Apparently in UK, retailers stock the games for something like £38 whereas the usual RRP is about 44.99, big releases like COD get away with charging higher amounts - closer to RRP, so the retailers have to adapt and up the prices. Big retailers like Tesco etc, supermarkets, lower the price closer to what they've paid - sometimes even making a loss in an attempt to attract the customer to come in and do their weekly shopping while they're there. Whereas the game shops don't have such luxury and have to sell at a price where they still make profit - so above the price they've paid for the game. So they end up pricing COD at 45 and usual new releases at 39.99 - or 40.

Then take into account, the preorder incentives, bundle deals etc. With supermarkets being able to take a loss on the game, they can offer better prices than the GAME.

A simple case, Tesco, one of the biggest retailers in UK offered MW3 + 2100 MS points for something like £45, which put COD at around £30 - about 15 cheaper than GAME, meaning that you'd get the game and points for same price as just a game. They just can't compete with that.

But when the fucking gamestation offers you practically no credit, it's ridiculous. I got offered £2 for army of two: 40th day when the CEX (Competitor store) next door was offering £6. DAFUQ!? Still, plenty of other sheep to milk, although you can get them to price match competitor, not many people know about that.

It depends. But, looking at previous releases, and how they're having stocking issues, you'll be lucky to have the game in stock at all...

Be sure to check!

I managed to get Metal Gear Solid 3D last week... fingers crossed!

No wonder they went under, at least if their Norwegian stores are telling of the organization as a whole. High prices, bad inventory, poor service, lack of good deals and bundles and no marketing.
They are eclipsed in every way by other stores, even record stores who sell games a byline have better deals and inventory.

Poor management and being uncompetitive doomed GAME. Firstly their prices were always higher than other places. While this might not have affected the casual walk in customer it definitely had an impact on the core gamer. No one I know buys things at GAME unless it was a special pre-order thing. However GAME were happy to get the customers who didn't know better buying things at high prices. However guess what? That casual customer doesn't buy much. They aren't in there buying multiple games a month etc.

Secondly the entire company was just awfully managed. I don't even remember which is the parent company anymore. I think Electronics Boutique bought GAME but then rebranded their own stores as GAME. Then they also purchased Gamestation. Effectively meaning the company had the shop locations of 3 separate companies that were meant to compete with each other. Rather than close down some locations they instead thought ''Oh well they are all profitable for now so might as well keep them all open!''

That was a beyond idiotic move. They were just competing with themselves and paying way more in rent, utilities etc than they had to. To give you an idea how bad it was in the city I live in within a few minutes walk (literally, not figuratively) there are 2 GAMEs and 2 Gamestations...... why? They should have closed down 1 of each YEARS ago. Four specialist game shops within a few minutes walk of each other by the same company is madness. Especially when in the same area there are 4! more specialist game shops by different companies and 2 (actually probably more) companies that sell games/dvds etc.

In the city as a whole there are 20 shops owned by GAME/Gamestation alone....... madness.

Cashed in on one of the Gamestation deals - they were offering an extra £5 on every 2 games traded in. Was getting more money for some games then I could have bought them from lol.

I've said before why GAME went, but it's all the same as usual. Highest prices, mismanagement, too many stores, competition in both first and second hand markets.

It's not a huge loss in reality - you were a mug to shop there anyway. But with no highstreet game retailer it means games like Catherine are exclusive to online retailers... probably.

Picked up Lost Odyssey for £1.98, pretty good deal.

I agree with most of the other stuff, but I have to disagree with the service.

The staff at my local store are incredibly friendly, and even stores further adrift which I've never been to before have been very friendly, so I've had good experience with the staff!

Anyway, BBC News has reported that suppliers have cut off GAME. And it shows, it looks pretty barren in there now.

Is this the final chapter for the company I wonder?

As I expected. They have NO new stock coming in at all, for any game.

But business decisions have really killed the company. I mean, they wouldn't stock TLS, or Mario Party 9, or Mass Effect 3...but they will stock MGS 3DS, a game which was never gonna sell as well? And random film tie-ins also. 

Poor decisions.

I have no doubt you're right, the UK probably differs from here. Almost all jobs like working in GAME go out to students around here, Trondheim has 150.000 inhabitants and 30.000 students... (total 180.000). Most of them don't really care about the job, they just want extra money for parties and gear and even more of them have little no clue about gaming or electronics.