EB Games, which was once called Electronics Boutique, is an international video game brand used by several stores in Canada and Australia.
The company was first created in the United States in 1977 by James Kim in Philadelphia. At first, Electronics Boutique sold calculators, radios, and digital watches. Later, the company began selling computers and software. In the mid-1990s, it started 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 used the names EBX and EB World during this time.
In October 2005, EB Games agreed to be bought by GameStop Corp. for $1.44 billion. GameStop changed the name of all stores in the United States to GameStop. However, the name EB Games remained in Canada and Australia because people there were familiar with it. These stores continue to use the name under agreements with GameStop Corp.
History
Originally, the company mainly sold calculators and digital watches. Between 1977 and the mid-1990s, the company began selling computers, software, and other related items but later stopped. Electronics Boutique also operated stores named 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, 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 company’s CEO said they had been trying to buy FuncoLand for two years and waited until the stock price was right. On April 5, Funco received an unexpected $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 gave Electronics Boutique five days to increase its offer or risk accepting Barnes & Noble’s offer. Electronics Boutique matched the higher offer. On April 26, Barnes & Noble raised its bid to $161.5 million, or $24.75 per share, giving Electronics Boutique five more 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 $3.5 million fee for breaking the deal, which Barnes & Noble paid.
In May 2000, Electronics Boutique changed the names of most of its EB and EB Gameworld stores to EB Games. The company 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 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, the company opened a new 314,000-square-foot distribution center in Sadsbury Township, Pennsylvania. The headquarters in West Chester remained open, and employees 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 34.2% higher than the $41.12 closing price of EB Games stock. GameStop decided to close EB Games’ new distribution center in Sadsbury, Pennsylvania, its call center in Las Vegas, and its international headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania. This action led to the loss of over 800 jobs. Sixty-five former EB Games employees were offered positions at GameStop’s headquarters in Grapevine, Texas.
List of operations
In 1993, EB opened three stores in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, starting its international expansion. By May 2008, the Canadian division had grown to include more than 300 stores, making it the largest of all international divisions.
On July 28, 2021, EB Games announced that its Canadian stores would change their name to GameStop. This rebranding was expected to finish by the end of 2021. By September 2021, stores had begun displaying the new GameStop name.
On May 5, 2025, GameStop Canada announced that its business assets had been sold to Canadian businessman Stephan Tétrault. The company also stated that it would soon change its name back to EB Games.
In 1997, Electronics Boutique entered the Australian market by opening its first store at Westfield Miranda in New South Wales. Over time, it became the first national video game retailer in Australia.
Since 2007, EB Games Australia has worked with the Starlight Children's Foundation. Each 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, an annual video game trade fair. 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. Unlike E3, EB Expo allowed the general public to attend and see new games and hardware.
In October 2011, EB Games introduced the EB World loyalty program. The program had four reward levels, and customers could advance by earning points called "carrots" when shopping at EB Games or Zing Pop Culture stores.
In May 2015, four former EB Games employees claimed that a district manager had engaged in workplace bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, racial hatred, intimidation, and unpaid work hours. These incidents were reported to the WorkCover Authority of New South Wales and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
In January 2020, EB Games announced plans to close 19 unprofitable stores by the end of the month.
In February 2021, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article stating that EB Games' success was partly due to its expansion into selling pop culture merchandise and pre-owned games. That same month, EB Games reported strong sales and planned to open new stores.
In July 2014, EB Games Australia launched Zing Pop Culture (stylized as ZiNG Pop Culture), a retailer of pop culture merchandise. The first store opened at the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Indooroopilly, Queensland.
In September 2021, EB Games created a spin-off of Zing Pop Culture called Zing Marketplace. This online platform allowed customers to sell retro gaming and pop culture items to each other. Zing Marketplace was shut down 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 allowed EB Games to 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 closed.
In 2000, Electronics Boutique opened its first store in New Zealand, located in Auckland. In 2008, GameStop acquired 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’ total number of stores in New Zealand to 38, making the combined total of stores in Australia and New Zealand 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 large financial loss in 2024 and beyond, likely due to the drop in sales of physical video games in the country. It also said customers in New Zealand would be able to 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 GameStop and closed in 2016.
In October 1995, Electronics Boutique expanded to the UK by buying a 25% share in The Rhino Group, a struggling British game retailer. The company became known as Electronics Boutique Limited, and its name was changed from Future Zone to Electronics Boutique. John Steinbrecher, who managed stores in the US and Canada for Electronics Boutique, was sent to the UK to oversee the chain. The company improved its finances by remodeling stores, adjusting product choices, and offering used video games.
In November 1999, Electronics Boutique Limited bought Game, a rival retailer, for £99 million. At the time of the purchase, Game had 86 stores, and its brand name was kept 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 in all stores in the UK and Ireland, making the company the largest video game retailer in the UK. Electronics Boutique USA owned 24% of The Game Group and collected management fees until 2004. That year, The Game Group and Electronics Boutique USA agreed to end their remaining business relationship through a one-time payment.