@StuTwo Given how Sony has what must be 70% of the market share, GAME survives as long as that sells. And since they need to survive and are the main primary retailer they do in ways dictate the games market here.
So theyll push the market leader to survive and that in turn just strengthens that Monopoly.
Heres a diagram of my former local GAME store layout. See why Nintendo isnt hot here.
Now Playing: Mario & Luigi Brothership, Sonic x Shadow Generations
Now Streaming: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
@BLP_Software I think you just drew the typical game store layout. Although Xbox is often a bit smaller and in place there was a Wii U section. I haven't been to a brick and mortar store in ages, so I don't know if it has changed much.
Stores display the things that sell, and they don't care what that is. It's like saying bananas have a monopoly over papayas. The latter is very difficult to find, and when a grocery store has them, they're tucked away in a corner.
GAME are really struggling - and for a combination of reasons (described in detail here)
They've blamed a lack of Switch stock, 'softness' in the core Xbox and PlayStation markets, the rise of digital downloads/online purchases and, more generally, just the types of games that are coming out (the bigger games that have been coming out in recent times are games that people tend to play longer term, meaning that people have less need to go out and buy more games)
Sports Direct have recently invested in them (taking, I think, a 20% share of the business), but how that'll work out remains to be seen...Mike Ashley will probably give them tips on how to cut costs in every area of the business - which'll probably mean a cull of stores and a new 'zero hours' employment structure (ugh!) - but, longer term, GAME need a real overhaul of their approach if they're going to survive...
Here's how their share price has nosedived over time... (shares were £200.00 just 2 years ago)
...they can try to deflect blame on to Nintendo - but it's quite clear that this ship has been slowly sinking for quite a long time.
@BLP_Software I think it's a bit of cause and effect with regards to what they stock (and I understand it varies by branch based on the thoughts and ideas of the branch manager).
But I would hazard a guess that GAME are heavily invested in to the "Hollywood" model where they want to sell a handful of blockbuster games that sell millions in the space a couple of weeks or months. It means their inventory is simple and from their bottom line perspective means they are able to get the best supply deals on the games that are likely to sell the most (maximising their turnover and improving "no-margin games" into "barely any margin games").
Nintendo's business model of keeping games "everygreen" and at a consistently high price without allowing major sales to undercut the perceived value is at odds with that.
Then again you'd have to believe that Sony are almost certainly offering a better commercial deal than Nintendo. Because Sony's retail sales department is world class, aggressive and allowed to show largesse whilst Nintendo's is likely less so and probably comparatively stingy. Like maybe Sony offer to guarantee to pay every store £xx,xxx every year for 3 or 4 window displays or stuff like that.
@NaviAndMii The future of GAME is CCTV monitoring employees 24 hours a day watching to see that they never stop working. When you think of the future, think of a boot (from Sports Direct) stamping on a face. Forever.
They are probably doomed because to survive in retail today you have to be a "destination". Waterstones survives and prospers because you can go there, browse plenty of obscure books and relax in an armchair, have a cup of coffee etc. GAME is 100% about the blockbusters from the past 2-3 months and their stores can't easily adjust to being the hubs of game culture that they would really need to be.
@rallydefault Probably not. Shipping easily adds another €5 or 10 on top of it, and that's probably even more for hardware. If they even ship to Europe at all.
How much do you guys pay for a Switch anyway? It's $300; Average tax would be around 7%, right? So that adds up to $321, which is about €273, almost €60 cheaper, since it's €330 (including tax) over here. The difference is bigger than I expected! It actually may be worth it if that means saving 60 bucks, but that also means repairs and the like become a huge hassle (warranty is pretty much useless). You can't really send your system back for repairs, and although I've never had anything break on me, you never know.
@NaviAndMii GAME kinda already changed their approach after they went into administration in 2012. Trouble is they seem to have changed it for the worse, at least from the consumer's perspective. I used to quite like them but they don't seem terribly worthwhile anymore. I mostly just buy from Nintendo's online store now.
Really, though, the fact that this country has one specialist game retailer and it can barely stay afloat suggests a weak market in general. Although Nintendo are getting the worst of it.
I mean, GAME has always been a 'destination' for me - I think I drop in to my local store pretty much any time I pop in to town - but I guess that's not the case for everyone...and I can kind of see where they're coming from on the software front too - most of the people on my PS4 friends list pretty much seem to just play GTAV (or something like that) and don't really seem to have played much else in the past year...if the average person is only going to buy one-or-two games a year, down from, say, 3-4 a few years ago - that's really gonna hurt...
I got my Switch and Zelda from GAME - but I noticed that you tend to get better pre-order bonuses if you buy direct from Nintendo's online store (for the same price), so they're usually my first port of call these days...
