GAME, the UK’s leading video games retailer has equipped its 320 stores with 1,300+ BrightSign digital signage players in a transformative project that enhances the customer experience, reduces costs and will allow GAME to respond immediately to market shifts. The installation was carried out by digital signage company Freehand, and the players were supplied by BrightSign distributor Pixels.

Fred Prego, marketing and insight director at GAME says: “As a gaming specialist retailer, we are committed to delivering the best, only at GAME, omni-channel shopping experience. To serve and build our loyal community of gamers, we recognise that digital signage can play a key role as we continue to improve our ability to engage with our customers and offer the best possible experience and offer’s available. With our fast changing market leading deals, these signs play an integral part in customers’ education and discovery of both physical and digital content.”

Freehand used a mixture of BrightSign XD232 and XD1032 networked media players. The XD232 has a powerful video engine capable of dual full HD 1920×1080, 50/60p video decoding and simultaneous content playback from local, networked and streaming sources. Its abundant content support includes HTML5, 3D, and crisp upscaling of HD content to 4K. The BrightSign XD1032 offers all the capabilities of the XD232 and adds S/PDIF audio and, more importantly for GAME, extensive interactive options to captivate and engage customers with touch screen capabilities, for example.

Mike Fabian, a director at digital signage company Freehand, whose clients include other high profile retail brands such as Selfridges, managed the installation and says, “BrightSign players provide a flexible and utterly reliable solution that is low cost and easy to work with. They serve as powerful end-points for years on end without fail. BrightAuthor and the BrightSign Network make it easy to deliver new content to the players, schedule playback and update as required.”

Having installed the players, Freehand has a continuing collaborative role with GAME. GAME have a team of skilled designers and animators who create and prepare content suitable for all audiences ready to publish to its stores by Freehand, the content is then assembled as a complete play list in BrightAuthor.

Freehand has licensed the BrightSign Network Enterprise Edition (BSNEE), giving it a private network that can host all the content for the 1300 BrightSign media players owned by GAME as well as for other clients. All BrightSign players installed in GAME’s stores and connected to the BSNEE are managed and updated with media remotely by Freehand.

Throughout the project, Freehand worked with long term partner and BrightSign distributor Pixels who have sold and supported thousands of BrightSign media players and BrightSign Network subscriptions over the past several years.

“Pixels adds value to BrightSign’s products by writing program scripts for customers’ unique applications. Specifically for the GAME project, we fitted all 1,320 players with the optional wi-fi module which simplifies the installation process of all BrightSign players and removes the need for network cabling in each store.” notes Norman Garland, Managing Director of Pixels.

Following a highly successful trial project in 50 outlets, 320 GAME stores are now equipped with a total of 1,320 BrightSign players driving Samsung screens of widths varying from 40 inches to 55 inches. Each store has a minimum of four screens. A display behind the counter plays up to date video content from the latest games, exclusive products, latest events and a wide range of other products and services available through GAME while two screens positioned toward the front of the store highlight the special offers available on the PlayStation and Xbox. The fourth screen is deployed in the store window to attract footfall, display high impact visuals and offer the very latest and most up to date offers and content available. Larger, flagship stores feature perfectly synchronized BrightSign videowalls.