‘Indie devs – put your games in boxes and we will stock them’

The biggest names in UK retail want to stock more independently-created video games.

Stores including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, GAME and ShopTo have told MCV that there is a real opportunity for indie games in boxes, as the number of triple-A releases landing on shelves shrinks.

There is a massive opportunity at retail to maximise sales for indie games,” said Tesco games buyer Jon Ferdenzi. Whether it would be full price digital games through points cards or fully boxed solutions.

I actually think the latter is a very good idea, especially for grocery at gifting periods. The price point is generally lower, and would add a lot of value to purchases if boxed with other products.”

ShopTo’s head of commercial Alison Fraser added: We would give independent games a chance on our website.

As we are a pre-order heavy retailer we would soon find out the demand for indie titles. As there is a lack of new releases between the larger titles, there are certainly gaps to fill in retail, space on the site to promote and social media to educate customers.”

GAME’s head of retail Charlotte Knight says the firm is committed to offering the ‘widest range of gaming products’ on the market, and is always open to new partnerships. Meanwhile, the head of games at another major High Street chain believes Minecraft and Terraria are proof of the potential for indie games at retail.

There does seem to be a really solid market for a physical version of some of these digital experiences,” he said. Some customers still like having discs. Not only have we seen Minecraft sell and keep selling, we also have Terraria, which has ticked over really well for over a year.”