Best Buy Launches Gaming Hub, Expands Into Social Commerce and AI Discovery

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) is piloting Best Buy Gamers, an online hub offering gaming content, preorders, gear, deals and giveaways, the retailer announced Tuesday. The platform includes reviews, articles and videos through a partnership with IGN, plus user profiles for preferred devices, platforms and genres. As part of the pilot, Best Buy will open an in-store gaming space in Torrance, California, in November, hosting play sessions and events with IGN. The company will also hold late-night store openings for the release of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" next month and a "League of Legends" pop-up at its Brooklyn store. The move extends Best Buy's push beyond retail. Soon-to-be CEO Jason Bonfig said in May the company is "not just a retailer anymore," citing advertising and marketplace expansion. Best Buy is also launching a TikTok Shop in late October featuring Microsoft, Dyson, Oura and Bose products, and has partnered with OpenAI to integrate its assortment into ChatGPT and with Google's Universal Commerce Protocol.