GameStop Retro could work if it’s inspired by the UK’s CeX

It’s the weekend, and the Milton Keynes CeX store is always packed at these peak hours. Set within a busy city, the line is almost outside the door, and many customers are scurrying over themselves, searching for PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS5 games.

GameStop in North America is quite the opposite of this, with plenty of Funko POP toys stalking the aisles, some games, and a lack of customers at most hours of the day (at least in my experience). GameStop Retro could be a difference maker.

I’ve lived in both Canada and the UK, and from my experience, shopping for games is quite different in the latter. CeX is everywhere in my home country and lets you buy retro games as well as the latest and greatest. It sells used games, in addition to movies and tech like phones and Bluetooth headsets.

Meanwhile, GAME, the GameStop of the U.K., is empty, with many locations now stuck in the corners of Sports Direct stores across the country. It’s even stopped accepting trade-ins. It’s bizarre.

On August 28, GameStop announced it was shifting some of its stores to a retro model. According to a video by Spawn Wave, the employees didn’t have much time to prepare for the change.

Despite the snickers from some in the online community, GameStop switching to a retro model could actually save the company if it can build a dedicated audience and community like CeX in the UK.

CeX has grown a culture around used games

Time and time again, I see lines build up at CeX stores all across the United Kingdom, especially in more dense cities like Milton Keynes and London. That’s because, for the past three decades, this store has built a culture around trading your stuff for decent money and getting great technology, movies, or recent video games.

There is a dedicated YouTube community with channels like Retro Ghetto and TVM, which create vlogs about what they find in these stores. That’s how much of a following CeX gets within the British shores. It’s a rush to go to a CeX and see what’s available, despite how awkward of a name it is. It seriously calls its free Wi-Fi “Unprotected CeX.”

In the United States and Canada, finding retro games is far less convenient. While some cities have independent game stores in their community, most don’t. North Americans have to rely on the steep prices on eBay and Amazon unless they get lucky at a thrift store. On top of that, they may have to pay steep shipping prices.

While I lived in Canada, I barely bothered to build a retro game collection because I could never afford the prices that resellers wanted for their catalog. It would be a blessing if GameStop Retro could take away those frustrations and make retro gaming affordable like CeX.

It seems like GameStop Retro might have competitive prices against eBay and Amazon, which is a good sign. “The prices [are] not terrible; I’ve seen much worse on like eBay [and] if it’s at a convention, good luck, right?” said Spawn Wave, describing his experience at a GameStop Retro location.

By the way, the CeX website is stellar. It tells you how much stock each store has and lets you know immediately how much trade-in credit you’ll get. It’s always a mystery when you go to a GameStop, so having that front and center would help immensely with its customers.

Ever since coming back to the UK four months ago, I’ve built an extensive PS3 and PS4 library of titles. For just a few quid (£), I’ve been able to get games like Alpha Protocol, Final Fantasy XIII, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, experiences that are hard to get on modern platforms, and it’s honestly addicting. If GameStop Retro can replicate CeX’s value for money and decent trade values, it could work for the chain, even if it’s hard to support GameStop, however, with what the company did to Game Informer and its staff.