MCV 827 March 20th 2015 by Biz Media Ltd

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 827 FRIDAY MARCH 20TH 2015

HOT FUZZ TAKING BATTLEFIELD TO THE MEAN STREETS OF LA P26

‘Mobile can rescue Nintendo consoles’ by Christopher Dring

‘iPhone should be more like the PC’ Valve boss on the importance of freedom by Craig Chapple THE rest of the games industry should follow the lead of PC and tear down their walled gardens, argues Valve boss Gabe Newell. Speaking to MCV at GDC, Newell said that the firm’s latest projects, including the Steam Machines, streaming box Steam Link, Steam Controller and games engine Source 2, are all part of his company’s strategy to grow PC, and is letting other PC firms use the technology for free. Newell added that it was important to Valve to invest in this technology and make it available to everyone to ensure PC gaming continues to thrive. “We started to get pretty worried a while ago when we saw this sort of closing off,” he said. “It was like Microsoft saw the iPhone and said: ‘We should make the PC more like that; people should have to go through us to have new ideas’. And we thought that sounded like a terrible idea. The iPhone should be more like the PC and the internet. Not the other way around.

“We were happy doing what we were doing but we felt that, for our own sake, we needed to make sure that the PC and PC gaming continue to exist and thrive.” He continued: “Developers need the freedom to try out stuﬀ; that’s how we’ve been successful.

Developers need the freedom to innovate and try out stuff, that’s certainly how we’ve been successful.

SMARTPHONE experts say that Nintendo’s move into the mobile market will boost Wii U and 3DS sales, not harm them. Nintendo announced this week that it will release the likes of Mario on smartphones via a partnership with mobile games giant DeNA. DeNA will create a platform that connects Nintendo’s mobile games with Wii U, 3DS and the to-be-unveiled new console: NX. Developer Ben Cousins, who used to work for DeNA, says that this platform can help Nintendo win back its fans that have defected to mobile. “It needs to use crosspromotion to leverage Nintendo fans onto the mobile games and mobile gamers over to the Nintendo platforms,” he said. “Without a shared account system of some kind, Nintendo end up with something it doesn’t want - an island of Nintendo mobile gamers and an island of Nintendo console gamers who never interact. “Nintendo will want to do things like oﬀer mobile players free in-game currency or items if they buy the console version of the game. “Without a shared backend

and account system, it’s really hard to pull oﬀ this kind of crosspromotion and interoperability.” IHS analyst Piers HardingRolls added: “Not only is there signiﬁcant revenue to be made directly from smartphone and tablet consumers by Nintendo; app ecosystems are also very important in reaching new customers to make them aware of the Nintendo brand and to drive them to its dedicated consoles.”

Nintendo needs to use crosspromotion to leverage mobile gamers over to a Nintendo platform. Ben Cousins, The Outsiders

Gabe Newell, Valve

“If there’s something useful, we’ll give it away. Somebody else will ﬁgure out another way to use it, as long as we treat it as a tool and not a straightjacket.”

Harding-Rolls (right) and Cousins (far right) believe mobile can boost Wii U sales

PLUS HTC TAKES A VIRTUAL REALITY CHECK ROCK BAND: BACK FOR AN ENCORE

CHEAT SHEET

Market Data With no blockbuster launches this week, the games market continues to decline £15m

£12.5m 391,384 units

£10m

£8.2m 282,224 units

Harmonix isn’t planning on ﬂ ooding the market with Rock Band products, says Pope

£6.8m 236,060 units

Week Ending Week Ending Week Ending Mar 8th Mar 15th Mar 1st

We’ll avoid an arms race with Guitar Hero, says Harmonix by Christopher Dring

UK RETAIL TOP 10

GRAND THEFT AUTO V

Dying Light

FIFA 15

Minecraft: Xbox Edition

Microsoft

DMC: Deﬁnitive Edition

Capcom

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Minecraft: PlayStation Edition

