In a recent chat with Gamasutra, GameStop’s Merchandising SVP Bob McKenzi and merchandising and marketing VP Tony Bartel talk hardware trends at retail. Their take? Everyone is doing great … yay!
The Wii? People are “firmly behind it, and they believe that it’s real,” McKenzie says of both consumers and developers. The PS3? It’s totally picking up steam, man! The Xbox 360? That price drop is killer! And the PC? Oh, they’re not getting out of that space, calling the market “definitely still very alive.”
So there you have it. There are no winners, there are no losers … everyone wins. And by everyone, we mean GameStop and the fat stacks of cash they roll around in every morning.
Unfortunately, neither of them use the words “we can’t give those things away” when talking about any manufacturer’s hardware. If you’re looking for controversy, move along. All jest aside, McKenzie and Bartel have some interesting insight from the retailer end of things; it’s definitely worth a read if you’re interested in seeing how the gears are turning at one of the world’s largest specialty retailers.
