Gamestop banks on Pokémon and Bitcoin as sales strategy

It looks like GameStop is finally, once and for all, moving away from its core business—and after several tough years in the wake of an increasingly digital gaming world, that's honestly not all that surprising.

No, video games are yesterday's news, and the company's future lies in trading cards and cryptocurrency. At least according to GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen, who proudly declared during the company's latest shareholder meeting that they're now aiming to become an industry leader in trading cards. Especially Pokémon TCG, which is already bringing in solid profits.

According to Cohen, this is a natural extension of the trading card sales that are already happening in stores—an area that's become increasingly important for the company's survival. In fact, just in the first quarter of this year, GameStop increased its revenue by 50% thanks to Pokémon cards. At the same time, the company's bitcoin holdings have also gone up.

Sure, for nostalgic fans, it might feel like a bit of a sad shift to see the "good old" GameStop changing so drastically. But from a purely business perspective, the move seems logical: physical video game sales keep declining, while trading cards—and to some extent, bitcoin—are still going strong.

What do you think of GameStop's new strategy—does it make sense?