Game: UK’s largest games retailer to stop selling pre-owned games

The UK’s excessive avenue chain Recreation will likely be phasing out its pre-owned and trade-in companies over the approaching months, reports Eurogamer. The British retailer has lengthy been identified for its pre-owned choice however new homeowners Frasers Group are shifting in a unique path.

Speaking to the BBC, a Frasers Group spokesperson mentioned, “As a part of the mixing of Recreation, we will likely be phasing out the trade-in, pre-owned, and Recreation Elite choices within the UK over the approaching months. Pre-owned will nonetheless be out there in our stand-alone shops throughout the UK whereas inventory lasts, and Recreation Elite will nonetheless be out there till the tip of summer time.”

Based on Eurogamer, who spoke to members of workers on the brick-and-mortar recreation retailer throughout a number of branches, clients will not be capable of commerce in video games after February 16. Recreation will nonetheless settle for trade-ins earlier than this date so if in case you have some able to go, act now. Pre-owned video games will likely be out there for buy till inventory runs out.

Frasers Group can be phasing out Recreation Elite, the premium model of Recreation’s rewards scheme. The scheme has been operating since 2017 and prices £36 per 12 months to realize further reward factors and particular offers out there solely to Elite members. To encourage membership to what proved to be an unpopular scheme, Recreation supplied factors again to clients who didn’t earn sufficient to offset the price of membership. The scheme was described as “unattractive” when it launched.

The place are you able to get pre-owned video video games within the UK now?

There’s no denying the enchantment of with the ability to lower your expenses on new video games when launch costs for AAA video games have reached £70 in some circumstances.

Chatting with the BBC, Sophie Sensible, manufacturing director at UK recreation studio No Extra Robots mentioned the choice was “an actual disgrace”.

“I feel so many people can bear in mind not with the ability to afford the price of a full-price recreation when it launched, and ready a few months and saving up pocket cash to go and get the sport pre-owned”.

She went on, “Nonetheless, with new AAA titles costing as a lot as £70 when new, and presumably, bodily variations dropping in worth pretty shortly after launch, I might have anticipated a higher demand for pre-owned titles and Recreation making a big mark-up on these particularly”

Fortunately, UK clients can nonetheless get second-hand video games at excessive avenue staple CEX, who provide cash in change for merchandise, whereas Recreation merely provides retailer credit score within the type of reward playing cards. CEX has 385 shops within the UK and focuses completely on pre-owned media and electronics. With media ownership a question in people’s minds already, it appears potential we are going to see a resurgence of bodily media buying.

Featured picture credit score: Recreation

Ali Rees

Freelance journalist

Ali Rees is a contract author primarily based within the UK. They’ve labored as an information and analytics advisor, a software program tester, and a digital advertising and search engine optimisation specialist.

They’ve been a eager gamer and tech fanatic since their childhood in are at present the Gaming and Tech editor at Brig Newspaper. Additionally they have a Substack the place they overview brief video video games.
Throughout the pandemic, Ali turned their hand to stay streaming and is a fan of Twitch. When not writing, Ali enjoys enjoying video and board video games, stay music, and studying. They’ve two cats and each of them are idiots.