GameStop swoops for Kongregate

In what can only be described as a hugely significant move, video games retailer GameStop has acquired leading online Flash games portal Kongregate.

The website boasts in the region of 10m users and is one of the most important players in the increasingly significant casual games sector. Kongregate will now act as a wholly owned subsidiary of the retailer.

The deal will also allow GameStop to evolve its website from a pure e-commerce portal to one that actually hosts a huge amount of game content. Kongregate is widely regarded as having some of the very best free-to-play titles on the internet – ironic, really, seeing as it’s the rise of such portals that has asked some of the most serious questions put to traditional retail.

Kongregate advances GameStop’s digital strategy by providing a gaming platform for casual, mobile and browser games that can be promoted and played by our existing gamers,” CEO Paul Raines stated. We welcome the Kongregate team to the GameStop family.”

Kongregate co-founder Jim Greer added: Our company’s unique DNA has given more than 8,500 game developers the tools to make their games social, reach a huge audience and make money from over 30,000 innovative games.

This includes access to virtual currency and robust community features such as leaderboards, player achievements, profiles, multiplayer, dedicated game forums, and a site-wide levelling system.”

The deal is expected to be reach completion on August 1st.