According to a report by GamesIndustry.biz, GameStop has recorded a 3.1% drop in sales in the second quarter to $1.74 billion compared to the same quarter last year, but digital sales for GameStop overall has increased by a whopping 69%. This of course is due to the lack of blockbuster retail hits and the XBLA Summer of Arcade extravaganza.
Not too surprisingly, the most popular franchises for the quarter were L.A. Noire, NCCA Football 12, Brink, Mortal Kombat, and inFamous. (Okay, maybe that last one is surprising.) Though their combined efforts weren't enough to counter GameStop's overall loss in profit of $10 million for the quarter, the line-up for this holiday season is what I would call ridonkulous. So don't expect them to be down for long.
But to get back on topic, this shows that the retailer's slow refocus on digital sales is helping curb the oft-projected extinction of retail stores due to downloadable content. (Of course, that's ignoring the strange idea of buying digital content in a store.) Maybe it's just an effort to slow the inevitable, but as long as the company remains profitable, it will continue to be the major retailer and pawn shop for video games.
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