Gamestop to become less "game" focused

[Kyanbu The Legend]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/...ource=facebook

Famous games retailer GameStop is looking to expand its reach in what it deems more viable markets while shedding some weight from its traditional brick-and-mortar GameStop stores.

GameStop CEO Paul Raines gave a presentation at GameStop's 2014 Investor Day -- as reported by Games Industry International -- and revealed his plan for what he's calling GameStop 3.0, "a new phase of the company's lifespan that will see it aggressively expand its footprint into gaming-adjacent tech fields," according to the article.

As such, GameStop has its collective eyes set on mobile, and specifically on Apple-branded devices, like iPhone and iPad. GameStop-owned brands -- like Spring Mobile and Simply Mac -- will expand at a significant rate in the fiscal year to fulfill Raines' goals for the company.

At the same time, GameStop will close between 120 and 130 of its nearly 6,500 global brick-and-mortar locations.

Game stop is shifting it's focus towards a broader picture, but this looks like it's another part of the shift to digital only and the edible future of DRM. A small step that while at first may not seem threatening, is the beginning of an end of an era.