UK excessive road chain Game has confirmed that it plans to finish its pre-owned online game enterprise.
The firm will part out trade-ins over the approaching months, in keeping with mum or dad firm Frasers Group.
But pre-owned video games would nonetheless be offered within the firm’s stand alone shops whereas shares remained.
The resolution, first reported by Eurogamer, indicators the tip of a less expensive approach to buy titles valued by many players.
A spokesperson for Frasers Group mentioned: “As part of the integration of Game, we will be phasing out the trade-in, pre-owned and Game Elite offerings in the UK over the coming months.
“Pre-owned will nonetheless be accessible in our stand-alone shops throughout the UK whereas inventory lasts, and Game Elite will nonetheless be accessible till the tip of summer time.”
According to Game’s website, the store accepts trade-ins for “most consoles, video games, and gaming equipment”, but does not take titles from older consoles such as PlayStation 2.
It is in contrast to High Street rival Cex, which has built an empire of 600 stores worldwide, and 385 in the UK, based entirely on a business model dealing in pre-owned electronics.
As well as stocking pre-owned gaming and computing accessories, the floorspace of most Cex stores is taken up by thousands of video games including those for old consoles that Game does not deal in.
Cex offers cash for pre-owned games, but Game offers credit against future purchases instead.
On X, previously Twitter, one poster reacting to the studies of the tip of trade-ins wrote: “They’ve simply handed their greatest rival (CEX) the whole pre-owned market.”
Sophie Smart, production director at No More Robots, the UK game studio, said the decision was “an actual disgrace”. “I feel so many people can bear in mind not having the ability to afford the price of a full worth sport when it launched, and ready a few months and saving up pocket cash to go and get the sport pre-owned”.
She said across the industry there was a move away from physical products.
“However, with new AAA titles costing as a lot as £70 when new, and presumably, bodily variations dropping in worth pretty shortly after launch, I might have anticipated a higher demand for pre-owned titles and Game making a big mark-up on these specifically”.
Game was purchased in 2019 for £52m by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, formerly known as Sports Direct International.
The takeover has led to the closure of some stores, as well as others opening inside retail spaces already owned by Frasers Group.
There has also been a shift towards other forms of entertainment, with Game stores devoting floorspace to plush toys, board games and Pokemon cards.
The agency’s managing director, Nick Arran, informed gamesindustry.biz final 12 months that he wished Game to be “a toy enterprise that sells all 12 months spherical”.
“We do want to guard the way forward for the enterprise,” he said. “That’s why we have gone with this normal leisure method throughout gaming, toys, board video games and tech as properly.”
