<s>
Impulse	B-Application
was	O
a	O
digital	O
distribution	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Stardock	O
to	O
succeed	O
Stardock	B-Application
Central	I-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
GameStop	O
in	O
March	O
2011	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
subsequently	O
rebranded	O
as	O
GameStop	O
PC	O
Downloads	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
client	O
being	O
renamed	O
GameStop	B-Application
App	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
facilitated	O
the	O
purchase	O
,	O
download	O
and	O
updating	O
of	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
helped	O
users	O
purchase	O
and	O
download	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Purchases	O
were	O
tied	O
to	O
an	O
account	O
on	O
GameStop	O
's	O
servers	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
downloaded	O
from	O
anywhere	O
that	O
allowed	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Impulse	B-Application
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
provided	O
a	O
storefront	O
that	O
supports	O
localized	O
currencies	O
,	O
territory	O
restrictions	O
and	O
a	O
process	O
for	O
refunds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Publishers	O
and	O
developers	O
that	O
once	O
used	O
the	O
Impulse	B-Application
storefront	O
include	O
Activision	O
,	O
Atari	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
,	O
Epic	O
Games	O
,	O
THQ	O
,	O
AVG	O
,	O
Iolo	O
Technologies	O
,	O
Gas	O
Powered	O
Games	O
,	O
Hothead	O
Games	O
,	O
Ironclad	O
Games	O
,	O
Popcap	O
Games	O
,	O
and	O
Meridian4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
install	O
,	O
update	O
(	O
when	O
desired	O
)	O
and	O
uninstall	O
the	O
software	O
tied	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
who	O
purchased	O
Impulse-supported	O
games	O
at	O
retail	O
stores	O
could	O
download	O
the	O
client	O
and	O
install	O
previously	O
purchased	O
software	O
on	O
their	O
computers	O
without	O
the	O
original	O
disc	O
after	O
registration	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
was	O
able	O
to	O
create	O
archives	O
of	O
purchased	O
software	O
to	O
be	O
stored	O
on	O
a	O
backup	B-Protocol
medium	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
revert	O
to	O
an	O
older	O
version	O
if	O
the	O
latest	O
version	O
is	O
not	O
up	O
to	O
expectations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
developers	O
could	O
make	O
API	B-General_Concept
calls	O
and	O
query	O
information	O
from	O
the	O
Impulse	B-Application
community	O
infrastructure	O
using	O
Impulse::Reactor	B-Application
,	O
a	O
software	B-Library
library	I-Library
which	O
provides	O
DRM/copy	O
protection	O
,	O
achievements	O
,	O
accounts	O
,	O
friends	B-Protocol
lists	I-Protocol
,	O
chat	O
,	O
multiplayer	O
lobbies	O
,	O
and	O
cloud	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
,	O
used	O
for	O
delivering	O
patches	O
,	O
was	O
criticised	O
for	O
causing	O
the	O
decline	O
in	O
availability	O
of	O
standalone	O
patches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
only	O
other	O
way	O
to	O
update	O
a	O
game	O
was	O
to	O
install	O
Impulse	B-Application
on	O
another	O
connected	O
computer	O
,	O
get	O
an	O
updated	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
or	O
game	O
before	O
transferring	O
it	O
to	O
an	O
archive	O
medium	O
where	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
restored	O
to	O
the	O
unconnected	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
did	O
not	O
support	O
the	O
resale	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
attracted	O
criticism	O
in	O
September	O
2009	O
when	O
its	O
desktop	O
organizer	O
Fences	B-Application
0.99	O
was	O
bundled	O
with	O
Impulse	B-Application
(	O
requiring	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
7	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
.NET	I-Application
)	O
without	O
notification	O
on	O
the	O
product	O
description	O
or	O
download	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fences	B-Application
had	O
previously	O
been	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
later	O
informed	O
customers	O
of	O
the	O
additional	O
software	O
requirements	O
on	O
the	O
Fences	B-Application
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impulse	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
on	O
June	O
17	O
,	O
2008	O
as	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
Stardock	B-Application
Central	I-Application
(	O
launched	O
in	O
2001	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Steam	B-Application
is	O
the	O
largest	O
and	O
most	O
well-known	O
digital	O
distribution	O
platform	O
since	O
its	O
launch	O
in	O
2002	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
only	O
in	O
2004	O
that	O
ecommerce	O
was	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2011	O
,	O
GameStop	O
announced	O
their	O
intent	O
to	O
purchase	O
Impulse	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Spawn	O
Labs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
April	O
24	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
GameStop	O
officially	O
discontinued	O
the	O
Impulse	B-Application
Client	O
and	O
web	O
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Impulse	B-Application
Client	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
the	O
GameStop	O
PC	O
Downloads	O
App	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
download	O
content	O
purchased	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
Impulse	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
legacy	O
Impulse/GameStop	O
App	O
game	O
downloads	O
was	O
handled	O
for	O
some	O
time	O
through	O
Game	O
Stop	O
Guest	O
Care	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
as	O
of	O
Feb	O
2019	O
,	O
no	O
support	O
content	O
related	O
to	O
Impulse	B-Application
,	O
the	O
GameStop	B-Application
App	I-Application
,	O
the	O
PC	O
platform	O
is	O
available	O
through	O
this	O
portal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
GameStop	B-Application
App	I-Application
"	O
now	O
refers	O
to	O
an	O
unrelated	O
phone	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameStop	O
currently	O
does	O
not	O
provide	O
any	O
way	O
to	O
download	O
games	O
purchased	O
through	O
Impulse	B-Application
or	O
the	O
GameStop	O
(	O
PC	O
)	O
App	O
.	O
</s>
