GameStop CEO Says Software Is 'Totally Irrelevant', As Company Makes Profits In 2026
Even GameStop is kicking game software to the curb
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
7/18/20261 min read
In the wake of the news that two of the major runners in video game hardware intend of ditching physical games, GameStop's CEO Ryan Cohen shared his thoughts on the matter. A company that has been aiming to evolve in the constantly fluctuating landscape of the industry, which included Reggie Fils-Aime for a brief tenure, the video game retailer is still around.
Cohen was interviewed by Bloomberg (paywalled), and was asked about PlayStation's shift to an all-digital games future beginning in 2028, and where that fits into the business plan for GameStop, especially with a major title like grand Theft Auto VI setting for an all-digital launch. The CEO brushed off the loss of software sales:
“It doesn’t matter at all,” states Cohen. “Software, it mattered in the past. Software today makes up less than 12% of the business, and collectables makes up over half the business. So, it’s totally, totally irrelevant.”
Most of GameStop's revenue comes from collectables and merchandise GameStop has not been alone in this, as the times has seen other major retailers reducing their physical inventories, like Target and Walmart. The company set a record for profits, bringing in $143 million dollars during the first quarter of 2026, so the shift to trade and hobby goods may be seen as a positive for the chain. It isn't like they'll see a return on used goods. Cohen placed a bid to try and purchase eBay earlier in 2026, but that was turned down. The CEO has not given up on trying to acquire the online retailer.
“Everybody in the media wants GameStop to fail," Cohen continues. "Explain that to me, explain to me why everybody in the mainstream media wants GameStop to fail.”
If anything, Cohen is certainly ambitious.
SOURCE: Bloomberg