GAME will stop selling physical games except to fulfill pre-orders – report

Embattled retail chain GAME will no longer sell physical games except to fulfill pre-orders.

This is according to a report from Gfinity which states that upcoming new launches will need to be pre-ordered before launch to be picked up in-store.

The same goes for video game consoles, the report continues, suggesting that outside of hardware launches, you’ll no longer be able to walk into a store and buy a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X/S in commerce.

Eurogamer has contacted GAME for further details.

The move would be the latest sweeping change to how GAME operates this year, following the end of its long-running trade-in program – meaning you can no longer buy or trade used games – and the closure of its GAME Elite reward program. .

Earlier this year, Eurogamer reported how many GAME employees had been moved to zero-hours contracts, while others had been made redundant.

Eurogamer understands that the changes to GAME are part of a wider move to operate the brand largely within concession units for other stores owned by its parent company, the Frasers Group, such as Sports Direct .

Much of GAME’s floor space and sales are now taken up by toys and collectibles such as Funko Pops. Yet a GAME where you can’t even buy physical games is the chain’s most surprising move yet.