• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

2

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

3

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

1

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

2

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

3

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
TechGameStop

GameStop Mixes Things Up Beyond Games

By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 31, 2015, 10:22 AM ET
GameStop

While GameStop (GME) stock has dropped 27% since late November, the retailer’s chief financial officer believes the company has taken the necessary steps to diversify its business beyond the sale of physical video game software.

“We have maintained a balance sheet that allows us to diversify, whether it’s inside the gaming space or outside of it,” Rob Lloyd says.

Over the past two years, the specialty video game retailer has grown its Cricket Wireless, Spring Mobile, and Simply Mac retail locations from 150 to over 1,000 stores. GameStop’s electronics and mobile division accounted for $165 million in revenue in its fiscal third quarter. Lloyd says the company is on a path for its electronics business to generate $1.5 billion by 2019.

The company recently launched three ThinkGeek stores in Orlando, Fla.; Palisades, N.Y.; and Dallas. Lloyd says the stores, which sell collectible merchandise from pop culture franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, are connecting with consumers. He says ThinkGeek remains a strong online business, and its collectibles merchandise has been integrated into all GameStop stores as well. The collectibles business generated $138 million in revenue last quarter.

With over 6,000 video game stores, Lloyd says GameStop can seamlessly transform stores from games to electronics or ThinkGeek locations.

Lloyd believes preowned game sales, which returns over $1 billion in trade currency to GameStop customers annually, has helped the company navigate new businesses.

“Preowned sales have been an important differentiator in our ability to survive in the consumer electronics category, which can be a challenging business,” Lloyd says.

SIGN UP: Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

“GameStop is the last retailer to lose customers to digital downloads, due to their buy-sell-trade business,” says Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

Pachter believes investors who bailed on GameStop overreacted, as November is historically a self-purchase month while December is typically a gift-giver month.

“We should see a rebound to positive physical sales growth in December,” Pachter says.

Another trend that likely will end with Christmas now in the books is the record number of software bundles with new hardware. Pachter estimates that free software totaled 3 million units in November, up 100% from a year ago, and totaling 15% of physical software sold.

“This also has a dampening impact on GameStop sales,” Pachter says.

The video game industry is evolving. The explosion of free-to-play games across mobile devices, PC, and even consoles has grown the number of global gamers to over 1.4 billion according to research firm Newzoo.

WATCH: Do tech execs prefer board games or video games? Watch this Fortune video to find out:

Newzoo CEO Peter Warman forecasts that mobile games will generate $30.3 billion worldwide, generating more money than console games ($26.4 billion) for the first time. The firm expects sales for the total worldwide gaming market to be $91.95 billion in 2015.

With Sony selling over 30 million PlayStation 4 consoles faster than any previous console in history, Pachter believes Sony and Microsoft will launch new consoles in 2018 or 2019.

“But sales will likely be 50% as big cycle over cycle as we see a migration to other smart devices that will allow a similar in-home experience,” Pachter says.

In the short term, Lloyd is bullish on virtual reality. Three new high-end virtual reality platforms will launch in 2016, including Facebook’s Oculus Rift, Sony’s PlayStation VR, and the HTC Vive.

“These broader VR products that will make use of technology to drive the VR content is a place we’ll play in heavily,” Lloyd says. “We’re particularly excited about the gaming content that will be driven by these devices.”

Pachter forecasts $500 million in headset sales in 2016, and virtual reality could help GameStop in 2017 and beyond.

“It could bolster sales, and certainly will help offset continued market share losses to digital,” Pachter says.

 

About the Author
By John Gaudiosi
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Elon Musk puts one hand to his chin and he looks up. He is in front of a blue "World Economic Forum" background.
InvestingSpaceX
‘SpaceX is his new baby at the expense of Tesla’: Elon Musk’s IPO could be bad news for his EV maker, investors warns
By Sasha RogelbergMay 21, 2026
5 hours ago
matthew prince
AILayoffs
Cloudflare posted record revenue, then cut 20% of its workforce. CEO Matthew Prince says AI has made an entire category of workers obsolete
By Jake AngeloMay 21, 2026
5 hours ago
Prakash Arunkundrum, HP’s first-ever chief strategy and transformation officer, bets edge AI will ‘bring the token cost down’
AIConsumer electronics
Prakash Arunkundrum, HP’s first-ever chief strategy and transformation officer, bets edge AI will ‘bring the token cost down’
By Angelica AngMay 21, 2026
5 hours ago
malaysia
CybersecuritySocial Media
Malaysia slams ‘grossly offensive, false, menacing and insulting’ TikTok memes about its king
By The Associated PressMay 21, 2026
7 hours ago
Meta laid off 10% of its workforce as Mark Zuckerberg warns that in the AI race ‘success isn’t a given’
AILayoffs
Meta laid off 10% of its workforce as Mark Zuckerberg warns that in the AI race ‘success isn’t a given’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 21, 2026
7 hours ago
bock
Cybersecurityfraud
Minnesota fraudster at center of $250 million scam, controversial ICE crackdown sentenced to 42 years
By Tim Sullivan and The Associated PressMay 21, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
1 day ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
11 hours ago
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
Workplace Culture
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
By Sydney LakeMay 20, 2026
1 day ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
4 days ago
A 'proudly autistic' workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
Conferences
A 'proudly autistic' workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
By Tristan BoveMay 20, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.