I used to prefer Gamestation when that was about - they used to offer more retro games and consoles and (at least where I live) the employee's seemed to be more passionate and knowledgeable about games...when GAME took them over, I wished they'd have taken what was good about Gamestation and encorporated it in to their GAME stores - but they just kind of swallowed them up, re-branded them and stripped their soul away! Sad times, no doubt..
@NaviAndMii I've been left cold by them as a destination for a long time.
I remember often visiting in the early PS2/GCN/XBox era and they'd have a very wide variety of games stocked, a few kiosks to play and in general the feeling of a lot of space. I wouldn't say it's a place you could spend hours and hours in (like Waterstones) but it was the barebones of a "destination".
For the past 10 years they've shed all of that. They survive today because there is no real competition. If you see a kiosk for instance it's almost always FIFA which a) will sell to the audience who wants to buy it anyway, b) is more likely to attract nothing but school kids.
It's a shame because I'm sure there is a market for a video gaming equivalent of Waterstones that could justify slightly higher prices.
@StuTwo Absolutely! I live in a small village myself, with a small town nearby that has an independent game retailer which seems to be surviving okay - they just seem to have more of a soul, doing things like Pokémon trading and 'swap shop' events, selling Etsy-style accessories and collectibles, having a stock of retro games...I'd absolutely love it if GAME could try to make themselves in to more of a 'gaming Waterstones' - with sofas to play games, a social atmosphere, gaming clubs etc - you'd think that'd be a great way to (atleast attempt) to draw the crowds back in...
@NaviAndMii It's easier to have a soul when you're small. I'm sceptical as to whether the idea would be viable at scale. I'd love to see someone try nonetheless, but I'm sure GAME are too risk-averse at this point. You might think a struggling company would be willing to try for some sort of big play to rejuvenate itself, but that doesn't seem to be how the big-business mindset works.
@Zyrac I doubt that it could be done under the GAME brand - it's too big and unwieldy and fatally wedded to a business model that inevitably ends up desperately trying to compete on price in a race it can't win. But a chain of glorified cafes with a few consoles set up for multiplayer and some racks of slightly overpriced games and gaming merchandise could be a real winner in the UK if it had the right financial backing and vision.
Thing is if GAME goes...what do we as Nintendo users have? Amazon and Nintendo UK Store which are both cheaper. But on the high street for the average joy where sales numbers really come from?
No supermarkets stock Nintendo stuff en masse beyond maybe 3DS. CEX is all preowned. Grainger Games isnt in the south. HMV doesnt touch Nintendo.
What does the UK market in retail stores do for Ninyendo outside of GAME? Nothing. And thats the worst part. If GAME goes we lose even more of our already tiny market share here because no physical store will do it.
So we either fall even further to the side or stick up with high prices for the few who will look at GAMEs overpriced and tiny Ninty section.
Argos maybe but thats now owned by Sainburys. And they dont do Nintendo stuff. And people dont go for games.
@Octane
In Pennsylvania I have 6% sales tax, so that brought my Switch to $318. Pro Controller is $69, so about $73 with tax. After that, I assume you could just buy your games on the EU eShop and/or just buy them over there physically. But over here, physical "full" releases like Zelda and Splatoon are 60 bucks. UNLESS you are an Amazon Prime member and you can get most new releases for a little under 50 bucks.
GAME is the UK equivalent of Gamestop, I take it? Specialist game stores (big chains, at least) have been struggling more and more over the years. The combo of online retailers like Amazon and digital purchases is really doing them in.
Currently Playing: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (NS2); Corpse Factory (PC)
@rallydefault So that's about $63.6 (€54), for a big game. It's €60 over here and digital prices are guaranteed to be €60. Digital is the most expensive option. Retailers will often undercut the price and I get most of my games for around €52. That's the lowest I can find new games for on day one. The US prices for games are cheaper on paper, but the European market is a little more flexible, so if you look hard enough, you can find some good deals over here. Of course this only happens if there is enough stock. So any big Switch game is not going for less than €60. Not a big issue, but that also means that accessories and the console itself can be more expensive than the MSRP.
So, provided it's not a rare item, it's not all that bad. For example, I pre-ordered (and I know that works differently in the US too*) Uncharted Lost Legacy for €32 today, €8 less than the €40 MSRP.
*Pre-orders are free of any additional costs. You just pay the price up front and you get the game delivered on the day of release (or even before in some cases).
Remember when I mentioned that murder mystery game "The Sexy Brutale" got a PEGI rating for the Switch? Well, it's now been confirmed that it's coming to the system. It's going to be released in Japan this autumn by Nippon Ichi Software. I'd imagine a western release will come around then.
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