EB depletes its PC software to minimal stock

[gunny]

I've always viewed EB as a barometer for the computer gaming niche. Not sure if this is a dismal sign of things to come or just a change of direction for the money hungry stock holders. Not to be specific but the same is happening at compu world and all the other software retail stores.

The PC software portion of EB has now been reduced to a single isle case. Two years ago this stock would take 1/3 of the store and be displayed on the entire prominent wall. This mirrors the old mac software display that has disappeared now. I suspect the same fate to occur here as well. I have 4 EB's in my city and visited all of them within a month. All re-orged and depleted their PC s/w stock.

There may be more here than meets the eye. Computer sales are still growing at an accelerated rate. All if not most PC owners like to play games. So the need and market is still alive and profitable. But Xboxish electronic formats yield a bigger profit and stable market. So stores like electronic boutique are more of an indicator for electronic gaming trends now than PC gaming.

Interesting. Where do we walk in and buy a game on a whim 2 years hence? Mail order and download purchasing is likely to take over. These retail stores lose $$ on unsold software. Made to order, pay per download products prevent waste. Unfortunately the bargain bin will be gone [;)]

[randell765]

Not sure if this is entirely true. "Computer sales are still growing at an accelerated rate." I believe I just read in a magazine that computer sales dropped from 1.9 billion to 1 billion in 2005(last year). While this is a huge number of sales, lets face it, I could never count that high, that's a big ass drop.

Not trying to say I'm right or your wrong, just not sure that pc software sales is accelerating.

-jason

[bostonrpgmania]

I was surprised to find that the same is true for EB in Edmonton Canada
I was about to write about it here as well and I am glad that gunny did
We talked about the demise of pc gaming for a quite long time but with especially X box 360, the problem is severe than ever
Of course, in two or three years when x box 360 cannot match PC, maybe PC might resurrect
HOwever I dounbt this would happen
Once you find comfortable sofa or couch instead of chair, you would prefer console.....
PC gamer becomes thinner every issue with minimal interesting articles
CGW Jeff Green's most recent column also try to be desparately optimistic about pc games future
We will see
we will see....

[Halsey]

Internet PC game sales have diminished their availability for sales off the shelf.
I used to shop there every week. Now, if I want something , I go on the net.[;)]

EB has caught on to the trend. PC users buy online now.

[*Lava*]

ORIGINAL: randell765

I believe I just read in a magazine that computer sales dropped from 1.9 billion to 1 billion in 2005(last year). While this is a huge number of sales, lets face it, I could never count that high, that's a big ass drop.

I believe that was retail sales only. And I also believe there was mention that in the future, online sales and subscriptions, would have to be figured in to try get an accurate assessment.

Like Halsey, and probably loads of other people, I buy my games online now.

Ray (alias Lava)

[JSS]

ORIGINAL: Lava


Like Halsey, and probably loads of other people, I buy my games online now.

Ray (alias Lava)

Not only do I buy my software on line, when I make a decision to buy, I want it right now!

I have no interest in driving across town to see if a software store has what I want. What a waste of time & effort.

[Jevhaddah]

The only software I buy in a shop now is 'bargin bin' stuff. My main games supplier, apart from matrix is www.play.com where I have yet to pay the full High Street Price for a Game. I purchase all my Graphics and Programming Software online as well as the savings are, in some cases quite substantial. Being a tightfisted Scot I would rather wait a few days than leave the moths in my wallet nothing to eat [:D]

Having said all that I have £10 burning a hole in my pocket that Mrs Jev don't know about, so I might pop up to Game to see whats in their bargain bin on Tuesday. Gonna have to hide what Ibuy though as she is on an economy kick [:(]

Cheers

Jev

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: JSS

ORIGINAL: Lava


Like Halsey, and probably loads of other people, I buy my games online now.

Ray (alias Lava)

Not only do I buy my software on line, when I make a decision to buy, I want it right now!

I have no interest in driving across town to see if a software store has what I want. What a waste of time & effort.

Yep exactly, same here and same with almost all my buddies. Either buy online, or go to the last dedicated PC Games / Console games store in town. If they don't have it (which is pretty rare) they deliver it to your door two days later.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Halsey

Internet PC game sales have diminished their availability for sales off the shelf.
I used to shop there every week. Now, if I want something , I go on the net.[;)]

EB has caught on to the trend. PC users buy online now.

That is my perception also...internet sales are where alot of PC games are bought now. Also, there are digital downloads, Direct2Drive etc...I seldom go into a PC shop anymore...I used to go in every Friday to see what was out. Also, there no returns policy made me say Stuff U to them.

