How GameStop Can Survive (2024)

How GameStop Can Survive (1)

The recent $GME fiasco led me re-visit GameStop and its financials. What I found was a nightmare: if GameStop doesn’t re-invent itself, it’s headed for bankruptcy.

GameStop’s Current Situation

GameStop’s lack of preparation for the digital transformation of gaming has had a huge impact on the company. As it stands, the world’s largest video-game retailer is headed for bankruptcy. Squeezed by secular trends within the gaming world, the retailer is banking on an antiquated business model and the profit-sharing of Microsoft and Sony’s digital downloads (even if those downloads aren’t made within the GameStop ecosystem), which is nothing short of philanthropy by the two console manufacturers. This is far from a sustainable and profitable business model.

To drive the point in further, GME’s net sales have dropped by 24.35% since FY2017 and the retailer has operated on a net loss since FY2018 (2020 10K). It currently maintains 5,509 stores around the globe (3,642 domestic), whose comparable store sales have been decreasing since FY2018. In FY2019 alone, comparable store sales decreased by 19.4% (2020 10K).

Software sales, which do not require a store to be sold, have also been steadily decreasing since FY2017 (2020 10K).

How GameStop Can Survive (2)

Already before COVID, GameStop was running into the ground.

If this wasn’t enough already, GameStop’s stock ($GME) has also been declining and under-performing the S&P and the Dow Jones Speciality Retailers Index since 2015 (2020 10K).

How GameStop Can Survive (3)

Note: the graph above, taken from the 2020 10K, does not take into account the recent artificial surge.

GameStop is becoming irrelevant

GameStop makes most of its money from buying and selling used games. Unfortunately, this business is going to become irrelevant for a number of reasons:

  1. New-generation consoles are being soldwithout disk drives

  2. Digital game salesoutnumber physical sales

  3. Sales of pre-owned games have beensteadily declining

  4. It’s in Sony & Microsoft’s interest to capture the value of direct-to-consumer game downloads

GameStop faces a severe issue of supplier power. That is, Microsoft and Sony have so much supplier power that they effectively choose whether GameStop stays afloat or goes under. If Sony and Microsoft were to only offer their consoles and games via their own platforms, GameStop would go under.

So what has GameStop done to try and combat their supplier power problem?

GameStop’s “Strategy”

In May 2019, GameStop announced a transformation strategy which they called “GameStop Reboot”. The strategy focuses around four tenets:

  1. Optimize the Core Business(improve efficiencies)

  2. Become the social/cultural hub for gaming(enhance PowerUp loyalty program)

  3. Build a frictionless digital ecosystem(build an e-commerce platform)

  4. Transform vendor partnerships(find additional high-margin revenue streams)

Unfortunately, these four tenets are projects thatshould already have been completedlong before 2019, let alone 2021.

These four tenets also do not formulate a strategy. They are, at best, a series of tactics lacking an overall strategy. Business strategy is about leveraging key activities in order to achieve a competitive advantage, which cannot be said about the four tenets mentioned above.

GameStop is failing to develop a defensible sustainable competitive advantage over a market or a market segment.

GameStop’s “multi-year transformation initiative” misses the main issue: the supplier power they face. Why wouldn’t Sony and Microsoft aim to capture more of the value they create? After all, both manufacturers have the infrastructure to sell digital downloads or disks exclusively on their platforms, enabling them to capture the entirety of the value they create. With GameStop failing to add value to the game-selling process, there is no reason why Sony & Microsoft should decide to sell their games through the antiquated retailer. In short,

GameStop has no strategy.

How GameStop Can SaveItself

Video games are moving to digital-only. Stores are bleeding money. Sales of pre-owned games are plummeting.GameStop needs to completely re-invent itself.

I believe that GameStop needs to focus on the players and give “power to the players”. GameStop’s biggest asset to leverage is its customers. Building a value proposition around this group will give GameStop an edge in the gaming market, transforming their business model from a traditional retail model to a customer-focused e-commerce business model, like Amazon with Amazon Prime.

The company needs to focus on developing a defensible and sustainable competitive advantage within the gaming market and become an omnipresent online hub for all things gaming. On top of a robust e-commerce platform selling new and pre-owned games, software, accessories and collectibles, GameStop should offer a subscription offering access to exclusive amateur and professional gaming-tournaments, news (interviews with gaming/streaming celebrities, etc.) and store discounts.

