Is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots dead? We're not sure, but GameStop made a dramatic move today that might indicate that something bad has happened to Ubisoft's upcoming game. According to IGN, video game retailer GameStop has removed the game from its database, and is no longer available for pre-order.

Here's something you may not know: Glenn Jacobs, the man who plays the "Big Red Monster" Kane character on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and a co-holder of the WWE World Tag Team Championships, is also the co-founder of the conservative group, The Tennessee Liberty Alliance.

Signifi Solutions has launched a new video game vending kiosk called the 'Gamer Spot Shop' that allows consumers to rent and purchase video games, going head-to-head with other companies that provide similar services such as Redbox.

Signifi says that most retailers spend a lot of resources to sell video games, but with its kiosk solution retailers can automate the process, have better control over inventory and reduce manpower.

The movement to bring State sales tax across the board to Internet retailers got an important endorsement this week as President Barack Obama "enthusiasticlly endorsed" the efforts by Senator Harry Reid (D-NEVADA) to push the Marketplace Fairness Act forward at a breakneck pace - according to The Hill. Senators advanced the bill in a 74-20 procedural vote on Monday evening, one vote less than it received in a test vote last month.

While Bethesda Softworks' popular role-playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been out for over a year on various platforms (PC, Xbox 360, and PS3), the company says that it is far from done with the game and that downloadable content is helping the company keep the RPG relevant to this day and make some money in the process. Speaking to UK publication MCV, Bethesda European MD Sean Brennan is using retailers to help push the game’s DLC (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn) on Xbox 360.

New data gathered by NPD Group offers some insight on how core gamers feel about digital distribution and the purchase of used games. The data comes from a new survey the retail research firm conducted. According to the results of that survey, core gamers have embraced digital distribution, but downloading full game titles has not yet outpaced second-hand game purchases. The NPD survey found that 78 percent of core gamers said that they frequently purchase used games, compared to 70 percent who reported buying full digital games regularly.

UK retailer HMV will close an additional 37 retail stores and cut 464 more jobs, according to a CVG report. The latest round of store closures add to the 66 stores that were recently closed throughout the UK, and the loss of 930 jobs. The closures were announced by Deloitte, the company overseeing HMV's administration.

DealNews, a web site dedicated to bringing you all the latest news on all the hottest items past and present makes a pretty bold prediction: After Sony makes its big announcement (it is presumed) about the PlayStation 4, the PlayStation 3 will see a price drop of 64 percent at retail. They base this price drop percentage on historical retail data for the PS3 versus the PS2 and the Wii U versus the Wii. Here is the crux of the argument:

UK retailer HMV has managed to secure key new music, video games, and movie releases, after reaching an agreement with key suppliers this week. Earlier in the week it was announced that HMV closed 66 retail stores, which employed an estimated 930 workers.

During its part in the recent Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, video game retailer GameStop revealed that it plans to close 250 retail stores in 2013. CFO Rob Lloyd said that the company would close unprofitable and marginally profitable stores and shift customers to retail stores that are "nearby" those locations. Of the 250 closures, around 200 of those stores are in the United States.

An investigation conducted by UK gaming publication Computer & Video Games shows that some online retailers are not doing their best to keep under-age children from buying mature-rated video games online. The investigative report (which includes some video) shows a person purchasing three games online without any age verification checks blocking his purchase. The UK-based retailers found to be lacking in this area include Amazon UK, HMV and Zavvi.

Deloitte, the administrator handling HMV's UK-based business, has identified 66 HMV stores that will be closed in the next two months, according to a Eurogamer report. These retail store closures will affect 930 employees, the firm announced.

An update to the OUYA Kickstarter page reveals that the tiny little Android-based console that raised millions in crowd-funding will be available in select retail stores, with some even offering pre-orders.

"We have some good news today," the update reads. "Because of the support for OUYA you showed, some of our favorite stores are going to carry OUYA when it officially launches to the public in June."

UK Retailer HMV has cut 190 jobs across the board, according to administrator Deloitte. Earlier reports had pegged the layoffs at 60, but the group overseeing the retailer's administration later confirmed the larger number. Most notably HMV’s head of technology and games Ewan Pinder was given a pink slip today. The 60 workers who lost jobs were apparently from HMV's head office in the UK.

While UK retailer HMV will survive to fight another day after HMV Canada owner Hilco took it over, it looks like the chain is about to be streamlined so that it operates more efficiently. MCV (by way of The Daily Mail) is reporting that Hilco may close around half of HMV’s 223 UK stores.

