A new report from Gfinity eSports suggests that retailer GAME will soon stop in-store sales of physical games and hardware.
According to sources close to GAME, the firm will be adopting a 'pre-order only' policy for its in-store stock. This means that if you want to go into your local GAME store and buy a game like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom or Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, you'll need to make sure you've first pre-ordered a copy or bought it online for delivery to the store.
The move follows the removal of trade-in and pre-owned stock from retail stores, as well as confirmation that the game rewards scheme is coming to an end soon. Customers will have until the end of July to spend their remaining rewards points via the mobile app, as it appears physical cards no longer work at the time of writing. The removal of physical games and hardware also comes at a crucial time for Nintendo, as the company has confirmed that the Switch's successor will be fully revealed during the current financial year.
It's no secret that retail stores – many of which are now located within Sports Direct locations – are moving further away from physical sports media. If you walk into a store today, you'll be greeted by shelves of Funko Pop figures, Squishmallows and even preschool toys based on the TV show Bluey.
A report earlier this year also confirmed that the majority of GAME's staff, except for store managers, would also be moved to zero-hours contracts, effectively meaning that consistent, stable working hours are not guaranteed. Alongside this, layoffs were also reported at the retailer.
We have contacted GAME for comment on the latest report and will update this article with their response.