However, their core competency of buying and selling used game should not be ignored — it should be simply be moved online. Just likeStockXlets sneaker-heads buy and sell pre-owned shoes, GameStop should move to e-commerce focused buy & sell model of pre-owned games, and new disk-games should also be sold online, except for select big releases. Moving everything online enables GameStop to minimize losses when consoles inevitably adopt a digital-only approach.

As for the stores, GameStop needs to transform them. Some of the stores should become experiential in nature and offer exclusive, member-only in-person and online events, gaming tournaments, and more. Stores need to become “the stop for gaming”, rather than simply a place to sell old games. People need to be excited to go to GameStop instead of seeing it as a chore.

Meanwhile, the rest of the stores need to become a distribution asset. GameStop has more stores globally than Sony and Microsoft combined, giving them a unique edge in distribution if leveraged correctly. In order to satisfy young gamers’ demand for instant gratification, GameStop needs to create a robust distribution network to quickly deliver items to customers.

Pursuing such a strategy would leverage GameStop’s biggest asset, its customers. By creating a community-focused business model, GameStop would create a defensible and sustainable competitive advantage which would be extremely hard for retail competitors to copy. The company would thus be adding value as a direct result of its own activities, rather than relying on the philanthropic efforts of its suppliers.

The community-focused business model would become an asset for gamers and would help GameStop sustain the tough 5–7 years between video game console releases. Just like Amazon Prime members spend 2.33xmoreand aremore loyalto Amazon, GameStop pivoting to a subscription-model offering access to a robust community of gamers would create more loyalty within its customers.

For this strategy to work however, GameStop needs to fully embrace it. Enhancing a loyalty program which only 11% of subscribers pay for and optimizing the core business is not enough to create the defensible, sustainable competitive advantage GameStop needs to avoid going under.

Only atrulytransformational effort by GameStop will save it.

How GameStop Can Survive (2024)

FAQs

Why is GameStop struggling? ›

GameStop, known for its consumer electronics and gaming merchandise, has struggled with profitability as the games industry has moved away from physical discs to online downloads.

Can GameStop become profitable? ›

“GameStop is a much healthier business today than it was in the start of 2021,” CEO Matt Furlong, who made nearly $17 million (roughy 13 of Q4's 2022 profit) in 2021. The shocking profit report caused GameStop stocks to jump 35% on Wednesday.

Why GameStop could go out of business in the digital age? ›

GameStop relies heavily on trade-ins. About 46% profit on each preowned game they sell. With less physical games being bought, there are less trades being made. This method of business seems doomed to fail in the rising digital age.

What made GameStop successful? ›

They were the place where millions of young people could trade in used games, debate the merits of different franchises and get advice from GameStop's staff, often avid gamers themselves. In the 2000s, this winning formula propelled the company to open thousands of stores around the world and make money hand over fist.

Will GameStop stock go up again? ›

Based on the volatility of GME shares in 2022, we can say that GameStop's retail investors endured an extremely difficult year much better than many expected. So expect GME to flourish again in 2023, especially in the event of growth in the broader market.

Will GameStop decline? ›

GameStop Corp. has crashed in 2022 after a peak in 2021. GameStop struggled to bounce in November, but overall behavior remains bearish. GameStop stock is expected to decline further based on the recent development and price action.

Is GameStop a good place to invest? ›

GameStop's prospects aren't great as any remaining investors are still reckoning with. It sports a middling 21 IBD Composite Rating. That means its chart and fundamentals only underperform 79% of all companies' And the company is seen losing money in fiscal 2024, ended in January 2024.

How much does the CEO of GameStop make a year? ›

Compensation by Company
Name And TitleTotal Compensation
Matthew Furlong Chief Executive OfficerTotal Compensation $16,812,934 View details
Diana Saadeh-Jajeh Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, and former Interim Chief Financial OfficerTotal Compensation $4,478,022 View details
6 more rows

Did GameStop have more income than Amazon? ›

Conversation. Breaking News: Gamestop $GME had more income than Amazon $AMZN in the previous quarter. GameStop's net income in Q4 2022 was $48.2 million (on $2.3B in revenue) vs Amazon's $278 million net income (on $149.2B in revenue) businesswire.com/news/home/2023… ir.aboutamazon.com/news-release/n…

When did GameStop start declining? ›

The problems began in 2013.

