Retailer GameStop tries life as a publisher

GameStop has taken a few knocks for being behind the times when it comes to digital distribution, but now the brick and mortar retailer is showing at least some awareness of the online world. It just might not be exactly what investors were hoping for.  

The company has launched the Facebook game “Gangsta Zombies” through its Jolt Online Gaming arm. It’s the second social media game the company has released.

To play, consumers have to pick up a promotional game card at any U.S. GameStop location – so it does succeed in getting bodies into stores. The company is also offering a $10 pre-paid card for premium in-game content and a sweepstakes to lure people into the game.

The bigger question, though, is will the promotion result in a significant increase in purchases – or will people just pick up the free game, then try it out at home. Or, worse, will they bypass it since joining is not as easy as the plethora of other social games on the market.

So far, the game has accrued middling ratings, averaging three stars out of five by users. As of midday Monday, “Gangsta Zombies” had attracted nearly 20,000 fans on Facebook.