Evolve

Zombie Army Trilogy

Sniper Elite III: Ultimate Edition

ROCKSTAR Warner Bros EA

Activision Blizzard Sony 2K Games Rebellion/Sold Out 505 Games

SPONSORED BY

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD + FF XV DEMO SQUARE ENIX

Battleﬁeld Hardline + Versatility DLC (PS4)

Battleﬁeld Hardline + Versatility DLC (XO)

Bloodborne (PS4)

Mortal Kombat X (PS4)

MGS V: The Phantom Pain Day One Ed (PS4)

Final Fantasy Type 0 + FFXV demo (XO)

Borderlands The Handsome Jack Collection (PS4)

Amiibo Lucina (Wii U)

Borderlands The Handsome Jack Collection (XO)

March 20th 2015

THE creator of Rock Band has vowed not to saturate the market with games when the franchise returns this year. Harmonix and Activision released over 30 diﬀerent guitar-based games between 2005 and 2010, causing the market to become oversaturated and collapse. Rock Band 4 is now set to return this October, and widespread reports claim that Guitar Hero is also braced for a return. But Harmonix product manager Eric Pope has promised not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“It’s no secret that the band game space became really crowded,” he told MCV. “It was a lot to keep up with, so some fans rather understandably needed a break. “We have no intention in engaging in a retail arms race this time around. The current state of consoles is exciting for us, as it gives us an opportunity to deliver on the ‘Rock Band Platform’ ambitions we’ve always had for the game. It’s much easier today to build and grow a single game, adding new features and content along the way, pivoting based on player feedback and trends.” Read more about Rock Band’s comeback on page 16

EA EA Sony Warner Bros Konami Square Enix 2K Nintendo 2K

EA: ‘A smooth launch for new Battlefield is our No.1 priority’ MAKING sure that Battlefield Hardline works correctly on day one is developer Visceral’s top priority. The developer is desperate to ensure there are no launch day woes that have impacted other titles in the industry – including 2013’s Battlefield 4. “Many titles have had pretty rocky launches recently,” Ian Milham told MCV. “As much as you can build and change content later you only really get one chance at a first impression. We have

simulated just about every scenario we can, and we’ve had two betas, both of which have run pretty well. We’ve made a smooth launch our number one priority. “That said, it’s naive to say there will be no turbulence at all – it’s hard to roll something to potentially tens of millions of people and not have something go wrong. But we’re doing everything, and everything we have done has gone quite smoothly.” Read more about Battleﬁeld: Hardline on page 26

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CHEAT SHEET

Curve unveils game bundling initiative by Alex Calvin INDEPENDENT game publisher Curve Digital has revealed its new game bundling service: The Indie Mixtape. The scheme is speciﬁcally for up-and-coming indie developers, instead of more established names. Curve aims to have the ﬁrst collection out in early April. It

THE EDITOR

will be priced at £6.99 and sold globally over Steam. The publisher also says it will be giving a “generous revenue share” to the developers involved. The ﬁrst bundle collects Lava Knitez!! by Glitchnap, Hets by Ditto, Roguelight by Daniel Linssen, Test Chamber by Shark Jump and Detective Chirpums: Private Investigator, by the aptly named Detective.

CAN NINTENDO HAVE ITS CAKE AND EAT IT? MOBILE games are not a golden goose. Many have suggested Nintendo should start creating mobile games in the past, but it was never the easy option. It’s true that a chunk of the Wii and DS’ audience migrated towards tablets and mobile, but it is diﬃcult to monetise - most content is either free or very, very cheap. It is also over-saturated with content - for every success there are thousands of failures. And by moving to a new platform, Nintendo could also devalue its hardware business. Via this week’s partnership with Japanese mobile giant DeNA, Nintendo will hope to have its cake and eat it. DeNA will be creating a digital platform (think PSN, Xbox Live or Steam) just for Nintendo that encompasses mobile, tablet, consoles and PC. It will allow Nintendo to maintain its close relationship with users, whilst promoting its other platforms. In theory, it moves Nintendo - and its brands such as Mario and Pokémon – into the lucrative world of mobile, and keeps them in the dedicated hardware space, too. Nintendo has not sold out to Apple and Android. It has not abandoned consoles. It has found a way to do both. In a press conference, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata said that mobile is, in many ways, like TVs, and that the platform it is creating with DeNA is just the console that connects to it. Shareholders will be happy, and snap analyst opinion is that this is a signiﬁcant move by Nintendo.

