Microsoft Microsoft announces "multiyear strategic partnership" with...GameStop, update: includes revenue sharing for digital content derived from Xbox devices sold by GameStop

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

GameStop announces multiyear strategic partnership with Microsoft - Stories

NEWS.MICROSOFT.COM

---

The partnership aims to advance GameStop’s key strategic pillars and extend its digital omni-channel ecosystem Grapevine, Texas and Redmond, Wash. (October 8, 2020) – GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) (“The Company”) today announced that it has entered into a multi-year strategic partnership agreement with Microsoft Corp., further advancing its strategy to expand its physical and digital […]

 

I...uhhhhh...what?

[Mr.Vic20]

Ewww, wait, what? 

[Brian]

This stock has sky rocketed over the last 2 months for no reason at all. It’s baffling. 

[Keyser_Soze]

Sounds like it's just hooking them up with a bunch of Microsoft shit.

[Xbob42]

I can see it. Throw a lifeline to Gamestop, which is pretty much the only physical gaming store a lot of people in the US actually go to, and then fill it with MS stuff. Could potentially be a smart move.

[SimpleG]

7 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

Sounds like it's just hooking them up with a bunch of Microsoft shit.

Correct this is just back end stuff.

[XxEvil AshxX]

Productivity apps like Teams, Office, and stuff.

 

BUT apparently MS has enough confidence that Gamestop will be around not only for another year, but for multiple years. There could be some reading between the lines there.

 

Since MS closed the majority of their retail stores, Gamestop could be quietly getting prepped to be an official retailer for all things MS.

 

It's a thought.

 

I don't like Gamestop, but i admit i would be bummed if yet another brick n mortar went bye bye. Its no secret they've been failing to stay relevant. This could be their lifeline.

 

Don't forget that Reggie is now on their board and he and Phil Spencer are good friends irl.

 

EDIT: I realize it was Gamestop who probably initiated the partnership and is spending the money, and that MS probably doesn't have much to lose by sealing a deal. But it could also be seen as a first step to better things. Gamestop would apparently have a good enough plan to be thinking infrastructure over "what the hell are we going to do now?" to sign a multi-year deal with MS. Now the question is, what is that plan?

 

[DarkStar189]

"GameStop has expanded its Xbox family of product offerings to include Xbox All Access, which provides an Xbox console and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to players with no upfront cost. GameStop and Microsoft will both benefit from the customer acquisition and lifetime revenue value of each gamer brought into the Xbox ecosystem."

 

MS is buying up big game developers and is now investing their reach in the retail stores. Give Gamestop a bunch of tech help to run their business, but also when thousands of people per day go to a Gamestop, they will see Microsoft's offerings center stage. 

[atom631]

3 hours ago, DarkStar189 said:

"GameStop has expanded its Xbox family of product offerings to include Xbox All Access, which provides an Xbox console and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to players with no upfront cost. GameStop and Microsoft will both benefit from the customer acquisition and lifetime revenue value of each gamer brought into the Xbox ecosystem."

 

MS is buying up big game developers and is now investing their reach in the retail stores. Give Gamestop a bunch of tech help to run their business, but also when thousands of people per day go to a Gamestop, they will see Microsoft's offerings center stage. 

Since MS is really pushing PC gaming recently, maybe GameStop will wind up being a premiere place to buy PC parts and gaming components as well. Compete with Amazon and Newegg for that hardware market share. More PCs = more windows licenses = more gamepass subscribers. 

[SimpleG]

52 minutes ago, atom631 said:

Since MS is really pushing PC gaming recently, maybe GameStop will wind up being a premiere place to buy PC parts and gaming components as well. Compete with Amazon and Newegg for that hardware market share. More PCs = more windows licenses = more gamepass subscribers. 

They started last month but its mostly a very very small selection. The stores really lack the square footage to store a decent selection of parts though.

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/pc/components?start=0&sz=12

[SimpleG]

4 hours ago, DarkStar189 said:

"GameStop has expanded its Xbox family of product offerings to include Xbox All Access, which provides an Xbox console and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to players with no upfront cost. GameStop and Microsoft will both benefit from the customer acquisition and lifetime revenue value of each gamer brought into the Xbox ecosystem."

 

MS is buying up big game developers and is now investing their reach in the retail stores. Give Gamestop a bunch of tech help to run their business, but also when thousands of people per day go to a Gamestop, they will see Microsoft's offerings center stage. 

Not to mention if they get access to the sales data of Sony or Nintendo, that puts them at huge advantage. Worst case scenario is we start to see a division in retail where  games and hardware are become store and or stores specific, likely wont happen but it could. 

[crispy4000]

 

[crispy4000]

On 10/9/2020 at 5:36 PM, XxEvil AshxX said:

EDIT: I realize it was Gamestop who probably initiated the partnership and is spending the money, and that MS probably doesn't have much to lose by sealing a deal. But it could also be seen as a first step to better things. Gamestop would apparently have a good enough plan to be thinking infrastructure over "what the hell are we going to do now?" to sign a multi-year deal with MS. Now the question is, what is that plan?

 

 

Get a cut of digital sales to keep them afloat, apparently.  Used game sales must be in freefall right now.

[Brian]

GME is $12. Crazy shit

[Keyser_Soze]

I feel this is a thing that was suggested eons ago in terms of digital downloads. The argument was always, not everyone has internet. Well fix that by going to a gamestop and downloading the game there.

[XxEvil AshxX]

12 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

I feel this is a thing that was suggested eons ago in terms of digital downloads. The argument was always, not everyone has internet. Well fix that by going to a gamestop and downloading the game there.

 

Man, i wanna say it was the PS2 or maybe even the og Xbox, but i think i remember there being some kinda rig back in the day where you could take memory cards or something to GS/EB and plug it in and transfer something to it from their kiosks. I don't remember exactly what.

 

Anybody else remember that or am i just remembering alternate realities again?

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

 

Man, i wanna say it was the PS2 or maybe even the og Xbox, but i think i remember there being some kinda rig back in the day where you could take memory cards or something to GS/EB and plug it in and transfer something to it from their kiosks. I don't remember exactly what.

 

Anybody else remember that or am i just remembering alternate realities again?

There definitely was some place where you could download demos. I don’t recall which platform it was, but you aren’t crazy.