Best Buy slams GAME gossip

Best Buy has refuted growing industry chatter about a partnership with European games specialist, GAME.

Several industry nose-tappers have suggested the US retail giant is looking to buy GAME outright.

Meanwhile, others suggested that branded in-store concessions would appear in Best Buy’s UK outlets when they open in the spring, in lieu of its own managed games range.

Best Buy has moved to quickly dismiss the rumours.

There are absolutely no plans for Best Buy to partner with GAME,” a Best Buy spokesperson told MCV.

We are completely focused on launching the Best Buy business in the UK this spring.”

GAME said it would not comment on rumour or speculation.

A partnership with GAME makes sense on paper considering the retail giant’s power in the UK market, as well as its success with concessions in the likes of Borders.

However, Best Buy already revealed its own games team last year, which includes former GAME MD for Continental Europe Marc Spence and ex-DSGi trading manager Tom Guy.

The retailer also signed a distribution deal with Centresoft in October last year.

It’s not the first time Best Buy had been linked with a major video games retailer. The firm were reportedly keen on snapping up US retail giant GameStop last year.