The games retailer Gamestop has concluded an important deal that could attract young fans in particular to many of its stores in Germany. Specifically, it is a cooperation with the YouTuber "Raafey", known as an expert on anime and manga.
Gamestop will present its current quarterly figures on September 10th. However, that is not the only reason why the retail chain is currently attracting the attention of young people in particular. A cooperation with the anime expert "Raafey" is intended to attract new customers. This could actually work, because together with the YouTuber, Gamestop is now offering something that is rarely found in stores: clothes.
Raafey merch in 70 German stores
Anyone who wanders through the Gamestop stores will mainly see video game merchandise, accessories and games, including used goods. Up until now, Gamestop had not even called up products directly in connection with the games community - that is now changing. For the first time ever, there is a collaboration with an influencer on a clothing line. The clothes are available in around 70 Gamestop stores nationwide, but it can be assumed that the contingents will quickly run out, because "Raafey" is quite well known in the scene - and also popular. He is considered a proven anime expert, which goes down well with fans.
The clothing items that are now available at Gamestop are designed accordingly. All of them are linked to the passion for the Japanese comic series and films. The art of drawing also has a large fan base here. The deal is quite clever for Gamestop and can be seen as an experiment. If the idea is well-received, further such collaborations are probably not out of the question. For the retailer, working with a well-known face from the games scene is a good approach to attract those to the stores who otherwise associate shopping with screen time.
The deal was officially announced via video:
Raafey is a well-known face in the anime scene in Germany, has over 700.000 subscribers on YouTube and therefore a significant reach for retailers like Gamestop. The influencer has been active since 2015 and has long since released his own clothes under his brand.
"Today is a big day," writes Raafey on his Instagram channel. "We did it!" The YouTuber is just as happy about the cooperation as his fans. "I have to go there immediately!" commented one user under the introductory video. He also wanted to take a look at a few figures and games straight away. This is probably how Gamestop imagined the advantages of the cooperation.
Others see it similarly: "Really awesome!", "Grab the cool shirts!" or "Finally, you can go shopping for decent clothes." Many see the Gamestop deal as extremely positive, but some fans are disappointed that the stores in their area had to close long ago.
Gamestop recently scored a coup because the chain is focusing on retro goods in the United States. There are now specially designed stores where fans Nostalgic from the gaming segment could buy.
