gamestop expo 2013
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GameStop's next-gen digital strategy doesn't exist, because it doesn't need to... yet
"You're asking me to... predict the future. I'm supposed to plan for the future." That's the non-answer GameStop president Tony Bartel spit out when I prodded him about the company's digital strategy here at its annual consumer-facing EXPO in Las Vegas. And it's clearly a touchy subject. It's not that Bartel refuses to acknowledge and embrace a download-only world -- indeed, he believes "things are going to go [fully] digital" -- but in his own estimation, that shift isn't tied to the next-gen of consoles. For a retailer built upon the buy/sell/trade business model for videogames and hardware, GameStop doesn't appear to have a well-laid digital strategy in the works, nor does it necessarily need to at the moment. With both Sony and Microsoft committing to a friendly used disc-based games policy for their respective black boxes, GameStop's been given a temporary buffer from the inevitable, allowing it additional time to feel out the digital way forward with a serendipitous mobile crutch.
GameStop Expo 2013 offers public first taste of PS4, Xbox One
On August 28 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, GameStop will hold its annual gathering, the GameStop Expo. This year, attendees will be able to sample the Xbox One and PS4 ahead of their respective launches later this year. General admission tickets are $35, but a VIP program offers a little more for $90: early access to the show floor, exclusive Q&A sessions revolving around each console, a special VIP lounge section, entry into a gaming tournament and a swag bag including a copy of Madden NFL 25 for Xbox 360. GameStop Expo 2013 runs from August 28 at 11am until 6pm. VIP ticket holders can access the show floor starting at 10am that day.
Gamestop Expo 2013 to take place in Vegas this August
GameStop's annual Expo event is set to return to Las Vegas on August 28. The event serves as a manager's meeting for the chain, and as of last year the company has also opened the show to the public. Expo 2013 will feature 250,000 square feet of exhibitions from 80 major game developers and publishers, and offer a look at Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4. Just like last year, general admission to the Sands Expo Center for the show costs $35. GameStop has knocked $10 off the VIP pass (which grants access to a special lounge, a swag bag, and panel discussions), which is now available for $90. GameStop is also giving away an all-expense-paid trip to one lucky PowerUp Rewards member who buys or trades something in the month of May. Just like 2012, the show's August 28 kickoff puts it right before PAX Prime in Seattle.
