GameStop, which most people know as the store that sells videogames, is apparently going to enter the mobile space according to Engadget. They accidentally launched a website for their upcoming MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), which has the amazingly creative name “GameStop Mobile”. What’s an MVNO? It’s basically a reseller. In this case, GameStop is reselling access to AT&T’s HSPA+ network. So what’s going to make “GameStop Mobile” special? They’ll have a variety of prepaid plans, with the most attractive being the unlimited talk, text, and 500 MB of data option that goes for $55 per month. You can get a cheaper price if you go with Straight Talk, but don’t underestimate GameStop’s potential as a competitor. They have one thing that almost none of the other MVNOs in America have: retail stores. GameStop recently started buying used iPhones and iPads too, so what if they went ahead and resold those? Think about it for a second.
So will GameStop succeed where countless others have failed? That’s tough to say since we have no idea what they’re planning on doing. If they’re simply going to sell SIM cards in their stores, then forget it, these guys are dead. If on the other hand they plan on entering the retail phone market, then think of the all infrastructure they’d have to invest in. What happens when you walk into a GameStop? Will the guy working there know anything about the phone you’re curious about? What happens if that phone breaks? Will GameStop know who to send it to for repair, and if so then how long will the turn around time be?
Competition is great, we’re not saying it isn’t, but we’re just trying to figure out what GameStop is trying to do here. Rumor has it that next generation consoles are going to be like smarpthones and tablets, meaning you’ll buy games for them via the internet. If that’s the case, then what will GameStop’s roll be in that future?