Any gamer who's ever lived or spent time in North America is familiar with GameStop. The franchise has had a consistent presence in strip malls across America and has become a dominating force in the gaming scene. Some of its stores operated under the name EB Games, which can still be found in Canada, Europe, and Oceania. GameStop also owns ThinkGeek, an emporium for all things related to geek culture, and Game Informer, a monthly publication chronicling video game news and strategies.

To hear about GameStop's fall can be a bit jarring, especially to those who have been grown up alongside the retail chain. This raises even more eyebrows considering the presence GameStop has had in the United States. It's perhaps the only physical retailer of its kind (unless you want to count mass retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart). But with the rise of the digital gaming market, it's not surprising that gamers have turned to the online market to get their hands on the latest games.

Or is there more to it?

Game Informer Layoffs

The news of GameStop's demise didn't explode until August when it was revealed by gamesindustry.biz that many staff from Game Informer were laid off despite the publication's continued success. Among those laid off were prominent editors including West Coast news editor Imran Khan, associate editors Kyle Hilliard and Suriel Vasquez, and managing editor Matt Bertz. Abroad, Game Informer suffered a loss with the cessation of Game Informer Australia back in April.

This was the first sign of GameStop's diseased state as it was later revealed that the company had laid off employees from 120 positions across the country, slashing its workforce by 14%. A spokesperson for GameStop told the Hollywood Reporter:

"While these changes are difficult, they were necessary to reduce costs and better align the organization with our efforts to optimize the business to meet our future objectives and success factors. We recognize that this is a difficult day for our company and particularly for those associates impacted. We appreciate their dedication and service to GameStop and are committed to supporting them during this time of transition."

GameStop has particularly suffered in recent months as sales have dropped 13 % last quarter. To alleviate some of this damage, the company hired George Sherman as its CEO (the fifth CEO in two years) who vowed to "transform the business."

Related: GameStop References Unannounced Splinter Cell Game

Store Shutdowns & Leaks

If you regularly monitor the stock market or have an interest in economics, GameStop's fall probably isn't big news - or at the very least could've been deciphered based on the decline of the physical game market. The news didn't enter our peripheral until 2019, when Youtuber CAMELOT331 informed viewers of GameStop's demise in May, noting investors' sour prospects for the future of the retailer as well as its mistreatment of its employees and customers as a crucial part of its downfall.

Fast forward to September and the picture has become grimmer for GameStop. It was announced that the retailer plans on closing around 200 stores by the end of the year as its stock value plummetted by 26% with sales dropping by 14.3%. The future looks even darker for the retail chain if CAMELOT331's observations (which are categorized by "phases") are anything to by. In a recent upload of his, he brought up the possibility of GameStop closing half of their 4400 stores by the end of Q4 in the U.S and stating that the retail chain won't last more than six months following these changes.

A Changing Market...And The End Of An Era?

In 2016, a report by gamesindustry.biz reported that physical game market fell by 15.8% to £1.78bn ($2.2b USD) in the United Kingdom. By contrast, the digital market bloomed, generating £776m ($964m USD). Although these changes didn't directly impact GameStop, they foresaw a trend that would impact the retail franchise for years to come.

CAMELOT331 firmly believes that GameStop's abuse of its employees and customer base are a huge contributor to the company's demise. From employees whose jobs are always in limbo (depending on store revenue) to unfair trade-in values and pre-owned game prices, GameStop has been out of favor with gamers for some time now; the consumer transition from physical to digital games has only accelerated the process.

Currently, GameStop plans on renovating its image, as well as select locations, into hangouts of sorts. These stores will not only sell games, but feature retro and tabletop games so customers can take a load off and mingle with fellow gamers - much like your locally owned comic book shop.

If Gamestop will manage to execute this correctly, perhaps they can correct their fraught course. Only time and numbers will tell.

Next: Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Doesn't Do Video Games Anymore