thebox466
03-19-2003, 12:20 AM
By: D. F. Smith March 10, 2003 5:18 PM PST
European retail chain Dixons Group, parent of a fistful of electronics retailers that together comprise 1,370 stores, has discontinued purchases of Nintendo Gamecube hardware and software and will be clearing Gamecube products from its shelves, reports the UK newspaper The Mirror. The move is apparently intended to clear shelf space for more profitable products, particularly the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles.
The Gamecube had a particularly weak showing this past holiday in Europe -- while Japan had a new Legend of Zelda title, and the United States had Metroid Prime, Europe was left out in the cold with few hardware-moving titles. On the flip side, however, those two games and Resident Evil Zero are all due to arrive in Europe within a few months, which would seem to make withdrawing support for the hardware at this point a shortsighted move.
It remains to be seen whether any other retailers will follow Dixons' lead -- other electronic retailers may see this as a sign to also get out of the Gamecube market, but they might also seek to take advantage of lessened competition as new software gives the console a boost. Expect to see how things shake out over the next two quarters.
Thats over 1,300 stores in SIX countries
European retail chain Dixons Group, parent of a fistful of electronics retailers that together comprise 1,370 stores, has discontinued purchases of Nintendo Gamecube hardware and software and will be clearing Gamecube products from its shelves, reports the UK newspaper The Mirror. The move is apparently intended to clear shelf space for more profitable products, particularly the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles.
The Gamecube had a particularly weak showing this past holiday in Europe -- while Japan had a new Legend of Zelda title, and the United States had Metroid Prime, Europe was left out in the cold with few hardware-moving titles. On the flip side, however, those two games and Resident Evil Zero are all due to arrive in Europe within a few months, which would seem to make withdrawing support for the hardware at this point a shortsighted move.
It remains to be seen whether any other retailers will follow Dixons' lead -- other electronic retailers may see this as a sign to also get out of the Gamecube market, but they might also seek to take advantage of lessened competition as new software gives the console a boost. Expect to see how things shake out over the next two quarters.
Thats over 1,300 stores in SIX countries