[Goblin]

Its the same at the EB's here. There clerk told me that it was due to their merger with Gamestop or somesuch. They cut out their PC stuff after it occurred. Dunno how accurate that is, but they do not even have the used/discounted games anymore, which is where I buy from.

Goblin

[bostonrpgmania]

I dont think it is merely a matter of buying habit of pc gamers
Look at the titles.. We dont have much choice as a pc gamer nowadays
Now PC games are derivatives of console games
For example. Deus Ex, Ghost Recon were criticized by diverting from PC game origina but toward console gamers
Of course,wargames are exception
For this niche market, online sales are strong than ever
But I am talking about mass market pc games
I hope I could have more choice in my pc game selection

[old man of the sea]

ORIGINAL: gunny

Interesting. Where do we walk in and buy a game on a whim 2 years hence? Mail order and download purchasing is likely to take over. These retail stores lose $$ on unsold software. Made to order, pay per download products prevent waste. Unfortunately the bargain bin will be gone [;)]

Well, if you remember, when all those PC titles were on the shelf there were some time 10 copies of the same game, and when you devote that much space to a single title it just does not make sense. They still take 10 titles per store, but they keep them in the back store room.

Retail stores don't lose a dime on unsold games. Heck, they don't even pay the distributer until they sell through, or are marked down, or are returned. Then they take 90 days to pay up. They never lose on PC games, but the developer will rarly win. That is why there are not very many titles out there. It used to be a small developer could do pretty well in the game biz, but so many people developed a system to burn the developer, and not the middle men that it does not pay to develope games anymore unless you are huge, or very small.

*Gets off soap box and goes back to his government work*

E

[ravinhood]

Go Check out Circuit City's software stock they are the new EB games and also Best Buy. Between those two there's not a title that I can't find if it's a retail release. They even have some old Matrixgames on the shelves as well.

EB to me was like the EA of computer games. EB just runs with the flow where the money is not even caring about past patrons as long as they can keep making the almight fast buck. Now, they are a console store same with Gamestop here in my town. I don't even go there anymore.

[sabre100]

EB to me was like the EA of computer games. EB just runs with the flow where the money is not even caring about past patrons as long as they can keep making the almight fast buck. Now, they are a console store same with Gamestop here in my town. I don't even go there anymore.

The problem is that gamestop bought out ebgames. When ebgames was its own they had more PC games; granted some ebgames stores speciliazed more in console games while other more in PC games. I have 3 ebgames by me and the 2 other stores had a big selection of PC Games the other newer store more consoles. However I went there recently and the store that had lots of pc games now has one little tiny shelf what a joke. So gamestop is transforming all the ebgames stores into the gamestop console junk stores that gamestop always had.


So at this point it is useless going to ebgames unless you want a console game. Even though I buy games online I occasionaly go to ebgames and buy PC games as well but now they are making it harder to do that.

[jchastain]

Roughly 20 years ago, Negroponte was preaching about buying bits versus atoms. It really is amazing just how little progress we've made overall but we're starting to see a few spots beginning to transform into a real digital economy. PC Games is one of them. The true irony though is that progress with electronic distribution has really pushed the quality of most releases to abysmal levels as more and more companies and customers alike accept beta level product releases and just assume things will be fixed with post-release patches.

[Cmdrcain]

I assume by EB your referring to Electronic Bontique?

Locally mine still carrys some PC games, but few New, they have used PC games too but their floor space is more devoted to the game machine stuff Xbox, etc.

I can get better PC Gaming selection at Walmarts, and Best Buys.

[bluemonday]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

ORIGINAL: JSS

ORIGINAL: Lava


Like Halsey, and probably loads of other people, I buy my games online now.

Ray (alias Lava)

Not only do I buy my software on line, when I make a decision to buy, I want it right now!

I have no interest in driving across town to see if a software store has what I want. What a waste of time & effort.

Yep exactly, same here and same with almost all my buddies. Either buy online, or go to the last dedicated PC Games / Console games store in town. If they don't have it (which is pretty rare) they deliver it to your door two days later.

When discussed in the context of the original post, however, these count as retail sales. Online/digital sales are only those games that are directly downloadable, like Steam or Totalgaming.net, or are part of recurring subscriptions, like World of Warcraft.

Retail sales of PC games have been flat over the past year. Substantial online/digital sales growth is almost solely attributable to World of Warcraft.

[BrucePowers]

I have stopped even going into EB. Thank heavens for Matrix games

[Halsey]

Yep, Gamespot has pretty much ruined it as a PC game distrbutor.[;)]

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

EB (and most retail locations it seems) are merely responding to the market.

The majority of people going there, are probably going for console titles.

I don't see any reduction in PC sales, I just don't see them in the same sources.

Who cares if EB sells PC or not. I couldn't care less if EB was there or not.