GameStop Begins 2026 With Mass Store Closures While CEO Chases Massive Stock Payout
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
GameStop is closing hundreds of stores at the start of 2026 while offering CEO Ryan Cohen a potential $35 billion stock payout tied to massive market growth, leaving employees with short notice and customers with fewer local options.
GameStop has kicked off the new year by quietly shuttering hundreds of retail locations across the country, leaving both local shoppers and store employees scrambling. According to reports covered by Polygon, customers arriving at their usual spots found closure notices taped to glass doors, complete with QR codes offering trade-in coupons. Employees report receiving mere days of warning before losing their jobs, with even well-performing branches caught in the sudden sweep. For many players who still rely on physical discs, collector's editions, and local trade-ins, these abrupt closures mean losing a convenient neighborhood hub and facing much longer drives to reach the nearest remaining storefront.
While workers are left sharing their grievances and sudden unemployment stories on forums like Reddit, the corporate side of the business is focusing on an entirely different scale. The company board recently unveiled a high-stakes performance package for CEO Ryan Cohen, promising stock options that could reach up to $35 billion. However, that massive payday comes with steep conditions. Cohen receives no traditional salary or time-based vesting, meaning he only gets paid if he manages to grow GameStop from its current market cap of roughly $9.5 billion up to a staggering $100 billion, alongside hitting $10 billion in cumulative earnings.
For a modern gaming community increasingly shifted toward digital storefronts, cloud gaming, and direct downloads, the news highlights the ongoing friction between traditional brick and mortar retail and modern digital ecosystems. While digital ownership and live service battle passes dominate how most players buy and experience games today, the sudden disappearance of hundreds of physical shops still marks the end of an era for a generation of gamers who grew up browsing physical shelves. You can read the original reporting over at Polygon.
Tags: GameStop, Industry News, Retail, Business, Polygon
Original article: Polygon