UK retailer Game is closing its remaining standalone stores, after entering administration
Game will now operate entirely within Sports Direct and House of Fraser
UK retailer Game will close the last of its remaining standalone stores, after the company entered administration last month.
Game’s longtime MD, Nick Arran, is also leaving the company, after nearly nine years at the retailer.
Last week, the historic British video game store filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, putting creditors on alert for the second time in just over a decade.
Now, according to The Game Business, the Frasers Group-owned business has decided to close its three remaining stores, effectively marking the end of Game as a standalone retail presence.
Game’s website will continue to trade as usual, and the retailer will continue to operate as concessions within Sports Direct and House of Fraser stores, with over 200 positions currently.
Game has been winding down for several years, closing stores as their leases come up, and last year, shutting its HQ in Basingstoke. In April, it moved most of its staff onto zero-hour contracts, before cutting back its management team.
Game previously struggled in the 2010s, entering administration in 2012 and closing nearly 300 stores, before it was rescued by Frasers Group in 2019 in a £51.9 million.
As a result of the acquisition, Game has, in recent years, wound down its pre-order business, trade-in programs, and reward schemes.
Historically, Game has been one of the UK’s most significant retail brands for video games. Founded in 1992, Game grew significantly over the following decades, acquiring Virgin Games, Electronics Boutique, and Gamestation.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in 2023, Game MD, Nick Arran, had denied the chain was turning its back on its games business to focus on other items, such as toys.
“Gaming is our core business and we will be last man standing selling physical video games,” he said.
“We see our place in the market as proving that there is a place for physical, whether that be the collector’s editions, which we see as the vinyl of video games, or the gifter who doesn’t want to wrap up a download code for Christmas.
“But we need to be realistic. We have a business to run and the expectation is this will decline. So we need to fill that gap.”
