Joystiq put up a story today about Game Crazy’s parent company, Movie Gallery, having trouble paying off debts it took on in buying Hollywood Video and Game Crazy.  The question that immediately comes to mind is “Does that mean that Game Crazy is going away or being sold to a competitor?”

That’s why we’re here.  Let’s get full disclosure out of the wayup front.  We all work for Game Crazy, be it full time or part time.  We do the show and write for the site because we dig games and love talking about them and we like Game Crazy.  We also are pretty happy to be unofficial because it definitely means that we can speak our minds, and I’m about to speak mine.  Please note that these opinions are mine and mine alone.

Reading the press release and knowing what I do, you should note that in the press release, there are comments about how difficult the rental industry is right now.  That could not be more true right now between all the competition for B&M rental stores and especially with online rentals coming into the pictue.  The thing to notice is that Game Crazy is not mentioned.  Obviously, I can’t talk about more in depth information so I don’t get in trouble, but I would just ask that you notice that Game Crazy is not mentioned as a liability.

What is known is that Movie Gallery just closed some Hollywood Video stores (and possibly some Game Crazy’s).  From what we know, this was done to unload the dead weight.  The stores that are open are bringing in some kind of profit.  I’m not sure if the following is supposed to be public knowledge, but I can always take it down later.  Game Crazy is expanding.  There are plans to open more stores.  The part that makes me a little nervous is that apparently there are plans to put in a Game Crazy section in some Hollywood Video stores (Movie Gallery’s involvement is unknown as of now) where there is essentially a portion of a wall that is dedicated to selling used games and some systems.

Personally, I think that unless the stores hire someone to man that area who has some level of expertise, the wall idea is going to be a miserable failure.  A lot of what makes Game Crazy successful is the fact that the people who work there know what they’re talking about.  Just putting a bunch of used games on the wall with nobody who really can answer questions (the Hollywood employees aren’t really going to go to the trouble of keeping up on what’s back there) is going to result in a wall with a bunch of used games that just sit there except for a few people who rifle through occasionally.

If I were told today that Movie Gallery was selling off assets, I would probably guess that Hollywood Video would be the one to go.  Right now, Game Crazy is growing for a reason and I think that Movie Gallery would be crazy to get rid of us, unless that was the only way to unload Hollywood, which is entirely possible. 

I’d also like to take a moment to address the customers/former customers who have told of their bad experiences at Game Crazy, especially in the Joystiq article comments.  I’d like to apologize that you were treated like crap and had products and services crammed down your throat.  I genuinely hope that those who were rude or wouldn’t leave you alone get fired.  The reason the Game Crazy we work at is consistantly ranked high in the company (even though it’s the smallest store in the company) is because we actually like games and try to keep up on what’s coming out.  We may give a console crap, but when it comes down to it, we want you to have a good gaming experience.  If that means that you love your Wii or PS3 even though I personally may not like them and adore my 360, I may joke with you a little bit, but I’m also going to do my best to make sure you keep loving your console.  We feel that if we treat you right when you buy a $5 game and try to actually see if you’re right for an MVP, you’ll come back.  That’s why we have relationships with our customers.  High pressure may get you some sales and numbers in the short term, but treating people right keeps them coming back.  At least, that’s what I think.