GAME not stocking Mass Effect 3?

[Andy]

GAME has confirmed that it will not be selling Mass Effect 3 when it's released next week or Mario Party 9 on Friday, with some rumours suggesting they will also not be stocking any other new EA or Nintendo games. (http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/891718-confirmed-game-not-stocking-mass-effect-3-or-mario-party-9)

I knew GAME were in trouble financially but im really suprised, this has gotta be a big blow for them.

[Tricky]

Steam killed the high street store? Inevitable I guess. I like going in GAME though, I always drag my protesting girlfriend in every time we go shopping anywhere, the 3 for £15 deals always tempt me! I still like to actually look at and have a play with any hardware I might consider buying too, like I had a quick play on the Sony Vita on Sunday in a GAME store in York, something you cant do online. If GAME goes will there actually be anywhere left to buy PC games barring the poor selection they have in HMV?

[MinionZombie]

Steam killed the high street store? Inevitable I guess. I like going in GAME though, I always drag my protesting girlfriend in every time we go shopping anywhere, the 3 for £15 deals always tempt me! I still like to actually look at and have a play with any hardware I might consider buying too, like I had a quick play on the Sony Vita on Sunday in a GAME store in York, something you cant do online. If GAME goes will there actually be anywhere left to buy PC games barring the poor selection they have in HMV?

Gamestation, perhaps? Although I don't know what shape their finances are in either, so for all I know they're in the same trouble, or perhaps not. Haven't entered a Gamestation in years.

[Andy]

Gamestation, perhaps? Although I don't know what shape their finances are in either, so for all I know they're in the same trouble, or perhaps not. Haven't entered a Gamestation in years.

GAME and Gamestation are owned by the same company so its in exactly the same state :p

[MinionZombie]

GAME and Gamestation are owned by the same company so its in exactly the same state :p

Oh they are? Hmmm - well that's weird, why not just combine the two companies and shed some of the weight? For instance there's both a Game and a Gamestation in my nearest city, but when they're both owned by the same company, what the hell is the point? It's like PC World and Currys in a way, although each business has a different focus, they're both owned by the same company ... whereas Game and Gamestation both do exactly the same thing, so you wonder what's going on there really.

[Andy]

They say that gamestation stores target hardcore gamers while GAME stores target more casual players but really Its to give you a false sense of competition and lure more people in. They actively encourage you to compare prices and they strategically price their games so there is a notable difference between stores but at the end of the day, your money is going to the same people.

Blockbuster is also owned by the same company :p

[MinionZombie]

Whoever this company is owning all these struggling businesses, they need better leadership!

[SymphonicX]

And so the devolution of our entertainment world begins.

Not long now guys, TV, internet, Video games, etc will all be replaced by one box in your living room, which will essentially be just talking to a bigger system somewhere else. Gone will be the days of having a better PC than someone else, modding your equipment, modding games, creating your own original work - it'll all be automated.

It's started with the OnLive service - it's only going to get worse. It's fucking Orwell all over. you'll be paying a monthly subscription to have your own computer, pay per play games, pay per fucking everything.

The glory years are definitely over, and now an avalanche of standardised, boring and licenced material will be the only thing you'll "own" - except you wont' own anything, the licence agreements will make sure that you only subscribe to services - rather than owning and enjoying your own tangiable things.

[shootemindehead]

...and it'll all be as boring as feck...

[Andy]

And so the devolution of our entertainment world begins.

Not long now guys, TV, internet, Video games, etc will all be replaced by one box in your living room, which will essentially be just talking to a bigger system somewhere else. Gone will be the days of having a better PC than someone else, modding your equipment, modding games, creating your own original work - it'll all be automated.

It's started with the OnLive service - it's only going to get worse. It's fucking Orwell all over. you'll be paying a monthly subscription to have your own computer, pay per play games, pay per fucking everything.

The glory years are definitely over, and now an avalanche of standardised, boring and licenced material will be the only thing you'll "own" - except you wont' own anything, the licence agreements will make sure that you only subscribe to services - rather than owning and enjoying your own tangiable things.

http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/files/2010/05/602-End-Is-Near.jpg

[EvilNed]

I haven't bought a game in a store for years. Well, I did buy Empire: Total War in a store last summer or so. But two weeks later I bought the Napoleon and Empire Gold Edition for less money online.

[SymphonicX]

http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/files/2010/05/602-End-Is-Near.jpg


LOL exactly...

it's true though, I would lay real money on it. The market for owning things has already been proven to go to waste up against subscription based temporary services like iTunes...that mentality will sweep the world of entertainment until you've just got one screen in your house doing all the work....subscriptions and licences - and the world will lap it up hungrily.

