EB Games is an international video game brand used by many stores in Canada and Australia. It was once called Electronics Boutique.
The company was started in 1977 by James Kim in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At first, it sold calculators, radios, and digital watches. Later, it switched to selling computers and software. In the mid-1990s, Electronics Boutique began selling video games and expanded to other countries, including Canada, Europe, and Australia. In 2002, the company changed its name to EB Games. Some stores also operated under the names EBX and EB World.
In October 2005, EB Games agreed to be taken over by GameStop Corp. for $1.44 billion. GameStop stopped using the EB name in the United States and renamed all American stores to GameStop. However, the EB name still exists in Canada and Australia because people there recognize it as a brand. These stores continue to use the EB name through agreements with GameStop Corp.
History
Originally, the company mainly sold calculators and digital watches. Between 1977 and the mid-1990s, it expanded to sell computers, software, and other items, though it later stopped selling these products (according to the EB Games employee handbook). Electronics Boutique also operated stores under the name Games 'n Gadgets. These stores focused more on entertainment and gaming than on business and productivity. In the mid-1990s, the company shifted its focus to TV-based video games and consoles, even though many stores still kept sections for PC games.
On April 3, 2000, Electronics Boutique offered to buy FuncoLand for $110 million, paying $17.50 in cash for each share of Funco’s parent company. The CEO said the company had been tracking FuncoLand for two years and waited until the stock price was right. On April 5, Funco received an unsolicited $135 million buyout offer from Barnes & Noble’s subsidiary, Babbage’s Etc., which offered cash or a mix of cash and Barnes & Noble stock. On April 12, Funco told Electronics Boutique it had five days to raise its offer or accept Barnes & Noble’s proposal. Electronics Boutique then matched Barnes & Noble’s offer. On April 26, Barnes & Noble increased its bid to $161.5 million, or $24.75 per share, giving Electronics Boutique another five days to respond. On May 3, Electronics Boutique withdrew its bid, and Funco accepted Barnes & Noble’s offer the next day. The original agreement between Electronics Boutique and Funco included a breakup fee of $3.5 million, which Barnes & Noble paid.
In May 2000, Electronics Boutique changed the names of most of its EB and EB Gameworld stores to EB Games to unify its brand. It also announced plans to close or sell its EB Kids and Brandywine Sports Collectible Stores.
For many years, EB Games’ main distribution center was in Louisville, Kentucky, with two smaller centers and its headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania. As video games became more popular, EB Games decided to build a new distribution center. In October 2004, it opened a new 314,000-square-foot (29,200 m²) distribution center in Sadsbury Township, Pennsylvania. The headquarters in West Chester remained open, but workers from the old centers were moved to the new location.
On October 6, 2005, shareholders of EB Games and GameStop agreed to a $1.44 billion takeover deal. The offer included $38.15 in cash and about ¾ of a GameStop stock share for each EB Games stock share. This was a 34.2% increase over EB Games’ stock price at the time. GameStop closed EB Games’ new distribution center in Sadsbury, Pennsylvania, its call center in Las Vegas, and its international headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which led to the loss of more than 800 jobs. Sixty-five former EB Games employees were offered positions at GameStop’s headquarters in Grapevine, Texas.
List of operations
EB started its international growth by opening three stores in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1993. The Canadian part of the company had the most stores among all international locations, with over 300 stores by May 2008.
On July 28, 2021, EB Games announced that its Canadian stores would change their name to GameStop. This change was expected to be finished by the end of 2021. Stores began displaying GameStop signs by September 2021.
On May 5, 2025, GameStop Canada announced that its assets would be sold to Canadian businessman Stephan Tétrault. The company also stated that the name would return to EB Games soon.
In 1997, Electronics Boutique entered the Australian market by opening its first store at Westfield Miranda in New South Wales. This store became the first national video game retailer in Australia.
Since 2007, EB Games Australia has worked with the Starlight Children's Foundation as a charity partner. Every year, EB Games and Zing Pop Culture stores hold fundraising events called "Starlight Week." In 2021, these events raised more than $850,000 for the Foundation.
