Best Buy Launches Beta Gaming Hub Ahead of 'Zelda' and 'Grand Theft Auto VI'

The experience, created with video game website IGN, offers members gaming articles and reviews, live Best Buy event updates for launches and deals on new technology, among other features. Best Buy Chief Revenue Officer Patrick McGinnis told CNBC exclusively that the retailer is introducing the hub for customers with gaming content, new technology and special offers. The online destination is in beta.

“Gamers are a customer that are really like no other in terms of their passion for not just the tech, the titles, but also how they want to work with each other as a community,” McGinnis said. “So for us, being relevant for that customer wherever and whenever they want to interact with the thing that they love is really important.”

Best Buy said tens of millions of gamers shop at the retailer each year, including trying out games in stores and seeking advice from in-store experts. The launch comes before the Nov. 5 release of Nintendo’s remake “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” and the Nov. 19 launch of Take-Two Interactive’s “Grand Theft Auto VI.” McGinnis said the timing is “pretty perfect” given the new games due over the next month, though Best Buy has been developing the platform for more than a year.

“We want to be relevant for our gaming customers, not just during the important, big tentpole periods of the calendar, like when we have these big gaming launches coming up, but really every day,” he said. “We want to be there when they discover new titles and connect with the community, and not just when they’re buying a big console or a new gaming title.”

Gaming has become a bigger part of Best Buy’s business. In fiscal first-quarter results reported in May, the company said gaming and computing was one of its biggest drivers of growth. On a call with analysts in August to discuss fiscal second-quarter results, incoming CEO Jason Bonfig said Best Buy expects demand for “Grand Theft Auto VI” to boost the gaming category.

Best Buy has been looking for growth drivers as it tries to revitalize its performance under Bonfig. The company has seen slumping sales and was hit by tariffs and lower consumer confidence, among other factors. McGinnis said the new gamer experience is an example of the company’s strategic goals coming together.

“If you think about what those priorities are, the Gamers [beta] community is definitely a way that we’re expanding and growing our reach, reaching that gaming customer,” he said. “Providing a place for them to again pursue what they’re most passionate about certainly is elevating our experience.”

Best Buy is also adding in-store gaming experiences. Starting next month at a location in Torrance, California, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft will come together to offer gaming experiences and activations for customers, the company said. With the combination of physical retail and the online platform, McGinnis said Best Buy hopes to sit at the intersection of technology, entertainment and culture within the gaming community. He said the company plans to adjust the online experience based on customer feedback and continue innovating as gaming remains one of its strongest performers.

“We recognize the gaming customer as incredibly passionate and wants to engage with what they love in a lot of different ways,” he said. “There’s observations of gaps that exist in the places and spaces where gamers are engaged, and we thought that we could build something that would really complement what they’re engaging with today from a social platform perspective, not to replace those types of experiences in any way, shape or form.”