[MinionZombie]

LOL exactly...

it's true though, I would lay real money on it. The market for owning things has already been proven to go to waste up against subscription based temporary services like iTunes...that mentality will sweep the world of entertainment until you've just got one screen in your house doing all the work....subscriptions and licences - and the world will lap it up hungrily.

And then...

http://www.impactlab.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wall-e.jpg

We can but dream, some might say... :shifty::sneaky::shifty:

[Knighty]

Losing Game is hardly a massive loss from the high street, they can't compete with supermarket prices and they offer no better customer experience in going there. While it would be sad to see no video game centric shops left I can't say I would be shedding a tear for something that I've used once in 2 years.

[MinionZombie]

Things are looker bleaker by the day for Game.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/10-000-game-workers-may-lose-job-122313224.html


Embattled computer games retailer Game has put itself up for sale in a last-ditch bid to stave off financial collapse.

Its quarterly rent bill is due in a fortnight and failure to pay its landlords could push it into administration, jeopardising 10,000 jobs and wiping out investors.

[SymphonicX]

Things are looker bleaker by the day for Game.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/10-000-game-workers-may-lose-job-122313224.html

Yep, it's bleaker than bleak for Game.
Today they announced a 76% drop in share prices from 3p a share to 1p a share. The CEO basically described the shares as "pretty much worthless" (or something to that effect).

Everyone knows it, this is a landslide decision which will bury the retailer by the end of next month at the latest. When one company pulls out a huge title like Mass Effect, everyone else starts to wonder why they are shipping their units to the failing retailer if they're just going to fail to sell it.

Shops like HMV still have some longevity due to their variety - but Game is now pretty much gone, like Woolworths.

Still if there's a gap in the market, someone will fill it - unfortunately in literal terms this means download and subscription services as I have previously mentioned.

The days of owning hard copies of anything are dying.

[Danny]

Much as i prefer having it all digital an on the cloud so i cant lose it all in a fire, this isnt the end of buying hard copies on the high street.

you just go to hmv or asda instead. its just the end of a store for videogames.

just like the big crash of the 80s when a single nes cart went for like 89 to 110 pounds and then games were a shit business till the playstation and its £24.99 games saved the industry then. its the next big crash and you bet your ass the consoles charging £60 per game are no longer viable compared to steams £7 average.

[SymphonicX]

Much as i prefer having it all digital an on the cloud so i cant lose it all in a fire, this isnt the end of buying hard copies on the high street.

you just go to hmv or asda instead. its just the end of a store for videogames.

just like the big crash of the 80s when a single nes cart went for like 89 to 110 pounds and then games were a shit business till the playstation and its £24.99 games saved the industry then. its the next big crash and you bet your ass the consoles charging £60 per game are no longer viable compared to steams £7 average.

That's it though, if Steam can offer the same title for £7 and HMV, Asda and Game are still charging £39.99 - there's no competition at all.
So it IS the end of owning hard copies - how long do you think it'll be before HMV and Asda, Tesco etc stop stocking hard copies? I think about 5 years from now.

You said it yourself, market expectations circumvent modern retail strategies - people expect cheap games and £39.99 isn't cheap. At least in the 80s, you had no choice but to buy hard copies, regardless how much you paid for them. In today's modern age, hard copies aren't economically viable in this depressed time - but soft copies are. Itunes knows this, and has done for years. That's why there's no chart music any more - no CD or singles charts that are notable in anyway. It's the download charts now.

It's not going to happen overnight - but as I say, 5 years from now and kids will be asking "what was a CD" through their Farleys Rusks (DLC version) - Asda, Tesco and the like will catch on eventually, as soon as the market has diminished enough - and it's diminishing, fast.

[MinionZombie]

Erm, £7 for a brand new game from Steam? :rockbrow::confused::rockbrow:

Somehow I doubt that, I take it you're talking about sales or something - but you can get real bargains with hard copies too. I got Bulletstorm last month for £6, 360 hard copy, and before Xmas there were numerous brand new releases getting £10 or £15 or even £20 cut off the price straight away.

As for Game, well, perhaps I'll be able to nab a couple of bargains as it all goes down the pan ... I have bought games from them routinely in the past, particularly pre-orders as they're very good about getting you the game on (or even a day before) the actual street date of the game. I haven't seen other websites managing that particular thing ... but yeah, if your focus is too narrow in terms of what you're selling, it's not going to go so well eventually - especially in tough times like these. I only ever buy a game brand new at £40 if I know full well I'm going to get the hours out of it (e.g. like I did with Saints Row 3 ... but I was pissed when it was like £12 cheaper the following week on a sale that I hadn't considered happening at the time) or if I'm really excited for it (e.g. L.A. Noire, which I also got many an hour out of).