In May 2011, EB Games launched the EB Games Expo, a video game trade fair held annually in Australia. Known as EB Expo or EBX, the first event took place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from October 15 to 16, 2011. The Expo allows video game developers to show new games and hardware to the public, unlike E3 at the time, which was only for industry professionals.
In October 2011, EB Games introduced the EB World loyalty program. At launch, the program had four reward levels. Customers could move up levels by earning points called "carrots" when shopping at EB Games stores, later including Zing Pop Culture stores.
In May 2015, four former EB Games employees claimed that a district manager engaged in workplace bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, racial hatred, intimidation, and unpaid work hours. These incidents were alleged to have occurred at the Figtree and Dapto stores. Complaints were filed with the WorkCover Authority of New South Wales and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
In January 2020, EB Games reported it would close 19 unprofitable stores by the end of the month.
In February 2021, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article about EB Games, noting that selling pop culture merchandise and pre-owned games had been key to its success. That same month, EB Games reported strong sales and planned to open new stores.
In July 2014, EB Games Australia opened Zing Pop Culture (stylized as ZiNG Pop Culture), a retailer of pop culture merchandise. The first ZiNG Pop Culture store was located at the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Indooroopilly, Queensland.
In September 2021, EB Games launched Zing Marketplace, an online marketplace for retro gaming and pop culture items. Zing Marketplace allowed customers to sell to each other through its website. The service ended on March 22, 2022.
As of January 2026, Zing operates 336 stores in Australia.
List of defunct international operations
EB Games operated in Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. On May 23, 2005, EB Games announced an agreement to buy the Spanish retailer Jump, which was based in Valencia. Jump sold personal computers and other consumer electronics. EB Games planned to start selling video game hardware and software in Jump’s 141 stores several months after the purchase. This deal helped EB Games enter the Spanish market and continue its fast growth in other countries.
Later, all EB Games stores in Mainland Europe were either renamed to GameStop or sold.
In 2000, Electronics Boutique opened its first store in New Zealand, located in Auckland. In 2008, GameStop announced it had bought The Gamesman, which was New Zealand’s largest independent gaming store at the time with eight locations. This purchase added eight stores and increased EB Games’ presence in New Zealand to 38 stores, making the total number of stores in Australia and New Zealand reach 308.
In mid-January 2026, EB Games announced it would stop all operations in New Zealand by the end of the month. The company cited a loss of millions of dollars in the 2024 financial year and beyond, likely due to falling sales of physical games in the country. EB Games confirmed it would let New Zealand customers shop online directly from EB Games Australia starting in March.
By 2001, EB Games had opened stores in Puerto Rico. These stores were later renamed to GameStop and closed in 2016.
In October 1995, Electronics Boutique expanded into the UK by buying a 25% ownership share in The Rhino Group, a British game retailer facing financial difficulties. The company’s name was changed from Future Zone to Electronics Boutique to reflect the new ownership. John Steinbrecher, who managed stores in the US and Canada for Electronics Boutique, was sent to the UK to oversee the chain. Through store renovations, changes to product selection, and the introduction of used video games, the chain’s financial situation improved.
In November 1999, Electronics Boutique Limited purchased Game, a rival retailer, for £99 million. At the time of the purchase, Game had 86 stores, and the Game brand continued to operate alongside the Electronics Boutique name.
In October 2001, Electronics Boutique Limited acquired BarrysWorld, a gaming website; ScoreGames, a French retailer; and Centro Mail, a Spanish retailer.
In 2002, Electronics Boutique Limited became The Game Group. The Game brand replaced the Electronics Boutique name at all stores in the UK and Ireland, making the new company the largest video game retailer in the UK. Electronics Boutique USA owned 24% of The Game Group for a time and collected management fees under the merger agreement until 2004. That year, The Game Group and Electronics Boutique USA agreed to end their remaining partnership through a one-time payment.