It’s entered administration but will continue to trade for a while. GAME is ”albeit historically a very good retailer,” says EA. They’d rather there be a GAME but don’t need it for UK sales.
A number of publishers and even Microsoft and Nintendo have stopped stocking their new wares with GAME, but EA says Mass Effect 3 and FIFA Street sales still very high.
”I do hope and believe there will be a phoenix rising from the flames. GAME is full of good people, it’s a good store, I just think they need a different approach and I’ll think they’ll have one,” said EA UK MD Keith Ramsdale. Yesterday the GAME Group withdrew from the London Stock Exchange. The past three months have been hell for them.
There has been little impact on sales for BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 even after pre-orders were cancelled and gamers pointed to alternative retailer sources. It still debuted number one on the UK all format chart its opening week, besting Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 launch sales combined.
”GAME is one retailer out of many, albeit historically a very good retailer,” Ramsdale said. ”Without talking numbers I can tell you that when we shipped Mass Effect and FIFA Street we were very pleased with our numbers in the UK and GAME were unable to buy them.” The lesson here is boxed retail just isn’t enough anymore.
”Would I rather there is a GAME? Absolutely I would. I believe that a specialist retailer does a lot for this industry. One of the opportunities for a specialist is to be much more multiform than they currently are, to the point of Apple or Android.” If they survive they must branch out beyond the physical product, much like others have done.
”If you look at the current retail base, HMV seem to be stepping up and seem to be more solid. Amazon have done a good job of picking up content, so yes, there’s more than just GAME. The opportunity for video game retailers is think broader than just the shiny discs.” Reports indicate there are ’six potential suitors’ for GAME in the UK.
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