Trump Admin Pals Around With GameStop Following Console War Ceasefire, Hope Americans Forget Tariffs Causing Console Price Increases
In an admittedly miniscule, but nevertheless perfect example of just how little America’s ruling class think about the very people who actually suffer the brunt of their self-serving economic decisions, GameStop has welcomed an attempt by the Trump Administration to ‘get in on the joke’ regarding their playful, Halo: Campaign Evolved-inspired ‘Console War ceasefire declaration’, with both parties enjoying the spotlight all while the latter’s volatile tariff policy forces price hikes on the very hardware the former’s business model relies on.
On October 24th, Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) kicked off the 2025 Halo World Championships with the reveal of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a “ground up” remake of the franchise’s debut entry featuring “high-definition visuals, improved controls, and refined level design” as well as “new missions, expanded gameplay, two-player split-screen on consoles, online and networked co-op for up to four players on console and PC, and seamless cross-platform play with shared progression.”
Notably, in addition to the Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms, the remake will also release on the PlayStation 5, thus marking the first time a mainline franchise entry has ever released on a non-Xbox console (and the second time one has hit a non-Windows platform in general, the first being the 2003 Mac OS port of the original Halo: Combat Evolved).
Opting to have a bit of fun with this momentous occasion, GameStop’s official Twitter account posted a joking statement in the aftermath of the remake’s reveal, as written in imitation of a formal legal recital, declaring “the Console Wars” to be truly and officially “over”:
“WHEREAS, for the past two decades, the global gaming community has been engaged in an ongoing and increasingly petty conflict known as The Console Wars;
WHEREAS, said conflict originated in the early 2000s with the release of Halo: Combat Evolved as an Xbox-exclusive title;
WHEREAS, Halo: Campaign Evolved is officially coming on PlayStation in 2026 with cross-platform play;
THEREFORE, GameStop, acting under its authority as a Neutral Entity and The World’s Retail Gaming & Trade-in Destination, hereby declares the official cessation of the console wars.
All claims to exclusivity are hereby dissolved. Console loyalists are instructed to cease hostilities, disband militias, and enjoy this new era of gaming.
GameStop will continue to operate as a demilitarized zone, offering hardware, accessories, and trade-ins to combatants on all sides.
Power to the players.”
Ostensibly taking note of the statement due to its viral spread on Twitter, the “Official White House Rapid Response account”, @RapidResponse47, proceeded to fully embody the ‘thinks he on the team‘ meme, retweeting GameStop’s original post to claim the Console Wars to be the 9th overall war ended by Donald Trump across his two terms (a claim which, despite the administration’s continued insistence, holds only the slightest of bearing in reality, with the real number coming in closer to ‘one’ thanks to his brokering of a tenuous ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas).
Admittedly coming as little surprise given GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen’s unabashed love of Trump, rather than passively enjoying the widespread publicity afforded to them by the administration’s attention, GameStop responded to their endorsement by sharing an AI-generated image of the President standing in the Oval Office – both looking more akin to their Jimmy Carter-era counterparts than their current day forms – shaking hands with Master Chief.
The White House then followed in their sister account’s footsteps by sharing GameStop’s original statement alongside an AI-generated image of a Mjolnir armor-clad President Trump standing on their namesake’s front lawn and the declaration, “Power to the Players”.
This was in turn met with GameStop’s sharing an edited piece of Halo 4 concept art, the Master Chief and Cortana’s visages replaced with those of Trump and Vice President JD Vance, the former’s taken from his 2023 racketeering indictment mugshot and the latter’s from one of the many, many meme edits made of his official inauguration photo.
While such interactions would normally be taken as seal-clapping gospel at worst and mildly cringe at best, this specific back-and-forth between GameStop and the Trump admin takes on a much slimier feel n light of the fact that the President’s temper tantrum tariff style is currently making it harder for Americans – including, and in some cases especially his own constituents – to actually play video games.
Not only have PC parts been subject to a blanket price increases thanks to the tariffs placed against key players in the global electronics manufacturing supply chain – as of publication, current US policy holds a tariff of 14% against Japan, 15% against South Korea, 20% against Vietnam, and a minimum 30% against China – but these increases have forced a likewise change in asking price for the full range of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony‘s hardware output, the lone exception being the recently debuted Nintendo Switch 2 (though if the situation persists, expect to see its price tag follow suit sooner rather than later).
All in all, enjoy the laughs if they’re up your alley – as noted above, removed from current economic contexts, the interaction would admittedly be taken as a bit of light-hearted, boomer-generated social media fun – but also take care to never forget that the very people trying to force the joke are the ones responsible for Americans’ growing inability to actually play video games.
