For GameStop, it’s a blood bath right out of Mortal Kombat. The Grapevine-based video game chain is expected to shed 470 locations nationwide, including 10 in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and dozens more around Texas.
The closures were revealed in the company’s newest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that said it would close “a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025” ending on January 31. In its last fiscal year, GameStop shuttered 590 locations.
In DFW, closures include stores in Dallas, Fort Worth, Allen, Arlington, Irving, Mesquite, Mansfield, and more.
In addition to braving the overall “retail apocalypse,” the retailer faces the same conditions that largely decimated CD and video stores. Video games are now available for digital download in seconds and no longer require a trip to a physical store.
“As a part of our profitability initiative, we are reducing our global store base, which includes closing stores that are not meeting performance standards or stores at the end of their lease terms with the intent of transferring sales to other nearby locations,” the company wrote in its annual report. “If we are unsuccessful in marketing to customers of the stores that we plan to close or in transferring sales to nearby stores, our results of operations could be negatively impacted.”
The current digital squeeze isn’t the first time GameStop has been thrown for a loop by contemporary internet culture. In 2021, the retailer famously became a meme stock, buoyed by users of Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets. The skyrocketing increase in its stock price, followed by short selling, caused major financial consequences for hedge funds and other investors.
Since then, the stock price has been more stable but has decreased approximately 21 percent over the last year, and closures have been widespread. After CEO Ryan Cohen bought 500,000 shares in the company on January 21, the price has slightly rebounded.
GameStop has not issued a formal list of the closures, and a request for more information was not returned at press time. But Ohio’s WKYC Studios put together a list of all the U.S. stores that are on the chopping block, verified through GameStop’s online store locator. The Texas closings are as follows:
Allen – The Village at Allen, 170 E. Stacy RdArlington – Little School Road Shops, 1245 N. Little School RdAustin – Ben White Payload Center, 500 E. Ben White BlvdBalch Springs – Lake June Plaza, 12209 Lake June RdBoerne – Menger Crossing, 1375 S. Main StCedar Park – Lakeline Plaza, 11066 Pecan Park BlvdConroe – Conroe Center, 1231 N. Loop 336 WCorpus Christi – Padre Island Drive, 1805 S. Padre Island DrCorsicana – Corsicana Marketplace, 3811 W. Highway 31Dallas – Glen Oaks Crossing, 4787 Vista Wood BlvdEl Paso – Alameda Town Center, 9411 Alameda AveEl Paso – Fountains at Farah, 8889 Gateway West BlvdFort Worth – Clifford Retail, 301 Clifford Center DrGarland – Ridgewood Village, 2930 S. First StHouston – Beechnut Street Houston, 10100 Beechnut StHouston – Bellaire Gessner Center, 8880 Bellaire BlvdHouston – Market at Uvalde, 13706 East FwyHouston – Market Square, 13341 Westheimer RdHouston – Oxford Plaza, 10407 North FwyHouston – Royal Oaks, 11807 Westheimer RdHouston – Wayside Shopping Center, 900 S. Wayside DrHuntsville – Ravenwood Village, 245 Interstate 45 NIrving – MacArthur Park, 7601 N. MacArthur BlvdLake Jackson – Lake Jackson Shopping Center, 121 Highway 332 WLa Marque – LaMarque Crossing, 6408 Interstate 45Laredo – Laredo Crossing Shopping Center, 4415 S. Zapata HwyLeon Valley – 5601 Bandera RdLubbock – 7th St Lubbock, 1803 Seventh StMagnolia – Westwood Village, 33020 FM 2978 RdMansfield – Mansfield Crossing, 1301 E. Debbie LnMarble Falls – Highland Lakes, 2400 US Highway 281McKinney – Lake Forest Crossing, 4100 S. Lake Forest DrMesquite – Town East Mall, 2050 Town East MallMission – Shary Plaza, 808 S. Shary RdPalmhurst – Palmhurst Shopping Center, 4416 N. Conway AveParis – Paris Corners, 3842 Lamar AveSaginaw – Cross Pointe Shopping Center, 1453 N. Saginaw BlvdSan Antonio – Alamo Quarry Market, E. 255 Basse RdSan Antonio – Blanco Road, 7117 Blanco RdSan Antonio – Huebner Oaks Center, 11745 W. I-10San Antonio – Northwoods Phase III, 1742 N. Loop 1604 ESan Antonio – Walzem Plaza, 5366 Walzem RdStephenville – Stephenville Shopping Center, 2811 W. Washington StSulphur Springs – Sulphur Springs Corners, 1707 S. Broadway StTerrell – Terrell Corner, 1888 W. Moore AveTyler – State Highway 64 Tyler, 3842 State Highway 64 WWatauga – Watauga Town Crossing, 8004 Denton Hwy