It’s always tragic when a beloved e-shop gets shut down. This time around, it’s the Xbox 360, which has a special place in many people’s hearts. However, GameStop didn’t even wait for the body to be cold to call out those who buy digital. Gamers didn’t take kindly to that.
The news of the Xbox 360’s shop demise made its way around social media, with many virtually pouring one out for one of their favorite consoles. But what should’ve been a celebration of life quickly turned into a stone-throwing session after GameStop chimed in, saying, “bet y’all wish you bought physical copies now” on X.
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While the jab was uncalled for, people are really upset about the fact that GameStop can’t even claim itself as the premier physical video game store anymore. As many were quick to point out in the replies, the stores are full of collectibles like Funko Pops and statues, not games. In fact, there are very few GameStops that still carry Xbox 360 games, which is why the company linked to its website rather than instructing people to head to their closest store.
The other issue with GameStop’s claim is that a lot of Xbox 360 games are still backward compatible. It’s not like the shop goes down, and all of the games just fall over, like the Battle Droids in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Sure, there are going to be purists out there who want to own every game and put it on their shelf, but with price gouging and shady sellers, it’s easier for most to just buy digital, and there’s no shame in that.
Let’s hope that GameStop can get its act together and focus on the more important things, like explaining why it offered me 12 cents for a PS5 controller.