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250 Game Crazy stores to survive Movie Gallery bankruptcy

Movie-rental chain declares bankruptcy again, plans to immediately shutter 760 locations, including many of subsidiary Hollywood Video's sibling game outlets.

Gamers who rent or shop at their local Game Crazy outlets got some bad news this week. The Movie Gallery movie-rental chain announced Wednesday that it has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will be forced to close 760 locations immediately. The closures will affect Movie Gallery, Hollywood Video, and Hollywood Video's often-integrated Game Crazy stores.

Though Movie Gallery did not specify exactly how many Game Crazy outlets would be closed, it did say that after the first round of liquidations, only 250 Game Crazy locations, 545 Hollywood Videos, and 1,111 Movie Gallery locations would remain in the US. (Movie Gallery's Canadian subsidiary is unaffected.) However, the company anticipates closing more stores over the course of the bankruptcy process, which could take months.

Gamers can see if their local Game Crazy is affected by visiting the chain's official site and using its store locator. Movie Gallery also provided instructions for patrons of closing locations with store credit or premium memberships.

121 Comments

  • SuperSoraKH2

    Posted Mar 18, 2010 6:45 pm GMT

    Never heard of game crazy.

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 4:01 pm GMT

    MY nearest Game Crazy is in Santa Clarita. A bit of a drive from my home in the San Fernando Valley.

  • Will47

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 12:18 pm GMT

    They people at my local Gamestop are jerks, but the guys at Game Crazy are far nicer...I hope I don't lose them

  • Cabal23

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:12 am GMT

    @ kbaily
    Go take an economics class. As monopoly is when no competition exists. Last time I checked you can get games at Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, 1000's on online retailers and the list goes on. What you are seeing is the wheat being cut from the chaff. If you can't be profitable you need to go bye bye.

  • btepoe1117

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:09 am GMT

    Hey, the links above were for hollywood video and movie gallery, just wondering if gamecrazy will refund my preorder deposit

  • earlthecannibal

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:01 am GMT

    I like Game crazy much more than Gamestop...to bad it isn't the other way around.

  • raven98030

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 8:25 am GMT

    Soon all game crazy and block buster will be out of business

  • get_bangd

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 7:53 am GMT

    ha ha ha that's sucks for game-crazy i shop at wal-mart,best-buy, game tag.. lol game tag use to be game-crazy but not anymore they are under new management lol

  • laofuzi300

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 11:22 pm GMT

    That's a shame, I hope the one near my house won't close down.

  • nintendoboy16

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:59 pm GMT

    I really like Gamecrazy, it's a shame they're losing a hell load of their stores.

  • Kokuro_Kun

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:51 pm GMT

    EDIT: just checked and my store is good to go. Guess im not really affected.

  • Kokuro_Kun

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:49 pm GMT

    Nooo, I loved you guys so much better than GAMESTOP!!!
    I hope mine will still be running in TX

  • bschroth

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 12:09 pm GMT

    my movie gallery in canada used to be better. but now they're starting to put new games at $70 all the time. not so good anymore, but i guess this doesn't hurt them anyways. their blu-rays are way too expensive too. lotsa new ones over $30.

  • convince73

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 11:07 am GMT

    this has been comming for years! they had a good run!

  • lamprey263

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 8:03 am GMT

    dang, they still got $5 of mine from a pre-order deposite I made

  • Snaggleboot

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 8:57 pm GMT

    its really annoying, got fable 2 special edition for $25 when it would have been 70 anywhere else, one closest to me closed and now it takes an hour to get there.

  • ppg4all

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 6:10 pm GMT

    gamecrazy got some good deals like i bought prototype new for 30$ when a new one would cost 60$ at gamespot

  • kbaily

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 4:18 pm GMT

    It's really a shame that Gamestop is becoming a monopoly of the game speciality store and don't have a strong business model. They don't even clean scratches on used games.

  • CalGib

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 3:41 pm GMT

    @shaun_ofda_dead
    1) gamestop ASKS you to preorder not FORCE you to preorder for every game that comes out if you want a copy from their store.

    2) You need to leard to read because I said I found a copy of CODMW2

    3)I cant stand Game Crazy that much that I do hope they close. They are the WORST over here. I would and do buy games from other places( playntrade,walmart,bestbuy...ANYWHERE except GameCrazy!!!! Sorry but I am already out of my mothers basement. I have a Career NOT a job. Maybe you and your girlfriend should have done better in school so you wouldnt have to settle for Gamecrazy Clerk as a career!!!!!!

