The current game retail market in Britain is showing both signs of prosperity and decline. Throughout the country there are several major game retailers such as; HMV, GAME, Blockbuster, as well as many supermarket chains offering a selection of games to appeal to a wider market. The high street also boasts some second-hand game retailers which arguably help to decline the games industry, but are still accounted for as the number of physical retailers begin to waver with the rise of digital distribution. There have undoubtedly been some problems for game retailers however, with a prime example being the administration and closure of stores belonging to the Game Group. Earlier this year approximately 277/609 GAME stores where closed, with Gamestation stores either closing or being converted into GAME, also the Gamestation website is now a redirection to the GAME website. This colossal closure is believed to be due to the reduced sales in physical copies of games, as more and more people turn to digital distribution equivalents to the high street.
I believe the fate of the UK's game retail market lies in the future progression of technology. If technology advancements are made, and all games become digitally distributed, or as illegally (as well as legally) accessible as the music industry has become, then high street retailers will surely bare the brunt of this. However, if games industry continues to have certain limitations to it's digital distribution systems, or provides benefits for the consumer for purchasing their physical copies, such as the merchandise/extras received with 'special editions', then retailers will not only survive, but prosper. There is a certainty of uncertainty concerning the true suture of the game retailers within the UK.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/store-closures-begin-at-game-and-gamestation/093365
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