page_title: Game (retailer)
section_title: Formation
hierarchical_section_title: Game (retailer) / History / Formation
caption_attribution_description: English: Gaming store "Game" in Umeå, Sweden. Svenska: Spelbutiken Game i Umeå.
context_page_description: Game is a UK-based video game retailer, previously a subsidiary of publicly traded Game Digital, but wholly owned by the Frasers Group since June 2019.
  The company's origins lie in the founding of the Rhino Group by Terry Norris and Bev Ripley in 1992. A number of mergers and acquisitions followed during the 1990s, and in 1999, the company was purchased by Electronics Boutique Limited, which rebranded itself as The Game Group. The company continued to expand during the 2000s, purchasing several retailers including Gameswizards in Australia.
  In March 2012, several suppliers, including Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Capcom refused to supply their latest products due to concerns over Game's creditworthiness. Game subsequently entered administration on 26 March 2012, and was purchased by OpCapita the following week. Baker Acquisitions was subsequently renamed Game Retail Ltd.
  The company operated in the United Kingdom under the GAME and Gamestation brands from the acquisition of the latter in May 2007 until the end of 2012, when it was announced that the business would focus solely on the Game brand.
context_section_description: The company that went on to become Game was founded by Bev Ripley and Terry Norris as Rhino Group in 1992, with stores branded as Future Zone. A year earlier in 1990, a separate company, called Game, was founded by Peter Wickins and Neil Taylor. Rhino Group acquired Virgin Games Stores from W H Smith in November 1993, increasing the total number of stores to 77.
  In October 1995, the gaming retailer Electronics Boutique acquired 25% of the Rhino Group, the name of which was changed to Electronics Boutique Limited under license from the business in America, and John Steinbrecher was sent from the United States to manage the chain.
  In November 1999, Electronics Boutique Limited purchased a chain of retail outlets known as Game, from which the current name of the company was derived, for £99 million. at the time of the takeover Game had 86 stores. In October 2001, Electronics Boutique Limited went on to purchase the BarrysWorld online gaming service, the French retailer ScoreGames, and the Spanish retailer Centro Mail.
  In 2002, Electronics Boutique stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland were rebranded as Game, and the company name was changed to The Game Group. Despite the name change, a 1% sales royalty to Electronics Boutique in the United States continued to be paid until January 2006. Attempts to have this overturned in court in February 2003 were unsuccessful.
  In July 2004, the Game group acquired Gameplay (GB) Limited, an online and mail order retailer of video games, computer software and associated products. Gameplay (GB) Ltd started trading as Game.co.uk, the group's main online arm in the United Kingdom.
  In September 2006, Game acquired Australian speciality video games retailer Gameswizards for A$3.8 million and rebranded all Gameswizards outlets as Game stores.
  In May 2007, the company announced the acquisition of rival specialist video game chain Gamestation for £74 million. The company stated that they intended to retain the brand. On 21 April 2010, Lisa Morgan stepped down as CEO, to be replaced by Chris Bell as interim CEO. On 17 June 2010, it was announced that Ian Shepherd had been appointed as CEO, and took up the position on 28 June.
caption: Game shop in Umeå, Sweden
exif: {"Image Make": "SAMSUNG", "Image Model": "GT-S5660", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "S5660XXKPK", "Image DateTime": "2011-12-20 15:47:37", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "238", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/25", "EXIF FNumber": "13/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011-12-20 15:47:37", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011-12-20 15:47:37", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF FocalLength": "139/50", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2048", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1536", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "608", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal"}