EB Games Exits New Zealand Completely
EB Games is closing every one of its 38 stores in New Zealand by the end of January after what it describes as a multimillion dollar loss during the 2024 fiscal year. An internal memo from New Zealand managing director Shane Stockwell explains that the decision came only after significant and repeated efforts to turn the local business around.
The move ends more than two decades of EB Games retail presence in New Zealand. The brand started life as Electronics Boutique in Australia in 1997, opened its first New Zealand store in Auckland in 2000, and rebranded to EB Games in 2002. GameStop, the Texas based retailer known to many PC and console gamers, acquired the chain in 2005 for over one billion dollars.
The closure is not just about shopfronts. EB Games is also shutting its New Zealand distribution centre on February 28. That effectively ends any local warehousing for physical game stock and merchandise. It is not yet clear how many staff across stores and logistics will lose their jobs, but the impact across the country’s gaming retail scene will be obvious.
New Zealand customers will eventually be pointed to the Australian online store instead. EB says access to ebgames.com.au will open to New Zealand customers by the end of March 2026. Until that happens, there will be a gap where New Zealand gamers have fewer dedicated gaming retailers to choose from and will likely lean even more on online options and digital platforms.
Why EB Games Could Not Make It Work
EB Games is not disappearing entirely as a company. There are still 336 EB Games outlets operating in Australia, and the business has been trying to adapt to a rapidly changing market. The story in New Zealand is that those changes were not enough to keep the smaller operation sustainable.
According to Stockwell, there were proposals from third parties after early reports of a potential shutdown. However none of those parties could present a realistic plan to keep EB Games New Zealand viable long term. That suggests that the underlying problems were more than just a short term sales slump and closer to a full structural shift in how people buy games and hardware.
There are a few key pressures behind the closure that matter to PC gamers specifically.
Competition from online giants Retailers like Amazon and big box electronics chains such as JB Hi Fi offer aggressive pricing and massive logistics networks. They can undercut specialist game stores and ship hardware and accessories faster and cheaper in many cases.
The decline of physical game sales Digital distribution has completely changed PC gaming. Platforms like Steam, Epic Games Store and others have made boxed PC games almost irrelevant for over a decade. While console gamers still buy some physical discs, PC gamers overwhelmingly install and play through downloads and cloud based services.
Changing product mix To stay relevant, EB Games has been shifting away from relying on boxed games and more toward pop culture merchandise, collectibles and accessories. It has also experimented with retro gaming trade ins to tap into nostalgia. These moves can help profitability but they also mean the stores are less about PC and console software and more about lifestyle and memorabilia.
Even with these changes, the New Zealand arm was not able to offset losses from a shrinking physical games market and heavy competition. The Australian business remains but even there EB has already closed 20 outlets since 2020, showing that the pressure on traditional game retail is not limited to one country.
Impact on PC Gamers and What Happens Next
For many PC gamers in New Zealand, EB Games was no longer the primary source of actual game purchases, since boxed PC games have not been mainstream for years. However EB still played a role in the wider PC gaming ecosystem.
The chain stocked handheld gaming PCs, a range of PC peripherals and some fairly niche items such as gaming beds and specialized furniture. It also provided a physical space where newer players could browse accessories, talk to staff and get hands on with hardware before buying. Losing that presence makes it a bit harder for beginners to get in person advice on their first headset, keyboard, mouse or controller.
If you have money or products tied up with EB Games New Zealand, there are a few important points to know.
Pre orders In most cases existing pre orders will be refunded rather than fulfilled through another channel. Check the official closure FAQ for details on how and when refunds will be processed.
Laybys Customers with layby agreements can also expect refunds in the vast majority of cases. Again the closure FAQ outlines the exact process and deadlines.
Warranty claims Pending warranty claims are covered as well. EB says most customers will receive refunds or appropriate remedies, but you should confirm your specific case as soon as possible.
Looking forward, New Zealand PC gamers will likely continue to shift in three main directions.
More digital game purchases through platforms like Steam, GOG and Epic
More hardware and peripheral buying through large general electronics chains and global online retailers
Greater reliance on local specialist PC shops and online computer stores for serious components such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors and custom builds
EB Games New Zealand may not have been the heart of PC gaming in the country, but its exit marks another step in the long term move away from physical game retail. For PC players the message is familiar. Hardware remains king, while software lives almost entirely in the cloud and on digital platforms. Brick and mortar game stores now survive mainly by selling everything around the games rather than the discs and boxes themselves, and in New Zealand one of the biggest names in that space has just tapped out.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/all-eb-games-outlets-in-new-zealand-will-close-by-the-end-of-the-month-following-multi-million-dollar-losses/
