NowGamer Claim GAME ‘Won’t Have Stock Of Any New Games’
Updated.Published: 11:15, 01/02/2012 by Staff.
31According to NowGamer, GAME might be struggling to stock new videogame releases.
The site has quoted an unnamed source who said that the retailer has “lost credit assurance with most of its publishers.”
If the company has lost this assurance then publishers will not allow GAME to stock their games due to the financial risk involved. “If true, it could have a huge impact on the upcoming PS Vita launch,” says the story, although doesn’t state that one of the publishers is Sony.
NowGamer’s source also states that staff wages will be withheld in an attempt to make GAME Groups finances appear better than they are, which seems baffling.
We’ve reached out to our contacts at the retailer for comment.
In the meantime, trade magazine MCV has refuted these claims, “we can absolutely confirm that GAME has NOT ‘lost credit assurance with most of its publishers’” it tweeted.
Update: NowGamer seems to have misunderstood or misrepresented the story.
MCV has already been in touch with Game and has been assured that, although there are concerns over the retailers credit insurance (markedly not “assurance”), their relationship with publishers is still good and new releases will, of course, still be available this Friday.
We’re still waiting to hear back from our contacts at Game.
Update 2: We’ve just heard from an anonymous employee at the retailer who told us their pay was late, confirming at least one of the allegations above.
Update 3: It appears it’s the ‘sale or return’ that GAME has lost with the publishers in question, something backed up by Eurogamer. This basically means that any games not sold can’t just be sent back to the publisher, and GAME is being asked to pay upfront for these games now.
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01/02/2012 at 11:29
Member since: Forever
Site quotes an unnamed source
Retailer themselves gives a quote rubbishing it
I’m not sure I get the point
01/02/2012 at 17:33
Member since: Sep 2008
First thought as well, but some forums are painting a slightly worrying picture.
Apparently, Game stores are no longer taking preorders on Mass Effect 3 (I assume already made preorders are safe), are not going to be selling Never Dead (on friday) and are no longer accepting preorders on MGSHD. The latter two both being Konami titles, leading to some rumors going on there.
If update 3 was all that’s going on, then why are they no longer taking preorders on titles? Having people registered to pick up titles (so they get a rough estimate of the stock required) seems way less risky than buying a ton and hoping people pick em up in store.
01/02/2012 at 17:34
Member since: Sep 2008
Correction: It’s Gamestation no longer taking Mass Effect 3 preorders. Just skimming through Neogaf, assumed it was about Game.
01/02/2012 at 11:32
Member since: Jul 2010
A games shop that doesn’t sell new games? Might as well.rebrand it as a cash generator!
01/02/2012 at 11:32
Member since: Jul 2009
All I can say is……
Nonsense
01/02/2012 at 11:32
Member since: May 2010
Seeing as Game seems to focus more on preowned, i can understand why publishers would get fed up with Game. I mean, the last time i went in a Game shop, i swear that i had to hire a guide just to find the new games. If they can’t get New game in then they are effed as i doubt they can survive by selling preowned only.
I really hope they are not holding staff wages back as that’s illegal and is a dick move to make. Sorry for the language. They signed a contract and Game is not holding up their end of the deal.
But hopefully, Nowgamer is wrong and it’s just a rumour. :) Hangon, Game is own by the Game Group, so if Game goes under, it would affect Gamestation right?
01/02/2012 at 11:43
Member since: Sep 2011
They are both owned by the same company, so theoretically the demise of one would mean the downfall of the other, but it depends on how closely linked their finances are. The parent company could well jettison one to guarantee the future of the other.
01/02/2012 at 11:45
Member since: Forever
“Rumours that this week’s big releases will not be available in GAME are untrue, MCV can confirm.”
“Rumours that staff wages have not been paid are also untrue”
GAME do seem to find themselves in a situation where they’re not just shipped x amount of copies of games that they then pay for on account & are working with publishers individually about how it finances their purchases.
01/02/2012 at 11:48
Member since: Forever
See Update 2 on the pay issue.
01/02/2012 at 11:43
Member since: Feb 2011
Very doubtful that they will not have any Vitas or Vita games when Sony is putting a Vita stand in every GAME and Gamestation store. “Oh that, no we don’t sell those I’m afraid”.
01/02/2012 at 11:45
Member since: Feb 2011
Disclaimer: please note I have jumped to the conclusion that “huge impact on Vita launch” means they won’t stock any Vita consoles or Vita games. ;)
01/02/2012 at 11:51
Member since: Jun 2009
Update 2 says it all. There isn’t smoke without fire as they say. Interesting story.
01/02/2012 at 11:57
Member since: Forever
Depends, whether the payroll ran late as it does in some organisations on occasion, or whether GAME couldn’t actually afford to run it, so ran it late on purpose to allow themselves a few days breathing space.
01/02/2012 at 12:08
Member since: Sep 2008
Payroll running late in January was a sackable offence in a company I used to work for, apparently its the month with the highest rate of missed loan and mortgage payments.
I always wondered how highstreet shops managed their stocks without big risks, now I guess it’ll be as hard for Game as I always imagined it was!
01/02/2012 at 11:53
Member since: Jul 2009
Oh more news. Just read the update and the 2nd one oh dear….
01/02/2012 at 12:03
Member since: Nov 2009
What to believe?
01/02/2012 at 12:14
Member since: Mar 2009
Losing sale or return might sting a little, they’ll probably have lower stock levels on certain titles now. However, I imagine they do most of their business on the big sellers and top 10/20, may only be more niche titles that have issues. Given the marketplace already seems weighted against them it could be an issue in future, but probably have to see how it all shakes out.
01/02/2012 at 12:25
Member since: Jun 2009
I don’t believe a lot of what Nowgamer has said (some of it could well be true or a variation of the truth of course), but i actually could very well believe the lack of physical stock due to the fact that when i went in the other day, the only PS3 games they actually had out on sale were the top 20.
No stock of anything else at all. Went in hoping for a bargain & walked out concerned for their future!
01/02/2012 at 13:05
Member since: Forever
This is the thing, if they’re not going to sell back-catalogue then they’re no different to the supermarkets, so you have to wonder what their USP is & how they’re going to survive.
Worrying for people who want of benefit from competition on the high street.