GameStop's 400 Store Closures vs. Ryan Cohen's $35 Billion Payday: A 2026 Retail Bloodbath

Ryan Cohen’s $35 billion pay package hinges on GameStop hitting a $100 billion market cap while shuttering 400 U.S. stores—20-25% of its locations—by January 2026.

Employees describe the closures as abrupt, with some stores closing despite strong performance. One customer said: “Once I arrived it had already been closed... He had been there since I was a kid.” Another lamented: “Only one store left within about an hour of me and I’m sure that’s going to be next.”

EB Games NZ staff received redundancy notices, signaling potential international expansion of the closures.

The aggressive restructuring contrasts with Cohen’s compensation structure, which ties his earnings directly to market cap growth. Store managers report minimal notice, with one calling the decision “a shock.”