It’s no secret that the last several years have been difficult for the renowned gaming shop, GameStop. In July, GameStop laid off several employees, including the company’s CTO at the moment. To reorganize its business processes, GameStop looks to be doubling down on its NFT goals in the wake of its cooperation with FTX.
The business launched its NFT approach earlier this year when it teamed with Immutable to build a decentralized exchange. GameStop released its wallet for cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in May, followed by the formal debut of its NFT marketplace a few months later. This allowed customers to access their monies and peruse the company’s portfolio of virtual currencies and assets by opening a single wallet software.
Gamestop’s new announcement
On September 7, 2022, Gamestop (GME) announced a new relationship with the FTX Crypto exchange. According to StreetInsider, the cooperation aims to attract more GameStop consumers to FTX’s digital asset community and markets. Additionally, the firm will begin carrying FTX gift cards at select retail locations around the country. These shops remain nameless.
On September 7, during the extended session, shares of GameStop Corp. increased by over 12 percent. This occurred after the video game shop announced a deal with Sam Bankman-FTX Fried’s US, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange that wants to attract more consumers to the crypto realm. Additionally, the parties expect to cooperate on internet marketing efforts. It is believed that GameStop’s recent announcement of a ‘smaller-than-expected’ quarterly loss contributed to the surge in its stock price.
Impact of the FTX union
As the news was made, the value of GameStop’s stock surged. According to MarketWatch, they rose 11.06% in after-hours trading to $26.48 after sliding 4.30% during the regular session. It is anticipated to increase more over the next twenty-four hours, particularly when markets reopen tomorrow morning.
The shop will be FTX’s preferred retail partner in the United States for the duration of the collaboration. At this point, neither Gamestop nor FTX has commented on the cooperation. Through this agreement, the two businesses will push e-commerce and marketing efforts. FTX gift cards will reportedly be available at some GameStop retail locations. Throughout the term of the arrangement, GameStop will serve as FTX’s “preferred retail partner in the United States.” There are 2,970 GameStop stores in the United States as of August 31. GameStop did not divulge the specifics of the collaboration’s financial arrangement.
GameStop reported revenue of $1.136 billion for the second quarter of 2022, which was $130 million below the average estimate. However, the collectibles division of the corporation was a bright light. It generated $223,2 million in sales. This was an increase from the $177,2 million reported in the second quarter of 2021. Despite reporting a reduction in quarterly net sales of about 4 percent to $1.14 billion, GameStop shares gained over 12 percent in after-hours trading to $26.84 per share.
Benefits of the partnership
The partnership advances GameStop’s entrance into the realm of cryptocurrencies. GameStop has been one of the most recognizable brands among so-called “meme stocks” for a long time. Meme stocks are driven by social media. Last year, GameStop was at the center of a social media-fueled trading frenzy. This prompted its stock price to soar. In January of this year, the business established a section for NFT and Web3 gaming. It also launched its NFT marketplace in conjunction with Ethereum (ETH) scaling solution Immutable X on July 11.
To entice NFT inventors, GameStop has launched a $100 million fund denominated in Immutable X’s IMX tokens. The startup plans to someday host billions of inexpensive in-game digital assets and NFTs. These include digital real estate and in-game skins. This way, the corporation aims to develop a substantial new income stream.
Moreover, the corporation just laid off workers. In his email to staff regarding the layoffs, CEO Matt Furlong also highlighted the company’s blockchain department. According to him, the new relationship with FTX is meant to produce something “special” in the retail sector.
