Confirmed: GAME to not stock Mass Effect 3 for launch

GAME will not stock Mass Effect 3 for its launch next week, the retailer has confirmed to VG247 in a statement this afternoon as the retailer's recent woes sadly continue.

A Eurogamer report first broke the news this morning.

Refunds will be given, as well as £5 of reward points if you visit a GAME store between March 1 and March 16. Online pre-orders will also be offered an online voucher for the offer.

A statement reads: "We currently have a supply issue with regards to Mass Effect 3, which means that GAME and gamestation will not be able to fulfil orders for Mass Effect 3 at this time. We want to give customers as much notice about this as possible and provide them with a range of options ahead of launch.

"We appreciate that this is disappointing for our customers, and we apologise sincerely for the inconvenience that this will cause. We value the loyalty of our customers very highly and as a gesture of goodwill we are providing the following:

• Customers who have pre-ordered in store, will have the opportunity to add £5 worth of Reward points to their card if they visit us from 1st March through to 16th March 2012.
• Customers who have placed a deposit for the title* will receive a refund as well as the £5 worth of Reward points between 1st - 16th March 2012.
• Customers who have pre-ordered online, will be provided with an online voucher to the value of £5 to be spent on any purchase on our sites.

"For more information we would advise customers to visit EA www.ea.com/uk/masseffect3update on how to get hold of Mass Effect 3."

The last EA title the chain will stock will be SSX on Friday, according to EG. VG247 can confirm dispatch emails have been sent out on the game, having personally received one this morning.

IGN's gone live with what it says is a memo from GAME HQ, penned by UK channel director Tom Devine that explains the move.

"We committed to only stocking products on which we could get the right credit terms, regardless of the title or the supplier. We will not stock products if the terms are not right for our business - we will not sacrifice long-term credit requirements for short term sales opportunities," the memo reads.

"As a result of us taking this position - a position that we believe is critical to our long term health as a business - we have taken the very difficult decision to not stock EA's March releases, including Mass Effect 3.

"As a specialist retailed dedicated to games and gaming, it is never easy to make a decision not to stock a title, particularly one with such a strong fan base. But it is imperative that we treat every supplier evenly, that we stick to our commitments, and tar we didn't sign up to payment terms that will hamper us further in the future."

Another part of the memo has come to light via EG that shows that deposits and orders on FIFA Street, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 and The Sims 3: Showtime will no longer be accepted.

This is not the first time its had issues on stocking games following ongoing issues at the retailer. It was unable to stock the Ubisoft launch line-up for PlayStation Vita until this week, and pulled orders of Wii RPG The Last Story at near the eleventh hour.

Another Nintendo title, Mario Party 9, isn't being stocked for release this week, according to EG.

We're getting onto EA right now. The BioWare RPG launches next Friday in the UK for PS3, 360 and PC.