EA: GAME "will be a phoenix rising from the flames"

Electronic Arts' UK MD Keith Ramsdale has said that he expects The Game Group to rise again and return to the High Street after its administration process.

Speaking at the Westminster Media Forum today, he revealed that sales of games not stocked by GAME, which included most recent Mass Effect and FIFA Street titles, sold well through alternative retailers on the High Street and online.

"I do hope and believe there will be a phoenix rising from the flames. GAME is full of good people, it's a good store, I just think they need a different approach and I'll think they'll have one," he said.

"GAME is one retailer out of many, albeit historically a very good retailer. Without talking numbers I can tell you that when we shipped Mass Effect and FIFA Street we were very pleased with our numbers in the UK and GAME were unable to buy them."

For Ramsdale, the key to retail is diversification, and High Street stores should look to current app stores for inspiration in terms of choice .

"Would I rather there is a GAME? Absolutely I would," he said. "I believe that a specialist retailer does a lot for this industry. One of the opportunities for a specialist is to be much more multiform at than they currently are, to the point of Apple or Android.

"If you look at the current retail base, HMV seem to be stepping up and seem to be more solid. Amazon have done a good job of picking up content, so yes, there's more than just GAME. The opportunity for video game retailers is think broader than just the shiny discs."