The implications of that were huge for the world's biggest game retailer. The foundation of GameStop's business is selling video games on discs. And with the digitization of console games, the company was facing an existential threat along the lines of iTunes' impact on record stores.

Who stopped GameStop trading? ›

Investors were only allowed to sell or hold shares. A little-known intermediary in the process of buying and selling equities forced Robinhood and other brokers to restrict trading in several securities on Thursday, including GameStop , AMC Entertainment , BlackBerry , and Nokia .

Who stopped the buying of GameStop? ›

Robinhood's decision to halt buying activity on GameStop stock on January 28 was a result of 'extraordinary' trading and subsequent complications posed by clearing rules, the company's CEO Vlad Tenev told the House Financial Services Committee during testimony yesterday.

Who is the biggest winner GameStop stock? ›

Mutual-fund giant Fidelity Investments, which had been GameStop's largest shareholder with a nearly 13% stake, sold nearly every share it owned in January 2021, according to public filings.

Why are people buying GameStop? ›

But the main reason behind the interest in the company is because it was the most heavily shorted stock on Wall Street. About 71.66 million GameStop shares have been shorted, worth about $4.66 billion. This is where the very popular 'wallstreetbets' came into the picture.

What are 3 facts about GameStop? ›

GameStop
Logo since 2000
FormerlyBabbage's (1984–1999)
Total equityUS$1.32 billion (2022)
OwnerRyan Cohen (11.9%)
Number of employees11,000 full-time 14,000–27,000 part-time (Jan 2023)
19 more rows

How high will GME get? ›

Stock Price Forecast

The 2 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for GameStop Corp have a median target of 13.25, with a high estimate of 20.00 and a low estimate of 6.50. The median estimate represents a -43.01% decrease from the last price of 23.25.

Is the GameStop short squeeze over? ›

For the month of February, Melvin posted a 22-percent gain, but it would need much more to break even from their earlier losses; they were reported to have suffered further losses during the GME's continued resurgence in May 2021. Melvin ultimately shut down on May 18, 2022.

Where will GME peak? ›

' The average price projection for GME stock for the next 12 months is $10.10; this represents a 45% downside from its current price at publication. It's interesting to note that the maximum price forecast for the next year is $20, representing a gain of 8.87%.

How long will GameStop hold? ›

We will hold your requested item until the end of the current business day, depending if your order was placed during store hours. The e-mail is usually sent within 2 hours if your order is placed during store hours. *Orders placed after store closing will receive an e-mail the following business day.

Is GameStop out of debt? ›

What Is GameStop's Debt Position? Video game retailer GameStop (GME) - Get Free Report currently has very low debt compared to its assets. GameStop's total debt is about $575 million, of which $378 million is long-term debt.

How is GameStop doing financially? ›

For the full fiscal year, GameStop saw $5.93 billion in sales, down slightly from $6.01 billion in fiscal 2021, and saw increased revenues from its collectibles category, which the retailer is banking will promote long-term growth.

Will GameStop stock go up 2023? ›

Thanks to GameStop's management's cost-cutting efforts and GME's loyal shareholders, it's likely the stock will perform better in 2023.

How much will GME stock be worth in 5 years? ›

According to the Traders Union long-term price forecast GameStop (GME) can reach $74.78 by 2025, $382.05 by 2030, $657.14 by 2034.

Is GameStop stock a buy or sell? ›

InvestorsObserver is giving GameStop Corp (GME) an Analyst Rating Rank of 1, meaning GME is ranked higher by analysts than 1% of stocks. The average price target for GME is $13.25 and analyst's rate the stock as a Sell. Wall Street analysts are rating GME a Sell today.

Who owns the most shares of GME? ›

Largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock Inc., VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, IJH - iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF, State Street Corp, NAESX - Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares, Susquehanna International Group, Llp, VISVX - Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ...

Who is GameStop's competition? ›

Best Buy is the leading consumer electronics chain in North America. The company started as a music retailer and expanded its offerings to include electronic products, video game systems and software, and gaming accessories.

What is the average salary for a CEO of a 10 million dollar company? ›

Median chief executive officer total direct compensation (the sum of salary, short-term incentives and long-term incentives) is $425,000 for the entire survey population of family businesses. For companies with revenue below $10 million, median CEO total direct compensation is $200,000.

