GameStop Stock Plummets After A 27.5% Decrease In Holiday Sales

[oldgamerz]

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

[bikingjahuty]

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.

[bunnybear]

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?

[seether]

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.

[pzeke]

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.

[...]

I doubt they will be in their current state but as some kind of boutique, they might be.

Well, that would be ironic.

[bunnybear]

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.

[oldgamerz]

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

[bunnybear]

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?

[oldgamerz]

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

[wolff242]

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.

[bunnybear]

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.

[Warmsignal]

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.

[pzeke]

https://www.youtube.com/v/KwQwz8kP6No