Video Game Products Shining Brightly Atop Wish Lists For 2013

GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2013-- GameStop (NYSE: GME), the world’s largest multichannel retailer of video games, and research partner Brierley+Partners asked 500 U.S. gift givers what was at the top of their purchase lists this holiday season. The results revealed that 42 percent of shoppers surveyed plan on purchasing video game related items for their children this holiday – including video games, consoles, and accessories. Gamers are asking, and they shall receive.

“While we’re always thrilled for the holiday season, this one is especially exciting as we welcome the first new gaming consoles in nearly a decade, along with a flurry of new titles to show off the systems’ next-gen technology,” said Ashley Sheetz, chief marketing officer of GameStop. “It seems more people than ever, at almost any age, are getting into gaming, and if this survey is any indication, the number of gamers will keep on growing thanks to the holidays this year!”

Gift givers are not only hot on gaming presents this year, but they are also keen on ways to save more money before even making it up to the cash register. In fact, 84 percent of ‘gifters’ are aware of store and website trade-in programs, and nearly 20 percent planning to use them to help defer gift costs. From old video games, consoles, to smartphones, tablets, and other electronics sitting in drawers and on shelves, GameStop offers instant store credit or cash on a vast range of products. And with special holiday trade-in bonuses, the savings can grow larger very quickly!

Additional interesting findings from GameStop’s holiday shopper-centric survey include:

Turn to those who know!

• Eighty-two percent of ‘gifters’ expect to turn to store employees when making purchasing decisions this holiday season. When it comes to gaming, GameStop’s highly-trained employees – many who are gaming enthusiasts themselves – are happy and ready to help determine which console is the best fit for a household, what accessories are needed for the best gaming experience and explain the ESRB (Entertainment Standard Rating Board) video game ratings so shoppers can make informed choices.

Not so much a “family affair”

• Among ‘gifters’ who are planning on purchasing a new gaming console for the holidays, 61 percent expect their children to utilize the system the most
• Roughly 30 percent of ‘gifters’ expect the entire family to use the new console.

Requests welcome

• When making decisions on which next-gen console and games to buy, shoppers are overwhelmingly listening to specific requests from the people they are buying for, with 84 percent taking requests for consoles, and 86 percent taking requests for specific video games.

“We know holiday shopping is stressful and even more so when presented with the plethora of gaming choices out there,” said Jason Cochran, vice president store operations and strategic initiatives of GameStop. “Our goal is to relieve some of that stress with our trained employees armed with the latest gaming knowledge, as well as through our loyalty and trade-in programs that can make the financial strain of the holidays less stressful.”

Methodology

This survey was commissioned by GameStop and conducted by third-party research partner, Brierley. It was fielded from November 8^th-11^th, 2013. A total of 500 gift givers – defined as those planning to purchase a gift for someone else – participated in the study.

About GameStop Corp.

GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is the world's largest multichannel video game retailer. GameStop's global retail network and family of brands include 6,488 company-operated stores in 15 countries and online at www.GameStop.com. The network also includes: www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer^® magazine, the leading multi-platform video game publication; Spawn Labs, a streaming technology company; a digital PC game distribution platform available at www.GameStop.com/PC; and an online consumer electronics trade-in platform available at www.BuyMyTronics.com.

General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company's corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/GameStop and find GameStop on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GameStop.

Source: GameStop Corp.

Jackie Smith
GameStop Corp.
817-722-7520
jackiesmith@gamestop.com