Right now if you visit GAME’s official website you’ll find it “down for maintenance” with a message explaining the company’s gone into administration, who’s been appointed to handle the process and a disclaimer that the company is “currently reviewing and processing orders placed on this website.”
Why is a huge question – right now many of the company’s employees are asking the very same question and with good reason – Game is a games retail giant – or at least it was. Their failure is probably the biggest British retail collapse since Woolworths when its 815 stores went under at the end of 2008.
So what went wrong for Game? Well, depending on what sources you read you get different viewpoints. Here is my take on reasons why they could have gone under.
Sky High Prices
Ask any gamer why Game has struggled and they’ll point to one fact: high prices. Game products always had a higher price tag to their competitors. If you think about Amazon and Play.com, they regularly shave a good £10 off of launch day prices. One could argue that with Game you are guaranteed the game before its release date but really who cares when you could be paying as much as £50 a pop.
Shoddy service
I remember the days when I would order from Game and get the game about two days before the release however, when they changed the website the service changed too. It was clunky and difficult to navigate, games would take an age to arrive, orders might go missing etc. Try and complain and you would be told to wait at least 20 days to see if the game would turn up. It’s enough to make you want to hurl your controller.
Better alternatives
Game made the majority of their profit from those looking to trade in their old titles. This was a fine move; some would even say inspired. However they made enemies out of the software giants who wanted more of a cut. Ever wondered why nearly all games require you to purchase an online pass in order to play your pre-owned game online? That is the games company trying to reap more cash from the pre-owned market which arguably Game helped to build. However it was these same enemies who promptly decided to turn their backs when Game was calling out for help like a little baby. Have these enemies pull out the big titles from Games shelves, Fling in a couple of rivals like CEX, and Game was on a slippery path.
Non PC Support
Head into a GAME store and you will see the scarcity of space dedicated to PC gaming. They simply just don’t really cater for PC owners – it’s ridiculous considering that they’re the single dedicated high-street gaming retailer and should be the first physical port of call for all gamers regardless of platform. What’s more nearly all of the titles released that have had a huge impact such as Minecraft and Skyrim, were PC based first and all but the exclusive console games such as Uncharted reach the PC platform eventually.
New Digital Distribution Methods
As fast broadband connectivity continues to spread across the nation, so too does the prevalence of digital download platforms for all sorts of media. Gaming is no different. The Xbox 360 has the Xbox Live Arcade; the PlayStation 3 has the Sony Entertainment Network; the Nintendo Wii has the Wii Shop Channel; PC gamers look to Steam and Gamefly. Some sources have said that the next generation of consoles will not be disc based but Sony have spoken out directly in contradiction to this because of inconsistencies in Broadband quality which means that to take this leap could cut many consumers out of the loop which in turn would effect sales.
Mobile Gaming Is On The Rise
One of the reasons Game could have fallen so badly is the rise of mobile gaming. Whether you have an Android, Windows Phone 7 iPad or iPod touch owner, chances are you’ve got access to more than a few games at your disposal. As the quality of mobile technology gets greater so does the graphics and so does the gameplay. Right now some people are so addicted to Angry birds that they are writing songs about it – and…erm less interested in Sonic or pesky plumbers and whats more these titles are just a download away – meaning Game cannot make any profit from these sales.
Lack of Passion
In the words of my manager – when the passion is gone, it is time to move on. I have spoken to many gamers since I heard the news about Game – and guess what? Many of them weren’t at all surprised. One lad told me ‘If you go into HMV, there is theatre, excitement, things are fxxxing happening- you go into Game, and sure you can talk to them about games, but the shops are cramped, you cant really play the games and they are not really into it!’ Well, I cant really say any more than that.
We’re All In This Together
Yes – we have heard those words before haven’t we? This may seem like an obvious point but it is a true one. We’re in the middle of a recession, and everyone has less cash to spend on luxuries, which videogames ultimately are. If it’s a choice between a meal and rent payments or a PS3, it’s pretty obvious which choice people are going to make.
