EA recognises the implications of potential GAME collapse

Publishing powerhouse EA last night admitted to concerns about the financial health of a "major European retail partner" thought to be GAME.

As reported by MCV yesterday, GAME has been rocked by credit insurance issues forcing it into negotiations with publishing partners to secure stock of upcoming releases.

"We are concerned with the financial condition of one of our major European retail partners,” EA boss John Riccitiello told investors last night, which could lead to both increased bad debt and lost sales.”

CFO Eric Brown added: "We are focused on some isolated European retailer issues that have recently been announced. A negative outcome could adversely affect our Q4 results."

The comments highlight what MCV has been arguing for some time – that the collapse of GAME would have industry-wide ramifications.