14 DAY TRIAL // The game distribution business is a very profitable one, as a lot of customers are buying games because they offer the best form of entertainment at a reasonable price, which is why a lot of gaming companies, like Microsoft or Blizzard, are claiming that they will keep this industry safe from the effects of the financial crisis.
Furthermore, this also means that game retailers, online and regular ones, won't experience a lot of profit loss in the following year. GameStop, one of the biggest "brick-and-mortar" retailers, said a few weeks ago that the online distribution networks, like Steam or GamesForWindows, weren't a threat to it, as people would still come to regular shops in order to buy games.
So confident is the company in its success for the following period that it has announced that it plans to open 200 to 300 stores worldwide next year. The vice president and managing director for the company, James Kirk, has also stated that the financial crisis won't make a dent in the expansion plans of his company.
"Our plan for 2009 is to open 200-300 stores worldwide. We are a rapid growth company and grow where we have the opportunity; outside the US, we are hugely successful in Australia which was the first international market for our EB brand and is a territory in which we are well established. There are still a number of territories in Europe in which we have no presence and we are not particularly well established in the UK yet, but it is the largest computer games market in Europe, so we have big plans."
Some very big words from the GameStop executive, but which are also confirmed by actions, as the company has recently bought the French retailer MicroMania, which owned over 300 stores, a move that made GameStop the largest game distribution chain in Europe.
All in all, it definitely sounds like there are no worries for GameStop and that things will continue to look good for the company. Let's just hope that its stores will make available better services.