UK retailer CeX is set to open new stores dedicated to retro games according to an insider, with the first potentially debuting this year.
PlayStation’s decision to stop producing physical game discs after 2027 looks set to impact gaming retailers in a major way, but one UK chain is planning to expand its business, rather than see it decline.
Following the demise of GAME over recent years, the biggest UK gaming retailer is now CeX, which specialises in second-hand games and hardware. It currently has around 380 stores across the country, along with branches elsewhere in Spain, Mexico, and Ireland.
According to game collector and YouTuber Retro Ghetto, CeX is launching a new offshoot dedicated entirely to retro games.
The YouTuber, who cites ‘two internal CeX sources’, claims the new store is codenamed ‘ReX’ (for retro exchange) or ‘CeX Retro’.
Along with retro games, it’s claimed the store will sell imported games, including titles from Japan and North America. Additionally, it’s said the store will potentially stock arcade machines and retro toys and collectibles.
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Retro Ghetto goes on to claim that ReX will have a ‘dedicated analyst’, whose job is to assess the price of items that come into the store and update their systems so they’re in line with competing platforms in the retro sphere.
The first of these ‘ReX’ stores is set to open in Birmingham, next to an existing CeX on Bull Street, according to the YouTuber. It’s apparently set to open in ‘holiday this year’ or early 2027.
While you might think this is a response to Sony killing off physical discs, Retro Ghetto claims the new store isn’t ‘reactionary’ and is ‘something that CeX have been planning long before Sony’s announcement’.
In the video, Retro Ghetto adds: ‘I’m now at a point where I’ve actually had two internal CeX sources share this information with me. And listen, ultimately, until something happens, there’s a chance it could not happen. But I can confirm this is definitely in the works. This is definitely their intention.
‘I’d be very surprised if this doesn’t come to fruition given the fact they’ve already confirmed the venue. They’ve even named the manager. I know who the manager’s going to be.’
GameCentral has reached out to CeX for comment.
If true, it’s an understandable move from CeX’s perspective to futureproof itself from a potential all-digital shift with the next generation consoles.
However, considering current CeX stores aren’t exactly known for offering competitive prices when it comes to second-hand games, it remains to be seen if it can entice savvy retro collectors in a big way.
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