London, UK. – October 13th 2008. HMV today announces its acquisition of Gamerbase Limited, a state-of-the-art multiplayer gaming company.

Gamerbase first opened its doors inside HMV’s Trocadero store in London’s Piccadilly Circus, last December 2007 on a concession basis. This new retail concept aimed to provide HMV customers with an unrivalled gaming experience and a ‘try before you buy’ opportunity to sample new release games on PC and console formats ahead of purchase.

Following a successful Trocadero trial, which has also seen a lift in the store’s games software sales, HMV now plans to site this state-of-the-art gaming centre within several more of its stores around the country over the next twelve months and beyond.

Full details will be announced in due course, but the first of these will be sited in HMV’s Manchester Market Street superstore. The HMV Manchester Gamerbase will be located on the store’s lower ground adjacent to the newly refurbished Games department, which has recently moved down from the first floor. The new state-of-the-art facility will feature over fifty player units occupying some 2,000 sq.ft., and is due to open in time for Christmas.

This development of the Gamerbase format within HMV, including the Manchester launch, will be led by the company’s co-founders, Dominic Mulroy and Sujoy Roy, who have been retained by HMV in a senior managerial capacity.

Explains Mulroy: “We’re delighted and excited to bring Gamerbase into the HMV fold. Over the past year we’ve seen how it’s helped to attract in new customers into the Trocadero store while also complementing its wider games offer”. He adds: “Gamerbase is passionate about enabling gaming enthusiasts to enjoy a premium-quality experience, while also offering customers the facility to purchase the very games they are playing directly from the store. We believe this development provides an excellent platform for HMV to connect with customers they may not always have reached in the past.”

Tim Ellis, HMV Head of Games, agrees: “We’ve been developing our games offer in a number of ways, and we see instore gaming as an important strand in our overall strategy.” He adds: “Where we roll them out, we’ll be looking to locate the Gamerbase centres next to our games departments to bring the whole offer together for our customers – so if someone’s enjoyed playing a game online, they can pre-order or purchase it there and then.” Ellis goes on: “The Trocadero Gamerbase has gone down really well – even games publishers and technology partners have been using it for product promotion and launches, and quite a few companies have been hiring it for corporate hospitality and staff events.”

HMV MD Simon Fox comments: "A key element of HMV's ‘get closer’ strategy is to continually improve the in-store experience for our customers – establishing our stores as multi-channel, interactive destinations and bringing to life the product that they’re so passionate about. HMV is uniquely placed in entertainment retailing to bring this about.” Fox continues: “With Games becoming an increasingly significant part of our product mix, we’re delighted to announce that Gamerbase is now a part of the HMV Offer, demonstrating our commitment to Games, and enabling us to develop a premium-quality gaming experience. Gamerbase has shown that the idea of a social gaming experience within a retail environment can be beneficial to our customers and the Games Industry alike.”

Dominic Mulroy continues: “The model of a gaming cyber centre has been extended to include official competitions and events staged by games publishers, where gamers can prove their skills for a variety of fantastic prizes. So far, in 2008, Gamerbase has hosted events with a combined prize value in excess of £300,000. As Gamerbase expands around the country this will open up great opportunities for HMV to become involved in regional and national competitions, which, of course, will benefit the games industry as a whole.”