Joystiq

Play.com closes retail operations, over 200 laid off

Sinan Kubba — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:30:00 EST

Play.com is closing its retail operations in March as it transitions into a marketplace-only website, a move that is resulting in 214 employees losing their jobs. The Jersey-based company, one of the first online retailers to sell video games to the UK, told the BBC around 200 people are keeping their jobs at the new base of operations in Cambridge, England.

"Moving forward we are intending to focus exclusively on our successful marketplace, which is our main business area, and to phase out the direct retail part of our business," Play.com said in a statement.

Rakuten, a Japanese-based online retail company that also owns Buy.com, bought Play.com for $39.3 million in September 2011. However, Play.com suffered when the UK government terminated Low Value Consignment Relief in April 2012. The European Union operation formerly allowed Channel Island retailers to sell low-value exports to the UK without paying Value Added Tax (similar to sales taxes of some US states).

While Play.com is not a games-specialist store, the closure of its retail branch represents another seller of games to the UK struggling with current economics. The country's leading games specialist, GAME, closed almost 300 stores and laid off over 2000 employees when it went into administration last year before being bought by investment company OpCapita. Its major competitor on the high street, multimedia store HMV, continues to struggle as well, posting a loss of £34.7 million in 2012 despite its rival's plight. While today's news isn't nearly as seismic as GAME's troubles of 2012, it represents a concerning way for UK games retail to kick off the new year.

Play.com closes retail operations, over 200 laid off originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UK retailers list Assassin's Creed 3 and 'Ghost Recon: Final Mission' for Vita

JC Fletcher — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

GameSpot reports that UK retailer Play.com posted a listing for an unannounced Vita game called Ghost Recon: Final Mission, which has since been removed.

Concurrently, retailer Zavvi posted a listing for a Vita version of Assassin's Creed 3 - Ubisoft announced an Assassin's Creed game being in the works for Vita last August, alongside games like Dungeon Hunter, Lumines, and Rayman Origins that have all since been released. The Zavvi listing remains active.

We'll check with Ubisoft; however, for an actual status update about these games, we're sure we'll need only to wait for E3.

Report: UK retailers list Assassin's Creed 3 and 'Ghost Recon: Final Mission' for Vita originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recently revealed Vita games already cancelled (good thing they were fake!) [update]

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST

Update: It turns out that three of the games were fakes made by a 4Chan forum user, though Monster Hunter 3 is still listed on Play.com. You got us, forum dude! And we're sorry.

Original piece: Play.com has outed Monster Hunter Portable 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Nights, Tales of Innocence R and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD for PlayStation Vita via an early listing, as listed by Eurogamer. The leak confirms the western releases of Monster Hunter Portable 3, Final Fantasy Type-0 and Tales of Innocence R, all of which have previously launched on various Sony platforms in Japan. Vice City Nights is an unannounced title.

Sony is hosting the PlayStation Vita Game Heaven on March 9, and we have a feeling that it just might include these titles.

Recently revealed Vita games already cancelled (good thing they were fake!) [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pre-order Vanquish at Play.com, get a free copy of Bayonetta

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 03:00:00 EST

Before all of you start rushing to Play.com to pre-order Vanquish based on the headline above, we should probably point out that the deal applies only to citizens of the United Kingdom. That said, yes, in addition to the Tri-Weapon Pack included with Vanquish pre-orders at Play.com, pre-order customers will also get a free copy of Platinum Games' Bayonetta.

That means, for the same £39.99 ($64) that every other game this holiday costs, Brits can snag two totally bizarro Platinum Games classics. That is, of course, if they can stop playing Just Dance for a few moments.

Pre-order Vanquish at Play.com, get a free copy of Bayonetta originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Assassin's Creed 2 'Complete Edition' spotted at UK retailers

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:30:00 EST

When Assassin's Creed 2 publisher Ubisoft released the game's two missing chapters as DLC, some of our commenters claimed that they were going to wait for a "Game of the Year" edition to be created at some point in the future. Well, we hope that you futureseers live in the UK, as a listing for "Assassin's Creed 2: Complete Edition" has popped up on two UK retailers sites, brandishing new box art and packing every piece of content available for the game into the box.

