you start a topic only to then mock people’s opinions without providing any sort of counter argument of your own? Seems rather trollish..
The counter argument is right there in the title.
If sales are dropping by more than 25% a year, mathematically they go bust in 4 years. And that’s if things remain at the same pace and don’t, as trends obviously suggest, lean even more in favour of digital sales every year.
Except you’re ignoring the laws of diminishing returns, or applied in this case, diminishing decline. The rate of change won’t remain that large going forward. Furthermore, as has been explained by multiple people already in this thread, games going digital isn’t the sole reason for Gamestop’s demise, so to conflate the two can be misleading.
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If everything went all digital all the CEO's of these console companies would probably retire and lay off all their workers and claim everything and every game as their own personal property and say FU to all or most of the retro video game designers
Wait, what?
That is what I predict may happen in the future unless someone gives some, not all of these big time CEO's. a big kick in the ass
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If everything went all digital all the CEO's of these console companies would probably retire and lay off all their workers and claim everything and every game as their own personal property and say FU to all or most of the retro video game designers
Wait, what?
That is what I predict may happen in the future unless someone gives some, not all of these big time CEO's. a big kick in the ass
So you legitimately think company CEOs will retire.... AND lay off their entire work force.... have I got that right?
In other words, if gaming is fully digital, this multi-BILLION dollar industry would just close up shop for good? Have I got THAT right?
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If everything went all digital all the CEO's of these console companies would probably retire and lay off all their workers and claim everything and every game as their own personal property and say FU to all or most of the retro video game designers
Wait, what?
That is what I predict may happen in the future unless someone gives some, not all of these big time CEO's. a big kick in the ass
So you legitimately think company CEOs will retire.... AND lay off their entire work force.... have I got that right?
In other words, if gaming is fully digital, this multi-BILLION dollar industry would just close up shop for good? Have I got THAT right?
I currently think all or most of the money will go to the elite, if everything was digital why would the elite need people working for them? when then they could work from home and have everything done on their home computer
:( I care that is why I mentioned I don't want this to happen, but their is a few good honest business people left that care about their smaller employees
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If everything went all digital all the CEO's of these console companies would probably retire and lay off all their workers and claim everything and every game as their own personal property and say FU to all or most of the retro video game designers
Wait, what?
That is what I predict may happen in the future unless someone gives some, not all of these big time CEO's. a big kick in the ass
So you legitimately think company CEOs will retire.... AND lay off their entire work force.... have I got that right?
In other words, if gaming is fully digital, this multi-BILLION dollar industry would just close up shop for good? Have I got THAT right?
I currently think all or most of the money will go to the elite, if everything was digital why would the elite need people working for them? when then they could work from home and have everything done on their home computer
:( I care that is why I mentioned I don't want this to happen, but their is a few good honest business people left that care about their smaller employees
That literally makes no sense. CEO's don't program the games, write the stories, do graphic boards, sounds, music etc. They literally do none of that. have you ever seen the credits for a AAA game- hundreds of people involved....you think 1 person is going to take over, fore everyone, and create AAA games on their home computer??
Back on topic. I think Gamestop has gotten a lot better. They no longer shove preorders down your throat when you walk in (I used to avoid going there just because of that) and at least in my city, everyone is friendly and helpful. Heck, I only go to my local gamestop maybe once a month, and they still greet me by name when I come in. I think it will be sad when they are gone, because there aren't that many places that sell games anymore. Walmart I won't go to, Target has a slim selection...Best Buy is probably the best for price and selection, but nothing compared to what Gamestop has (selection wise). Heck, we only have 2 places in town that sell used games...One is great, but tiny so not a lot of selection, and one which has a better selection....but no quality control (They will sell you a game scratched to crap, and then want to charge you to buff it). Gamestop is really the end of an era, like blockbuster for Movies. When they are gone, it won't be so east to walk into a store and walk out with a good physical used game.
I'm also think we will see quite a few closures over the next few years, but they should hang on for awhile. They always have a decent amount of customers in the stores when I go. People do still like Physical.
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I currently think all or most of the money will go to the elite, if everything was digital why would the elite need people working for them? when then they could work from home and have everything done on their home computer
It won’t happen:
1) because CEOs run companies, they don’t participate (or rather, aren’t responsible for) the creative development behind the products they push
2) because no one in game development or publishing work on creation of physical media; that’s the sole responsibility of plants owned by Nintendo, Sony or MS (THOSE plants, and the people employed within,will go out of business in a digital only world)
3) because of 1) and 2), how a game is delivered has zero bearing (aside from first party plants listed above) on the employment necessary to continue R&D into hardware and peripherals, or games development; nor does it affect the sales and marketing side of any of the above.
4) even if it were conceivable that your scenario would occur (the sun has a better chance of burning out), that would not stop the creation of new startups to fill those gaps. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does capitalism.
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Lol @ thinking GameStop will still be around for another 9 years.
Why do you start a topic only to then mock people’s opinions without providing any sort of counter argument of your own? Seems rather trollish..
The counter argument is right there in the title.
If sales are dropping by more than 25% a year, mathematically they go bust in 4 years. And that’s if things remain at the same pace and don’t, as trends obviously suggest, lean even more in favour of digital sales every year.
That's holiday sales, not total sales, even if holiday counts for a lot. But every retail company sees worsening holiday sales every year, because frankly millennials don't want "stuff" and do not open their wallets that often. If they can click a purchase button, and have it just appear in some form, they do that instead. To be fair, the older generations are doing that more often, too.
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https://www.youtube.com/v/KwQwz8kP6No