UK retailer Game has “categorically” denied a report that claimed the high street chain planned to halt the sale of physical video games and consoles.
Earlier on Monday, a site called Gfinity claimed the only physical games and consoles available at stores would be the fulfilment of pre-orders.
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This effectively would have meant you could no longer walk into the store with a few quid burning a hole in your pocket and grab a new game to play on your console.
Thankfully, Game itself has pushed back against the reporting, claiming it still plans to support the physical media market.
“This reporting is categorically not true,” a GAME spokesperson told Eurogamer. “GAME continues to support the physical gaming market, offering a wide-range of physical games, hardware, software, accessories and digital gift cards, in stores and online.”
A further statement said there’d be no change to how pre-orders operate at the retailer either. So, it’s business as usual for the company, which has 240 stores in the United Kingdom.
Game had already ended the ability to trade-in games or buy pre-owned titles, so it’s unclear what would put the gaming in Game if they company ended all physical sales. Unless it was planning to exclusively sell Funko Pop toys and other tat and other collectables, we’re not sure how this would have been sustainable.
Just last year the company assured gamers it was in it for the long haul despite dropping the used game sales and trade-ins.
“Gaming is our core business and we will be last man standing selling physical video games,” Game boss Nick Arran said last year. “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.”