Who are the biggest GameStop holders? ›

Who owns Gamestop? Gamestop (NYSE: GME) is owned by 28.01% institutional shareholders, 10.63% Gamestop insiders, and 61.36% retail investors. Ryan Cohen is the largest individual Gamestop shareholder, owning 9.10M shares representing 2.99% of the company. Ryan Cohen's Gamestop shares are currently valued at $219.33M.

Is GameStop now a Fortune 500 company? ›

GameStop Corp., a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and collectibles retailer. GameStop operates more than 5,700 stores across 14 countries. GameStop is a family of specialty retailers that makes your favorite technologies affordable and simple.

Who is more profitable Walmart or Amazon? ›

In 2022, Amazon closed its divide in terms of total revenue, as it generated over $513 billion in revenue, compared to over $572 billion in revenue from Walmart.

How much was GameStop at its lowest? ›

The all-time high GameStop stock closing price was 86.88 on January 27, 2021. The GameStop 52-week high stock price is 47.99, which is 83.8% above the current share price. The GameStop 52-week low stock price is 15.41, which is 41% below the current share price.

What is the largest video game store in the world? ›

GameStop is the world's largest video game retailer. With over 4,400 stores located throughout the United States and 15 countries, we are the retail destination for gamers around the world.

Why has GameStop gone up so much? ›

GameStop led a pack of highly shorted stocks that surged in January 2021 after retail investors swapping theories on Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok piled in and went viral on social media.

Why did Robinhood ban GameStop? ›

Robinhood played a critical role when a group of Reddit posters saw an opportunity to make money while also giving a jab to Wall Street and hedge funds. However, Robinhood made the surprising move to restrict buying GameStop citing issues with volatile stock and regulatory requirements.

Did Robinhood get punished for GameStop? ›

A federal judge ruled Thursday that Robinhood must defend itself in court against a class action lawsuit related to the online brokerage's January 2021 decision to halt trading in exploding “meme stocks” like AMC and GameStop, several outlets reported Thursday, though Robinhood vows to “vigorously defend” itself in the ...

What did Robinhood do to GameStop? ›

On Jan. 28, Robinhood suspended the ability to buy shares of GameStop. App users were allowed only to sell their positions, not open new ones or add to their existing holdings in GME. The brokerage's statement explaining its actions read, "We continuously monitor the markets and make changes where necessary.

Who became a millionaire off of GameStop? ›

June 7 (Reuters) - Ryan Cohen, the billionaire investor whose bold bet on GameStop Corp (GME.N) made him a hero to meme stock traders, took over as executive chairman on Wednesday after the video game retailer ousted its CEO and posted a bigger-than expected quarterly loss.

Did people become millionaires from GameStop stock? ›

His risky bet made him a millionaire on paper. It could've gone very differently. AJ Vanover put about $4,500 into a risky bet on GameStop and followed the saga on the subreddit Wallstreetbets. Now, this Missouri dad who earns $35,000 a year is a millionaire on paper.

Did anyone get in trouble for GameStop stock? ›

The insurer MassMutual will pay a $4 million fine as part of a settlement with Massachusetts regulators involving the conduct of Keith Gill, a former employee and online trader known as “Roaring Kitty” whose relentless cheerleading for shares of GameStop was at the heart of the meme-stock mania earlier this year.

Why did GameStop stock jump so much? ›

The GameStop stock price run-up essentially resulted from a pump-and-dump scheme. In such a scenario, an investor or investors buy heavily into a low-value stock, something that they can get cheaply and in volume. Then they begin a promotional campaign to get other investors buying in as well.

How was GameStop shorted over $100? ›

HOW CAN MORE THAN 100% OF A COMPANY'S SHARES BE SHORTED? Once the short seller borrows the shares from the lender and then sells them back into the market, the new owner of the shares is free to lend them out, just as the previous owner did, and have no idea they are on the other side of a short sale.

Is GameStop stock Overvalued? ›

GameStop Corp retains a regular Real Value of $17.19 per share. The prevalent price of the firm is $24.31. At this time, the firm appears to be overvalued.

Will GameStop become profitable? ›

GameStop made money in the last quarter of 2022, something it hasn't done in years. The surprising financial results were posted Wednesday, with the company reporting $48.2 million in profit.

