UK news publication the Express is reporting that troubled UK games retailer GAME may close all of its stores. We already know the retailer has been in trouble as it cancelled all Mass Effect 3 pre-orders last week, and also stated that it wasn’t stocking Mario Party 9. Gamers were also left fuming after GAME cancelled everyone’s Last Story pre-orders.
“There is a real risk that Game’s directors will pull the plug because they can’t be sure that the company can survive through the next trading season, and then insolvency becomes inevitable.
“They are in discussions with their legal advisers about whether to shut up shop rather than rack up more losses.”
– The Express
A real shame – we don’t really have any other major game retailers over here in the UK. :( although most of my gaming shopping’s come from Amazon in recent years, it was always nice to have a physical alternative, especially for finding hidden gems in the bargain bin.
this sucks!!!!!!!! how am i gonna get a wii u at midnight launch?!?! will HMV have one?
HMV should do, yes.
or pre-order from an online retailer and get it a day or two before release :)
Lol, I love it when they ship so fast, I get it before the product’s “release date” since they underestimate themselves.
i used to work for game and i hated doing the midnight launches. so pointless. why not just take the day off and get there when they open then you can have all day to play it
You can check at HMV if they do midnight launches. I’m sure my local HMV did 3DS midnight launches. I got my 3DS at GAME midnight launches. Also there was a free 3DS won by 2 people out of 15. Barely lost :/
What about EB Games (formerly Electronics Boutique)?
My understanding is that EB Games (formerly Electronics Boutique) are a British company, that existed in the United Kingdom long before they flooded the Australian market…
I believe GAME bought them out ages ago. At least, all the EB stores anywhere near me were replaced by GAME ones about eight years ago. So I assume that’s what happened.
Well, with not taking ME3 pre order, they best shut up shop.
Used to love going to Bluewater and going into the GAME store and buying some games… :(
It’s a total rip-off there though, they push the pre-owned games onto young people and parents when more often than not they save a pittance in the difference, and all of the money from pre-owned stock goes directly to GAME. They only have themselves to blame, they’ve done nothing to change their formula in years.
I bought Muramasa, Sin and Punishment and Resident Evil 4 Wii for £23 used all together last week. I’d call that more than a pittance saving, especially given the rarity of the first two in stores.
he is more than likely referring to latest releases as there only sems to be a couple of quid difference in the prices and yet both prices are higher than most online retailers.
*seem
Correct! And given that I worked there I think I have a pretty good handle on the situation =P There are some gems from time to time, but the bulk of the work they do is purely to drum up profits which apparently isn’t working too well, and as Anonymous said below they encourage pushy salesmanship.
Doesn’t surprise me,games overpriced and staff virtually jump on you as soon as you enter when all you want to do is browse.
I’m a nice guy but i’ve felt like telling them to fuck off on occassion and take my custom elsewhere.
I’ve worked for Game Before, And that’s company policy. I got told off on a number of occasions from not Attending to every customer. It’s What the employees are taught. I was told to get lost so many times i cannot even count.
So Happy I’m not working for them anymore, they also have a tendency to employ Girls that know fuck all about games.
I’ve only just recently found that out, i do feel sorry for those that will lose their jobs but the pricing policy is abysmal compared to other retailers and is a factor in why they’ve suffered huge losses and sadly we’re seeing the demise of Game as a result.
When your chargin double what others are and not pricing compatitively you will lose out! Everytime I shop online I always find a cheaper alternative!
Oh no – does this mean Gamestation will go to?
Gamestation is fucking awful imo. It’s WAY too overpriced! Game is cheap compared to that store!!!
Game and Gamestation are the same. Game bought Gamestation years ago!
Gamestation will be the only Game retailer left in my city. So… But theres HMV left here.
That’s sad news for UK gamers…
Well they’ve definitely lost the trust with consumers – I mean you pre-order a game because you think you will get it on or atleast close to the launch day right? It’s sad losing another UK high street game retailer, they bought Game Station and Zavvi is online based now I think. The price differance makes Amazon and other sites a no brainer. If GAME is to try to regain trust then it’ll take time which it does not have. HMV is definitely next
Kind of a shame but I have seen it coming with the recent goings on. It’s a real shame indeed since they have been around for a long long time, since I was little I remember buying my Ps1 games in there I’m sure.
Just checked wiki, they been around since 1991, the year I was born. So it was where I bought my Ps1 games.
Kinda sad now, the memories of my childhood going in there and rummaging through the bargain bins for good games, then nagging my mum to buy me one of them…
Bye then GAME it was nice knowing you…. NOT
Game Station will go first. as they bought them out.