HTC to take its VR headset on tour TECH firm HTC is planning a world tour to let consumers try its new VR headset, Vive. HTC, who has teamed up with Valve on the project, plans to visit locations in the USA, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions. According to HTC’s connected products marketing boss Jeff Gattis, demonstrating VR will be crucial in its launch later this year. “We want to set up at popular events, showing up at game shows,

developer conferences, universities and letting people try it,” he said. “The challenge for all of us in the VR space is that there is no way to describe it. Nothing comes close to simulating what it’s actually like. “We’re going to make a big push to get this in front of people and let them experience it without having to buy it. That’s also going to help broaden the overall adoption.” Read more about HTC’s VR plans over the page

HTC’s Gattis says letting fans get hands-on with VR is essential for its success

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Nintendo has not sold out to Apple and Android. It has not abandoned consoles. It has found a way to do both. But there is reason to be wary, too. DeNA, and rivals such as GREE, have been successful in the East by creating games platforms (or Social Network Services) within existing mobile ecosystems. But when they tried to launch them in Europe and the US, they failed. PlayStation Mobile is an example of a platform holder trying and failing to create its own ecosystem within Android. Things are a little diﬀerent in this case. Unlike PlayStation, Nintendo has partnered with one of the most experienced mobile platform holders. And although DeNA failed to succeed in the West before, it didn’t have Mario, Zelda or Pikachu to help it. It’s also not been revealed exactly how this new Nintendo ‘membership’ service will work, perhaps it will be more accessible than those previous models. Nintendo has taken a signiﬁcant step onto mobile, and it is something that should certainly work in Japan. But there are uncertainties over whether it will be enough to transform Nintendo’s business on these shores. cdring@nbmedia.com

March 20th 2015

FEATURE HTC’S VR AMBITIONS

REALITY CHECK At long last, consumer virtual reality headsets are on the horizon, but is this unproven technology really going to change the world like they claim? Alex Calvin speaks to HTC, the most recent entrant into the VR scene

n the last few years, VR has gone from a one horse race to having a number of different players. For a long time, Oculus alone was the VR scene. Then last year, PlayStation revealed its Morpheus headset. And the likes of Samsung and Razer have headsets, too. Then earlier this month tech firm HTC - best known for its smartphones – entered the VR fray, teaming up with software giant Valve to produce the Vive headset. And this could even be the first VR ‘full’ headset to reach the market. “We’re going to deliver a consumer product to stores this calendar year,” HTC connected products marketing boss Jeff Gattis tells MCV. “That’s a pretty big step for the industry. So far VR has been confined to hobbyists and tinkering. Oculus and PlayStation have done some great things, but everything’s been developer editions with no firm release commitment.” HTC has been looking to get involved in the VR space for some time now – but it was only through its partnership with Valve that it was possible. “We see VR as a once in a generation technology,” Gattis says. “It’s not just about changing the way people play games, but how people interact with computers. “We’d explored the space, as had Valve. It had built a baseline platform but it hasn’t got great hardware expertise – to put it lightly – but it has a great software experience, access to thousands of developers and hundreds of millions of users on Steam. Yet it lacks that hardware piece, so it was a nice fit.” While HTC is primarily targeting gamers with the Vive, it has made plans to reach a wider audience.

