GameStop's new CEO, Paul Raines, imagines a GameStop web site that is more of a platform than an online retail space. In an interview with The Street, Raines said that he sees a future where the company's official website becomes "a multi-channel aggregator for gaming." buying content no matter what platform they enjoy - "mobile, console or any other platform."
But Raines concedes that U.S. consumers are slow to migrate to online sales of boxed and digital content. The biggest challenge, he claims, is consumer education. He also noted that Netflix is the model they are looking at as they formulate a strategy to create a one stop gaming platform:
"We have studied Netflix a lot, and most of their users still absorb physical content rather than streaming. Now we are looking to see how gaming compares. We are focusing on consumer acceptance. The world won't be all digital tomorrow, even though that's what people are claiming. In this business, users still want physical content," he added.
Of course the reason for that is how Netflix handles streaming; a good percentage of that content is rarely ever new and content owners have deals with cable companies and DVD sales to contend with. How GameStop can plug into an existing system like Xbox Live or PlayStation Network remains to be seen but it's certainly thinking outside the box.
Source: GI.biz
Comments
Re: GameStop CEO:We Want To Be a Gaming Platform
If they want to be a platform get acouple dev teams and build a system, otherwise sit down shut up and sale the mofo games you got......
I have a dream, break the chains of copy right oppression! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/cigital-disobedience/
I have a dream, break the chains of copy right oppression! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/what-is-cigital-disobedience/
Re: GameStop CEO:We Want To Be a Gaming Platform
"Of course the reason for that is how Netflix handles streaming; a good percentage of that content is rarely ever new and content owners have deals with cable companies and DVD sales to contend with."
Right -- if I get a DVD from Netflix instead of streaming it, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT AVAILABLE TO STREAM.
Re: GameStop CEO:We Want To Be a Gaming Platform
Yeah, I prefer to have physical copy of games so I don't have to worry so much about how much harddrive space I have or I can just play the game right away rather than waiting for it to download.
Re: GameStop CEO:We Want To Be a Gaming Platform
I prefer it because I like to own things.
But the Netflix analogy is apt -- digital consumption is more like renting than owning.