Gamestop CEO abruptly leaves after just 3 months

Dive Brief:

Gamestop on Friday said that Michael Mauler is leaving the company "for personal reasons" after taking on a position as chief executive in February.
GameStop co-founder and chairman of the board Daniel DeMatteo is stepping back into the chief executive spot in the interim, a role he has taken on before. He will be working closely with CFO Rob Lloyd, who has been at the company for 22 years, he also said.
Mauler took over in February as CEO J. Paul Raines continued to struggle with illness; Raines died in March. GameStop didn't immediately respond to Retail Dive's request for comment.

Dive Insight:

As DeMatteo noted in February, Mauler had been part of the GameStop senior leadership team for years, and played what the founder called "an integral role in creating and driving the blueprint of our diversification strategy, successfully managing our international operations, and growing our core business segments."

Since 2010, Mauler had served as executive vice president and president of the company's international operations, including 2,000 retail stores operating under the GameStop, EB Games, Micromania and Zing Pop Culture banners. In that role he launched new international initiatives including the global collectibles business in 2014. He was also previously senior vice president of supply chain and international support, and before the merger between GameStop and EB Games, served as vice president of logistics for electronics boutique.

It was no surprise that GameStop, forced to let go of its chief executive under unfortunate circumstances, would draw his successor from its own ranks. Once a stalwart brick-and-mortar video game emporium, the retailer has managed to diversify its business despite the growth of digital distribution and streaming, including by launching a collectibles business under Mauler's guidance and opening mobile-focused Technology Brands stores.

That makes his abrupt departure somewhat mysterious, especially given a strong fourth quarter, in which the brand saw revenues rise 15% and same-store sales rise 12%.