GameStop is a known retailer of video games, accessories, and more, but for many years, former and current shoppers have been curious about its future. It’s no secret that the shift to digital games has impacted GameStop’s bottom line, and it has publicly been trying to recreate its brand/image for a couple of years now.
It hasn’t been easy, and the future is still uncertain. GameStop laid off several positions earlier this month, including an executive one, and its recent push into NFTs and blockchain technology hasn’t gone over well either. Now, it seems that there is a 9/11 NFT on sale on GameStop’s marketplace, which is incredibly distasteful.
It should be noted that this is not an open NFT platform, so not anyone can go on it and sell NFTs. GameStop has to approve each individual NFT creator following an application process. So, while GameStop may not be directly responsible for this 9/11 NFT, one of its approved creators is. Known as Jules, this creator added an NFT based on the Falling Man photograph.
For those unaware, the Falling Man is a famous image taken of the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers—one where one man was captured falling from the upper floors of the World Trade Center. It is a heartbreaking moment captured by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew. At its release in 2001, many criticized the image for obvious reasons, but it has garnered a more positive reputation with distance from the event. It’s a heartbreaking capture of 9/11, and one no one expected it to become an NFT.
The NFT is also titled Falling Man and it’s almost a 1:1 shot of this photo, with the only difference being the NFT creator has put the figure into an astronaut suit. There is a total of 25 of them on sale on the GameStop NFT marketplace, selling for .65 ETH or the equivalent of $994.85. Only two of them have sold so far.
Some users report seeing this image as a featured one whenever someone googles GameStop, and as of this writing, the NFT is still available. GameStop has not publicly commented on this distasteful and controversial NFT, but hopefully, the company does something about it sooner rather than later.
Source: ‘Web3 is Going Great’