GameStop Canada’s president says, when it comes to the company’s EB Games brand refresh, timing is of the essence.

Jim Tyo tells strategy that the company’s return to its more classic iconography after French-Canadian entrepreneur Stephan Tetrault’s purchase of GameStop Canada on Monday. The move represents the renewal of the more community-driven in-store approach, according to Tyo.

“Stephan Tetrault’s a very passionate leader in the toys and collectibles space and both him and I share the same passion for the name EB Games,” Tyo says. “I think there is nostalgia to it, but there’s also logic that most Canadians have lived with that name for a lot of their life and related to a lot of joy and excellent product experiences. So I think it’s logical for us to lean on that and I think Canadians also view it as a Canadian brand. So, you know, given the landscape currently, I think it’s strategic to lean into that.”

Tyo was a member of the team that helped lay the foundation for EB Games in Canada in 1993 when the then-American retailer, then known as Electronics Boutique, was expanding globally.

The company continued to be known as EB Games in Canada until 2021 despite being purchased by U.S. retailer GameStop in 2005. The name switch to GameStop Canada was made as the brand’s visibility increased after it became one of the companies at the centre of the “meme-stock” craze of early 2021.

GameStop had been struggling financially for years before retail investors – many from the r/wallstreetbets Reddit forum  – began heavily buying the company’s stock.

“The profile of the Gamestop brand was elevated to a level we hadn’t seen before,” Tyo says. “So if you’re going to change an iconic name, that’s the time to do it. So I think that that was the logic behind it. I dare say that the team here, and I think a lot of customers, always associated us as EB Games still … We just feel that it’s time to kind of cut a new path and kind of redirect back to, I think, our brand, which is EB Games.”

The brand-identity overhaul will be executed by the company’s in-house design team, Tyo says, and will aim to merge classic elements with modern retail experiences. The revamp includes plans for enhanced in-store events, expanded product lines, deeper integration with pop-culture brands and a renewed focus on the Canadian consumer, according to a news release.

“This isn’t just a business decision – it’s about bringing something back that Canadians truly loved,” EB Games’ new owner and CEO Tetrault said in a news release. “We’re going to build something special here, with community, nostalgia and innovation at its heart.”

News of Tetrault’s acquisition comes in a critical year for business with the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch looming on June 5 and Grand Theft Auto 6’s rollout set for the fall.

GameStop’s global sales fell to $1.283 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 from $1.794 billion the year prior, though net sales were increase to $131.3 million in 2024 from $63.1 million in 2023.

“The start of a new console always generates a lot of business and buzz,” Tyo says. “(June 5) is going to be a monster day, and it’s a great day to promote that EB Games is back.”