• GameStop is hoping somebody will buy its Canadian and French operations.
• This amounts to over 500 physical stores across both nations.
• The company’s CEO decried “Liberalism, Socialism, Progressivism, Wokeness and DEI” within his firm while shopping for a buyer.

GameStop, the company that was effectively saved by hobbyist traders looking to stick it to Wall Street, is trying to sell its operations in Canada and France.

The brick and mortar gaming retailer announced this week that the sale of its operations in France and Canada is part of an “evaluation of its international assets”. As game purchases have moved to online storefronts, brick and mortar stores have struggled to retain customers

The Toronto Star reports that the retailer has shuttered more than 700 stores worldwide over the last five years. GameStop has 203 stores in Canada and 332 stores in France the publication reports.

But it isn’t the move to online purchases that has hurt GameStop, at least not according to chief executive officer Ryan Cohen. No, the CEO believes that inclusivity is the problem.

In a post on X, Cohen solicited emails from potential buyers adding, “High taxes, Liberalism, Socialism, Progressivism, Wokeness and DEI included at no additional cost if you buy today!”

It’s not clear how any of the above (aside from high taxes) is impacting GameStop’s business which is literally just selling games and gaming hardware.

Perhaps investing in the spectre that was NFTs by developing a marketplace lead GameStop’s business astray. Or maybe it was the false sense of security traders who shorted hedge funds provided when GameStop was at death’s door.

It’s also just weird for Cohen to come out and declare the problems with his company in a bid to get some assets sold. Not that we think there is anything wrong with inclusivity but clearly Cohen believes it’s a yoke around his company’s neck.

Again, physical game stores are dinosaurs that are simply no longer relevant outside of purchasing Collector’s Editions or bargains which most people simply aren’t interested in. Blame whatever you want GameStop, the fact is that your business has been on life support for years and you did little to fix that.