UK Retailer GAME Officially Enters Administration

Couldn't care less about GAME the real casualty here is Gamestation, that shop used to be pretty decent. A game shop aimed at gamers. It always used to make me laugh when a GAME clerk would stand there and convince me that I really needed to buy the guide as well, when I could tell them the Devs history and what engine the games built on (not that I ever would).

Gamestation was more casual, they had there targets too, but would never undermine you like your someones grandparent.

It was bad news when GAME bought Gamestation, but now as predicted, they've killed them.

I'l also point out this isn't my only gripe, not knowing your consumer base is pretty dumb, but theres more things that make me annoy. Which a lot other the other comments have covered.

@Contrarian said:

@Branthog said:

For everyone on this side of the pond, that means "bankruptcy".

On our side of the pond, it is still called Adminstration.

Nobody ever refers to it as "administration" in the media, here. "Bankruptcy" tends to be the umbrella term used, regardless of the phase of bankruptcy and whether or not it's dealing with an individual or a company.

Need to check few Game/Gamestations on this weekend for good deals.

@Branthog said:

@Contrarian said:

@Branthog said:

For everyone on this side of the pond, that means "bankruptcy".

On our side of the pond, it is still called Adminstration.

Nobody ever refers to it as "administration" in the media, here. "Bankruptcy" tends to be the umbrella term used, regardless of the phase of bankruptcy and whether or not it's dealing with an individual or a company.

I suppose it depends what media perhaps. On our Government radio, the only media I use, they are always reference "Adminsistration", usually "Voluntary". I guess we always figure that they are Bankrupt anyway. Can't say I am all that knowledgeable on the terms as it isn't really my area of work. I do understand that this gives the adminstrator opportunity to restructure the business to keep it going, or look for a buyer. Liquidation of the assets is the next step if that fails I guess.

They are to blame for their own demise as it is clearly a flawed retail model. Games are better as part of a bigger retail picture, where they don't put all their eggs in one basket. If the are like EB Games here, no wonder they are unpopular and failed.

It's a shame. Here in Portugal, Game is, imo, the best place to buy games, considering the alternatives. I stopped buying games on stores a while ago, since I found out how much cheaper Amazon UK is, but I still recommend Game over Gamestop to any of my friends, considering that our GS are more expensive, and their workers never showed me the dedication or even humility that Game's did. I wonder what impact this will have on our stores.

Always buy your games from supermarkets! If ASDA have a one day deal on release day that cuts 50% and they do this shit all the time, then why would anyone buy a fully priced game from anywhere else?

actually bankruptcy is a thing in the u.k. this isn't it.

O anyone with game reward points you have till Friday closing to spend them

www.twitpic.com/8zok09

Shame such a helpful and forthright company has gone under...

Well, from experience I can say that GAME opened in your town and undercut the local shops until they had do close then pumped up the price. I do feel bad for the employees but the entity as a whole? Nah.

@Chainblast said:

I'm not surprised with how the mid to late 2000's went in the game industry. That is, it grew too fast for the wrong reason (non-gamers), business shifted to capitalize on a new demographics, then said demographic vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving a huge vacuum in its wake. Greed is greed, right?

Not always. Markets are always changing don'tcha know?

@alex 
 
I like how GAME decided to try and trick its customers by putting Mass Effect 2 in the #1 spot and then put stickers over the 2 so that parents who don't know much about games then go in buying it thinking they're buying the latest one for their kids as a present...
 

Selling anything non-AAA retail in Britain and Ireland just got tougher. Much tougher.

@robin_smith: The US equivalent of administration is more like Chapter 11, though it's not exactly the same thing.

Was an awful shop anyway. It was such a horrible shop to enter, they never had anything worth going in there for. Gamestation was a million times better! the staff they employed in GAME seemed to just be mainstream people without a clue where as Gamestation hired real nerds who actually cared and kept up to date with the industry. Seemed a lot more welcoming in every gamestation I entered, GAME just seem cold and clinical, like they was trying to go for the "minimalist look" only having one case for every game they had in stock on shelf. Shame for the staff like people have mentioned but kind of glad its going.

Sort of sucks. Sort of doesn't. GAME has alot of history for us British gamers. People talk about GAME as if the whole establishment was trashy but at a time they were one of the few that stocked games for literally every machine and they had constant, stable deals - especially on PC games, that made my hobby a little more affordable as a kid. It is a shame that, like many other high street retailers, they never really capitalised on the growing internet market. I mean, sure, GAME has it's online website for taking orders but it always had a pretty nasty interface compared to Play.com and Amazon.co.uk.

And basically ever since their acquisition of Gamestation they competed very arrogantly, posing as basically THE choice for video game shopping, irrespective of the fact that their library kept getting replaced by shoddy pre-owned stock and their deals steadily grew less affordable (3 for 2 offers sound nice in principle but work horribly in practice). Their employees (one of which included myself) were constantly pushed to give insurance deals on consoles and get pre-orders out of customers despite the fact most shoppers will only come in to browse, nothing more.

To see them go now will be the end of an era. Perhaps HMV will learn from it atleast.

Bought a PS3 at GAME today. Was cheaper in Sainsburys but they need all the help they can get.