  • XanderZane

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 10:38 am GMT

    I'll stop at the one down the street from me and see if it's closing. They may be selling games on the cheap there now. I've never rented at Game Crazy, but I have been in their stores a couple of times.

  • Elvis4576

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 10:13 am GMT

    mine closed a month ago.

  • androflash

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 2:11 am GMT

    What a shame (just about game crazy).. the ones I usually go to have great customer service and they usually have a short but really interesting choice of used games. Oh well, back to gamestop..

  • ISuPrEmAcY32I

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 1:29 am GMT

    with digital distrubution and piracy these days movie and game rentals are waaaay down.

  • The_Owner

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 7:33 pm GMT

    I don't understand what people are talking about. Hollywood always had better prices and they didn't make me return new releases after only 2 days!

  • SteveTwo

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 6:09 pm GMT

    So many stores and I don't think I ever went into one.

  • ColonelX24

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 5:15 pm GMT

    My Hollywood Video left about a year ago, there's some bank there now. It was expensive, but it had the older movies BlockBuster didn't. Sadly, the GameCrazy was always closed when I got there, it closed early or something.

  • Heshertonfist

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 2:03 pm GMT

    Sounds like they have far too many stores anyway. 760 closing, 1906 remaining open.

  • S_Pac_316

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 1:26 pm GMT

    This sucks! I like having a game store in my town and if you lived there you would understand what I'm talking about...

  • Frequenxy

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 12:59 pm GMT

    Hollywood video was always so expensive! Feel sorry for the employees though. Netflix and Gamefly are the way to go. Now if they would just join forces so I would only have to pay one bill instead of two...

  • Miicrox

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 12:56 pm GMT

    I'm surprised Movie Gallery in Canada is unaffected.They're losing a lot of business where I live to Rogers Video (which rents out games for much cheaper than Movie Gallery, but their used prices are even worse than GameStop)

  • levifoskey

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 12:49 pm GMT

    its 9$ to rent game at the moviegallery i go to its about time this happened

  • k0r3aN_pR1d3

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 12:38 pm GMT

    My town's Hollywood Video went bankrupt 2 years ago. Apparently alot of people in town learned about torrenting and Netflix.

  • mrklorox

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 11:45 am GMT

    That sucks for those employees. Getting laid off sucks. But the quality of their stores surely has something to do with this. Ours was a barren wasteland it's entire lifetime before it was shut down.

    Movie Gallery stores, that is. Not Game Crazy.

  • Cabal23

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 11:03 am GMT

    MAG? I think I just threw up in my mouth. I will stick with MW2.

  • Cabal23

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 10:56 am GMT

    @ Egotte
    My bad for saying Game Crazy, but Game Crazy is part of the chain
    Read the article.....
    The Movie Gallery movie-rental chain announced Wednesday that it has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will be forced to close 760 locations immediately. The closures will affect Movie Gallery, Hollywood Video, and Hollywood Video's often-integrated Game Crazy stores.

    Bankruptcy protection sounds like they are in the can to me.

  • Princess_Rectum

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 10:55 am GMT

    Yeah I've had bad experiences at Game Crazy, when I used to shop there years ago. I'd buy a Gameboy Advance game, the guy would get my money, then just hand me the game. Then he'd look at me stupidly, like "You want something?" Duh! I would like a damn receipt!

    Then I go there, looking to buy a used N64 game, the clerk is just off chatting with his bromance buddy, and he keeps trying to ignore me when I keep waving to him to get him to get something out of the case for me.

    But then again video game store employees aren't usually too bright around here. I ask for a memory card, they give me a wireless controller.....

  • JDWolfie

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 10:53 am GMT

    I didn't know you could declare bankruptcy twice. Hollywood video stores around me closed a few years ago along with Game Crazy. Netflix and Gamefly must be hurting the rental business along with ebay. Store also sold old stuff like N64 games and stuff. Place was different than gamestop. There used to be an ebgames but then gamestop bought them... sigh.

  • FyreHeart

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 10:52 am GMT

    Never had a good experience at Game Crazy. I won't miss 'em.

  • Mohjong

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 10:46 am GMT

    Fire sale anybody?

  • starbright_2012

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 9:48 am GMT

    Hmm, as far as the thought of having an educated clerk guide my decision as to what games would be best suited to me argument of validating the chains existence...My GameCrazy "professional" told me Call of Duty 2 was "stupid and boring" and told me Fallout was " a huge waste of time," knowing I love FPS' and RPG's. I did enough research to know I was going to love these two games but sometimes I like to gather a few opinions just for the heck of it. I am not always right.

