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GameStop Posts Massive Loss as Pre-Owned Game Sales Plummet:
One of the world's biggest video game retailers just announced its worst annual performance in decades, raising renewed questions about the health of the physical video game market as downloadable games continue their ascent. Net sales for GameStop were down 3 percent for the 52-week period ending February 2, a slide that helped flip last year's modest $34.7 million profit to a sizable $673 million operating loss. On top of that, the company expects sales to decline another 5 to 10 percent in the next fiscal year.
GameStop's massive loss is the largest ever reported by the company, and only the third annual loss since it grew out of the corporate remains of FuncoLand in 2000. GameStop last posted a loss in 2012, when it lost nearly $270 million thanks in part to weak holiday sales near the end of that era's console generation.
But more than the amount, the reason behind the new loss could be cause for long-term concern at the retailer's thousands of worldwide storefronts. While hardware sales were roughly flat and new software sales fell about 4 percent year over year, pre-owned software sales cratered nearly 12 percent for the year, continuing a years-long slide.
GameStop has always relied on the high margins of buying low and selling high on used game discs to buoy an otherwise low-margin business. But the rise of downloadable games, which can't be resold, has taken the wind out of those sails to a large extent. "We continue to see declines in pre-owned software, reflecting the decline in sales of new physical games and the increasing demand for digitally offered products," GameStop COO & CFO Robert Lloyd said in an earnings call.
I'm curious how many Soylentils still prefer to buy their games on physical media and who prefers a digital distribution. What's your motivation? Also, what if anything, can Game Stop do so as to continue as a going concern?
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Friday April 05 2019, @02:52PM (2 children)
Let's say one of your friends has recommended a game to you. You visit the game's website and see this:
What do you tell your friend when your friend asks you what you thought about the game?
Another question from left field: Would you buy a console version if it's a cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System?
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Friday April 05 2019, @05:36PM
I'd tell 'em I didn't try it. I might, mostly out of politeness, but at least a little bit out of academic interest, enquire as to what they liked about it.
Possibly, if it looked fun enough for me to go and get the console off of EBay or wherever. I own, and have owned, some 8-bit arcade machines, I love 'em. I used to work in the arcade machine industry in various hardware and software capacities, way back in the day. I've done some independent/contracting stuff as well.
One of the things my old reflex [datapipe-blackbeltsystems.com] 6809 emulation does is emulate one of the arcade machines I designed; some of the games I wrote run on them, and I still enjoy playing them (though I still have the actual hardware, which is where I play them.) But those are certainly cases where the games are tailored right to my tastes.
For me, a "good" game is defined by its gameplay. I put all other considerations second or further WRT "good." Which is not to say that a secondary or even lesser consideration could not rule a game or a game system out as something I'd invest time and energy into.
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The second line of this sig is hilarious.
The first line of this sig was misinformed.
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Friday April 05 2019, @06:02PM
One more thing; DRM is one important touchstone, but another that is right up there is "does not ever require Internet connection for local play."
I'm okay if a game can use a network connection to create a multiplayer/multi-machine experience (for instance, MechAssault [wikipedia.org] can work with several machines over a LAN, and it used to be able to work with servers over the WAN to create a multiplayer/multi-machine experience worldwide, both of which were a complete blast.)
But if there's no network connection, it should fail gracefully and never complain, other than to (obviously) let you know that if you want to do something that inherently requires a network connection, you can't. DLC, multi-machine gaming, etc.
I'm also okay with the collection of anonymized stats, if the user permits it, and there is a network connection. Those can help the game's authors improve that game, and future games. Same for any other software. But again, if not, that shouldn't change a single thing about immediate playability/usability.
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"Faith": The possessive form of "Superstition."