Retailer GAME has reportedly stopped selling physical hardware and games in-store

A new report from Gfinity eSports has suggested that retailer GAME will soon end in-store sales of games and physical hardware.

According to sources close to GAME, the company will instead implement a ‘pre-order only’ policy for stock in its stores. This means if you want to go to your local GAME store to buy things you like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom or Metroid Prime 4: Beyondyou’ll need to make sure you pre-order a copy first or buy it online to have it delivered to a store.

This move follows Remove repurchased and used goods from retail storesalong with confirmation that The GAME Rewards program will end soon. Customers will have until the end of July to use their remaining rewards points via the mobile app, as it appears the physical card is no longer active at the time of writing. The removal of physical games and hardware also comes at a pretty important time for Nintendo, as the company confirmed that the Switch’s successor will be fully revealed within the current financial year.

It’s no secret that retail stores – many of which are now located within Sports Direct locations – are increasingly moving away from physical gaming media. If you walk into a store today, you’ll be greeted with shelves displaying Funko Pop characters, Squishmallows, and even preschool toys based on the TV show Bluey.

A report from earlier this year also confirmed that the majority of GAME staff, with the exception of store managers, will also be moved to zero-hours contracts, meaning stable, consistent working hours are not a guarantee. Coinciding with this, redundancies at retailers were also reported.

We’ve reached out to GAME for comment on the latest report and will update this article with their response.