Game to stop selling pre-owned titles

Image source, Getty Images

By Tom Gerken & Chris Vallance

Technology reporters

UK High Street chain Game has confirmed that it plans to end its pre-owned video game business.

The company will phase out trade-ins over the coming months, according to parent company Frasers Group.

But pre-owned games will still be sold in the company’s standalone stores while stocks remain.

The decision, first reported by Eurogamer, signals the end of a cheaper way to purchase titles valued by many gamers.

Sales of physical video games have fallen substantially since Game’s heyday in the early 2000s.

According to figures from the digital entertainment and retail association (ERA) trade body in 2023, digital sales now account for almost nine out of every 10 video games sold in the UK.

Meanwhile, in addition to buying new and pre-owned, many people now pay for monthly subscription services such as Sony’s PlayStation Plus and Microsoft’s Game Pass, which give them access to large libraries of downloadable games.

Rivalry with Cex

“As part of the integration of Game, we will be phasing out the trade-in, pre-owned and Game Elite offerings in the UK over the coming months,” a spokesperson for Frasers Group said.

“Pre-owned will still be available in our standalone stores across the UK while stock lasts, and Game Elite will still be available until the end of summer.”

According to Game’s website, the store accepts trade-ins for “most consoles, games, and gaming accessories”, but does not take titles from older consoles such as PlayStation 2.

It is in contrast to High Street rival Cex, which has built an empire of 600 stores worldwide, and 385 in the UK, based entirely on a business model dealing in pre-owned electronics.

As well as stocking pre-owned gaming and computing accessories, the floorspace of most Cex stores is taken up by thousands of video games including those for old consoles that Game does not deal in.

Cex offers cash for pre-owned games, but Game offers credit against future purchases instead.

On X, formerly Twitter, one user reacting to the reports of the end of trade-ins wrote: “They’ve just handed their biggest rival (CEX) the entire pre-owned market.”

Sophie Smart, production director at UK game studio No More Robots, said the decision was “a real shame”. “I think so many of us can remember not being able to afford the cost of a full-price game when it launched, and waiting a couple of months and saving up pocket money to go and get the game pre-owned.”

She said across the industry there was a move away from physical products.

“However, with new AAA titles costing as much as £70 when new, and presumably, physical versions dropping in price fairly quickly after launch, I would have expected a greater demand for pre-owned titles and Game making a large mark-up on these in particular.”

Game was bought in 2019 for £52m by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, formerly known as Sports Direct International.

The takeover has led to the closure of some stores, as well as others opening inside retail spaces already owned by Frasers Group.

There has also been a shift towards other forms of entertainment, with Game stores devoting floorspace to plush toys, board games and Pokemon cards.

The firm’s managing director, Nick Arran, told gamesindustry.biz last year that he wanted Game to be “a toy business that sells all year round”.

“We do need to protect the future of the business,” he said. “That’s why we’ve gone with this general entertainment approach across gaming, toys, board games and tech as well.”