CVG spotted it first at Play.com, though the new edition is also found on ShopTo.net, as well as on Amazon's UK site. For £27.99 ($41.35), buyers pick up the entirety of AC2, the Battle of Forli and Bonfire of the Vanities DLC packs, and "three Templar secret locations (Palazzo Medici, Santa Maria del Frari, and Arsenal Shipyard)" previously available only in a limited edition release. It doesn't appear that the re-release will be arriving in other parts of the world just yet, but we've reached out to Ubi all the same for clarification. And if the retailer listings are correct, we'll see the AC2 "Complete Edition" land on retailer shelves on June 4.

Assassin's Creed 2 'Complete Edition' spotted at UK retailers originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK-based site 'Green Man Gaming' to allow digital trade-ins

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:00:00 EST

It seems that the yet-to-launch Green Man Gaming website has figured out a way for consumers to make back some of the money spent on digitally distributed games. According to a press release from earlier today, the company will accept digital trade-ins of used "digitally purchased and downloaded games," though nothing explicit is spelled out in terms of what exactly you'll get for your trade-in.

The company's COO (and ex-Play.com head) Gian Luzio claims in the release that publishers will receive "substantial remuneration" from Green Man Gaming (that means money, folks) and the site is planned for a "Q1 2010" launch -- it's said to open up with 400 games and grow to "over 2000" by the end of the year. We've contacted GMG for more info on how this whole thing will work and will update you when we know more.

[Via Big Download]

UK-based site 'Green Man Gaming' to allow digital trade-ins originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Euro retailers point to Feb. 26 release for Heavy Rain

David Hinkle — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:15:00 EST

European retailers have updated their pages for Heavy Rain, predicting the game will fall on European store shelves on February 26. For those of you keeping score at home, Famitsu said the game is releasing to Japan in February as well, lending some credibility to the proposed February 26 release in Europe.

We contacted SCEE -- who gave us the cold shoulder -- but we also sent word to SCEA, who said: "We haven't announced a release date for North America ... but stay tuned as we will have a release date soon."

Source - GAME
Source - Gamestation
Source - Play.com

Euro retailers point to Feb. 26 release for Heavy Rain originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Klonoa price slashed in UK, before release

Xav de Matos — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:15:00 EST

Critical darling (and Wiimake) Klonoa has seen a UK price cut, prior to even being released to stores. The upcoming Nintendo Wii title is scheduled to release on May 22, but multiple retailers have cut the RRP nearly in half. Play.com UK is offering the PS1 remake for £14.99 while Amazon.co.uk is selling the title for £17.99. The suggested retail price is listed as £24.99.

If the price slash continues after release, Klonoa could be one of the fastest cuts we've ever seen to to a Namco title. Unless you count the cut to our hearts when Star Wars characters were unceremoniously introduced into the world of Soul Calibur. Which we do.

[Via DarkZero]

Klonoa price slashed in UK, before release originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 May 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAFTA awards boost UK game sales, stickering begins

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:30:00 EST

UK game retailers Play.com and GAME are reporting a surge in sales after this month's British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, according to UK site MCV. GAME's COO Terry Scicluna, speaking with MCV, said that the awards show garnered a "real buzz" from consumers while Play.com reported a 14 percent increase in new customers to their site since the March 10th awards ceremony.

An aggressive stickering campaign at the UK game retailer surrounded the awards, with employees not only stickering nominees leading up to the ceremony but also BAFTA winners immediately following. "In all GAME stores the nominated games were stickered as official BAFTA nominees, and in the last week the winning games have been re-stickered to highlight their Award success," said Scicluna ... likely pondering what to sticker next.

BAFTA awards boost UK game sales, stickering begins originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday Madness strikes again: Prince of Persia for �18

Jem Alexander — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Deals and Bargains, News

Play.com are at it again with another Monday Madness deal. What do you say to Prince of Persia for the frankly ridiculous price of £17.99? A great game for a great price, just in time for Christmas. What more could you want? Eagle-eyed Play.com visitors might have noticed that Tomb Raider: Underworld was going for a similar price earlier today, but went out of stock very quickly.

So if you want to get hold on one of this year's best action-adventure titles make sure you get a move on. Before it, too, sells out.

Monday Madness strikes again: Prince of Persia for �18 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take advantage of Play.com's Mega Monday deals

Jem Alexander — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Deals and Bargains

Mondays suck, so if you're bored sitting in the office why not do some Christmas shopping? Play.com have slashed the price on a decent number of games today. But only today, so if you fancy the look of these deals, get a move on. You can pick up Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Far Cry 2, Saints Row 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, BioShock, Shaun White Snowboarding, Grand Theft Auto IV and Condemned 2 for £17.99 each. There's also Haze for £9.99 and The Club for £7.99.

