GameStop Opens Premier Store With Tournament Center in San Jose

GameStop opened its "premier" upscale store today in San Jose, a veritable Banana Republic compared to the Gap-like regular GameStop locations. The 4,000-square foot megastore combines a typical GameStop with a plasma-screen equipped tournament center.

"This world class facility takes GameStop stores and video game tournament opportunities to the next level," said GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo in the announcement. "With these continued efforts, we are offering customers another way to get the most out of their gaming and are truly giving power to the players."

Encroaching on the marketspace of San Jose's neighborhood LAN centers, the premier store has 24 networked game stations for weekend tournaments. The first tournament will occur this Saturday, featuring EA Tiburon's Madden NFL 08 and a non-cash prize of $1,000 worth of GameStop credit.