Then they will see how it goes.
I remember before XMas that HMV were close to closing down. they just trimmed some shops.
Lets hope thats what Game do.
Time to spend that saved up point on something and use that gift card! Why did it have to be Game!
This’ll probably make me seem arogant of something, but basically I get these weird dream prediction picture deja vu things. Basically I see or hear some scenario for about 10 seconds in a dream, but it’s vague. Then it either happens years later or a few days later.
Long story short, I remember making this prediction years ago GAME would go out of business within the next 5-10 years. Looks like it came true.
So erm, Amazon now? My local HMV didn’t have games I wanted which were past their release dates. (SML3D, MK7 etc)
…yeah, serves ’em right! I’ve got ripped-off in the 3DS launch, and a few weeks ago when I bought FFXIII-2 Limited Edition… Without the pre-order tin! (When I actually pre-ordered the game). £60? Yeah, I’ve refunded that and bought it online w/ the tin for £40!
…that’s why I didn’t pre-order Street Fighter x Tekken. Some of their staffs are not nice people.
Tbh I don’t really care. Overpriced, poorly trained, unfriendly staff. Offering help and not knowing basic gamer vocabular. I won’t miss them at all. Online retailers will take over eventually. Hmv is not much better. It’s sa
d to see GameStop leading the retail market these days.
Well since I live in the North East of England, I have Grainger games, which is much better than GAME, GAME is way too expensive compared to Grainger Games which is why I always shop there. I wonlt be affected by this whatsoever.
Well it’s not fun where i am in england where there are 2 game retailers, GAME and GAMESTATION.
Now there is going to be only GAMESTATION left here. There is a store called entertainment but thats only preowned stuff, not new.
Grainger Games is cheaper than both. Newcastle has Grainger Games, GAME, GameStation, HMV, Argos, CEX(preowned games). So us Geordies don’t need to worry lol.
Well i don’t live in Newcastle dont i?
No Grainger games is here! It’s not a massive company.
Game Station is owned by GAME, so if GAME goes so will Game Station.
I have only one game shop in town and that is gamestation, my mum does not trust internet games shops so i hope for game shop to come asap or else it is trips to the supermarkets or argos
Sorry for my freinds in the UK. We all saw this coming.
sounds AWESOME!…..for europe :/
SCREW IT! Is gamestation closing down? Because now theres going to be only one Game store left here in my city.
Gamestation is the same company. I always used to buy stuff at GAME, best staff and best layout, best midnight launches. :/
Where on earth am i going to get the Wii U at midnight? My last local store is in a shopping mall that closes at 7PM. Will they open it just for a midnight launch?
R.I.P GAME :(
I’m sure Grainger Games will start and take the place.of Game once it goes. Then we can all start loathing there instead.
Good riddance is all I say. Game were only stocking the stuff the supermarkets were getting. Honestly was surprised they were gonna stock Last Story (although even weeks prior they said only online) and I’m kinda sick of their pre-owned shelves focused on Call of Duty and Fifa from years back (and in the case of the Wii and DS all those lovely shovelware titles we didn’t want first time.)
If it’s a rarer game then sure. They may have it. At extortion prices however. I noticed World Ends With You. £30 pre-owned…. amazon had it new for £18.
I come from Ireland. I’ve always had trust in game for example I brought every single game I owe from there but recently I went to preorder kid Icarus uprising I put a preorder in both game and HMV can’t trust game anymore :(
Well as of last week, I officially informed GAME Australia that I would no longer be shopping with them, due to ongoing stock issues:
https://twitter.com/#!/gregoryopera/status/174777425853562880
Almost everytime I’ve gone to purchase a game from GAME over the last few months, it has been listed as “out of stock”, even for key games that are known to or expected to sell in quite large numbers…
GAME forced me to go elsewhere and if they end up closing, well they’ve got no one to blame but themselves!
Fortunately for us, EB Games is found on every corner and despite what some people think, they’re actually not that much more expensive than GAME Australia (though when they are more expensive, it’s usually by a fair amount)…
This will have repercussions throughout the UK gaming industry. GAME Group’s part buying power meant they could make or break a game so with them gone small software companies could either close down or up sticks and relocate abroad.
I was a GAME store manager for six years and yes they have made some terrible business decisions but they must stay if only to save thousands of jobs in and around the business. I think that a buyer will be found who will no doubt streamline the business (Glasgow has eight stores between GAME and Gamestation alone).
And so I wait, and when the time comes, a cheap PS3 will be mine…
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