In some ways, GameStop is the story of the suburbs, of being an idle teenager, of sifting through the bargain bin, of late night Call of Duty launch parties, of buying your first console and then selling it back a few years later. But it's also the story of the end of the shopping mall, the decline of physical media and the shifting center of power in the $200 billion gaming industry. Oh, and it's also the story of the rise of the retail investor? And maybe, it's the story of the future of shopping… although maybe not.

Using reporting and analysis from S&P Global Market Intelligence, Neil Barbour walks through the long arc of GameStop's rise, decline and improbable afterlife. From the PlayStation 2 boom years to the 2021 short squeeze, to shrinking store counts and the company's recent $55.5 billion bid for eBay.

Key topics include:

➤ GameStop grew from $757 million in revenue in 2000 to $8.8 billion in 2008, riding the success of hardware like the PlayStation 2 and games like Call of Duty. ➤ Broadband expansion, smartphone adoption, digital storefronts and platforms steadily undermined the physical retail model. ➤ The Reddit-fueled 2021 short squeeze upended Wall Street, rattled hedge funds and changed the conversation around short selling and retail traders. ➤ Ryan Cohen's arrival reshaped investor expectations around GameStop's e-commerce ambitions and capital strategy.

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Host: Neil Barbour

Produced & Edited By: Neil Barbour

Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Patrick Moroney