Barnes & Noble Backing Elevates GameStop's IPO, Igniting Video-Game Retail Boom

Kotaku’s Warp Week revisits GameStop’s 2002 NYSE debut, where the retailer raised $325 million with Barnes & Noble taking a majority stake as it folded Babbage's Etc, FuncoLand and Game Informer into GameStop, a move that valued the new entity at about $972 million and underscored a booming video-game market. Analysts predicted 2002 would be a software-driven year with consoles expanding online capabilities, downloadable games, and tournaments, while retailers faced competition from Toys R Us, Amazon, and Blockbuster.