However with many titles just not being worth £40 in my current opinion (and financial position), I sure as shit won't be buying games at full price generally speaking. I love me a bargain, and I'm a stubborn sort, so I'll wait around for the price to fall ... and then swoop in like a bastard vulture. :elol: Then again, if I was Mister Moneybags, I wouldn't give a shit about paying forty-ruddy-quid for a game ... but I'm not, so I do. :p

[Tricky]

I hear of far, far too many people picking up pirated games as well which obviously means a lot less people wandering into Game and picking up new releases, that cant have helped things...

[MinionZombie]

I hear of far, far too many people picking up pirated games as well which obviously means a lot less people wandering into Game and picking up new releases, that cant have helped things...

To an extent perhaps, like in all cases of piracy, but on the other hand certainly not every pirating of a game means an equal loss of a sale. No doubt many have ripped off games that they would have never paid for anyway (certainly not full price at least), and frankly some titles just aren't worth your money, or not worth more than a fiver. I enjoyed Bulletstorm last month, but I'm really glad I got it for £6 - if I'd paid £40 for that I'd have felt rather ripped off. £10 max for that game, in my view, it's fun but it's also somewhat of a filler game.

Sometimes it's also an issue of DRM and other anti-piracy measures, which are decidedly imperfect models for achieving that goal. Legal purchasers will have to jump through numerous hoops (even going so far as to be online for the entire duration of their actual play time - the most idiotic idea), whereas pirates have all that garbage stripped out (no matter how 'unbreakable' it is claimed to be) and just whack it on their machine and go. The DRM situation needs to be completely re-thought, digital distribution needs to be streamlined and improved, but the latter relies on having the infrastructure to support it, and certainly here in the UK we don't yet have the broadband network capable of handling such tasks.

[SymphonicX]

Erm, £7 for a brand new game from Steam? :rockbrow::confused::rockbrow:

Somehow I doubt that, I take it you're talking about sales or something - but you can get real bargains with hard copies too. I got Bulletstorm last month for £6, 360 hard copy, and before Xmas there were numerous brand new releases getting £10 or £15 or even £20 cut off the price straight away.

As for Game, well, perhaps I'll be able to nab a couple of bargains as it all goes down the pan ... I have bought games from them routinely in the past, particularly pre-orders as they're very good about getting you the game on (or even a day before) the actual street date of the game. I haven't seen other websites managing that particular thing ... but yeah, if your focus is too narrow in terms of what you're selling, it's not going to go so well eventually - especially in tough times like these. I only ever buy a game brand new at £40 if I know full well I'm going to get the hours out of it (e.g. like I did with Saints Row 3 ... but I was pissed when it was like £12 cheaper the following week on a sale that I hadn't considered happening at the time) or if I'm really excited for it (e.g. L.A. Noire, which I also got many an hour out of).

However with many titles just not being worth £40 in my current opinion (and financial position), I sure as shit won't be buying games at full price generally speaking. I love me a bargain, and I'm a stubborn sort, so I'll wait around for the price to fall ... and then swoop in like a bastard vulture. :elol: Then again, if I was Mister Moneybags, I wouldn't give a shit about paying forty-ruddy-quid for a game ... but I'm not, so I do. :p



Well said bro

[Tricky]

The good thing with picking up bargains today is that games have been visually stunning for quite a few years now, so you dont feel like your jumping back about 3 generations when you pick up a couple of years old game that you missed the first time around :)

[MinionZombie]

The good thing with picking up bargains today is that games have been visually stunning for quite a few years now, so you dont feel like your jumping back about 3 generations when you pick up a couple of years old game that you missed the first time around :)

Indeed - Bulletstorm, as I've mentioned before, £6 a year after release. Wasn't in a rush to play it, but was interested, so that was fine by me alright. The latest Assassin's Creed game is around £20-£25 at the moment, but I'm holding off for £10 on that. Would like to get Rage to give it a spin, but saw it for £10 and didn't buy it at the time (had two other games to play, but wish I had done) so I certainly won't for £13 ... yep, I'm that stubborn on prices. :D

Actually I have points from Game, so if I had got it at £10 I would have actually had it for £8. Kinda annoyed I didn't jump on that at the time.

[Tricky]

I took out a points card with Game at Christmas when I bought the g/f's Wii, I guess I wont get chance to rack up any points on it now!

[MinionZombie]

I took out a points card with Game at Christmas when I bought the g/f's Wii, I guess I wont get chance to rack up any points on it now!

I've had mine for a good three years or thereabouts I think. I've managed to take a good £30 off purchases in the past, which is nice ... but yeah, if you've got any points on it, spend them now. :p

[Andy]

I've had mine for a good three years or thereabouts I think. I've managed to take a good £30 off purchases in the past, which is nice ... but yeah, if you've got any points on it, spend them now. :p

I Still have my original electronic boutique card.. i wonder if you get interest on your points...

[MinionZombie]

I Still have my original electronic boutique card.. i wonder if you get interest on your points...

Chance would be a fine thing! :p