Summary
GameStophas recently announced intentions to sell its operations in France and Canada. If these plans are confirmed, the retail chain’s presence outside the United States may diminish even more, asGameStophas already closed multiple stores around the world in recent months.
Not only is GameStop the largest video game retailer in the United States, but it’s also one of the oldest, kicking off its activities in 1980. Despite the company’s previous success, the industry’s switch to focusing on digital media and the tumultuous years during and after the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have affected it in a largely negative way, and recentreports paint a bleak future for GameStop.
Now, GameStop has officially revealed intentions to sell its operations in France and Canada, where itreportedlyhad 332 and 203 stores by February 2024, respectively. At the moment, GameStop has stores in the United States, Canada, France, Australia, Italy, and New Zealand, so selling its operations in these two countries would considerably diminish its presence outside of the US. In any case, the decision does not appear to be final yet, as there is no official buyer and the company may still change its mind. If GameStop does leave these countries, it will continue to follow a recent trend. Last year,GameStop left Germany, and before that, it also stopped operations in Ireland.
GameStop Could Shut Down in France and Canada
Some recent reports indicate that not even the United States, where most of the GameStop stores are, has been completely immune to the trend of physical locations shutting their doors. Back in January,GameStop silently shut down multiple stores in the US, disappointing many regular customers. Over 2,000 stores still remain open in the country, though it remains unclear how long this will be the case.
While the situation for GameStop’s physical stores does not seem to be improving anytime soon, the company continues to offer online promotions for its customers. Earlier this week,GameStop announced a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale for PS4 games. With 1,672 games to choose from, gamers can currently purchase three used physical PS4 games online and get the cheapest one for free. The list included some popular games such as 2018’sGod of War,Grand Theft Auto 5,Red Dead Redemption 2, andUncharted 4: Thief’s End. Hopefully, GameStop will continue to maintain its stores and offer even more promotions to gamers, but only time will tell what will happen to the famous video game retailer.