March 20th 2015

“Gaming is the obvious pushing off point because there’s pent-up demand there, but we’ve really looked at it from a broader point of view,” Gattis explains. “We’ve announced partnerships with HBO, Lionsgate and Google – we’re looking at entertainment, education and training experiences.” GOING BEYOND GAMING There are tech companies like HTC insisting VR will change everything. But where is the proof? Critics seem to – on the whole – like it. But will the wider market? “VR will reach the mainstream. I feel pretty strongly about that,” he says. “But it will take time. I don’t think VR will be a 25m unit industry next Christmas. But to get it to the mainstream, the first step is we need people to make commitments to deliver a consumer product – that lights a fire under our competitors. “If you’re a developer, you might be intrigued by VR, but unless there’s a real consumer market out there, it’s hard to invest resources in building content. That’s the next big piece – continuing to court developers to get a variety of content out there. “And if you’re not a gamer, you might think that VR isn’t for you. We want to change that perception and let people have the experience, whether that be watching your favourite film, experiencing other types of entertainment content, all the way through to using Google Maps to walk through the streets of London. Those experiences are ready from a technological standpoint, but it’s a case of getting them fully developed and making them available to consumers.”

If you’re a developer you might be intrigued by VR, but unless there’s a real market out there it’s hard to invest.

One of the criticisms faced by VR is that some users suffer from headaches and motion sickness. And it’s a problem HTC says must not be ignored. “We use a 90HZ refresh rate on our screens. That’s an important aspect for us. Some headsets only run at 60, and that can cause a fair amount of problems,” Gattis explains. “We use 70 motion sensors in the headset and wireless controller which enable precision tracking with little latency. We’ve found that to be a big driver of motion sickness. You turn your head and there’s a one-

Jeff Gattis, HTC

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HTC’S VR AMBITIONS FEATURE

second lag. That’s what’s driving you crazy, along with the slow refresh rate on a screen.” HANDS-ON If HTC really wants to go beyond the core gamer, it needs to come up with a marketing solution. Because a bit like motion controls and 3D, VR is not something you can really show off with a TV ad. “We’re planning a virtual reality road show,” Gattis says. “We want to be at popular events, developer conferences and universities, letting people experience this. The challenging thing for all of us in this category is that there is no way to describe VR. There’s no way to convey what it does without letting them put the thing on their head and experience it. “We’re going to make a big push to get this in front of people and let them experience it and get excited about it. That’s also going to help broaden the overall adoption.” Given that VR is such a try before you buy experience physical retail is at an advantage over online. “We’ve had an overwhelming response from retailers who are

trying to get their hands on the technology and talk about what floor displays would look like,” Gattis says. “Retailers are excited. They know it’s a huge traffic driver. The fact that it’s such a hands-on experience is really conducive to the physical retail industry.” HTC is at least aware of the obstacles that VR must overcome, and is taking measures it believes will help it to do so. But the Vive still faces one issue that isn’t easily solved – it is going to have a rather high price tag. And it’s this that might slow the VR ‘revolution’. “We want to deliver the most premium VR experience the world has seen. That’s not marketing speak, but more about where Vive is positioned in the market. This is at the high end,” Gattis says. “Starting with the premium experience, even if it has a slightly higher price point, is the right thing to do from a strategic point of view. The price can always come down as the market grows. We know there is some pent up demand there, so there’s not so much price sensitivity early on. But to get the broader consumer adoption we’re all hoping for, the industry will have to drive price down to make it more accessible.” He concludes: “Whether we do that with Vive, or other form factors and devices, we understand the importance of driving price down to achieve adoption.”

WHAT RETAIL THINKS

CHARLOTTE KNIGHT, GAME “WE are really excited about VR and we know that the gaming community is too. It is certainly the next big thing in the industry and as much of a game-changer as the Wii and Kinect were. “The most exciting thing about VR is the limitless potential that it offers: developers can build immersive experiences that have never been possible before. “The biggest challenge that we foresee is how accessible the new technology will be to mass-market customers, both due to the expertise required to use it and price of entry. At GAME we will be leveraging our store base and knowledgeable staff to demonstrate and guide customers on this exciting new technology. We will also have several compelling trade in offers to make VR affordable for every customer.”