Why is GameStop declining? ›

GameStop stock is on pace to suffer its largest percent decrease since June 2021 on Thursday. The videogame retailer's stock (ticker: GME), down 19%, fell after the company said its board terminated CEO Matt Furlong, and named activist investor Ryan Cohen as executive chairman.

Why is GameStop stock so low? ›

It still faces an existential crisis as digital downloads and e-commerce marketplaces threaten to render its business model obsolete. The broader post-pandemic decline of the gaming industry has made it even more difficult for GameStop to stabilize its business.

What is unique about GameStop? ›

GameStop is the largest video game retailer in the world. The franchise has 5,700 stores in 14 different countries. It is best known to gamers as a place to trade-in and buy pre-owned games. The retailer also sells many collectibles, POP figures, and other licensed merchandise.

What companies are owned by GameStop? ›

The company operates stores under GameStop, EB Games, Game Informer, Electronics Boutique, Zing Pop Culture, Power to the Players, PowerUp Rewards, Micromania and ThinkGeek banners. The company's operations are spread across, the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.

What is GameStop's competitive advantage? ›

In conclusion, GameStop's competitive advantage is its strong brand recognition, customer loyalty, extensive distribution network, and diversification of its product offerings. However, these advantages may not be enough to overcome the significant challenges posed by the digital disruption of the gaming industry.

Is GameStop in financial trouble? ›

GameStop's total debt is about $575 million, of which $378 million is long-term debt. The company's debt cost is 0.8%, which is well below the U.S. retail sector's average — 5%, according to a 2020 report by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

What will happen to GameStop stock? ›

Targets for 2022, 2023 and 2025

The forecaster set a baseline GameStop stock forecast for 2022 of $27.38 by the end of December 2022, up from $25.99 at the time of writing. It further predicted GME could reach $42.47 by the end of December 2023 and close 2025 at $72.54.

When did GameStop decline? ›

The company's performance declined during the mid-to-late 2010s due to the shift of video game sales to online shopping and failed investments by GameStop in smartphone retail.

Why is GameStop booming? ›

Topline. GameStop shares rose by more than 30% Wednesday after the video game retailer reported its first quarterly profit in two years, as shares for other meme stocks popularized during the pandemic, including AMC Entertainment and Bed Bath & Beyond, also increased as a result.

Should I still invest in GameStop? ›

GameStop's prospects aren't great as any remaining investors are still reckoning with. It sports a middling 21 IBD Composite Rating. That means its chart and fundamentals only underperform 79% of all companies' And the company is seen losing money in fiscal 2024, ended in January 2024.

Is GameStop doing well financially? ›

Generated net sales of $5.927 billion for the fiscal year, compared to $6.011 billion for fiscal year 2021.

How much is GameStop in debt? ›

Financial Health criteria checks 6/6. GameStop has a total shareholder equity of $1.3B and total debt of $37.2M, which brings its debt-to-equity ratio to 2.9%. Its total assets and total liabilities are $3.1B and $1.8B respectively.

What price can GME reach? ›

GameStop Corp (NYSE:GME)

The 2 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for GameStop Corp have a median target of 13.25, with a high estimate of 20.00 and a low estimate of 6.50. The median estimate represents a -43.01% decrease from the last price of 23.25.

How long does a short squeeze last? ›

Depending on the amount of stock shorted, a short squeeze can last anywhere between a few days and a few months. One way to calculate this is through the short interest ratio – dividing a company's shorted stocks by its average daily trading volume.

Why did GameStop stock go so high? ›

The GameStop stock price run-up essentially resulted from a pump-and-dump scheme. In such a scenario, an investor or investors buy heavily into a low-value stock, something that they can get cheaply and in volume. Then they begin a promotional campaign to get other investors buying in as well.

What's the highest GameStop stock has ever been? ›

Historical daily share price chart and data for GameStop since 2023 adjusted for splits. The latest closing stock price for GameStop as of June 07, 2023 is 26.11. The all-time high GameStop stock closing price was 86.88 on January 27, 2021.

Was GameStop a pump and dump? ›

GameStop is being called a 'pump and dump' scheme—here's what you need to know. Eric Chaffee, Distinguished University Professor in the UToledo College of Law, discussed how small investors banded together to send GameStop's stock price soaring, prompting Robinhood and other broker dealers to restrict trading.

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