Fable, Halo, and Gears of War franchise overseer Shane Kim appointed to board of directors at retailer; will "support the advancement of GameStop's digital strategy."
In 2009, Microsoft bid adieu to Shane Kim, VP of strategy and business development for the company's Interactive Entertainment division--which includes Microsoft Studios--when he retired from his role. Now, the man who helped launch franchises like Halo and Gears of War is working at the industry's biggest game-specific retailer.
Retail juggernaut GameStop today announced that Kim has joined the Grapevine, Texas-based company, and he will serve as a member of the board of directors. It was not expressly noted what Kim will work on at the company, but GameStop executive chairman Dan DeMatteo said, "[Kim will] bring valuable insight in supporting the advancement of GameStop's digital strategy."
As for GameStop's digital ambitions, last year the company said, "retail is not going to last forever," and soon began selling Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network games in its stores. GameStop also bought Flash game portal Kongregate last July, which is now integrated into its website.
In March of this year, GameStop acquired digital distribution service Impulse and streaming game company Spawn Labs. And in April of this year, GameStop launched a Facebook store through the social networking behemoth.
At Microsoft, Kim's near 20-year tenure had him overseeing big-time first-party franchises like Gears of War, Halo, Forza, and Fable, as well as leading the Xbox Live technology team.
As for GameStop, the company's first quarter results were rosy. The retailer earned $80.4 million in net income on a record $2.28 billion of revenue. That was a 6.9 percent increase from $75.2 million in profits and a 9.5 percent boost from the $2.08 billion in revenues GameStop took in during the same period in 2010.
If digital distrib (thru Gameflop or others) is the future, i guess I'm done w/ future gaming. Five attempts @ 7GB each to get Infamous from the PS3 Welcome back program certainly soured me (never did get it-always corrupted data). Yes, I have a fast connection. Physical disks for me!
Of course the're making profit they sell unsealed games as new. If I remove the clear plastic seal I can't return a game according to most store policies because the assumption is that I've used it. Yet GameStop has sold me unsealed games at new game pricing. And if Mr. Kim doesn't change that little hustle they got going then I will continue to purchase my games from other retailers.
Welcome Shane Kim. Did you bring any trades with you? Do you have a PowerUp card? Do you want one? Do you have a RewardsPro card? Do you want one? Again, do you have any trades? Bring in your games for store credit! Do you want to reserve any games? No? But if you do it'll guarantee you a copy! It's only five bucks down! Have a great day, Shane Kim, don't forget to trade in your games for store credit!
I would care if gamestop would except my damn credit card but it keeps sayiong the address doen't match the card.... FML
Gamestop and Gamespot are the same company just under different names for different regions
@zerobeo, i did too. i think they messed up and put gamespot at first then changed it too gamestop
Man I'm sick of game stops rip-offs too. I went into best buy the other day though and they were giving me a good deal more for most of my old games I even got into this deal where I get $100 certificate for pre-ordering and buying 5 games from this list they've got! Any one else noticed how they've steped it up?
@Triton There would be nothing to trade in if everything was digital. Would cut out a lot of consumers who rely on the used game market, and IMO increasing piracy.
Thought they made tons of money on the used game marked? Would that not go away if make the big push to digital? Nothing to get screwed on when you trade in...
no wonder that lately all top games of the day has been from xbox 360 even with the rating 5.0 or lower
I like gamestop.I couldn't care less if every single game company went bankrupt.No one is forcing them to make games it's all their choice.
at first i thought this news was :Ex-Microsoft exec joins GameSpot. i was like what that @#$%!!,after i look carfully i see its was actualy"GameStop"
Honestly, I was a manager at GameStop, but there was one issue with customers: the trade ins. The margin of profit for GameStop off of new games is 5 dollars compared to the used game sales which bring in huge profits for the company. Whenever the customer complains, I usually see them trading in really old, or popular games that get traded in like wild fire. Now, take in consideration if you buy back a game that is left on the shelf for who knows how long? ESPECIALLY those sports games. No one wants to buy an outdated sports title, but many of those titles linger on the shelves for quite some time. The point? People trade in popular titles, while those who understand the rarity of niche titles tend to keep them and sell otherwise. You go on craigslist? You see a bunch of people trying to rip you off. I saw an old PSP going up for 200 dollars or an Iphone trade. Really? There's some games that SHOULD be traded in for horrible value. Most of you are expecting new titles to be traded in for like 40-50 bucks. Heck, many people finish the game, then sell it at GameStop prices otherwise. If you're asking for more credit from GameStop, look at yourselves first. Don't like them? Again, you're not required to shop there. I'd rather get the best bang for my buck too, but seriously, use some logic instead of trolling.
