Former Impulse creator Larry Kuperman revealed at this year's GDC that GameStop once viewed digital game distribution as a temporary trend. The retailer, which acquired the platform in 2011, shut it down by 2014 despite its early promise as a Steam rival. Kuperman recounted how the company's leadership bet heavily on physical stores.
Larry Kuperman, a former business developer at Stardock and creator of the Impulse digital storefront, shared GameStop's past misjudgment during a talk at the 2026 Game Developers Conference. Impulse launched in June 2008 as a direct competitor to Valve's Steam, which was gaining traction with titles like BioShock and Team Fortress 2. Major publishers supported Impulse, positioning it briefly as a viable alternative for PC games, according to Kuperman's account as reported by PC Gamer. Stardock, known for Galactic Civilizations and Sins of a Solar Empire, developed the platform before GameStop bought it in 2011 and appointed Kuperman head of electronic distribution. He expected it to be a long-term role, but GameStop's management at the time dismissed digital sales as a 'passing phase,' predicting a strong return to brick-and-mortar stores. Kuperman parodied their view: 'I’ve seen the future, it looks just like the 1950s.' By April 2014, GameStop closed Impulse entirely, leaving purchased games inaccessible for over seven years. This stance has contrasted sharply with recent reality, as GameStop has shuttered more than 1,300 stores since 2024—including 727 in 2025 and hundreds in January 2026.
