GameStop sales reach $8.8b in 2008

by David Hinkle on Feb 19th 2009 7:15PM

In what is undoubtedly the next step toward enslaving all humanity, GameStop has reported a 24 percent increase in year-over-year sales to $8.8 billion in 2008, making the $7.1 billion it earned in 2007 seem rather pedestrian. But before the company begins rounding us up and placing explosive collars around our necks, it'll need to increase profits in 2009 by a bit more ...

And GameStop expects to do just that, projecting a sales increase between 10 and 12 percent this year. GameStop expects to raise store sales growth between 4 and 6 percent and will open 400 new stores worldwide this year. Our suggestion to you: Start stockpiling food and weapons and prepare for the coming war -- GameStop should be able to employ its mercenary army by early 2013.

Essential reading: Counting Rupees: Feeling Used

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Tags: business, gamestop, sales, sales-figures, salesfigures

Reader Comments (37)

May god have mercy on us all...

recession??? what recession???

Increased GameStop sales are a symptom of increased frugality, which is itself a symptom of a recession.

So, to answer your question: uhhhh...... THAT recession!

More people buying overpriced used games that just happen to be a few bucks cheaper than new.

Submit to our bundles and preorder

Raising profits is gonna be dam near impossible this year, not only is the triple a game count down to like 5 games but were also in a recession.

to see why I'm pissed, go to Youtube and look up Zero Originality.

You've been warned

Why go cruising youtube when I can find it right here? hiyoooooo!

that comment is definitely not worth a hiyoooooo!

People complain about gamestop, and yet they still shop there. Interesting...Also if i read the chart correctly(the one from a month or so back) GameStop actually made more money in 2008 from new game sales than used game sales. So that whole argument about gamestop and used game sales is kinda stupid in my opinion.

Honestly I'm glad they're successful. Good for them. I can appreciate success in the business world. After all, that's capitalism at work there.

I still shop there because it's easy and the used game bargain bins can be good sometimes. Also, I don't go to Walmart, and Kmart is overpriced with games. I mean, $60 for Mass effect? Really? Even though every other store I've been to is selling it for $20?

Perhaps the people that complain aren't the people that shop there.

I know I've moved on. I prefer Amazon and Best Buy at the moment. They haven't sold my pre-orders to other customers like Gamestop has a few times in the past. Besides, I've heard so many complaints about how GS treats its employees, so that's another reason I don't shop there.

Whenever I go to Best Buy, the sales associates are always so happy.

thats because Best Buy employees get paid above minimum wage

I've never had them sell my pre orders. But now I don't pre order anyway unless you get free stuff(good stuff). Why bother? They always have more than enough copies.

Target has the best prices on older games that are actually new.

Gameshark is a necessary evil if you need to find older titles no longer in print or obscure titles. Other than that I avoid them like the plague.

I complain about gamestop and I don't shop there.

I don't know about you but I window shop at PirateBay.

You will pre-order or suffer the consequences!

I guess their B.O. smell infested stores really attracts people to shop there. I don't shop there, but hey, good for them for making money, they just wont get my money, ha.

As publishers and developers close weekly and games get canned monthly Gameshark manages to increase it's record profits again. 2012 can't come fast enough!

The shame of it all is that Gameshark has played a role in the decline of the gaming industry. Who knows how to quantify the effect of used game sales but I can say it has taken money away from those that actually created the games.

BATTLETOADS!

Gamestop is nothing more than an upscale pawnshop. period.

it's obscene how much money they continue to rake in annually at the expense of the games industry. and it's criminal how poorly they pay and treat their employees which in turn correlates to so many customer 'horror stories'.

the worst part, though, is just how unaware many gamers are of the damage in buying a used game can be.

So you would prefer the inability to resell your games at all? No thanks.

I greatly appreciate the ability to pick up games on the cheap at times. Not everyone can actually afford games the second they come out. That being said, the discount at Gamestop is minimal at best without use of coupons. Some of your places like Game Crazy sell at more discounted prices than Gamestop, which makes it even worse for the industry, yet no one is railing against them. And what about the rental stores? That's stealing a sale as well.

great post

He means clone army

And this is why the next systems will have product keys, or DL only. At least if they were smart they would. Don't get me wrong, i would hate for that to happen, but it's inevitable. I make so much fun of my friend who trades 3 games for 1. If he'd get a job, he could afford to buy games/sell games on the net so he doesn't get the shaft. I went into gamestop the other day to see if COD4 for the 360 had gone down in price and it's still 45 freakin dollars... NO THANKS. For 15 bucks more i can get it brand new with the map packs included.

I asked my manager buddy from gamestop how much trade in value I would get for Call Of Duty World At War and it was a measly $26. It's sold used for $54.99! I'm buying Killzone 2 and I haven't played W@W much since I beat it but I'll keep it before I give it up for that little amount of money. If they gave $40 then I would probably do it but $26 is just insanity.

WELCOME TO EARF!

But on the flip side. If developers didn't charge the same 60 bucks for a game with 10 hour of game play, as they did for a game with 10 hours of game play and an infinate ammount of online gameplay, people would have more reason to keep the game.

Idea: Charge 40 bucks for a game with sp only campain and 50-60 for games with multiplayer components. Be it online coop, or online competative, or both.
Although this would probably creat a bunch of crappy online additions to already crappy games.

I will take a fleshed out 10 hour single player game over something like Left 4 Dead or COD W@W that's only about the multiplayer.

Gears 2 & Resistance 2 are nice because they have deep campaign, competitive and co-operative game play experiences. I like single player games so long as they are deep and rich experiences with lots of hidden items and unlockables (like Uncharted and MGS 4) to encourage replaying the game. Something like Prince Of Persia that really has zero replay value doesn't appeal to me that much.

I liked W@W... But yea the SP campain in Resistance 2 was WAY better.

The answer is online distribution... but people like OWNING a game instead of just having rights to play it. So maybe the right idea is DLC. I know I kept hold of GTA4 and Burnout Paradise for the DLC. And of course, really good online play keeps you from trading in. Why Valve/Microsoft haven't patched the 360 version of Team Fortress 2 I'll never know. I keep coming back to the PC version , and I got that off Steam!

"Also, Why everyone one hates gamestop so much?"

Anyone got that "Zero Originality" link?

It won't be long before they crash and burn. Better save that money and hold off on opening those 400 stores so you can pay some debt off in your latter years.

I wonder if you can pre-order stocks from them.

$8.8 billion, and yet they just can't seem to afford that 3rd cash register.

Ya can't make money by buyin' fancy schmancy third cash registers and air sanitizer!

I don't mind GS all that much. I basically treat it has a rental store, if I see a game I would like to play but not own I buy it used and play for 7 days and return it. I get my full money back too so its not all bad.

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GameStop sales reach $8.8b in 2008

Reader Comments (37)

Posted: Feb 19th 2009 7:22PM Ribs said

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