Report: British retailer GAME faces administration once more

The UK high street chain GAME is reportedly facing financial difficulties once more, with speculation about potential insolvency looming.

Image credit: Game Retail

According to Bloomberg, the retailer has moved to appoint insolvency administrators as of Wednesday, January 29, with the process managed by law firm RPC, noted by The Business Desk. The company's struggles follow a challenging Christmas period, part of a broader decline affecting many retailers in the UK.

Mike Ashley's Fraser Group, previously known as Sport Direct, acquired GAME for £51.9 million in 2019. Ashley had initially purchased a 25.75% share of the company two years earlier and gradually increased his stake.

GAME's financial troubles are not new. In March 2012, major publishers like Nintendo and Electronic Arts withheld new releases due to the company's fiscal issues, leading to its administration filing later that month until acquired by OpCapita.

Recently, GAME has reduced its business scope, exiting the pre-owned market in early 2024, ending its Xbox All Access and reward scheme the same year, and ceasing in-store pre-orders by July 2024. In April of that year, many employees were moved to zero-hour contracts as part of redundancy measures, with significant head office layoffs occurring by August.

In 2025, GAME had to cancel some pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

In a 2023 interview with GamesIndustry.biz, GAME's managing director Nick Arran insisted that the retailer remained dedicated to video games, dismissing any shift towards focusing on toys.

"Gaming is our core business and we will be the last man standing selling physical video games," Arran stated, emphasizing the enduring value of physical game editions. "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. But 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."

Regarding future plans, Arran expressed optimism about expanding their market presence. "Expect more locations from us," he mentioned, commenting on ongoing discussions with Frasers Group about potential new concession openings.