GameStop, Telos Team Up to Build Web3 Game Launcher

GameStop has been dabbling in Web3 initiatives since at least January 2022

article-image

Zoa.Arts/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

GameStop has partnered with the Telos Foundation to pilot a new Web3 game launcher called GameStop Playr. 

“GameStop Playr is marketing/distributing Web3 games that are built using Telos’ blockchain technology,” Telos Chief Marketing Officer Peter Nguyen told Blockworks. 

At present, GameStop Playr hasn’t yet launched and no compatible games have been announced, but interested parties can sign up for a waitlist.

GameStop, long known as a brick and mortar game retailer, pivoted to crypto a year after the infamous r/wallstreetbets short squeeze sent its stock skyrocketing in January 2021. In January 2022, GameStop launched an NFT and crypto division, the Wall Street Journal reported at the time. 

Just over a year later, it partnered with Immutable X to launch its own NFT marketplace, which reached $1 million in trading volume in its first 24 hours.

For now, games compatible on the Telos blockchain will be able to be distributed via the GameStop Playr, according to a statement from Telos.

Some games that are compatible or “close to fully integrated” on the Telos blockchain include gambling platforms such as W3Poker and OwlDAO, as well as a mobile game called Monkey Empire.

However, none of these games are guaranteed to be available through GameStop Playr, Nguyen noted. 

Head of business development at the Telos Foundation, AJ Dinger, said this partnership will drive new customers into the Web3 gaming space. 

“By combining GameStop Playr with Web3 games utilizing Telos’ high performance blockchain infrastructure, we can break down many of the barriers currently deterring Web2 players from embracing Web3,” Dinger said in a statement. 

Shares of GameStop (GME) were relatively unchanged by the news.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (2).png

Research

We’re bullish on the PUMP token. We believe Pump.fun's brand strength, existing integrations, product roadmap, and strategic levers justify PUMP's TGE valuation, and expect the token to re-rate meaningfully higher in the months ahead.

article-image

Crypto’s highest purpose might be to make markets better by making them bigger

article-image

The non-profit’s “Project Open” seeks to let stocks trade directly on Solana

article-image

The acquisition is Pump.fun’s first, and comes just days before its planned ICO

article-image

As Trump’s tariff war reignites, everyone is assuming the dollar will continue its path lower. But the journey might be bumpy

article-image

A valuation model for “blockchain GDP”

article-image

The mini app combines vibe-coding with a hypercasual game feed and is coming to the new Coinbase Wallet