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Best Buy is tapping further into a growing customer cohort: gamers. Chief Revenue Officer Patrick McGinnis told CNBC exclusively that the electronics retailer is launching a new experience Tuesday for customers featuring gaming content, new technology and special offers, among other features. The online destination is called Best Buy Gamers and is launching in a beta version. "Gamers are a customer that are really like no other in terms of their passion for not just the tech, the titles, but also how they want to work with each other as a community," McGinnis said. "So for us, being relevant for that customer wherever and whenever they want to interact with the thing that they love is really important." Best Buy says millions of gamers shop at the retailer each year, including trying out games in the store and seeking advice from in-store experts. The new gaming experience, created in partnership with video game website IGN, will offer members gaming articles and reviews, live Best Buy event updates for launches and deals on new technology. The announcement comes ahead of some of the biggest launches in gaming this year, including the Nov. 5 release of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," a remake from Nintendo, and the Nov. 19 launch of Take-Two Interactive's highly anticipated "Grand Theft Auto VI." McGinnis said the timing of the rollout is "pretty perfect" given the slate of new video games over the next month, though Best Buy has been developing the new platform for over a year. "We want to be relevant for our gaming customers, not just during the important, big tentpole periods of the calendar, like when we have these big gaming launches coming up, but really every day," he said. "We want to be there when they discover new titles and connect with the community, and not just when they're buying a big console or a new gaming title." Best Buy has been leaning into gaming as it sees growing demand from its customers. For its fiscal first-quarter results reported in May, the company said gaming and computing was one of its biggest drivers of growth. On a call with analysts to discuss Best Buy's fiscal second quarter in August, incoming CEO Jason Bonfig said the company expects that demand for "Grand Theft Auto VI" will boost the gaming category. Best Buy has been looking for growth drivers as the retailer tries to revitalize its business performance under Bonfig. The company has seen slumping sales and was hit by tariffs and lower consumer confidence, among other factors. Tapping into gaming could help revitalize the retailer. McGinnis said the new gamer experience is an example of the company's strategic goals coming together. "If you think about what those priorities are, the Gamers [beta] community is definitely a way that we're expanding and growing our reach, reaching that gaming customer," he said. "Providing a place for them to again pursue what they're most passionate about certainly is elevating our experience." Best Buy is also leaning into in-store experiences around gaming, starting with a location in Torrance, California, next month, where Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft will come together to offer gaming experiences and activations for customers. With the combination of physical retail and the online platform, McGinnis said, Best Buy hopes to sit at the intersection of technology, entertainment and culture within the gaming community. He said the company plans to tweak its new online experience based on feedback from its customers and continue innovating to meet its audience where it is, especially as the gaming segment continues to be one of the company's strongest performers. "We recognize the gaming customer as incredibly passionate and wants to engage with what they love in a lot of different ways," he said. "There's observations of gaps that exist in the places and spaces where gamers are engaged, and we thought that we could build something that would really complement what they're engaging with today from a social platform perspective, not to replace those types of experiences in any way, shape or form."
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