GAME no longer stocking EA Games..

[METALMAN]

The overarching reason Game is fucked is pretty pretty straightforward. With lots of people being skint because of pay freezes and stuff, they are going to cut luxury, disposable goods out of their spending first. That's all that Game stocks.

That isn't the reason at all. Despite all the economic issues, the Video game industry is huge, and still raking in billions every year.

The issue, as has basically been shown by the continuing conversation, is people buying their games online. They are cheaper, they get there on the day (day before for some) and it is easier.

I'd also throw out the growing CEX-type shops, who generally offer better trade-in for games, and tends to end up with new games quickly, with prices also dropping quickly.

Um no. Video games sales are in a massive slump right now.

[Summers]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has set the record for the biggest entertainment launch ever, Activision has announced.

It generated an eye-watering $400 million in the US and UK alone. It sold more than 6.5 million units in the US and UK in the first 24 hours of release, according to Chart-Track and retail customer sell-through information.

Modern Warfare 3 beats Call of Duty: Black Ops' record, set this time last year. Black Ops had estimated day one sell through of $360 million. 2009's Modern Warfare 2 had a sell through of $310 million.

Still plenty of money being made in this industry.

[METALMAN]

That's one game. :/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16983122

NPD group said stores sold $1.14bn (£720m) worth of games over the month, down 34% on the previous year. It added that hardware sales were down 38%.

[ravenjuice]

That article does heavily imply its referring to high street stores.

[Liam]

That's one game. :/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16983122

NPD group said stores sold $1.14bn (£720m) worth of games over the month, down 34% on the previous year. It added that hardware sales were down 38%.

Already been covered, but yeah.

Video games are a bigger industry in the UK then movies, and it has been widely reported that it has been fairly recession proof, outside of the high street stores....which was kinda my point.

[METALMAN]

Right, well the article is referring to total sales, but being unclear about it. The games industry as a whole is in a bad way right now. This is why so many developers, most notably THQ are in choppy waters and having to lay of hundreds of staff. It's also why prices for 3DS have been slashed. Things aren't rosey for the gaming industry, whether it's on the high street or online.

[Summers]

Hardware sales are gonna be down until the new nextgen consoles.. no surprise there.

Eitherway, Game can't blame their uselessness on the industry being in a lull when the bigger games are still making good money. It's more than that. They've made a number of mistakes at the top level and they're paying for it.

[jrhodes]

All my pre-orders from Shopto have arrived a day early, so I'll vouch for them right now.

I'll vouch for ShopTo as well. I got Skyrim a day early on pre-order and The Last Story arrived within 24 hours after ordering it.

[EWB's Best Poster.]

Well. Not all hardware. Apparently the "one piece " ps3 is preordered in japan only.

For half a million consoles.

The r2d2 xbox look sweet too

[Cactus Drags]

Hardware sales are gonna be down until the new nextgen consoles.. no surprise there.

Eitherway, Game can't blame their uselessness on the industry being in a lull when the bigger games are still making good money. It's more than that. They've made a number of mistakes at the top level and they're paying for it.

Game group sold more games than any other retailer last year. It's not just shitty for them.

The alternative to not stocking EA games for the moment was to basically not stock anything else. EA are the bad guys here.

The Ubisoft spat has already been sorted, to the point that we got stock in yesterday.

Fuck anyone who takes this out on their local staff, we're as pissed off as anyone, if not more so, since we're the ones who have to sell people on the benefits of deposits and whatnot.

[Cactus Drags]

I worked at Game until January and this was always on the cards. From the week before Christmas until the start of January we had no deliveries, so had to fill our chart section with pre owned games. We didn't have one new release game for any console, and head office blamed it on supplier issues.

Pulling this stunt the week before the biggest release of the quarter is released is just game cementing the fact they are about to go under.

Different situation. There wasn't any stock because the company as trying to keep as much cash within the business as possible when the had to report trading figures and all that share bollocks to the city. It's not ideal, but it's not the same thing. Again, it's EA fucking this up for the most part.

[Summers]

Always some idiots who blame staff in the shops. :/

[Cactus Drags]

It's awful. I had a woman today angrily insist on a refund, which I had no problem with at all, and it was almost like she was expecting a fight and started shouting at me. Then she told me she didn't accept the goodwill gesture of £5 loyalty points and that I was to tell my head office as much. To which I told her to stick it (I'd had enough of being polite through all this) and if she had an issue with head office's gesture, it was on her to take it up with them. She then went on about suing and breach of contract. Doubt she'll get very far, having accepted the refund and everything.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that we have had a couple of regulars and not-so-regulars pop in with genuine concern, and who've be perfectly understanding of the situation, which I really appreciate. Tomorrow's likely going to be worse.

[METALMAN]

I love it when customers go on about breach of contract or tell me it is illegal to refuse them a refund and that sort of thing. Highlight of my day!

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Well. Not all hardware. Apparently the "one piece " ps3 is preordered in japan only.

For half a million consoles.

The r2d2 xbox look sweet too

One Piece is massively popular over here and has been for years. I can't think of a similarly huge cultural phenomenon in a Western country.

...Maybe the rhythm method in the bible belt...

[Skummy]

I love it when customers go on about breach of contract or tell me it is illegal to refuse them a refund and that sort of thing. Highlight of my day!

Yeah, it's wonderful, isn't it? My favourite part is when they start quoting random laws at me, and threatening to go to Trading Standards.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"I KNOW I HAVE A RIGHT TO RETURN A CONSOLE FOREVER! Not just six months or that two year warranty you gave me. FOREVER! AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"

"Yes, of course. You just have to send your console back to the company for a replacement. Your costs are totally covered and they'll dispatch a new console for yo....."

"NO! NO NO NO NO NONONONONONONONO! I bought this XBox 7 years ago in one of your stores in another city. You've got to take it and give me a replacement now!"

"Do you have a receipt?"

"No! But I know my rights! Get me your manager!"

[Bobfoc]

In the past few months, I've had customers ranting on about consumer rights over such matters as being unable to purchase Mario Kart 7 on the Xbox 360, being refused a full refund for a used, fully working game they bought two months ago on the grounds that they "thought it was crap", or because their attempts to convince me to sell them a new Xbox 360 bundle for £100 were unsuccessful. The public truly is wonderful.

[Skummy]

My personal favourite is always customers who think that because they've decided they didn't want something, they're entitled to a full refund. And when you point out that the refunds policy is printed on their receipt, or wherever it might be, they say "oh, well I didn't read that", as if that absolves them of any blame for not knowing it. In fact, customers who blame you for the fact that they haven't read something in general. My life would be so much quieter without them.

[METALMAN]

One of my favourite ever moments at work was when I had this angry customer to whom I had refused a refund, but offered a giftcard instead. "That's robbery!", he shouted, to which one of my co-workers showed him DVD they just happened to be carrying and said "No, this is Robbery!"