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GAME’s post EAster resurrection

by Mark Tyson on 15 April 2012, 18:34

Tags: GAME, EA , Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA), Nintendo (TYO:7974)

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The tide of publishers cutting their supplies to GAME pre-administration has now fully turned. Yesterday Electronic Arts stock returned to GAME’s website and the high street stores should be following suit with stock of the boxed games from tomorrow. Other returning fair weather friends include Nintendo, Activision, Microsoft, Take-Two and Namco. There’s currently no indication of re-supply from Capcom and Tecmo but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t follow suit. Headline games coming to the shelves from EA tomorrow include Mass Effect 3, FIFA Street, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 and The Sims 3 Showtime.

GAME (UK) is now a completely different company to the one that went into admin, share value was wiped out as the company owed so much to banks and landlords, and foreign GAME stores are still looking for buyers. The administrators sold the best 300 or so UK stores to OpCapita, who also owns Comet. In the UK people now spend more money on games than DVDs and music so with these optimally chosen stores the OpCapita managers must think they can get a good slice of that big tasty pie.

 

GAME store

 

Now that the big name game publishers all have confidence in the resurrected GAME (UK) we shall have to see what difference OpCapita makes to how the stores are run. Will they follow HMV’s strategy of stocking a wider range of electronic gadgets and entertainment devices? We have one very recent report of electronic and technology sales from John Lewis department stores. At John Lewis, during Easter week, electronics and home tech sales were up an incredible 59 per cent, a large part of that due to the iPad 3. People still like going into shops, trying tech stuff out and then buying it. As a high street store it might be easier to make money with a wider range of game and entertainment hardware than in the fight against online boxed game and download game merchants.



HEXUS Forums :: 19 Comments

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Good to hear.

I don't use GAME much as they are generally quite a bit more expensive for most things but at least a lot of people's jobs are saved.
I think the writer is on the mark with game merchandise, games alone is not good enough for a high street store in my opinion. I'm happy to browse a gaming store with all sorts of equipment and games but not a store with only games.

If they get some Nintendo DS consoles out for people to try or even some console “zones” where people can play demo versions of games I think they will do a lot better. Wouldn't hurt for them to have the TV's people test games on for sale as well.
I miss Virgin Megastores. They had plenty of consoles in the form of arcades with latest games that you could try out.
The Game here in Guildford is still in tact so I assume that that particular branch was doing well. They did close the second branch five minutes away a while back, though. I hope OpCapita makes a positive change with Game now under their ownership, both for the video game industry and consumers.
ExHail
I think the writer is on the mark with game merchandise, games alone is not good enough for a high street store in my opinion. I'm happy to browse a gaming store with all sorts of equipment and games but not a store with only games.
I'm little confused by that statement - I've never been in a GAME that only sold games - all the stores I've been in also sold hint books, accessories, trading cards, t-shirts, etc. Last time I was out at my “local” GAME I got a BF3 hint book and a MW3 keyring! Have I just been “lucky” and managed to pick the diversified stores?
That said, I was in a GAME in Glasgow a week ago and they'd got the headset I bought at the beginning of the year - for 50% more than I got it for from PC World! Which seemed mighty strange, since the rest of the stock seemed to be slashed in price.
ExHail
If they get some Nintendo DS consoles out for people to try or even some console “zones” where people can play demo versions of games I think they will do a lot better. Wouldn't hurt for them to have the TV's people test games on for sale as well.
Again, a couple of the stores I've been to had that - depending on which store it tended to be the big consoles - Wii, XBox, PS3 - rather than the DS. But I'm sure that at least one of the stores also had a pair of 3DS's on a plinth with some hack n' slash running (Zelda?)

Like most, I'm glad to see that they've managed to survive - hopefully OpCapita will be able to rationalise the stores (e.g. no GAME and Gamestation within 10 minutes walk of each other). Oh, and as long as they don't close my local Gamestation!!!!