GameStop is shutting down more stores in California.
The video game, toy and collectible retailer has been struggling to find a way to thrive in a market where most of what it sells is easier to get online. It has been shrinking its brick-and-mortar retail footprint for years to lower costs and has reportedly shut dozens of branches in California.
An unofficial blog tracking store closures estimates that more than 400 GameStop locations, and more than 40 in California, have closed or are slated to close this month.
Calls to 10 GameStop locations across the Southland, including in Inglewood, Canoga Park and Gardena, went unanswered. A recorded message told callers that store associates were “assisting other customers” and to “call back in a few minutes.” One store employee in a San Francisco Bay Area outlet confirmed that the outlet was closing on Thursday.
Gamestop’s official store directory showed many California stores closed all week.
The closures were previously disclosed in the company’s December financial filings, though the exact number wasn’t announced. GameStop did not respond to requests for comment.
The Texas-based video game retailer’s decision to shed locations was the result of a “comprehensive store portfolio optimization review” that looked at market conditions and individual store performance, according to its December Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
GameStop closed 590 stores nationwide during the 2024 fiscal year, according to the filing.
“We anticipate closing a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025,” the company said in its December filing. The company’s fiscal year ends on Jan. 31.
GameStop had 2,325 U.S. stores as of Feb. 2025, the company wrote in a March filing.
GameStop has struggled as many customers download video games instead of buying physical copies at brick-and-mortar stores, the company said in the filing.
“Downloading of video game content to the current generation video game systems continues to grow and take an increasing percentage of new video game sales,” the company wrote. “If consumers’ preference for downloading video game content in lieu of physical software continues to increase, our business and financial performance may be adversely impacted.”
The company’s difficulties in staying relevant somewhat echo those of the video chain Blockbuster, which has one remaining location, and RadioShack, once a fixture at malls across America.
GameStop originated in the 1980s as Babbage’s, a computer shop in Dallas that later shifted its focus to video games. The company, which underwent several acquisitions, including by the book retailer Barnes & Noble, was later renamed GameStop.
In 2021, GameStop became the emblematic “meme” stock when investors drove up share prices during an online craze amid hopes there was a way to salvage the already struggling brand.
The company has more recently turned to cryptocurrency. Last May, it announced that it had acquired more than 4,700 Bitcoin, which Reuters estimated at the time to be worth around $513 million.
GameStop shares have been volatile over the last 12 months. As of Thursday, shares had fallen around 25% over that time period.
