Sony’s gearing up for the launch of the PlayStation 4 tomorrow with a bevy of launch events, and GameStop has been working closely with Sony to make this launch special. GameStop’s store on Market Street in San Francisco is going to be host to one of the biggest store events, and the [a]list daily spoke with GameStop’s Jason Cochran, VP of store operations and strategic initiatives, who leads the store operations, field management and store teams. He also drives execution of GameStop’s strategic initiatives, including mobile electronics and downloadable content (DLC).
The launch event in San Francisco is going to be something special. “We’re going to have lots of prizes, contests, celebrity autograph signings, such as developers from Sucker Punch, Bungie, and Human Nature studios,” said Cochran. “We’ll have a DJ there and just a ton of fanfare, a ton of excitement. Most importantly, the customers who come in to make the purchase with us there are really going to have an exceptional experience.”
GameStop has been working towards this event for months. “We worked really hard over the last six months in anticipation of this coming weekend and next weekend with the Xbox One launch,” noted Cochran. “On Sunday we had a pre-launch party nationwide for the PS4 launch.” At that event customers were able to get an addition 90 percent trade credit bump on console trade-ins to help them get a PS4, and GameStop will hold a similar even this Sunday to help customers prepare for the Xbox One.
This is a celebration that GameStop hasn’t had in a while, where two new consoles are launching almost at the same time. “Some stores will have DJ’s, some stores will have tournaments, some stores will have free giveaways. It’s just a fanfare that literally hasn’t happened in over six years since the PS3 launch,” said Cochran. The excitement is palpable even at GameStop headquarters. “Everyone here is walking around with a big smile on their face,” said Cochran.
The launch party begins at 6 pm at the GameStop on Market Street in San Francisco, and other GameStops will have their own schedules. Cochran recommends checking in with your local GameStop to see exactly what’s going on, but every store will be doing something.
If you haven’t pre-ordered a PlayStation 4, you may be able to snag one at GameStop tonight. Some people are already waiting in line in order to have the best chance at scoring the new console. Sony is shipping some inventory to stores that hasn’t been allocated to pre-orders, though Cochran can’t say how much that might be. He also notes that in some cases people may cancel their pre-orders for some reason, which would free up additional consoles to be sold to customers.
