Electronic Arts have announced that the company will no longer distribute physical video games in South Africa. The first game to be affected by this termination is likely Star Wars Jedi: Survivor which is set to launch on 28 April for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
In a letter sent out to retailers, former EA Games distributor Prima Interactive says that after 9 years of serving the South African gaming community, Electronic Arts have decided to terminate direct distribution in the country.
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The letter claims that on 29 March, EA announced drastic cuts to their workforce and operating expenses. As a result, the company has consolidated its distribution with a few mega partners. These cuts resulted in South African distribution being removed from EA’s operations.
According to the announcement, South African Electronic Arts operations will now be managed out of the UAE. However, what this means for gamers in SA is still unclear. By the sound of things, EA will assign an agency in the UAE to handle local game launches but its focus on digital platforms means little to no marketing will be done going forward due to the lack of physical presence in the country.
The letter also states that EA has yet to engage these company changes with local retailers meaning they just pulled out without any plan of action. Prima Interactive says they have contacted EA to discuss the downsides to this move. Sadly, at the moment Electronic Arts aren’t reconsidering the termination.
The move doesn’t come as a big surprise. Over the past few months, new Electronic Arts game releases marked the highest retail prices we have seen in South Africa for new video games. Last year, both Need for Speed Unbound and the Dead Space Remake entered the South African market at R1,499. To make matters worse, these games were cheaper on digital stores which greatly affected pre-orders and sales in the country.
- Need for Speed Unbound
- Dead Space Remake
At the moment it is unclear whether or not the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor physical launch is officially cancelled in South Africa. The game is set to release on 28 April and we will provide an official announcement on its street date close to that time.
It is a sad day for gamers in South Africa who opt for physical releases. We can only hope a retailer is able to privately import a few copies to accommodate those collectors.
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