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There Can Be Only One!
As every single gaming web site reported today GameStop has purchased Electronics Boutique and the new company will be known as GameStop Corp. Combined the two companies will have over 3,200 stores worldwide, about $3.8 billion in annual revenue, and nearly 22% of the total US video game market.
What will be interesting is that this new company will have a huge monopoly on the video game retail business and will pretty much be able to make or break a game release. And when you factor in Wal-Mart, the two companies will combine to control around 50% of the entire US video game retail market. The big get bigger yet again!
I don't know much about business... but I hope this means the EB in my area drops their prices a bit. Future Shop has been kicking EB's ass at decent game pricing.
EB games are usually anywhere from 10 to 30 bucks higher than the games at Future Shop. And at least at FS, prices drop like every week.
That's pretty much the only reason I like FS when compared to EB. EB is like... an extreme last resort for me.
FS has computer hardware but they charge pretty much exactly 2x as much as this A-Power store.
At FS, I could get a 512 DDR RAM stick for nearly $200. At A-Power, $100.
Bleh. Whatever. Again, that's just in my area here.
So I really do hope they lower the prices on their games, especially the ones in the bargain bin or the previously owned section.
Seriously, what the hell kind of bargain bin sells games for 30 dollars?
Wait, I don't think EB had a bargain bin. That might have been some other store.
Damn it. My brain sucks. I'm going to go smash it with a hammer.
I don't know much about business... but I hope this means the EB in my area drops their prices a bit. Future Shop has been kicking EB's ass at decent game pricing.
EB games are usually anywhere from 10 to 30 bucks higher than the games at Future Shop. And at least at FS, prices drop like every week.
That's pretty much the only reason I like FS when compared to EB. EB is like... an extreme last resort for me.
FS has computer hardware but they charge pretty much exactly 2x as much as this A-Power store.
At FS, I could get a 512 DDR RAM stick for nearly $200. At A-Power, $100.
Bleh. Whatever. Again, that's just in my area here.
So I really do hope they lower the prices on their games, especially the ones in the bargain bin or the previously owned section.
Seriously, what the hell kind of bargain bin sells games for 30 dollars?
Wait, I don't think EB had a bargain bin. That might have been some other store.
Damn it. My brain sucks. I'm going to go smash it with a hammer.
Darn, the guys who work at my local EB are really nice. I hope that don't get fired, they really enjoy working there and don't rip anyone of. pluse there prises are at least $10 cheaper then at Best Buy or my local Game Stop.
Posted by jujubee at April 19, 2005 6:33 AMNot to pick nits or anything, but I hardly think that 22% is a "huge monopoly". At best, now a duopoly controls 50% of the market... which is still hardly overwhelming influence.
Now, when you say they can make or break a title, your'e right, they'll have a lot of muscle in the market. Since most of my games come from an EB now... well, we'll see what happens.
Posted by Naginata at April 19, 2005 8:54 AMI don't think you need to worry about your friends getting fired, at least not anytime soon. Supossedly they aren't even going to be changing anything until 2006. Then they'll close down duplicate stores in malls and such. (You know, if there used to be a EB AND a GameStop in the same store.)
Anyway, I hope that they lean more towards GameStop's type of store. I always liked GameStop more then EB...
Posted by Sensei Jinx at April 19, 2005 9:14 AMWhere I am at the EB stores are 100% better than the GameStop. We only have I believe 2 GameStops in our area but have like 4 EB stores and the GameStop at one of the malls is about the size of a closet. If there are more than 4 people in there you have to walk over each other.
Posted by Jedi55555 at April 21, 2005 9:14 AM