In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, GameStop has been struggling. Stores have had to close against company wishes, although it has still managed to release a holiday 2020 gift guide.
As one of the older video game storefronts, GameStop is most likely not in danger of closure at the moment. It has been the one-stop shopping location for players for many years. Live events and demos have let it keep up somewhat with virtual storefronts like Amazon or Steam. However, recent events have hurt the company in more ways than one. Now a strange mix-up has caused a very odd and somewhat exciting temporary glitch in GameStop's system.
While still operating as a physical retail store, players can order from GameStop online. Obviously thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has become many players' favored method. While one player, Kelsey Lewin, was looking through GameStop's website last night, she noticed something strange. Almost every item, from games to consoles to add-ons, was free. This did not appear to be any sort of promotion, like GameStop's Pro Days Sale, and was likely a glitch. The bizarre, word of this massive discount spread rapidly on Twitter.
Players, including Lewin, rushed to purchase as much as possible while the glitch was occurring. However, it only lasted a couple minutes before prices returned to normal. Curiously, it seems that prices returned somewhat gradually. Some players reported seeing prices cost a little bit more, then significantly more, before finally returning to regular price. After the debacle that GameStop went through with both Xbox Series X and PS5 pre-orders, it's not surprising that this mistake was corrected as quickly as possible.
What caused this major mix-up is anyone's guess. It seems to have been a purely digital change which would suggest a singular error with the website. As of this article, GameStop has not issued any statement on the debacle. A few Twitter users have joked that it may have been some sort of publicity stunt. This seems very unlikely, since GameStop doesn't really benefit from the attention in any way. It looks more like a strange blunder, especially after the smart move of partnering with Microsoft long term.
Some players who decided to buy during the brief free window have received confirmations on their orders. Others have seen cancellations, and likely many more cancellations will follow. At a time when GameStop is shutting down at least 300 stores, this kind of mistake is one it cannot afford. In all likelihood this is the only time it will happen, but only time will tell for sure.