The Official Bethesda Gear Shopify Store
THE ORIGINAL OFFICIAL STORE
In 2018 I joined Development Plus Inc. to build the Bethesda Gear Store on Shopify Plus as their Director of Technology
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
PROJECT INFO
Launching and scaling one of the most iconic stores in video games.
In 2018, a manufacturing company called Development Plus Inc. hired me to lead their direct-to-consumer efforts, with the Bethesda Gear Store at the center of that strategy.
I built the store on Shopify Plus and handled the design, development, and launch in just three months. It was a complex project. Licensed retail requires layers of approvals and coordination with multiple teams. But we got it live, and it became the foundation for a more agile and scalable storefront.
The Bethesda Gear Store quickly became a leader in official video game merchandise, paving the way for the acquisition of its license holder, Development Plus Inc, in March 2022.
Today, Development Plus Inc and the Gear Store model continue to be a top player in the licensed direct to consumer merchandise industry.
Shopify Plus Build
White Label Shopify Theme – One Theme, Many Stores
A key challenge with the Bethesda Gear Store was building a scalable technology model that could easily expand beyond just Bethesda. We developed a white-label Shopify theme managed in a single environment and deployed across multiple stores.
This unified model covered design, marketing, advertising, fulfillment, customer service, loyalty programs, and more. Leveraging CI/CD processes, Shopify’s CLI tools, and other off the shelf systems, we created a flexible solution adaptable to various client needs.
In addition to serving Bethesda, the largest player in the space; this model scaled successfully to numerous other clients, including Bioware Studios, Tomb Raider, EA Games, Gearbox Studios, Devil May Cry, Hungry Shark, EVE Online, CD Projekt Red, and others.
E3 Shopify POS Experience
Shopify Point of Sale and Live Shopping Wall Experience
E3 is the video game industry’s largest event, drawing attendees from around the world to Los Angeles each summer to preview the biggest upcoming releases. Working on Bethesda’s retail experience at E3 was a privilege. I designed (3D modeled) the retail space layout and customer traffic flow, merchandised product displays, engineered point-of-sale systems with Shopify Plus, and built interactive shopping walls with touchscreens, allowing customers to preview merchandise while waiting in line.
For reliability, we engineered the point-of-sale setup to hardwire internet connectivity directly to our iPads through a dedicated switch at our booth, eliminating dependence on WiFi inside the LA Convention Center. Strategic merchandising ensured products were visible from anywhere within Bethesda’s booth space.
Collaborating closely with technology contractors, event project managers, and union labor at E3; as well as conventions like QuakeCon at Gaylord Dallas, PAX in Seattle and Boston, and San Diego Comic-Con; provided me with valuable expertise in retail event logistics and point-of-sale experiences.
Custom Supply Chain Logistics
We built our own warehouse!
As we grew, traditional third-party logistics became a barrier to revenue growth due to rising shipping costs. To solve this, we opened our own distribution center in Roseburg, Oregon, which gave us complete control over shipping processes and expenses.
Operating our own warehouse allowed us to tackle unique challenges in licensed merchandise shipping, including split-shipping orders, customizing carrier options, and strategically pricing shipping costs. This meant we could manage our margins carefully and offer competitive shipping rates directly to customers.
I led the integration of ShipStation into our warehouse workflow, collaborating directly with their team to seamlessly connect with Shopify. This integration also created an opportunity to use ShipperHQ for real-time shipping rates, helping us maintain tight control over our shipping margins, achieving accuracy within just a 3% variance.
January 2020 Ready To Ship!
November 2019 Installing Shelves.
Many bays of merchandise.
The first few boxes being packed.
DOOM Eternal Launch Delivery
Collectors Editions have to arrive on launch day. No sooner. No later.
Shipping roughly 15,000 units of the DOOM Eternal Collector’s Edition across three different gaming platforms presented a unique logistics challenge. Every aspect, receiving, sorting, and shipping—needed to be perfectly timed to ensure deliveries landed precisely on launch day.
To execute this, I coordinated closely with UPS Ground, freight carriers, warehouse staff, license partners, and customer service teams. I handled the data analysis to batch shipping labels by platform SKU, shipping zones, and estimated delivery timelines. Over a 5 day receiving window, we strategically labeled, sorted, and sequenced shipments onto UPS trucks to maximize efficiency.
The result was a 98% on-time delivery rate for pre-ordered Collector’s Editions; significantly reducing customer complaints, customer-service touchpoints, and ensuring higher profit margins. Remarkably, we achieved more reliable launch-day deliveries than many big-box retailers, giving Development Plus Inc. and our licensed partners a competitive edge in the market.
