UK retailer GAME says report of it ending physical game sales are “categorically not true”

Earlier
today
website
GFinity
published
a
report
in
which
it
was
claimed
“Sources
close
to
the
retail
store”
stated
that
GAME,
a
UK
based
high-street
retailer,
was
planning
on
ceasing
sales
of
physical
video
games
and
hardware.

Advertisements

The
report
went
on
to
say
that
physical
games
and
hardware
would
still
be
available
but
only
through
pre-orders.
This
move
would
presumably
have
been
made
to
free
up
more
shelf
space
for
GAME’s
moves
into
board
games,
gaming
related
toys
and
collectibles.

“Anonymous
sources
at
GAME
that
Gfinity
talked
to
have
expressed
disappointment
at
the
move
away
from
video
game
sales,”
said
the
GFinity
report.

However,
GAME
themselves
have
been
quick
to
kick
this
report
right
in
the
nadgers.

“This
reporting
is
categorically
not
true,”

a
GAME
spokesperson
told
Eurogamer.
“GAME
continues
to
support
the
physical
gaming
market,
offering
a
wide-range
of
physical
games,
hardware,
software,
accessories
and
digital
gift
cards,
in
stores
and
online.”

GAME’s
parent
company
Frasers
Group
also
assured
Eurogamer
that
there
has
not
been
any
change
in
store
policy
regarding
the
sale
of
physical
games
and
consoles.

Franky,
the
real
story
here
is
just
how
easy
it
was
to
believe
that
GFinity’s
sources
were
accurate.
GAME
has
been
struggling
for
years
as
digital
videogame
account
for
more
and
more
sales.
They’ve
leaned
heavily
into
selling
gaming-related
tat
and
pop
culture
stuff,
such
as
leaning
towers
of
Funko
Pops!
while
actual
videogame
shelf
space
has
decreased.
What
videogames
they
do
actually
have
in
stock
are
vastly
overpriced,
especially
second-hand
titles.

Mind
you,
they’ve
stopped
taking
in
second-hand
titles
now.

The
worst
part
is
that
you
aren’t
even
guaranteed
to
get
the
latest
releases
in-store
anymore.
The
few
times
I’ve
ambled
into
a
GAME
store
in
recent
memory
just
for
the
rush
of
nostalgia,
they’ve
informed
me
that
they
don’t
have
the
new
release
I
was
looking
for
and
that
I
needed
to
pre-order
it.

It’s
a
shame
because
as
a
wee
lad
I
loved
to
hang
out
in
GAME.
It
was
a
paradise
of
videogames,
most
of
which
I
couldn’t
afford
to
buy.
I’d
happily
buy
pre-owned
games
by
trading
in
my
older
titles,
and
while
the
prices
they
offered
were
undoubtedly
a
bit
of
a
rip-off,
it
was
a
rip-off
of
convenience
because
I
didn’t
have
access
to
Ebay
or
anything
else
to
sell
my
old
games.
The
meagre
credit
they
gave
was
the
only
way
I
could
afford
new
games.