[calex71]

Originally Posted by PickledLime

Dunno about ye, but i've noticed recently that they've less staff working, shop isn't as well maintained. They seem to have had trouble getting certain stock too - were out of stock for how long of Skylanders because 'there wasn't enough been made'. Quick trip to Smyths sees the things stacked high and was told they're getting them regularly.

They also seem to be out of stock of Saints Row 3 since it came out. And where the hell are the cds gone?!

.

From what I heard they got rid of assistant managers in a lot of shops.

Saints Row 3 was a supplier issue and effected every shop I think.

[Varik]

Originally Posted by Venom

I can't even remember the last time I bought something from Game tbh.

I do, pre-ordered Arkham City from them and it cost €10 more than shop around it when i went to get it.

Don't care if the go or just down size as long as all those pre-order bonuses go to someone else who doesn't charge far more than everyone else.

[PickledLime]

Originally Posted by calex71

From what I heard they got rid of assistant managers in a lot of shops.

S**t, that surely means all isn't well.

[RiseToTheTop]

I only buy online now, bar the couple, and I mean couple of in it's strictest sence, Wii games I get.

I've a 2TB drive on my table, not a shelf full of games that could be used for other functions.

[LH Pathe]

GAME HELP

and they could swap the purple backdrop for red

[BlitzKrieg]

meh response to the news.

You expect EA possibly the most vocal of the big publishers over the sh*t game shops put them through with the inflated 2nd hand market to give one of them a break? Hell no! EA have been itching to kill off the gameshops, they've been firmly sticking their feet into the online markets over the last few years (with a lot of mistakes) and doing everything they could to discourage second hand sales from extra content to locked multiplayer.

And then one of them comes cap in hand to them?

EA are obviously going to throw them out. The games industry is at its most fragile since the video game crash of 1983. Games are costing too much to make, the 2nd hand market is out of control, the market lifespan of a product is far too short and the notion of recycling products in the market is still a complicated and costly affair. EA know this and have for a while.

And they once said the games industry was recession proof hah!

[LH Pathe]

I'm itching to kill off the game shops too. If I can purchase a definite upload sooner than an up in the air transport that may not have been ordered in anyhow, such is the case of late... then all that physical resources transportation etc for a generally uploaded medium is due a death anyhow.

[Viral Vector]

I'm not surprised with this!

They fought me tooth and nail when I bought a new Saints Row 3, that didn't work, off them for €50! Took me ages to get a refund!

To be fair though...GAME in Galway does have better deals on used games than the Gamestop up the road!

[Pageant Messiah]

Originally Posted by LH Pathe

I'm itching to kill off the game shops too. If I can purchase a definite upload sooner than an up in the air transport that may not have been ordered in anyhow, such is the case of late... then all that physical resources transportation etc for a generally uploaded medium is due a death anyhow.

Will you pay extra though ?

[Bambi]

Last game I attempted to buy from GAM was the PC version of the elder scrolls: skyrim on release day. I was told if i had'nt pre-ordered I could forget about it.


Went back to the office and bought it off steam 10 minutes later.

Then they wonder why they're dying on their arse?

[Lantus]

DVD's, music, BD and gaming are formats that are small and easily made digital. I think we have all known for a while that shops like HMV and the various big Game shops are under increasing pressure every day due to the ease and popularity of online purchases either by post or download.

The lower cost base of online makes it hard for shops with often large overheads for leases and lighting and heat and staff etc to compete on a level playing ground.

I'm personally sad because even though I dont buy DVD's these days or many items from these stores stores like HMV are a great place to browse and escape the multitude of clothes shops when I'm out with the wife.

In terms of pre-owned games it's looking very likely that the next gen of consoles will feature something to prevent this along the lines of a content code that we are now used to for extra maps etc. As game shops make most of their money from pre-owns this alone would spell the end of them. The online market would also take a battering.

I think in terms of what will happen say in 5 years time by which time the next xbox and Wii will of arrived (and maybe even the next PS) the supermarkets will be calling the shots and selling around 15 to 25 of only the most popular titles. Traditional game shops will be gone and assuming pre-owned being made extinct there will be a very generic flat pricing across all outlets as producers take back control over pricing and distribution. Whether this results in cheaper games because of no more pre-owns avoiding royalty's is debateable as it is just as likley fewer people will purchase the game anyway.

That said I think there is still an opportunity for specialist outlets that do much more than just sell games but provide a full experience and social hub that gamers can enjoy.

[Blowfish]

Originally Posted by Lantus

I think in terms of what will happen say in 5 years time by which time the next xbox and Wii will of arrived (and maybe even the next PS) the supermarkets will be calling the shots and selling around 15 to 25 of only the most popular titles. Traditional game shops will be gone and assuming pre-owned being made extinct there will be a very generic flat pricing across all outlets as producers take back control over pricing and distribution. Whether this results in cheaper games because of no more pre-owns avoiding royalty's is debateable as it is just as likley fewer people will purchase the game anyway.

In 5 years time, I'd pretty much expect no retailers to stock games at all. We've long moved past the point where there's a good reason to buy physical copies of games. Granted there'll probably still be a few people in the back end of nowhere that may need a physical copy, but online retailers can easily fill that niche.

[Zeouterlimits]

Originally Posted by Blowfish

We've long moved past the point where there's a good reason to buy physical copies of games. Granted there'll probably still be a few people in the back end of nowhere that may need a physical copy, but online retailers can easily fill that niche.

Nope. Nope. Nope. You're way overestimating the average broadband speed/bandwidth.
With most games at 6 GB and up, most of the public would be unable to download this in the time they want without leaving their system running while they were at work/school.

[Doctor DooM]

Originally Posted by Zeouterlimits

Nope. Nope. Nope. You're way overestimating the average broadband speed/bandwidth.
With most games at 6 GB and up, most of the public would be unable to download this in the time they want without leaving their system running while they were at work/school.

I was just talking to someone who was fined 20 euro by their BB provider for breaching their 10GB cap- and apparently that's the best service they can get. That's 1 game a month

We're a long way off.

[Blowfish]

Originally Posted by Zeouterlimits

Nope. Nope. Nope. You're way overestimating the average broadband speed/bandwidth.

Actually, I think you are underestimating it. The average download speed currently stands at 8.28Mbps for Ireland. For a 6gb file, that's about an hour and a half.

Services like Steam currently will preload games for you automatically in the background several days before the release date if you preorder. This means that you end up being able to play just a couple of minutes after the midnight release.

Given that we are talking about 5 years down the line when download speeds will have increased even more, it's not a difficult thing to imagine for Microsoft/Sony to start pushing digital purchases in a big big way as it both reduces piracy and gives them pretty much total control over distribution.