GameStop Hires A Design Firm To Revamp Its Stores

The GameStop you frequent now might not look the same in the future. The company has reportedly hired a design firm to transform the look of its remaining stores, focusing less on the retail side of things and more on experiences that cater to certain types of gamers.

Gamasutra reports that the firm in question, R/GA, will be working with GameStop to come up with some fresh ideas for how the stores should look. And while there's no timetable for when these changes might occur, or which stores will adopt which new designs, we do know that GameStop wants to offer "competitive sessions in home-grown e-Leagues" in some locations and "sell strictly retro gaming software and hardware" in others.

It's no big secret that GameStop has been behind the eight-ball lately. Digital game sales have cut into the company's business in a big way, leaving less room for profit on used titles. Sites like Amazon also make it easier to shop for physical copies of games, delivering them to your doorstep on release day without requiring you to stand in line the night before. And the company hasn't quite knocked it out of the park selling used electronics. There are better and cheaper places to buy said goods, and all of those places existed before GameStop ever got into that side of the business.

On top of all that, the future isn't looking rosy, either. Digital game sales are only going to grow, and video game streaming is a technology that cuts the GameStops of the world out entirely. Just as PC games and accessories have largely vanished from GameStop locations, home consoles, too, could disappear at some point. GameStop is not yet equipped to survive in that reality, which is why it's hoping R/GA can come up with something that'll keep people coming to its stores, even if they aren't buying games there anymore.

We'll update you should we learn more about GameStop's future plans.