EA-GAME drift is "temporary", retailer asserts

GAME has told its shareholders that it’s current trade stand-off with EA is temporary” and that both parties are in discussions to bring it to and end.

"Today the Group confirmed that it will not be stocking a small number of titles from one supplier, Electronic Arts, during March and notes that this has caused speculation in the market," a statement claimed.

"This situation, which is a result of ongoing discussions between the Group and EA, is a temporary one and indeed both businesses are already engaged in discussions about future launches together.

It is always a matter of regret when customers are inconvenienced, and both the Group and EA are committed to ensuring that this situation does not occur again.

"As part of the strategic plan development process which it announced on February 3rd, the Group has been working closely with its suppliers, as well as other stakeholders. In particular, the Group has been discussing with its suppliers the level of support and engagement it needs from them over the coming months.

There have, during that process, been isolated instances where it has not been possible to agree launch plans for individual game titles."

EA has also released an official statement, though it chose to steer mostly clear of politics and try and get the conversation once again focused on next week’s release Mass Effect 3.

GAME’s challenges with several of its suppliers is regrettable,” it stated. However given the incredibly high demand for Mass Effect 3, we want our consumers to know that the game is available at a wide variety of retailers across the UK and Europe.

Our first priority is to keep consumers informed about the pre-orders they have made with GAME. We want to help ensure that our fans receive ME3 on launch day.”