this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2024
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UK retailer GAME to cease video game trade-ins, staff say (www.eurogamer.net)
submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] echo64 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'll be surprised if they are still here on the other side of 2024. Absolutely sleep walking into oblivion.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I'm not sure they're sleepwalking into it; I think there's just very little they can do without pivoting to an entirely different business sector at this point.

  • Physical game sales been dropping for years as people get better internet connections, bigger hard-drives and as games come with larger and larger day-one patches
  • Many "physical" versions of games these days just contain a download code which only reduces physical sales further
  • People often find it easier to buy peripherals on Amazon then go into GAME. And GAME can't really compete with Amazon when it comes to online shopping.
  • GAME tried to diversify into gaming and general "nerd culture" collectibles years ago and it's obviously not something that's revitalised their business.

Where do they go from here? I certainly think they handled things poorly 10-15 years ago, and could perhaps have pivoted successfully then if they'd seen the writing on the wall. But pretty much no-one predicted the current landscape back then. It's only a decade since Microsoft's disastrous Xbox One reveal where they got savaged for its always online nature and for heading towards digital-only games, with everyone saying, "but we love buying physical copies of games", and now here we are ten years later with brick-and-mortar stores looking like they might not survive the year and physical sales numbers in free fall.

I don't think GAME is necessarily mishandling things right now. I just think there's not really a market for a business like theirs nowadays.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

They've already been pivoting. If you go into a game, they're half merch half gaming cafe with a few sales of games in the corner somewhere.

[–] echo64 0 points 11 months ago

eh no, of course they are. what you are describing is why their old model doesn't work. but they have huge numbers of locations, staff and brand identity. there is a lot they could do.

In other news, Amazon doesn't just sell books any-more. They are absolutely doing their employees (and i guess their shareholders.. bleh) a disservice by just dying instead of trying to save a company that has value.