GAME in the UK will NOT be stocking Mass Effect 3

i hate to copy and paste from another website but i thought this was pretty big news in the UK.

"GAME Group will not be stocking any EA games past SSX for the foreseeable, including Mass Effect 3, Eurogamer has discovered. This encompasses all GAME and Gamestation stores.

Various GAME and Gamestation staff alerted Eurogamer to this situation after a company-wide memo was sent out at around 10.30am this morning.

Eurogamer has corroborated this information with individual GAME Group stores. The last stocked EA game will be SSX, we were told.

If you have a pre-order, GAME will refund you via in-store credit, rather than with cash.

EA responded to Eurogamer's request for comment by directing us to a Mass Effect 3 Launch Update website. GAME's absence from the list of retailers speaks volumes.

This worrying text followed: "For customers who have pre-ordered the N7 Collector's Edition please re-order your copies through these retailers."

These are Amazon, Play, Zavvi and ShopTo.

"For further information regarding the Mass Effect 3 Standard Edition with the N7 Warfare Gear in-game weapons pack, please check this page later today," the blurb continued.

"If you have placed a deposit for a pre-order or are uncertain that your existing pre-order will be guaranteed, please contact your local retailer."

"Your local retailer is doing everything possible to make this process as smooth as possible to ensure you get your copy on launch day."

HMV told Eurogamer it couldn't comment on a competitor's situation, but confirmed it would be stocking Mass Effect 3 and the rest of EA's titles.

GAME Group hasn't responded to Eurogamer's request for comment"

Is this the end of GAME.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-29-game-not-stocking-mass-effect-3-or-ea-games-past-ssx

Pathetic. Good luck without EA, what are these shitty stores throwing a tantrum over now? Origin? (Surely not)

The writing has been on the wall for a while now. In a way it's going to be sad to lose GAME but they did it to themselves.

@Sooty said:

Pathetic. Good luck without EA, what are these shitty stores throwing a tantrum over now? Origin? (Surely not)

GAME are in a pretty bad shape, they literally can't afford to stock certain games.

The fact they can't get something as big as ME3 is a very bad sign for them.

@doobie said:

If you have a pre-order, GAME will refund you via in-store credit, rather than with cash.

If you have pre-ordered from GAME, do not accept their in-store credit. Not only does keeping your money seem incredibly shady and possibly illegal, I doubt GAME will be around long enough for you to spend it on games that they won't be able to stock.

@Sooty said:

Pathetic. Good luck without EA, what are these shitty stores throwing a tantrum over now? Origin? (Surely not)

GAME are in a pretty bad shape, they literally can't afford to stock certain games.

The fact they can't get something as big as ME3 is a very bad sign for them.

Thank the maker, recently cancelled all my preorders and went online to preorder everything i wanted because losing out on the extra stuff because of GAME would have killed me.

I remember the slimy bastards made me pay £5 for my preorders for bad company 2 and dragon age 2 because EA had given the free upgrade to the collectors edition, when i asked about it the manager confirmed that it wasn't extra for the CE but money off for the regular version but that both games just happened to retail higher than other games... fuck that store, nothing but problems for years.

Not shocked! It's inevitable now it seems. The fact that there going to refund you with in store credit is a joke though, there dead for sure. Feel for the employees though, more lost jobs.

On a side note, absolutely bored senseless with Eurogamer's obsession with GAME right now. Almost every article seems to be about them.

So wait, Gamestation is unaffected?

Game and Gamestation both affected. Shopto, Amazon, Zavvi and Play all have the N7 edition up for preorder instead now

Will be interesting to hear why they've decided to do this. Depending on the reasoning, I may actually find myself getting behind GAME which would be fucking bizarre.

Thanks for letting me know just change my pre-order to Play. Amazon hasn't updated at the moment but hopefully will by the end of the day as I would rather get it from them but at least I've got my copy secured.

@Sooty: The reason they can't have EA games is that they can't afford to stock them. Game is having major issues with funding.

It doesn't make sense that GAME is in bad shape whereas Gamestop is thriving. Isn't it the exact same corporation? 
 
Anyway I hate GAME and will never buy from them again so I don't care. Amazon for life!

@WinterSnowblind said:

@Sooty said:

Pathetic. Good luck without EA, what are these shitty stores throwing a tantrum over now? Origin? (Surely not)

GAME are in a pretty bad shape, they literally can't afford to stock certain games.

The fact they can't get something as big as ME3 is a very bad sign for them.

That's so slimy, they've been taking pre-orders for over a year!

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-29-game-group-not-stocking-mario-party-9

Oh, wow. I guess GAME are fucked.

To be fair, they deserve it. I went in there a few days back to pick up some game, don't remember what, and it was £45 new and something like £43 pre-owned.

Also being reported that they're not stocking Mario Party 9 either, whole Nintendo catalogue to go? http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-29-game-group-not-stocking-mario-party-9

@GunslingerPanda said:

To be fair, they deserve it. I went in there a few days back to pick up some game, don't remember what, and it was £45 new and something like £43 pre-owned.

Probably didn't help that they keep securing exclusive collectors editions, then charging an arm and a leg for them. The ME3 wasn't close to being worth what they were charging, and since they paid for exclusivity, it's impossible to get in the UK now.

