A UK retail chain has announced that it will no longer accept and sell used games.
Which company is giving up the used game trade? The video game retailer “GAME” has announced that it will phase out the purchase and sale of used video games in the coming months.
GAME is a large retail chain in the UK where players could exchange their used games for store credits or gift cards. In June 2019, GAME was acquired by the Fraser Group.
A spokesman for Fraser Group told the BBC that the company will continue to sell the games it has in stock – but only while stocks last. No more games will be accepted in exchange for store credits or gift cards.
“The End of an Era”
How is the gaming community reacting? A user on X.com (formerly Twitter) writes that he once ran his own independent store and believes that GAME could not survive without trading in used games.
Another user describes GAME’s decision to stop selling used games on Reddit as “the end of an era”, whereupon another Reddit user expresses his surprise at this decision: “That surprises me. When I worked there, thrift sales were the store’s primary source of income.”
Other users are less surprised about the company’s path: “The fact that GAME no longer has its own stores and is reduced to a small corner in a sports store shows that the hour has come for the brand. A huge disgrace and mismanagement of a great brand.”
Why doesn’t GAME want to sell used games anymore? The company did not give an exact reason.
Selling used games may not be as profitable these days as it was a few years ago. After all, there are more and more subscription services that allow players to check out a variety of games for a comparatively low price before deciding to buy.
There are also numerous websites where players can buy and sell their used games directly from the comfort of their own home. Added to this are the regular sales in online stores and the return of the demos on Steam.
If Ubisoft has its way, gamers will rely more on gaming subscriptions in the future. But as a company executive recently said, players need to get used to not owning their games: You should get used to not owning your games, says a Ubisoft executive