After making a controversial joke about a man trying to trade in his girlfriend for store credit toward a PlayStation 5, GameStop faced public backlash that ultimately resulted in the company pulling the post from social media platforms. While GameStop was once a storefront primarily focused on selling physical copies of video games, the company has had to change its strategy in recent years. In addition to new and used video games, consumers can find a wide range of pop culture products at GameStop’s physical locations, such as trading cards, Funko Pops, clothing, and plenty of other products.
At the start of 2026, GameStop revealed that it would be closing hundreds of stores across the United States, a sudden move that came as a surprise to many employees and customers. When some consumers showed up at the locations marked for closure, they were greeted by a sign announcing when the store would be shutting down. The notice included a coupon that customers could use at other locations that remained open; many people felt this was in poor taste. After receiving a lot of feedback from customers over the closures and corresponding coupon, the company seems to have gotten itself into hot water once again with a social media post gone wrong.
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GameStop Takes Down Controversial Post After Backlash
GameStop recently took to several social media platforms to share a story that was intended to be a joke. Unfortunately, the post missed the mark and stirred up a fair bit of public backlash instead. As of writing, GameStop appears to have removed the post from its official social media platforms, though that hasn’t stopped the conversation it generated. The original post claimed that a man had come into one of the company’s stores looking to trade in his girlfriend for store credit in order to purchase a PlayStation 5. The original post went on to say that the woman “appeared to be in good condition,” but the store’s “systems don’t allow for human exchanges.” While some people thought this might be an attempt to follow-up GameStop’s trade-in anything promotion with a joke, many others took issue with the post.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Shortly after the post went up, a lot of people simply said that the joke wasn’t funny. Others were quick to point out the post’s connection to human trafficking, an extremely serious topic that doesn’t lend itself to humor. In a post on Reddit, one person also suggested that the image itself appears to have been made by AI. The original post claims that the woman behind the counter is an employee named Nevaeh, a known fictitious AI character who appears in posts by the satirical Facebook page Celina 52 Truck Stop. A few people were quick to declare that the post was “AI slop,” even poking fun at how the shelves appeared to be too well-stocked for a GameStop. The use of AI in gaming has already proven to be a controversial issue for many consumers, causi some players to call GameStop’s use of the technology “out of touch.”
This isn’t the first time GameStop has courted controversy with a social media post that missed the mark, as the company recently commented on Amazon’s first official look at Sophie Turner as Lara Croft. The actress is perhaps best known for her portrayal of the character Sansa Stark in the hit television series Game of Thrones, but that could change with the upcoming Tomb Raider show. In the image, Sophie Turner is in her full Lara Croft costume, sporting a dark teal tank top, black shorts, and circular sunglasses. It’s a classic look for the character and the reception from fans appeared to be positive. GameStop, however, reposted the image on Twitter with the statement “This is not Lara Croft.” Many fans were immediately unhappy with the claim, with one person suggesting that the company has bigger problems to address, referencing the closure of hundreds of stores. While the company has received a lot of criticism from gamers lately, many are still hopeful that GameStop will find a path forward that benefits both customers and employees.