    I am all for mom and pop stores but GameCrazy, in reality, is a huge business. When you shut down 760 stores and are still capable of operating you pretty much lose all independent credibility. I love video games and the more places I can purchase, play and talk about them is a-ok with me. I have shopped the one by my house for two years exclusively, so I am not hating. I understand some employees just don't have the passion as others do. It's just hard to keep the faith when you go to the store at 10:00 on Tuesday and they have a total of one copy of Uncharted 2 to sell. If GameCrazy goes under it is by their own doing and refusal to listen to who matters the most, the customer.

  • Egotte

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 9:45 am GMT

    @Cabal23
    Incorrect. A company that was resting on nearly 300 stores that is only scaling down to 250 is NOT in the can. It's simply smaller and staying that way. Our local Game Crazy kicks Gamestop's ass around the block. I've never once been in a Gamestop with decent customer service. And GC's deals are far superior. As SumPro said, $45 for a used MAG vs. $53-55 for it at Gamestop. Uh, duh! I'll go to GC instead thanks.

  • Dualmask

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 9:41 am GMT

    There's a Game Crazy in my neighborhood (come to think of it I need to see if they're still open) but every time I went in there, they had next to no selection. More games available to rent than to buy. It was a good place to get Wii peripherals from, but that's really it. I avoid Gamestop like the plague because not only do they give you crap trade-in value but they also sell opened games as new. But Game Crazy's limited selection (in my area) made them a useless alternative, so I turned to Gamefly.

    Sucks that they're closing stores and people are losing jobs. Maybe Hollywood Video needs to prioritize and separate Game Crazy from Hollywood completely. People probably don't even know Game Crazy exists until they walk into a Hollywood store and see the section.

  • kyler952

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 9:36 am GMT

    I remember working at Hollywood when introduced Gamecrazy to our store. It was a store within a store concept. Three years of wonderful services. I will never have a better job. *single tear*

  • Marky360

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 9:21 am GMT

    @SkidzoTM
    they still don't make that much money I'm look after they sell ur used game they only get 33 bucks and what if they can't sell it then there really screwed

  • Cabal23

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 8:43 am GMT

    New games generally make them $7 as do strategy guides. Used games get you around 20% of what they bought it for, generally .Also inventory makes a huge difference on price. Mass Effect 1 was getting $3 last time I checked. They just have too many. Why would they give you $30 for something they have thousands of in the warehouse? . I love how people say they are going to miss GameCrazy and there great deals. Obviously their great deal didn't do them any good because they are in the can now. The one thing I have learned from reading posts here is that people have no clue how business works. Everything should be cheap or free, right? So let see, how many retail game companies have gone out of business? Obviously Gamestop is doing something right to be the biggest and most successful retail game companies on the planet. They are now international. It is very apparent that all those people who feel ripped off don't understand how inventory, and supply and demand work.

  • grasshopper6

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 8:31 am GMT

    never went there always go to gamestop and idk if they rip you off for trade ins cause i hardly trade my games it has to be really bad or boring, i still play my old PS and Xbox games

  • Vodoo

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 7:55 am GMT

    7-11 sells games now!!! There's just too much competition for a store that's attached to a drowning movie rental chain. The Blockbuster by me is ALWAYS jam packed and the Hollywood Video was always dead. If the Game Crazy stores were seperate from the Hollywood Videos, maybe they would have a better chance.

  • SumPro

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 7:55 am GMT

    Well that sucks because I always got the best deals from Game Crazy on used games, for example I just picked up MAG for 44.95 in mint condition, but to get to the point its usually $5-7 dollars cheaper then gamestop.

  • dewc1

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 7:54 am GMT

    I see a little "fuzzy math" at work here! Gamestop makes $3 off new game, and buys it back from you for $25, then they have only lost $22 so far! They then sell the game for $55. According to my math skills, they have made $33! I am not sure $3 is accurate, but you are right, they do not make much on new games. I was a manager for The Electronics Boutique years ago, and I know we made our profit on used games, hint guides (which are marked up considerably), and third party peripherals.

    "For all those ppl that say that gamestop rips ppl off with the trade in value u gotta see it from gstops side. They only make 3 dollars off a new game when u trade in a new game they give u 25 bucks that alread puts them at a negative of 28 dollars they don't get to make that negative up until they sell the new game u sold them but they sell it for $54.00. so if u really look at it gamestop is the one getting riped off"

  • SkidzoTM

    Posted Feb 5, 2010 7:51 am GMT

    @Marky360

    Dude... Gamestop getting ripped of buy their own promotions... lolll come on man how gullible you think I am? We all still make our buck with promotions man, it's the name of the game lol

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