Kunal Khullar Social Links Navigation News Contributor Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.
GenericUser2001 Gamestop's turn around is certainly not something I expected, but apparently their pivot to collectibles has worked out really well for them; they are literally more profitable than ever. Good for them. Reply
Jagwired Funko's and blind bag junk doesn't seem like a sustainable business. You can buy those at Walmart and Target, and it seems like a fad like Beanie Babies. TCGs seem like they have staying power and while there are lot of TCG stores, most local TCG stores lazily built. Someone buys some cheap folding tables and shelves and calls it a TCG store. A well designed and branded TCG chain could be a good path for GameStop. The other idea I've seen for GameStop is to become an esports store selling jerseys, good quality peripherals, "gamer" drinks/snacks, etc. It doesn't seem like GameStop is interested in that, however, and they want to focus on toys. Reply
Marlin1975 GenericUser2001 said: Gamestop's turn around is certainly not something I expected, but apparently their pivot to collectibles has worked out really well for them; they are literally more profitable than ever. Good for them. No they are not. Their "profits" have come from selling stock and buying treasuries. They got a bunch of saps to get the stock inflated, sold more stock, and then invested it. Reply
ezst036 What is the point when the vast majority of gamers have rejected physical game media? Most customers demand on-demand/streaming super convenience immediately downloadable content. People who still demand physical media are for the most part a small internet sub culture. Reply
ohio_buckeye Their best course of action may be to go more towards retro games and systems and set up an online store from similar to Steam or epic games. I know there’s one local game store in our area all kinds of stuff from old movies to old systems from snes to ps5 and in between and collectibles. Reply
Concerned Liberty Funko's and blind bag junk doesn't seem like a sustainable business. You can buy those at Walmart and Target, and it seems like a fad like Beanie Babies. TCGs seem like they have staying power and while there are lot of TCG stores, most local TCG stores lazily built. Someone buys some cheap folding tables and shelves and calls it a TCG store. A well designed and branded TCG chain could be a good path for GameStop. The other idea I've seen for GameStop is to become an esports store selling jerseys, good quality peripherals, "gamer" drinks/snacks, etc. It doesn't seem like GameStop is interested in that, however, and they want to focus on toys.Funko Pop figures have been around and fairly popular for a decade and a half. It seems like they should be well past the fad stage at this point. TCGs would be a solid path, though I feel like most areas already have their niche local card/hobby shops well established. GameStop would have to do something spectacular, I think, to draw people away from their local hobby shops. I personally don't care for esports any more than I do physical sports, but I could see that working out if they decided on that pivot. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/gamestop-is-reopening-recently-closed-stores-despite-massive-retail-cuts-select-locations-return-nationwide-starting-september-11#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
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- Securing the Infrastructure of Intelligence
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- Anthropic says Claude thwarted bioweapon research from state-sponsored actors — covert accounts used U.S. proxies to attempt to engineer deadlier viruses, tried
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.