Sports Direct International : Mandatory Offer

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF THAT JURISDICTION.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

5 June 2019

GAME Digital plc('GAME' or the 'Group')

MANDATORY CASH OFFER BY SPORTS DIRECT INTERNATIONAL PLC

GAME notes the announcement by Sports Direct International plc ('Sports Direct') of a mandatory cash offer for the Group, at a price of 30 pence per GAME ordinary share of £0.01, in accordance with Rule 9 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the 'Code') (the 'Mandatory Offer'). This follows Sports Direct's acquisition of an 8.60 per cent. shareholding in the Group, which takes the interest of Sports Direct in the shares of the Group to approximately 38.49 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Group.

GAME's board of directors (the 'Board') will respond more fully to the Mandatory Offer in due course. In the meantime, the Board recommends that shareholders should take no action.

The Board will be writing to shareholders with its formal response to the Mandatory Offer once Sports Direct has posted the offer document. Further announcements will be made as and when appropriate.

Enquiries

GAME Digital plc	[phone]
Martyn Gibbs (Chief Executive Officer) Ray Kavanagh (Chief Financial Officer)
Citigate Dewe Rogerson	[phone]
Jos Bieneman Michael Russell

Person responsible

The person responsible for arranging for the release of this announcement on behalf of GAME is Ruth Cartwright.

Rule 2.9

In accordance with Rule 2.9 of the Code, GAME confirms that it has 172,938,108 ordinary shares of £0.01 each in issue. The ISIN reference for these securities is GB00BMP36W19.

Website publication

In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the Code, a copy of this announcement will be available (subject to certain restrictions) at www.gamedigitalplc.com by not later than 12:00 noon (London time) on the business day immediately following the date of this announcement. The content of the website referred to in this announcement is not incorporated into, and does not form part of, this announcement.

Further information

This announcement is not intended to, and does not, constitute or form part of any offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities whether pursuant to this announcement or otherwise.

The distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions. Any failure to comply with such restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities law of any such jurisdiction.

Disclosure Requirements of the Code

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on [phone] if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.