Game goes into administration

Walrus said:
I find it strange how little I care that GAME is going. I'm more sad that it just means there wont be any high street computer game stores anymore. Their prices were always far higher than online, rarely any good deals to be had and never fantastically good service.

Gamestation are slightly better, but not by much really.

Someone should come in and try to set up a new chain of computer game stores with a totally different business model, to try to compete with the online ones now.
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Gamestation will be closed down as well as they are part of Game anyway, clearly the time of the high street retailer is over and its all going to be done online apart from the likes of argos selling a few titles. As redspoony has pointed out HMV are likely to go the same way now
 
I'm sad for the thousands of people that will be out of work and looking for jobs.
 
The game and game station in my town centre apparently closed yesterday. Went in to the one in Boscombe though and it was still open as per normal except for no credit usage etc.

Felt sorry for the bugger in front of me though as he traded in his PS3 and 8 games, and a DSi and 5 games just over a week ago for store credit... and now lost it all. Must such so hard. Basically giving it away for free.

There is still 3 open around my area though. Apparently keeping the most profitable open for now to attract buyers.
 
marchi-91 said:
Did you tell him to go down the weekend? He's an idiot if he didn't heed the warning last week.
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Yep, I told him to spend it whilst he can but he chose to ignore me and instead relied on the gamestation employee who assured him 'his credit was safe'. As iSparky said, he has nobody to blame but himself as he had 5 days to spend it and didn't.

I've now got one less option for trade-ins which is a shame. I hope HMV doesn't follow Game into administration - there were some rumours around Christmas that they too were in serious trouble.
 
How did people not manage to spend their store credit before they stopped taking it? They must have known GAME's situation was bleak weeks ago, then they reportedly were going into administration, then they actually went into administration. What were they waiting for exactly? I know there probably wasn't anything they wanted but they could have purchased anything with some value and sold them on rather than lose everything.

I would have been annoyed if I had lost out on my £5 let alone £100+. Only themselves to blame really.
 
So glad I spent all mine on that PS3... I did lose the £5 rewards points I got with the purchase, but I won't be losing any sleep over that.
 
I had £24 in my account, luckily on friday i decided to cash in and bought alan wake on pc.

Looks like i got the last lot in before they started cancelling them!

Feels slightly dirty getting a game off them for free in this situation, but hey ive spent enough over the years.
 
Leg-End said:
How did people not manage to spend their store credit before they stopped taking it? They must have known GAME's situation was bleak weeks ago, then they reportedly were going into administration, then they actually went into administration. What were they waiting for exactly? I know there probably wasn't anything they wanted but they could have purchased anything with some value and sold them on rather than lose eveything.

I would have been annoyed if I had lost out on my £5 let alone £100+. Only themselves to blame really.
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People are idiots. You'd think that on the first signs of administration, you'd try and flog off your store credit. What's even stupider is people listening to idiotic employees. They couldn't give a rats arse about your store credit. The less money the company lose in the short term, the more likely the employees are going to get paid in full.
 
Yeah I'd imagine a lot of them went into stores to ask about it and were told you will be fine, the same people that didn't even know if their own jobs were safe at the time.
 
Do people really buy this digital stuff, like PSN games etc.? You end up paying the same price as you would in a local store or even more and get no box, no disc or cartridge and you can't sell it on when you finish the game. I couldn't see myself buying Uncharted for Vita for £39.99 at PS Store when it costs £30 in any given physical shop or £22-£25 used.
 
I've only bought NBA Jam off PSN which was a reasonable £10. I would not buy anything else from there as the prices of the games are ridiculous despite games being months old (most of the good games are still £40-50).
 
Sarni said:
Do people really buy this digital stuff, like PSN games etc.? You end up paying the same price as you would in a local store or even more and get no box, no disc or cartridge and you can't sell it on when you finish the game. I couldn't see myself buying Uncharted for Vita for £39.99 at PS Store when it costs £30 in any given physical shop or £22-£25 used.
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The full game PSN titles are ridiculously priced, I doubt they sell many of those but PSN exclusive titles are very reasonable and in some cases the games themselves are better than the majority of full releases.
 
Maybe some light at the end of the tunnel.Game as found a buyer and a takeover will be announced sometime next week.
 
