GameStop Partners With Crypto Exchange FTX.US to Boost Digital Asset Adoption

The video game retailer also reported a narrower-than-expected net loss for its fiscal second quarter.

AccessTimeIconSep 7, 2022 at 8:30 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 5:43 p.m. UTC

Video game firm GameStop (GME) is partnering with Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange FTX.US to promote interaction between the gaming and crypto community, the company announced on Wednesday after the close.

The deal unites GameStop, one of the key players in the meme-stock craze of a year and a half ago, with one of the leading crypto exchanges.

  • GameStop Shares, Meme Tokens Surge as Trader Keith Gill Returns to Reddit
    00:51
    GameStop Shares, Meme Tokens Surge as Trader Keith Gill Returns to Reddit
  • GameStop's Business Will Fail 'at Some Point': Economist
    00:58
    GameStop's Business Will Fail 'at Some Point': Economist
  • Tornado Cash's Alexey Pertsev Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison; Meme Coins Rally
    01:46
    Tornado Cash's Alexey Pertsev Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison; Meme Coins Rally
  • GameStop Ending Support for Its Crypto Wallets Amid 'Regulatory Uncertainty'
    01:01
    GameStop Ending Support for Its Crypto Wallets Amid 'Regulatory Uncertainty'
  • The two companies will promote e-commerce and marketing initiatives, while certain GameStop retail stores will carry FTX gift cards, according to a statement Wednesday. GameStop is also being given the label of FTX’s “preferred” retail partner in the U.S.

    Deal terms weren’t disclosed.

    "At a high level, the partnership will introduce more GameStop customers to FTX’s community and its marketplaces for digital assets," Wedbush equity research analyst Michael Pachter said in a note to clients on Thursday. However, Pachter added that Wedbush is "skeptical that the partnership will drive meaningful revenue or profit contribution."

    GameStop’s NFT marketplace went live this summer, and garnered strong volumes that eclipsed crypto exchange Coinbase’s (COIN) volumes.

    GameStop's shares were up over 7% in Thursday's trading session. For the quarter ended July 30, the company reported revenue of $1.14 billion, compared to the consensus analyst estimate of $1.27 billion, according to FactSet. The company also reported an adjusted net loss of 36 cents per share, better than analyst estimates for a loss of 42 cents per share.

    UPDATE (Sept. 7, 20:49 UTC): Added information on GameStop's earnings per share and updated the story subhead.

    UPDATE (Sept. 8, 16:12 UTC): Added analyst commentary and Thursday's share price move.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Author placeholder image

    Michael Bellusci is CoinDesk's crypto reporter focused on public companies and digital asset firms.


    Read more about