Page 10 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #43 FREE Edition

Blockbuster Video has a very special place in my heart. Not just because I rented during the
best era of video games, but also because it's where I first met my wife. She was looking for a movie for the night, and I was looking for Donkey Kong for the Nintendo 64. I was amazed at how my local Blockbuster was low on most Nintendo games. Everything was rented out all the time. Little did I know I was shopping at the peak of Blockbuster Video; it was on top of the world in 1999. Of course, all things come to an end, and most Blockbuster stores were closed for good by January 2018.
Blockbuster's website listed nine remaining franchise-owned stores in the United States, including six in Alaska, two in Oregon, and one in Texas. Eight
of those nine had closed by August 2018, leaving only one store left in the United States in Bend, Oregon, which has become
a tourist destination, preserving the brand and serving as
a reminder
of the rapid changes in the entertainment landscape. When that store was open, it was the largest Blockbuster Video store in
the world. It covered approximately 40,000 square feet and offered
a vast selection of movies, video games, and merchandise.
The history of this franchise began in the '80s and came to be one of the most iconic rental stores of all time. The first Blockbuster store opened on October 19, 1985, in Dallas, Texas, with an inventory of 8,000 VHS and 2,000 Beta tapes.
It was founded in 1985 by David Cook in Dallas, Texas. The concept was to create a video rental store with a large selection of titles
and distinctive blue and yellow branding.
In 1990, Blockbuster bought mid- Atlantic rival Erol's, which had more than 250 stores. In 1992, Blockbuster acquired the Sound
Warehouse and Music Plus
music retail chains and created Blockbuster Music. In October 1993, Blockbuster took a controlling interest in Spelling Entertainment Group, a media company run by television producer Aaron Spelling. Blockbuster played a significant role in the transition from VHS to DVD in the late 1990s, helping to popularize DVD rentals.
Believe it or not, some stores also rented out the consoles. If you were lucky enough to grab one to rent, the stores had kiosks where you could play the demos. They also carried games like Resident Evil that came with limited edition extras.
Viacom acquired Blockbuster in 1994 for $8.4 billion to help finance
“BE KIND, REWIND!”
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO
By Todd Friedman
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OLD SCHOOL GAMER MAGAZINE • ISSUE #43