RBS apparently. Pretty much done deal, as game have boosted up their website and started taking store credit and credit notes and such again - which the administrators wouldn't allow unless they were 99.999% sure it's gonna get bought.

Still, the stores that have closed will stay closed. Sucks for the staff, could do a Peacocks though i suppose?
 
Sw33t said:
RBS apparently. Pretty much done deal, as game have boosted up their website and started taking store credit and credit notes and such again - which the administrators wouldn't allow unless they were 99.999% sure it's gonna get bought
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Well, there were too many shops, sad for them, really sad

But when you could see a Game and a Gamestation side by side, that is ridiculous.
 
Hopefully there will be fundamental changes in the way it operates. Selling games for RRP when the internet is offering half price and offering less than half of what your exchange is worth just won't cut it anymore.

They need to make it social again too, consoles set up for random multiplayers and competitions, make it a cafe like store rather than the rip off boring old place it is now.
 
EdWeatherall said:
Well, there were too many shops, sad for them, really sad

But when you could see a Game and a Gamestation side by side, that is ridiculous.
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Oh definitely, they never should have done it like that. Major mistake at the high end of the company, just a shame the staff right at the other end suffer.

Pexbo said:
Hopefully there will be fundamental changes in the way it operates. Selling games for RRP when the internet is offering half price and offering less than half of what your exchange is worth just won't cut it anymore.

They need to make it social again too, consoles set up for random multiplayers and competitions, make it a cafe like store rather than the rip off boring old place it is now.
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That would be awesome. How gaming shops should be to be honest, good ones anyway, some social element to it instead of your boring in and out asap plastic stuff
 
EdWeatherall said:
Well, there were too many shops, sad for them, really sad

But when you could see a Game and a Gamestation side by side, that is ridiculous.
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There were two GAME stores in the Trafford Centre ffs, and they were in the same section of the mall as well, one upstairs and one downstairs, about 20 yards apart, bloody stupid.
 
There are two in Belfast 100 yards apart. But there used to be 3 of them, would you believe? They were total idiots tbf.
 
Badunk said:
There are two in Belfast 100 yards apart. But there used to be 3 of them, would you believe? They were total idiots tbf.
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Seems to be the case everywhere. Perhaps it was some sort of strategy, like having two shops providing each other competition while leaving no space for a competitor to move in?

Either way it's daft to target a single area with twice the rent, twice the staff and twice the overheads.
 
It was the case everywhere, one of them would have been an old eectronics boutique. Before EB purchased game they would open up as close to each other as they could.
 
Maybe this buyout will end up being good news for the punters who have gift and points cards and who thought they'd lost their money for good.
 
Got an email off game yesterdaysaying we're still open check out are slashed prices. By slashed they clearly ment still more expensive than any where else. Example gears of war 3 £35. That's nearly double amazons price.
 
Yeah, went in there the other day as the one in Cheltenham is still open, shockingly expensive. They were trying to sell a pre owned ninja gaiden 3 for ps3 for £45.
 
Well, well.

Investment group, Opcapita has confirmed it's to buy a large portion of troubled GAME Group, according to multiple press reports.

A consortium of banks led by Royal Bank of Scotland, which is owed £85m, have approved the takeover, which will save 333 stores and 3,100 jobs, according to the BBC.

The private equity firm, which previously bought loss-making electricals chain Comet for just £2, was reported to have made a fresh bid for GAME's UK and Ireland business earlier this week.

It previously had an offer rejected before GAME went into administration, foreshadowing the closure of 227 of its 610 domestic stores and the loss of over 2,000 jobs.

OpCapita has reportedly paid a nominal fee to acquire the chain, reports MCV, however its rescue deal only applies to the UK business - GAME's overseas operations remain in trouble and up for sale.

A new management team will be put in place first thing tomorrow and discussions have already started with UK suppliers to get big titles back in to GAME's shops, it's said.

Richard Wilson, boss of games trade association Tiga, welcomed the deal but said GAME will have to develop its online business to survive.

"It's important for the company to change to consumer spending habits, and it's really vital that GAME also appeals to video game developers," he said. "Many video game developers in the UK are of course selling online as well.

"GAME is going to have to change its strategy but that doesn't mean it's impossible, and the fact that Game has got this new backing behind it, this new management, I think that's all for the good."
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CVG
 
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