Pretty good deals, we're sure you'll agree. Like we say, prices will be this low for one day only, so don't hesitate.

Take advantage of Play.com's Mega Monday deals originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deal: PS3 + 2 games + Blu-ray + remote = �300

Jem Alexander — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:20:00 EST

Filed under: Deals and Bargains, Hardware

Play.com continues to do its best to make the PS3 as affordable as possible, despite Sony's refusal to cut price. Two new bundles allow you to pick up an 80GB PS3 along with a whole load of extra goodies for no additional cost. The first bundle sticks a £300 price tag on an 80GB system, Batman Begins Blu-ray, Quantum of Solace, LittleBigPlanet and a Blu-ray remote. The second bundle swaps out Quantum of Solace for Grand Theft Auto IV and Batman Begins for 300.

Quality bundles, we're sure you agree. A great improvement on the "PS3 + 1 game for £310" bundles that we're so used to. So if you haven't taken the PS3 plunge yet, now might be the perfect time.

Deal: PS3 + 2 games + Blu-ray + remote = �300 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nariko Sackgirl is Play.com's LittleBigPlanet preorder bonus

Jem Alexander — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: News

Europe, rejoice! You're not being left out in the cold. Those amazing LittleBigPlanet preorder bonuses will be available on both sides of the Atlantic. So far, we've spotted Nariko hanging out over at Play.com, but there's no sign of any of the others. At least, not yet. The Nariko Sackgirl (who is actually a Sackboy playing dress up, but don't let that put you off) is downloadable via the PlayStation Network. Instructions will be sent out during the week of release, according to Play.com, so don't expect to be playing with your new heavenly pal on launch day.

Now, where's that Kratos Sackboy got to? We're sure he's hiding around here somewhere.

Nariko Sackgirl is Play.com's LittleBigPlanet preorder bonus originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deal of the day: Two UK platinum titles for �25

Jem Alexander — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Deals and Bargains

What's better t han a cheap game? Two cheap games, obviously. Not only has Play.com cut all their platinum PS3 game prices by £5, but they're also offering two for £25. A saving of £15 off the RRP. Not bad at all, when you consider these games were the cream of the crop in 2007. You can choose between Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Heavenly Sword, MotorStorm, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Resistance: Fall of Man. So what are you waiting for? Go get some cheap games.

Oh yeah, there are also a few Blu-ray movies included in the deal, in case you already have the titles listed above.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Deal of the day: Two UK platinum titles for �25 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Go!Explore dated for July 18th according to Play.com

Jem Alexander — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST

Filed under: News

Europe has had Go!Explore downloadable maps available on the PSN Store since the end of May, but a lot of countries in the region don't even have the hardware yet. Thankfully that looks like it'll be fixed soon as Play.com has the Go!Explore GPS receiver listed on their website with a July 18th release date. There's no telling just how reliable this date is, but we've emailed SCEE to find out.

The site also lists the product's price at £99.99, which seems a bit steep to us. Play.com seem to have tried their best at offering a discount, knocking it down from it's RRP of £104.99 by a massive £5. Ouch. Again, this info is unconfirmed. Should any new info come our way we'll be sure to forward it on to you.

[Thanks Stephen]

Go!Explore dated for July 18th according to Play.com originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gunmetal MGS4 bundle spotted on Play.com

Jem Alexander — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Hardware, News

So confused. It's only been a number of hours since we told you that there will be no gunmetal Metal Gear Solid 4 hardware bundle in the UK. Imagine our surprise, then, when one of our commenters linked us to a pre-order page on Play.com for exactly that. There's no written info on the page and the only thing that's for certain is that the PS3 will have a 40GB hard drive and that it's exclusive to Play.com. That's if it exists at all.

We're not sure whether to believe Konami PR (via Gamespot) or Play.com. If you're in the market for a kick-ass looking PS3 + MGS4 for a pretty decent price (£329), then get your pre-order in. The worst that can happen is that Play.com send out a few "whoops!" emails. Worth a try though, right?

[Thanks Scott]

Gunmetal MGS4 bundle spotted on Play.com originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GTA IV is 'biggest ever title' for PS3 in Europe

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Business

No one will be surprised by this statement: Grand Theft Auto IV's pre-order sales are doing incredibly well. In fact, the game is in dangerously low supply due to the incredible demand. European retailer Play.com has already sold out of its GTA pre-orders, and GAME and Gamestation are both getting close as well.

