Who Owns EB Games?

The EB Games name descends from Electronics Boutique, a U.S. video game retailer founded in 1977. Electronics Boutique expanded internationally in the 1990s, and EB Games launched in Australia in 1997, opening stores across the country as the dedicated gaming retail category grew.

In 2005, GameStop Corp acquired Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp for $1.44 billion, folding EB Games and its international operations into the larger American chain. The deal expanded GameStop's global footprint to more than 4,250 stores and made EB Games the Australian face of the group. In 2008, GameStop acquired The Gamesman, New Zealand's largest independent gaming specialist, adding eight stores and extending EB Games' presence there.

EB Games became Australia's dominant dedicated gaming retailer, operating hundreds of mall and shopping-center stores selling consoles, games, accessories and merchandise. The company added Zing Pop Culture, a collectibles and pop culture banner, and experimented with hybrid stores combining both brands.

The 2020s brought consolidation. EB Games closed underperforming stores periodically, including 19 in early 2020 and a steady stream of regional locations through 2025. Parent GameStop, meanwhile, was restructuring: it divested Canadian operations in 2025, closed New Zealand stores in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, and moved to sell its French Micromania business. That left Australia as EB Games' primary market and the core of GameStop's international presence.

As of late 2026, EB Games operates roughly 300 Australian stores and has continued reviewing its network, closing locations like its long-running Maryborough shop while maintaining the country's largest dedicated gaming retail footprint.