Why we’ll always love Toys ‘R’ Us: It was gaming’s first megastore

Toys ‘R’ Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month. Since then, reports have found that the company is profitable except for the sizable debt it took on as part of its restructuring under private equity firm Bain Capital in 2005. It will now use Chapter 11 to get out from under those crippling interest payments, and it could likely return stronger even if it will have a harder time raising capital going forward.

But while the future of Toys ‘R’ Us is uncertain, we wanted to look back at its history — especially as a video game retailer. During this week’s GamesBeat Decides podcast, PC gaming editor Jeffrey Grubb (me), reviews editor Mike Minotti, and managing editor Jason Wilson all recalled shopping at the store as kids.