GAME "will be a phoenix rising from the flames," says EA

Faltering specialist retailer GAME will rise "from the flames" like a phoenix, EA UK boss Keith Ramsdale has said.

Speaking at the Westminster Media Forum this morning (via GI), Ramsdale was keen to stress GAME needed to go down a different path than it is now, pointing towards encouraging sales of Mass Effect 3 and FIFA Street through other retailers.

"I do hope and believe there will be a phoenix rising from the flames. GAME is full of good people, it's a good store, I just think they need a different approach and I'll think they'll have one," he said.

"GAME is one retailer out of many, albeit historically a very good retailer. Without talking numbers I can tell you that when we shipped Mass Effect and FIFA Street we were very pleased with our numbers in the UK and GAME were unable to buy them."

He added that the High Street should look towards inspiration from elsewhere.

"Would I rather there is a GAME? Absolutely I would. I believe that a specialist retailer does a lot for this industry. One of the opportunities for a specialist is to be much more multiform at than they currently are, to the point of Apple or Android.

"If you look at the current retail base, HMV seem to be stepping up and seem to be more solid. Amazon have done a good job of picking up content, so yes, there's more than just GAME. The opportunity for video game retailers is think broader than just the shiny discs."

A report this morning suggested that the retailer, now in administration, has six buyers queueing up for it.