Popular gaming retailer to close all UK stores in blow to the high street

The video games chain filed notice of its intention to appoint administrators last week, triggering a temporary legal freeze protecting it from creditor action.

Following this move, the company has confirmed that its remaining branches in Dudley, Lancaster, and Sutton will permanently close their doors.

Frasers Group, the retail empire previously known as Sports Direct, acquired GAME in 2019 through a £52million deal after the business struggled throughout the latter part of that decade.

Nick Arran, who has served as managing director for nearly nine years, will also depart the company alongside these closures.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in 2023, Arran had insisted the chain remained committed to its core purpose despite mounting pressures on physical retail.

"Gaming is our core business and we will be last man standing selling physical video games," he stated at the time.

He acknowledged the challenging reality facing the sector, adding: "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."

Despite the closure of its physical shops, GAME will maintain its digital presence through its website, which continues to trade as normal.

The retailer will also preserve a significant high street footprint through concession spaces operating within other Frasers Group properties. More than 200 of these concession units currently exist across Sports Direct and House of Fraser stores nationwide.

This hybrid model represents the company's strategy for survival in an increasingly digital marketplace, where downloadable games have steadily eroded demand for physical copies.

The approach allows GAME to reduce overhead costs associated with standalone premises whilst retaining visibility in busy retail locations frequented by potential customers.

With GAME's retreat from the high street, CeX has emerged as Britain's largest remaining physical gaming retailer, operating approximately 390 stores across the country and more than 600 worldwide.

GAME's decline has been gradual but relentless. When the company first collapsed into administration in 2012, it resulted in 277 branch closures and over 2,000 redundancies.

Founded in 1992, the retailer once dominated British gaming retail, expanding through acquisitions of Virgin Games, Electronics Boutique, and Gamestation.

Recent years saw the company wind down its pre-order services, trade-in programmes, and reward schemes, whilst shifting staff onto zero-hour contracts and closing its Basingstoke headquarters.