On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

Game is facing even more troubles-- the Sunday Times reports (via anonymous sources) the biggest videogame retailer in the UK is looking for a buyer, with the Rothschild bank acting as an adviser.

Meanwhile an official statement from the retailer neither confirms nor denies the speculation, instead saying the board is currently reviewing any number of solutions to resolve pending "issues."

In further Game-related news, the Independent claims US retailer GameStop (the biggest videogames retailer in the world) is interested buying all (or parts) of the Game 291-store Iberian operation.

The rumours follow news of Game closing down 43 UK retail outlets (including 12 Game stores, 6 Gamestation stores and all 25 concessions in Debenhams stores).

The biggest games publishers-- Nintendo, Capcom, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts-- are refusing to ship their latest titles to the retailer, following concerns over its creditworthiness.

Go Game Group Statement

Go Game Group Looks for Buyer, Times Reports (Bloomberg)

Go Giant May Snap 291 Game Shops (The Independent)

Go Game Closing Down Multiple UK Stores

According to ABI Research smartphones will be the driver for the global 2012 aftermarket mobile accessory market-- making $20 billion (out of a total of $36BN) thanks to smartphone owners spending more on accessories.

The analyst says feature phone customers will spend an average of $28.17 on accessories per device, while smartphone customers will spend $56.18. How come? A combination of accessories costing more while customers buying more accessories for smartphones.

ABI Research says smartphone accessory revenues will grow to $38BN by 2017, while feature phone accessories will decline to $12BN.

However customers will have increasing expectations for their purchases-- "accessories must focus on delivering tighter integration with smartphone functionality and features offering a more intelligent accessory product or smart accessory,” the analyst concludes.

Go ABI Research Mobile Handset Accessories

IHS iSuppli predicts the 3rd generation iPad will lead to Apple retaking at least some of the global tablet market share the company lost to the Android-based competition during Q4 2011.

As a result the analyst says Apple 2012 WW tablet market share will total 61%-- up from 57% in Q4 2011, if slightly down from 62% in 2011. Apple should continue holding majority in the tablet market until 2014, when it will hold 52% share.

The total tablet market will also continue growing-- iSuppli says WW 2012 shipments are to total 124M units, growing by 90% Y-o-Y from 65M in 2011. The market should slow down in the coming years, but shipments will reach 311M by 2016.

However the market appears to be splitting into 2 halves, with the iPad on one side and the low-cost Android competition headed by the Amazon Kindle Fire. Apple has 74% of total Q4 2011 tablet market revenues, while Android tablets revenues are down by -41% Y-o-Y.

Further competition should come from Windows 8, although the OS will only appear on ARM processors sometime on 2013-- meaning Apple will continue holding on the majority of the market until 2014.

Go IHS iSuppli Tablet Market Report

Nokia already makes Windows smartphones-- but will it really start making tablets? DigiTimes insists so, saying Nokia will enter the tablet race with a 10-inch Windows 8 offering sometime in Q4 2012 "at the earliest."

The Nokia tablet will apparently carry a dual-core Qualcomm SoC... in which case, judging from the Qualcomm SoC roadmap, it could be the Snapdragon S4.

Digitimes also says Taiwanese ODM Compal will take on production duties, with the first batch of shipments to total 200000 units.

With Windows 8 being quite tablet-centric, will Microsoft manage to bring a 3rd side to a tablet market currently split between low-cost Androids and iPads? If Nokia manages to combine the industrial design of the Lumia 800/900 smartphones with Windows 8 , it might manage to find itself with a winner in its hands.

Go Nokia Likely to Launch Windows 8 Tablet in Q4 2012 (DigiTimes)