Game in biiiiiig trouble?

[Hoagy]

If they can just hold on until July and E3, there'll be added incentive with an announcement of the next generations. the PS4 and Xbox 720.

There'll no doubt be some kind of resurgence in posh panic buying before the these latest consoles become "modern classix".

[Rog69]

I didn't think people actually still bought physical PC games. I assumed it was Steam or nothing.

It depends, I have a lot of games on my Steam account but many of them were bought retail, the last 2 games I bought that were both Steamworks titles (ie they require Steam to run however you buy them) were much cheaper to buy as physical copies and then add to my Steam account.

I paid £20 for Skyrim and £24.99 for Deus ex HR, both titles were £34.99 to buy directly from Steam at the time.

The rest of my Steam games were bought in Steam sales or were Valve's own games which are usually reasonably priced.

Buying physical copies of PC games isn't quite dead but I would happily go down the all digital route if third party publishers on Steam didn't have such rip off pricing.

[Rog69]

Double post.

[Jared Katooie]

Double post.

I like your style.

I didn't think people actually still bought physical PC games. I assumed it was Steam or nothing.

There's a few of us who still distrust this new-fangled "content delivery" stuff and like to actually own a physical copy of their game. Though with DRM it's getting harder and harder to actually own any game.

[Roger Godpleton]

I went in there today to get Catherine and to support them a bit but they didn't have it.

[JamesC]

Got to say, while I agree about the poor selection, the rest of  this isn't really my experience at all.

In my experience Game is a terrible, terrible shop exemplified by bad customer service (scruffy, sullen looking grunters from what I've seen)

Last couple of times I've been in I've had to consciously remind myself that these girls aren't really flirting me. Even though I like Child of Eden!

Add to that the fact that their bundle deals are always inflexible and a total rip off (a way to offload low selling games).

Again, bought my 360 from Game and they had no problem swapping the bundled games. Even turned down my offer to pay the difference.

I didn't think people actually still bought physical PC games. I assumed it was Steam or nothing.

If you have actual females working in your branch it's very different from the two branches near me!

As for the bundled games, it's likely at the manager's discretion but I was told I couldn't swap bundled games when I bought my 360 - ended up getting it from ASDA.

[Cyberleader2000]

I have over £50 worth of points on my game card may be I shoud go spend it and yes I shop a lot at game.

[Goosegash]

If Game went down now, I'd consider it justice for ruining the perfectly decent franchise that was Gamestation. That goes doubly so if the stories were true about the wholesale and totally unnecessary destruction of retro-gaming stock(games and consoles), just so none of it could be sold on by staff members. Bloody vandals.

I always preferred Electronics Boutique, anyway. Much nicer shop all round.

[Roger Godpleton]

Wuh-wuh </lanakaneoff> http://www.edge-online.com/news/game-not-stocking-ubisoft-vita-titles

[WhizzBang]

I think Game are fairly terrible, I have had several instances of appallingly bad service there and so have not bought anything from them in a few years now. I don't blame the staff though, I think it has just been spectacularly mismanaged to get to such a state. It was probably well run once to get to be as big as it is but I'll bet the management now know little about their market and are more interested in creaming off large bonuses for themselves.

[Roger Godpleton]

They're not selling Mass Effect 3. http://www.edge-online.com/news/game-group-loses-ea-support

[brendan1]

Oh. Dear.

[Minkyboy]

That's them had their chips then.

[JamesC]

This is a pretty interesting development in that it potentially offers a major lifeline to other ailing stores to become the premier high street game seller.

If I was the boss of HMV I'd be doubling my Mass Effect orders and implemeting some major changes on video game pricing policy (ie, not pricing 6 month old titles at £39.99 or selling pre owned titles at a higher price than Tesco sell it for brand new).
Even somewhere like WH Smiths could take advantage of this if they're quick and decisive enough.

It's an ever changing market that's for sure - I remember in the NES days the best place to buy games was Boots and before that it was John Menzies!   

[James Stacey]

HMV are aware, but they have supply issues of their own recently. They are at least as far as I know getting the game. Game have made an official announcement now to confirm they wont be stocking it. Must be the beginning of the end for them.