Guys they're not just bad with tradeins. Who can ignore their prices? They keep the 60 dollar price tag on games for a very long time, and when they finally have a price reduction, the game goes down to 55 or 50. Used games are very often only 5 dollars less than the new copies (and sometimes more expensive for some crazy reason). When you pay top dollar at Gamestop, you do it for the feeling of buying a game from a dedicated game store...or you just don't know there's such thing as Amazon, GoHastings, Ebay, Newegg, etc...Even Walmart has the occasional great deal. Btw brahs, GoHastings is giving 40% off ANY used game on their website when you put your like their Facebook page and give your email---limited time so check it out now.
I don't know why everybody is bashing GameStop. How can you complain about trade in prices? It's business! That's how they make money. A real advanced solution is to just keep your games. Good luck to Mr. Kim, though.
Why would anyone go through Gamestop to get digital games when the can sit at home and get them off the system itself? Oh wait, because Gamestop will pay big money to get exclusives to make you go through them. Duh! How does this company make money when places like Amazon always have a better new price and ebay offers better used prices?
I other news, Gamespot is sponsored by Microsoft. duh no surprise with all the biased coverage and reviews.
oh i thought it said he joined gamespot.... ms musta sent him to train how to rip people off sorta like how mlb when they send you down to learn to hit or pitch better:P
Oh yea, Gamestop. I remember them they have those little bitty stores with the used games that are like $3 less then the brand new ones.
What an all time low. He could of gotten a job at Google for all I care. But Gamestop?! "if you bring in a 5 games we'll give you 10 percent off your next purchase.." LMAO!! ( YEAH. and With those 5 games, they'll be sold for half the cost of a brand new game.) Genius. I tell you.
In a few short years, I fully expect digital gaming to be the dominant form in the industry. Of course, there will always be some who will want physical copies, but next generation of gamers will want something more simpler. An easier way to manage their libraries instead of compiling CD Keys or keep game manuals. I only recently started to buff up my digital gaming library. Mostly they are PC games and a few PSN/XBOX Live/Wii Store games. I changed because I got fed up with story cd keys/manuals. And I am fast running out of room. I have a giant PS2 collection of at least 60+ games over its lifetime and even more PSX and SNES. I boarded up the lot of them, but they do take up some space. I know digital gaming will be the future. It may take a few more years, but we already see digital books, digital music, online movie downloads. It still has ways to go, but it IS getting there.
"It's opened but still Brand-new, unfortunately we'll charge you full price because today's Release Day.." WTF?! my most favorite line in Gamestop. Hahhaha.
Hmm - no mention of GameStop's recent acquisition of PC digital-distributor Impulse. I suspect it's the Windows digital market that GameStop wants to build out, not the console digital market - Windows (and to a lesser extent, OS X) already has a strong DD ecosystem. Steam, of course, is the most well known, but there is room for other players (like GOG, Impulse, D2D, etc). That said, I am taking a wait-and-see attitude towards GameStop's DD marketplace. I've used and liked (and still like) Impulse for various things, but I am now less likely to purchase from Impulse now that GameStop has purchased them because I do not like how GameStop has relegated PC games to 1/2 of a floor shelving unit while also promoting used-game sales of console titles. The first is bad for me, the second is bad for the industry.
If bigger retailers like Walmart carried the niche games I love so much (MegaTen/Disgaea/etc.) then I'd have no reason to ever go to a Gamestop. It's not like I dislike them in particular, but shopping online is cheaper and more convenient unless I need to have a game immediately. We all know by now that they're secondhand system is a ripoff, but perhaps having someone who has been involved in the game creating process will aid both the company and its consumers in the future. I can hope, at least.
EWWWW GAMESTOP??? why would you do that? dude gamestop is the reason everybody shops at walmart now.
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