After a disastrous third quarter earnings report, no one really expected GameStop's (NYSE: GME) holiday sales to be particularly good, but was there anyone thinking they would have been this bad?
Sales cratered almost across the board. The magnitude of the drop even caught management by surprise, as it was forced to cut the guidance it issued just last month. It's clear the video game retailer desperately needs the console upgrade cycle to begin in earnest soon.
However, that catalyst is still almost a year away. Investors may be wondering if GameStop can hang on until then, especially considering the retailer is essentially a "fourth quarter" company that generates a disproportionate amount of its sales and earnings in the last period of the year. Let's take a closer look at whether it can beat the clock.