That’s right, B&M videogame chain Gamestop is moving into a new frontier, online distribution. What does this mean for us, the gamer? What does it mean for game developers? And what about Microsoft?! Well, read on to find out.

It turns out… it isn’t so much different from what they’ve had before. As you may or may not know, Gamestop sells PC games online through their site. You can download trial versions (demos) or full titles. And this aspect doesn’t change with their update to the the shop.

What does change however, is their integration of XBLA into the mix. Yes, similar to what Amazon used to do, you can now buy games through Gamestop online. This means two things:

  1. No longer do you have to spend money on Microsoft points that you don’t want.
  2. You can buy games as gifts for friends.

The way it works is like this: You buy the code on their site, and they email a 25-digit code to you, that you redeem on the 360 or on xbox.com. It’s very simple and a painless process, and I am glad Gamestop has taken up the helm after Amazon dropped it. And in the near future they will be adding the ability to purchase add-on content as well. Will you be switching over, or sticking with the XBLA? Let us know in the comments!