In Europe, GTA IV has become a system seller for the PS3. It seems like people are more interested in picking up Sony's black box over on that side of the Atlantic. Play.com's head of games Gian Luzio told MCV that GTA IV is "far and away the biggest selling title" he'd ever seen on PS3. It's "already proving a real hardware driver ... I've been really blown away by how quickly it's sold on PS3."

While that's great news for SCEE, it'll be interesting to see how the American launch will also fare later this month. Stay tuned.

[Via Joystiq]

GTA IV is 'biggest ever title' for PS3 in Europe originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More pre-order support: PS3 rocks the Play.com world!

Nick Doerr — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:30:00 EST

Filed under: News, Culture

This is sort of along the same lines as the Woolworth article from the other day. While Woolworth claims that there are PS3 orders rolling in every 20 seconds, Play.com goes ahead and makes the announcement that the PlayStation 3 is the most pre-ordered console ever. Maybe that's because Play.com has, arguably, the best bundle deal for the PS3 we've been able to find so far.

Play has reported that PS3 pre-orders are trumping all the other next-gen console pre-orders they've faced: six times more than they got for the 360 and a whopping fifteen times more than the Nintendo Wii. Apparently, Amazon.com is also reporting record-breaking pre-orders for the European launch. Is it possible that the one million launch units for Europe will get consumed in the first week? Maybe, maybe not. In any case, if retailers keep popping up and citing such a large demand for this system, those out there who haven't pre-ordered may want to hop on the bandwagon.

[via GamesIndustry]

More pre-order support: PS3 rocks the Play.com world! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Play.com UK has a great deal on the PS3 -- free HDMI!

Nick Doerr — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: News, Culture

Now here is a pre-order bundle you can get excited about! Sure, it costs £524.99, but the kicker is what comes with that added £100. It's not an extra controller... nor is it one or two games. If you grab this bundle from Play.com, you will not only get the 60GB PlayStation 3, but you'll snag three games. Two of these games are extremely hot: Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm. If you have faith in Genji, then you can get excited about that one, too! It's not just games that you get... you also get a free HDMI cable! If you ever try to buy an HDMI cable from a store, they're very expensive. But monoprice.com has them pretty darn cheap... but even they don't let you have one for free!

So what do you guys think about that deal? We think that's a pretty great deal. While it does kind of stink that you don't get an extra controller (a standard for many bundles), you do get some great games and the HDMI cable. We don't really have much else to say about this, so we'll leave it in yours hands: Deal or No Deal?

[Thanks Adam!]

Play.com UK has a great deal on the PS3 -- free HDMI! originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii preorders flood UK's Play.com

Alisha Karabinus — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 16:50:00 EST

Filed under: News

According to the Guardian Unlimited, the UK site Play.com has been awash in Wii preorders -- 7000 in the first nine days, making it the "biggest and quickest launch ever on the site." With months to go yet until the console's release (December 8 in Europe), people are already jumping to reserve a Wii. In the vacuum left by Sony's decision to delay the PS3 in Europe, it looks like the Wii's going to be a little popular.

And, inadvertently, the Guardian reminds us why Wii Sports has been bundled with the console to push units outside gamer markets. In an attempt to explain what the Wii is and what can be done with it, they said, "you can play tennis, golf, or baseball, you can bowl or box or play something called Zelda Hands-on, which is a sword fighting game." The uh, emphasis would be ours. When you hit Play.com to reserve your Wii, don't forget Zelda Hands-on. We hear it's a real winner.

Wii preorders flood UK's Play.com originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sell your soul to pre-order a British PS3

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Business

U.K. online retailer Play.com has made the PS3 available for pre-order in a bundle with three games, pushing the price up to £549.99 which, for a game console, is very near the "I'd have to sell my soul to get one" boundary. The real cheek is that the company doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to ship the console to you before Christmas "due to an expected European shortage of the PS3." On top of that, the three game bundle of Formula One '06, Warhawk and Singstar "may be changed, subject to availability."

We realize that these kind of bundles and disclaimers are the norm with console pre-orders, but if you convert this figure to dollars ($1,019.73) and compare it to similar deals for the Xbox 360 that we previously considered outrageous ($1,200 got you an Xbox 360 with 11 games and several accessories not too long ago), you get a good perspective on the difficult situation that Sony has put itself into by setting such a high sticker price. If the first pre-order bundle in the UK comes in at over half a grand, what can we expect from retailers in the weeks before the launch? I really don't want to be forced to sell my little sister's soul too.

[Via T3]

Sell your soul to pre-order a British PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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