Huge news to report as CNBC has confirmed rumors that gaming retailer GameStop will be entering the world of video game publishing. The retailer announced on Thursday that they will act as the publisher to Insomniac Games, developers of Sunset Overdrive and the Ratchet and Clank franchise. GameStop will be the publisher for a game called Songs of the Deep and will be the exclusive physical retailer with players having the options through Xbox Marketplace, Playstation Store, and several PC distributors. GameStop will be receiving a royalty of the digital sales as well.
Mark Stanley, Vice President of Marketing for GameStop released this statement…
“We love the work that Ted [Price] and his team at Insomniac have created over the years. This partnership started as a series of casual conversations with Ted about a year ago. They had a passion project they wanted to bring to market, and we are always interested in exploring a new way to bring exclusive content to our gamer base. … It just seemed like a natural fit.”
GameStop shares have been cut in half since November and the sale of new games fell 9.7% over the last holiday quarter. So many analyst are quick to point out the this deal makes a lot of sense. This partnership will give GameStop any kind of creative control over the game.
Nobody knows for certain if this will become the norm for the company, but Stanley didn’t rule it completely out. Stating..
“Our focus is on working with Insomniac to launch ‘Songs of the Deep’ around the globe with the best support we can provide. As we’ve said many times before, GameStop will continue to invest in new, exciting and innovative opportunities that result in more and better gaming choices for our gamers.”
