THE FINALISTS 2012 YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS Exclusive Retail Category Partner
10th Anniversary
Previous Winners 2011: GAME
This new award is for any large retail chain that specialises in selling video games, hardware and accessories
BLOCKBUSTER Long-running fears about the rental chain were laid to rest when Blockbuster US was purchased by Dish Network in a $320m deal last year. The UK arm has never faltered continuing to expand its games offering. Most notably, it added video games to its Unlimited Rental Plan and even ran a prominent games-focused TV ad during The X Factor. This year, it has secured an exclusive DLC offer with EA, offering new character packs to anyone who pre-orders Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 – and the company is keen for more as its ups the ante with its pre- order scheme. Often forgotten as a games retailer, Blockbuster has a retail presence most chains would kill for. There are nearly 600 stores across the UK, covering almost every major town and city.
GAME
Despite its most recent troubles, GAME remains the UKʼs leading specialist retailer – it sold more video games than any other retailer in 2011. It also maintains close ties with platform holders and publishers, hosting the official launches for blockbuster releases such as Call of Duty, Battlefield 3, Skyrim and PlayStation Vita. The company expanded outside the High Street with its new concept store at the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre and its consumer show GAMEfest. GAME has also embraced online and digital with a new website and Christmas promotions for its prepaid digital game cards, entitling customers to PSN and XBLA games.
GAMESTATION Like its sister chain GAME, Gamestation has supported some of the biggest releases of the last twelve months. Midnight openings were held at branches across the nation for Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 and more, and stores even hosted Vita demonstration units in the run up to the launch of Sonyʼs new handheld. An extensive range of back catalogue and retro titles still drives footfall, as do aggressive prices. The firmʼs Skyrim price cut, for example, was heavily advertised on TV and helped the game take Christmas No.1 in the UK All Formats Chart. Gamestation has more than 200 stores in the UK and relaunched its website back in September.