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GAME’s shares dropped 15 percent this morning after the UK retailer showed significant drops in sales.
For the 18 weeks to December 5, GAME reported same-store sales fell 13.9 percent, with its 701 UK and Irish stores registering a 16.6 percent drop.
Price cuts, Modern Warfare 2 and FIFA 10 clearly didn’t help.
GAME blamed increased competition from supermarkets for the rough figures.
More on MarketWatch.
Viewing 27 responses
Grimrita said:
GOOD! They gobble up all the specialist stores, leaving them essentially the only one left – focus more on their 2nd hand junk and here is the result.
I give it another 10 years before the digital era wipes them out totally
Bulk Slash said:
Yeah, it’s funny to see them bleating about sales being poached by competitors with more buying power when that’s exactly what they did to all the independents.
Joe Anderson (wotta) said:
Its funny they blame the supermarkets, have they never heard of the internet? I could get any game cheaper on the net from anywhere other than them.
Their stores games are overpriced and so too on occasion is their internet stores.
There is no personality in their stores, its just like walking into a dixons or something. I wish there were more independant stores that care about the product.
bobbymington said:
Does anyone buy shares in games developers…
Didn’t activisions shares go though the roof when MW2 came out.
not that i’ve ever bought any shares, but i’ve thought about it for a long time, i remember way back in the playstation 1 days, whenever eidos released there yearly sequel of tomb raider before Christmas there shares would rocket up as well.
should we all be buying shares in square enix before final fantasy comes out?
….can we purchase shares in these companies
bobbymington said:
News that FFXIII will release on both 360 and PS3 sees Japanese firm’s stock price rocket
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/31202/E3-08-Square-Enix-shares-rise-on-FFXIII-boost
i bet there shares will go though the roof, and i’ll kick myself
Grimrita said:
I used to have shares in SCI just as rumours flew around that Eidos were about to buy them out. I used to work there, so was given shares and I also bought a few @ something like 36p – the price rose to over £5!!! SELL SELL SELL!!
bobbymington said:
i should bookmark this
http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/SQNXF
$21.25 at the moment
the highest its been in the last 52 weeks was $31.88
FF 13 comes out in japan in 9 days, i bet in two weeks time these shares will be up around $30 or higher
i’d happily chuck 2 grand at this if i know how….actually make that 2 ton
SunKing said:
Smallest violin in the world is playing, GAME.
Jadeskye said:
@ Bobby. Sharedealing in games development is very popular. It’s also very easy to predict, we all knew that MW2 was gonna be the powerhouse it was months before it came out.
so the shares are not suitable for trading in most instances because the price is often too high for the average joe to buy.
Doc Robotnik said:
“This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass!”
I hope GAME realise that nobody has any sympathy for them. I shopped at GameStation precisely because they WEREN’T GAME. Now I can’t get away from them.
freedoms_stain said:
It’ll only get worse.
The more people who have the internet the lower their sales will plunge.
These days you walk into Game, pull out your phone, compare the prices online, order it then and there on your phone, walk out of Game.
You can often get next day delivery and still pay less than Game instore.
Hunam said:
I almost never buy instore anymore. They used to have decent deals on in store back in the PS2 days but now online shops do better deals that retail just can’t keep up with.
bobbymington said:
GAME = LAME
i remember the day when they consolidated all there Dreamcast games on to a free standing shelf unit, and the ps2 had a whole wall, i remember being very angry at the time, fuck you game.
Dannybuoy said:
its cos the fuckers post out games by standard royal mail and when your preordered version of uncharted 2 fails to show up for 14 days after the launch date and still never turns up and their shitty customer services department fail to get back to your 5th email almost 2 months after is went missing.. fucking appalling! Sorry. rant over
bobbymington said:
actually i take that back…
i remember buying a game in there months before the wii came out, and the boy behind the desk asked me “would you like to preorder a wii, you don’t have to pay anything now”
up until this point i had never even given the wii a second thought, let alone buying one
i just thought fuck it and put my name down
completed zelda and sold it for double my money a couple weeks later on ebay
sennasnit said:
sennasnit-looking at PS3 games
GAME assistant-”Can i help you?”
sennasnit-”No thanks, i’m just browsing”
GAME assistant-”Did you know if you part exchange your PS3 you can get a 360 Arcade for £40?”
sennasnit-”Bye Bye dickhead.”
Blerk said:
It’s weird, though – the more the internet has taken off, the higher GAME’s prices have become. Ten years back you used to be able to get a reasonable bargain in there. Now that games are cheaper than ever online it’s almost like they’ve stopped competing and have just decided to fleece their remaining customers for as much as they possibly can instead. Their pre-owned stuff especially is fucking criminal!
Hunam said:
@sennasnit
Sounds like he was trying to save you.
pleasant_cabbage said:
@17
Totally agree Blerk. I used to spend a lot in Game (new and trade ins) and I think I’ve bought there, maybe once if that, in the last 2 years. My loyalty card would make interesting (ok, really dull) reading on exactly when they went rubbish and into fleece mode.
OlderGamer said:
Too bad the tittle didn’t say Gamestop. In NA Gamestop is as bad as Game, yet remains unchecked. No supermarkets selling games here. New games are 60usd, and used are 55usd. Walmart and Toys R us and Best Buy are sometimes slightly better priced but not often enough. I envy you folks. I would own more games if the prices were reasonable.
Jadeskye said:
yeah i hate GAME. Trade ins are extortionate, new prices are stupid and it’s not any cheaper online.
Time to go out of business imo.
sennasnit said:
@Hunam
Be serious……..;)
spitos said:
Such good news. I used to like GAME until I realised that they are rip-offs! I got modern warfare 2 for £26 on launch day from Sainsbury’s, while I had it on pre order at GAME for £44.99 – £49.99 (the guy couldn’t confirm the price).
I now mostly use online stores who actually give a shit.
Anyone interested should try gameconnection.co.uk, good prices and good customer service. The games arrive on time (if not early) and I have absolutely no complaints.
They even bought back Uncharted 2 from me after a week for £25. I only paid £36.99 for it. GAME are greedy and they sting you on pre owned products, they probably would’ve offered me £10-15 max! Screw you GAME
Grimrita said:
@ Blerk. Before GAME was gobbled up by Electronics Boutique(EB), it was ALWAYS EB’s plan to increase the price of games by an extra fiver to allow them to discount without losing margin.
It didnt work that well because EB did have some buying power but it wasnt on the scale like it is today. Then in 1997/8, they swallowed up GAME, allowing them to increase prices over a period of time.
Yet again, they swallowed up Gamestation and I was just wondering how they managed to get this past the competition commission – both times!
For too long they have abused their position in the market and supermarkets have finally woken up to the fact that gamers form part of their customer base and all they care about is a cheap price instead of the ’specialist’ experience provided by GAME.
I havent shopped at GAME since they cut their PC range down all over the place – hell, even HMV carries a huge range of PC titles but with the likes of Steam, Stardock and Amazon, who needs GAME?
Cort said:
My local GAME has stopped selling anything PSP. Even used games.
Found Il-2 Sturmovik on sale for 29.99, a week later they gave me 4.99 trade-in value on it. Looked on the used shelf and there it was, for 34.99.
Jadeskye said:
don’t forget play.com!
@cort: thats nuts, you’d make 4 times that selling it on ebay.
Cort said:
Yeah I know, but GAME is three minutes walk away! Too easy.