MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Gamer Network boss Rupert Loman says he’s disappointed by GAME’s decision to go head-to-head with his EGX event. GAMEFest will form part of Insomnia58, which starts on August 26th at Birmingham NEC. That’s just four weeks before EGX, which will take place at the same venue from September 22nd. On …
Read More »GAME’s CEO on surviving the turbulent games industry
Just before Christmas GAME warned its shareholders that sales had been lower than expected. The news of a disappointing festive period can be a critical blow to any retailer, but especially to one in a market like video games, which is so heavily dependant on Q4. The profit warning was …
Read More »Oculus Rift launch is ‘like a beta’
The arrival of Oculus Rift was akin to a video game test launch, says GAME. The Rift was released via Oculus’ own website last week, although it was missing a couple of features – namely the special Oculus Touch controllers. And GAME boss Martyn Gibbs has played down fears that …
Read More »GAME ‘doesn’t foresee’ mass store closures
UK retailer GAME says it is not looking to close stores in reaction to its financial results yesterday. The firm revealed adjusted earnings of 33.1m for the first half of its financial year (up until January 23rd), a drop of almost 10m on the same period a year before. The …
Read More »GAME warns of potential VR stock shortages
Virtual reality headsets won’t be available in console-like numbers at launch. That’s according to GAME, which said today that demand could well outstrip supply. "We are very well [versed in] dealing with products in high demand and low stock, and we would assume that virtual reality will fall into that …
Read More »Pokémon merchandise bays coming to GAME to celebrate series’ 20th anniversary
High Street retailer GAME has partnered up with The Pokmon Company for the franchise’s 20th birthday. From Friday, March 25th, consumers will be able to pick up a limited edition Pikachu Pokmon card (pictured), marked with the Pokmon 20th branding. This is free with any Pokmon-related purchase in participating GAME …
Read More »GAME: PS4 and Xbox One install base surpasses 5.1m in the UK
5.1 million PlayStation 4 and Xbox Ones have been sold in the UK. That’s according to High Street retailer GAME, which reported the figure in a presentation for its financials (as spotted by Videogamer). The firm cites GfK, IHS and IDG for these figures, which represent the install base of …
Read More »GAME’s profit and revenue fall during H1
GAME’s earnings were down by almost 10m for the half-year until January 23rd, 2016. The firm cited the ‘challenging UK market’ for the slump in earnings, which totalled 33.1m. The figure is a slight improvement on the profit warning GAME issued in January, when it predicted that its half-year results …
Read More »Over 1,300 new UK stores sold video games in 2015
The number of physical stores selling video games jumped up in 2015. 6,609 stores sold games in the UK last year, a rise of 1,337 over 2014. The data comes via GfK and retail trade body ERA. Every store type increased last year, including electrical chains (up by three stores), …
Read More »GAME to close internal customer services department
UK retailer GAME says it will now offer a 24-hour customer service hotline by transferring it to an external partner. GAME currently handles customer services internally at its Basingstoke HQ, but can only be reached between 8am – 8pm (or 10am – 5pm on Sunday). According to employees at GAME’s …
Read More »