For whatever reason, I have ended up covering the restructure of GameStop here at PG. The store, which once sat in every major shopping mall and retail strip in most major towns, is now struggling to survive. A rough holiday season puts the retailer in a tough position: how do you get people through the doors for games when they can buy online? Four new store concepts hope to answer that question.

New GameStop Store Concepts

It looks like GameStop is testing a few new layouts to their stores to increase visitors, let alone sales.

GameStop 2.0

The GameStop stores we all know are pretty crowded. Any room in the store not filled with shelves is usually simply there to move through the aisles. 2.0 looks to add a cleaner, more accessible retail space, and couches for gaming. Plans also look to talk of room for tabletop gaming, different demo bays, and an emphasis on new consoles. The real question is how viable this is in terms of costs to help transform thousands of stores.

GameStop Social

These particular store designs feature various setups to allow for co-op and competitive gaming on PC, Xbox One, PS4, or Nintendo Switch. These spaces can be rented for tournaments or parties, and even serve as watch areas for major Twitch streams or things like The Game Awards.

GameStop Retro

GameStop Retro is specifically designed like the 2.0 store, but for retro games. A version of this store is already located in Tulsa as a test store. Modern games are still in the house but are surrounded by hundreds of retro games and consoles. Visitors can also play retro titles on CRT televisions, often seen as the premier way to game these retro favorites.

GameStop Pop!

GameStop Pop! stores are already sort of happening in current GameStop stores. You might have noticed lately that there are a lot more collectibles than there were even five years ago. This thinking is to match the collector’s boom of action figures, Funko figures, and other fun items. This fits nicely with GameStop’s sister company Think Geek, and its collectibles and nerd culture items.

Do you think these new concepts are going to save the store? Let us know in the comments which one is your favorite!

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