Gamestop pulls the plug: close the last branch in Germany!

Gamestop pulls the plug: close the last branch in Germany!

On Thursday, January 30, 2025, Gamestop reported the final end for his last branches in Germany. The affected locations extend over several cities, including the Westfield Centro Oberhausen, Bochumer Ruhr Park, Limbecker Platz in Essen and the Thier gallery in Oberhausen. This marks the end of a brand name that has increasingly faced with economic difficulties in recent years. Gamestop has been a popular provider of games, consoles and merchandise in Germany for years and opened its first branch in Düsseldorf.

The closure of the German branches has been known since last year. By January 31, 2025, all 20 branches in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and also in the rest of Germany are to be closed. As a result, around 500 jobs are lost in NRW. In recent years, the number of locations has decreased continuously, and the company confirmed the closure plans via Instagram, but without specifying detailed reasons. It is no longer possible to make pre-orders or buy vouchers because the Gamestop online shop was already discontinued on January 10, 2024.

consequences of the closures

The closures also affect the opportunity to redeem gift vouchers. However, customer service remains accessible by the end of March 2024, so that guarantees can be asserted. Gamestop had also completely withdrawn from the Austrian market in 2023, which also underlines the company's difficult situation. The tendencies are also similar in conversation about branches in other European countries: Gamestop has announced or already carried out branch closings in Italy and France.

The past few years have been shaped by upheavals. The crisis was particularly tightened by the covid pandemic and the relocation of consumer preferences to digital purchases and subscription models. As a result, many physical locations were closed and the market pressure grew on Gamestop. A recent attempt to build an NFT marketplace in the blockchain area failed in 2024, which further increased the damage. Stock -up websites are currently reporting of a monthly market value loss of around 15 percent for Gamestop.

The closure of the last branches is not only the end of an era for gamestop in Germany, but also a clarifying sign of the changing landscape in retail for multimedia products. While the company quickly expanded in the 2000s and was present in over six countries outside the United States, Gamestop is now facing a complete withdrawal that is strongly affected by both customers and the committed employees.