MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
We’ve been down this road before. Another bleak set of retailer financials, another article in MCV wondering what can be done about it. But now the situation has become more pressured. GAME posted devastating festive results, with sales down 17.6 per across UK and Ireland. While over at HMV, the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: GAME’s trading update
Last week The Telegraph ran the headline ‘Can GAME Group survive?’ It was a sensational headline, not entirely based on the facts of the situation, and as GAME Group CEO Ian Shepherd says: It is very easy to look at any retailer on the High Street and write an apocalyptic …
Read More »GAME comes out fighting
GAME Group has hit back at its detractors after issuing a profit warning last week. The retail specialist revealed that its like-for-like revenues will be lower than forecast, but said the dip is caused by a flagging games market and low consumer confidence.That didn’t stop national papers suggesting the Group …
Read More »GAME ‘won’t be drawn into a price war’
GAME CEO Ian Shepherd believes the Group can be a major player online without being drawn into a price war. The firm’s major online rivals – including new arrivals Asda and GameStop – have been aggressive on price in a bid to win market share. But Shepherd believes that GAME …
Read More »GAME: ‘It’s foolhardy to fear digital’
GAME insists it has nothing to fear from digital retailers after backing Xbox Live, PSN and streamingservice OnLive. CEO Ian Shepherd dismissed the notion that he was giving away customers to these digital rivals by promoting them, and reiterated the firm’s strategy to become more than just a retailer. We’re …
Read More »GAME’s like-for-like sales drop by 9.9%
The UK’s leading games retailer GAME has reported a 9.9 per cent drop in like-for-like sales for the 26 weeks ending July 31st 2011. It’s a tough time for every retailer at the moment, and gaming is no exception. However, despite the challenges GAME succeeded in increasing its market share. …
Read More »Female Shepard gets cover role
BioWare’s Mass Effect series has always tried to remain gender neutral – with equal options for both male and female characters and no discrimination regarding sexual relationships. However, one area in which this has not occurred is with the game’s cover, which has always starred the default male version of …
Read More »GAME: Pre-owned attitudes are changing
Ian Shepherd, the CEO of leading UK games retailer GAME, has said that the attitude of publishers toward pre-owned has changed. As long ago as 2005 publisher bosses were openly bemoaning the revenues lost to retail’s pre-owned sales. It has even been said the sector poses a bigger threat than …
Read More »Raising the GAME
For some time, GAME Group has been the first to admit that it needs to reclaim relevancy and up its game in terms of hi-tech retailing. Hence its unveiling of a new five-point plan two weeks ago that will overhaul the finer points of its GAME and Gamestation brands. Why …
Read More »GAME: Our market favours the specialist
In a presentation entitled "Dedicated to Gaming", GAME Group CEO Ian Shepherd has outlined his strategy for growth in the coming years, claiming that the specialist games retailer will not succumb to the same problems that have beset other entertainment sectors. "The games market is different to books, DVD and …
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