HMV Canada owner Hilco has picked up the tab for the U.K.-based HMV retail chain, The Financial Times reports (subscription required to view). Hilco has purchased the debt that HMV UK owed to Lloyds bank and Royal Bank of Scotland, which is estimated to be around £176 million. Many speculate that Hilco paid far less than the estimated debt that HMV went into administration for.

UK retailer GAME is interested in buying some of troubled retailer HMV's stores in the UK, according to GII. GAME CEO Martyn Gibbs has confirmed with the Financial Times that his company is in talks with HMV administrators Deloitte about acquiring some of the company's stores in the UK.

UK retailer HMV will enter into administration on Tuesday, the company announced. The move to administration (the European equivalent of bankruptcy here in the U.S.) comes after major suppliers like Universal Music, EMI, Warner Brothers and Disney refused to provide further financing needed for the retailer to continue trading. The company has turned to Deloitte as its administrators after lackluster Christmas sales made the retailer unable to secure terms on various loans. If things go badly it could mean the loss of an estimated 4,500 jobs and the possible closure of over 200 stores.

If you didn't get a Wii U under the tree but don't have enough money for the more premium retail version of Nintendo's latest living room console, then this tweak from Best Buy might entice you a little. Best Buy is now offering the 8GB basic Wii U bundled with the game Nintendo Land for the same $299 as the basic set costs on its own elsewhere. The premium version retails for $349 and includes a charging cradle for the gamepad, a 32GB storage drive, and the Nintendo Land game.

The end has finally come for UK retailer Comet, as it prepares to close the doors of all its stores in the region on Tuesday. Administrator Deloitte has confirmed to MCV that all of the remaining Comet retail stores will close their doors tomorrow (December 18th). Many of its stores closed for good over the weekend. This shutdown of its operations will result in the loss of an estimated 6,600 jobs just days before the Christmas Holiday.

UK games Retailer GAME and IGN announced a partnership this week that will see the two companies team up in 2013. Under the terms of the new deal IGN and GAME will work on a range of community based initiatives including special events, live-streamed gatherings and events, and "special guests" at GAME store locations.

Video game retailer GameStop announced that it suffered a $624 million net loss in revenue for the third quarter that ended on October 27. While GameStop said that results exceeded expectations for Q3, it highlighted the fact that sales were down on new software, used software and new hardware. Total sales fell approximately 8.9 percent to $1.77 billion while store sales also fell 8.3 percent. Overall, GameStop recorded a consolidated net loss of $624.3 million.

Unnamed sources speaking to C&VG are sounding alarm bells today that the United Kingdom may face a shortage of Nintendo's Wii U consoles when it is released in November. A "retail source" told CVG that the company he or she works for does not have enough Wii U units to fulfill pre-orders. That source claimed that they would be receiving around 25,000 units.

Microsoft has expanded its subsidized Xbox 360 offer to include bigger and better models, according to this updated Xbox.com product page. Microsoft will soon offer the 250GB Xbox 360 for $99 or $149 with Kinect. The two new options join the original 4GB with Kinect option, which remains $99. The catch (as has already widely been detailed) is that those who buy these cheaper models will be obligated to pay $14.99 a month for an Xbox Live Gold account for two years.

Nintendo announced this morning that it has slashed the price of the Wii to $129.99 in the United States. The lower-priced SKU also comes bundled with two games - Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort along with one black console, and a black Wii Remote Plus controller and Nunchuck - of course. The two games will be included on a single disc - just like they did with Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Look forward to seeing those packed-in discs for sale at GameStop in about a month....

Mojang announced via its website that it is now offering prepaid game cards for its hit game Minecraft at various retailers. Now players can buy the cards for $26.95, the same price as downloading Minecraft online. For now the cards are available at Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, and they are only available in the United States. Find out more about them at Minecraft.net.

Yesterday we reported that retailer GameStop halted its pre-orders for both models of Nintendo's Wii U console. Today the retailer wants those who didn't get in on the action to get in on a waiting list. The problem is it's only for PowerUp Rewards members. A cynical person would suggest that this is all some clandestine plan by GameStop to boot its PowerUp Rewards membership numbers.

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The Gamestation brand of retail stores are now officially dead, with GAME announcing that it will rebrand all of its stores in the UK under its main brand name. Ultimately that means that there will be a total of 341 Game stores in the UK, according to the fine folks at Tech Radar.

According to a report on Polygon, video game retailer GameStop is seriously considering including a destination inside its retail stores specifically for shoppers looking to purchase classic game cartridges and discs that are no longer being carried by most retailers.

While companies like Sony, Nintendo and many other are being called out for their use of "conflict minerals," a new SEC policy about disclosure of these materials being funneled out of the Democratic Republic of Congo will apparently not affect retailers.