Scratch that last part, Shopto just put it up for pre-order.

So Gameplay.co.uk will be affected too because the website is merging with Gamestation.co.uk

Okay, fuck GAME.

@GunslingerPanda said:

Will be interesting to hear why they've decided to do this. Depending on the reasoning, I may actually find myself getting behind GAME which would be fucking bizarre.

they can't afford to pay for the games duder.

Screw GAME the company, but feel for the employees. Not like there's an whole lot out there right now. Seems inevitable it will go under now.

This is why I only pre-order from places that only charge you when the item ships, like Amazon.

@TrueEnglishGent said:

Screw GAME the company, but feel for the employees. Not like there's an whole lot out there right now. Seems inevitable it will go under now.

There's a good chance they'll just sell the company before they go under.

That's pretty much it. The writing has been on the wall for a while, but this will pretty much secure their fate. No-one is going to risk a GAME pre-order from now on, and their in-store prices are a joke.

I just hope there won't be too many negative repercussions for the consumer, when they go under.

I've just ordered the CE on Play.com so fingers crossed....I'll keep my order on game.co.uk andsee how it goes.

Well I just got my cancellation email and was slightly amused to see within email some advert recommending that I purchase Mass Effect 3.

But on the topic of Game itself they brought it upon themselves with their stupid pricing so no wonder they're going under.

@Alpha1: They already announced that they were shutting down Gameplay. In fact, it was scheduled to move to Gamestation.co.uk as of tomorrow... Wonder where gamestation.co.uk will be moving to ;)

I can't remember the last game I bought from a GAME in-store.

GAME have two stores a short distance apart from each other and a Gamestation store in a mall near me, they use to have another small section in a debenhams. So at one point they technically had four stores in one pretty small mall all things considering, it's madness. No wonder they are struggling. There in-store prices are a joke.

@buft said:

@GunslingerPanda said:

Will be interesting to hear why they've decided to do this. Depending on the reasoning, I may actually find myself getting behind GAME which would be fucking bizarre.

they can't afford to pay for the games duder.

Yeah, just read that. Fuck GAME then.

Funny because they were letting people pre-order it last week, still ready to take your money for something they wouldn't be able to sell you. HMV might get a bump from this in the long run when game eventually becomes something else, cause as bad as they are, they're a recognisable name.

First Ubisoft now EA. I was going to say what are they just going to be a FIFA and Call of Duty house from now on but EA is FIFA so damn, you done fucked up GAME.

So if Game and Gamestation both go under what national chains does that leave us with that stock games? Is it just HMV? Which is worrying because they're not in great shape.

I guess there are supermarkets but their selection are awful unless you want to buy the biggest releases the week they come out.

The next console generation might as well be digital only, in the UK at least we won't have any retail outlets left.

I need to spend my 4452 Reward Points now!

That's fucked up. I'm a wizard, etc.

I remember going into GAME to buy Age of Empires 2 and it came in a huge cardboard box. Back then brick and mortar game stores were magical.

lol GAME UK is so screwed.

So GAME doesn't like money?

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

So GAME doesn't like money?

GAME doesn't have money is probably the issue here.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

So GAME doesn't like money?

GAME doesn't have money is probably the issue here.

What the hell is going on with that store.

Yeah they've been in trouble recently. I think there stock price has dropped from about £3 to 6p in the last 3 years.

Their credit is worthless, thus publishers have started asking for upfront payment of stock. @TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chris86 said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

So GAME doesn't like money?

GAME doesn't have money is probably the issue here.

Gotta spend money to make money!

They simply cannot afford to pay for the goods.

Good riddance. Those fuckers have been asking for this for years.

This has actually worked out well for me, now I can get the N7 edition without having to deal with GAME. Thank you karma!

I'm amazed by the number of people who don't seem to get what's going on here.

Read the story, this is not just GAME refusing to stock Mass Effect 3, this is GAME saying that from now on they will not stock ANY EA games. That is not a decision a store takes, that is a situation that a store is forced into when they have no money and are about to go under.

GAME is dead. I feel sorry for all the employees.

Switched my ME3 CE pre-order to ShopTo, they are a much better company anyway.

Will be sad to see GAME go though, yes they were incredibly expensive, but at least I could go in a store and just buy a game.

They had it coming, with the prices they were taking. A friend bought Soul Calibur a week ago and they wanted 700 SEK (106 USD) for it

@Chris86 said:

I'm amazed by the number of people who don't seem to get what's going on here.

Read the story, this is not just GAME refusing to stock Mass Effect 3, this is GAME saying that from now on they will not stock ANY EA games. That is not a decision a store takes, that is a situation that a store is forced into when they have no money and are about to go under.

GAME is dead. I feel sorry for all the employees.

Yup, no Nintendo first-party exclusives, Ubisoft and EA titles for the forseeable future.

They are either going to go under, or they are going to try and go for the whole CeX thing and not stock new games. Though with how bad they're doing, I think the former's more likely.

Was going to big up ShopTo, used them recently and think they offer a pretty good service. It's either them or Amazon for me.