GameStop had YEARS to adapt themselves to the new gaming situation, but they instead chose to go the way of the strip-mall and follow the example of BlockBuster Video.
When did Steam get started? The middle-naughts? That was the time for GameStop to act. It's too late now. Even if they have the money, do they have the leadership to pull this off? Maybe they'll try, but it will be an uphill fight, even with the Chewy founder on the board.
I expect the execs will find some way to parachute out and that there will be no transformation of GameStop.
15 years ago they could have tried to compete or pivot.
Now they are in position of an underdog with no experience vs established platform - Steam, Epic, GoG - if talking about selling games.
You are basically suggesting that Gamestop have a second chance to compete vs Amazon, or Ebay, or Facebook for that matter.
They are starting from scratch, all they have is physical locations. And presumably infrastructure to manage those locations. No software teams, no user base, 0.
I realize i sound very negative but saying there is a second chance for a ship that has been sinking and captain gave everyone a bucket as means of coping is not going to miraculously fix itself. Especially since they are now 100% thinking how to exit with that cash.
> They are starting from scratch, all they have is physical locations. And presumably infrastructure to manage those locations.
I don't know if you know this, but that's actually kind of a big deal. Nationally distributed brick-and-mortar stores with logistics and connections in place to supply these locations are expensive and time consuming to stand up.
Those locations and logistical infrastructure could be a huge opportunity for them to pivot with, or you could think of it like collateral/capital that they could liquidate for pivoting in a different direction.
> No software teams, no user base, 0
Believe it or not, not every business has to have teams of software people churning out gamified node apps.
Not every company needs to start with a user base to abuse and exploit in order to be successful, and not every company needs to become the next Amazon/Google/Tesla in order to be successful and contribute in a meaningful and sustainable way to the economy and provide value for customers.
I sincerely hope you don't approach every challenge you meet in life with the same defeatist attitude. Use your imagination and don't give up!
Actually Stadia will be dead in a year, judging by what has happened with it. Still, what does gamestop have in terms of software? A webdev team? Creating a games streaming platform is an enormous project.
When did Steam get started? The middle-naughts? That was the time for GameStop to act. It's too late now. Even if they have the money, do they have the leadership to pull this off? Maybe they'll try, but it will be an uphill fight, even with the Chewy founder on the board.
I expect the execs will find some way to parachute out and that there will be no transformation of GameStop.