ROBERT LINDSAY, GAMES CENTRE “VR is, on paper, a potentially game-changing innovation within the games industry. In the right hands games will become an experience rather than a diversion and story telling will become an emotional and physical journey for the player. It will engage even the most cynical non-gamer and fire the imagination of those open to a new sensory experience.

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But my fear is that it is another expensive peripheral fad that devs will struggle to get to grips with and it will end up as a bolt on element to the increasingly unimaginative slew of sequels and reboots that seem to make up the bulk of the release schedules. I also fear that it will become an expensive add-on gimmick that will only serve as an excuse for developers to create games with little more than ‘look, you can turn your head and see all around you’ going for them. And with bottom lines being king and the need for studios to produce huge triple-A titles that generate astronomical returns on investment, I suspect we are more likely to see Call Of Battle Creed 7 - Now with VR!”

ALISON FRAZER, SHOPTO: “VR has the potential to stay long-term into the next console cycle but that will be the big test of the technology, and how streamlined they can make the tech over the next few years – smaller, lighter headsets – will play a big part in that. “It’s a genuinely new gaming experience – not just a plastic add-on. VR is the desirable hardware that gamers crave. “It has the potential to open up non-hardcore gaming, too. Will VR produce the new Wii Fit or similar unexpected retail hit? But due to price this could be further on in its lifecycle. “Our main concern is motion sickness. And online retailers could suffer where bricks and mortar benefit from the ‘try before you buy’ scenario. “Other concerns are over promising and under delivering for the high price. This kit can’t disappoint at launch or future sales will surely be in jeopardy.”

March 20th 2015

MARKETING

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK: BLOODBORNE

[INFO] Formats: PS4 Released: March 27th Publisher: Sony Developer: From Software Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

BLOODBORNE has been front and centre during PlayStation’s software range TV campaign in March. The mainstay of Sony’s campaign has been online. The platform holder has been employing a heavyweight digital campaign, targeting fans of the action RPG genre. The firm has also been showing off the new ‘Chalice Dungeon’ multiplayer mode over Twitch so that fans can get a live sneak peek. Meanwhile, advertising over social media, display and video has been showing off the gothic world and feel of the game. Post-release, marketing will focus on press reaction to the title.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

JOE PALMER Product Manager, PlayStation UK

THE Souls games are phenomenally popular, so ensuring that fans are aware of the common ground they share with Bloodborne is a vital part of our strategy. However, it’s not just the similarities with previous From Software games that we want to communicate. How Bloodborne diﬀers from the Souls series will be at the forefront of our communications. Bloodborne provides a great chance for us to tap into a highly engaged audience and provide an invaluable contribution to PS4.

FEBRUARY 2015 REVEALS INCREASE IN KIDS’ FOCUSED ACTIVITY This week, GameTime examines a resurgence in TV advertising for kid-friendly properties Rank

CH. TVRs

Campaign

ACTIVISION – SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM

Rank

IND. TVRs

Campaign

325

KING.COM – PET RESCUE SAGA

188

GAMELOFT – DRAGON MANIA

135

SUPERCELL – CLASH OF CLANS

123

NINTENDO – TOMODACHI LIFE

134

NORDEUS – TOP ELEVEN 2015

108

KING.COM – PET RESCUE SAGA

111

2K – EVOLVE

107

NORDEUS – TOP ELEVEN 2015

SONY – THE ORDER: 1886

100

SUPERCELL – CLASH OF CLANS

KING.COM – CANDY CRUSH SODA SAGA

SONY – THE ORDER: 1886

ACTIVISION – SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM

DISNEY – INFINITY 2.0

SUPERCELL – BOOM BEACH

2K – EVOLVE

GAMELOFT – DRAGON MANIA

DISNEY – INFINITY

NINTENDO – TOMODACHI LIFE

IN last week’s GameTime, we ranked the Top 10 TV channels in terms of who was carrying the most games and consoles advertising. To our surprise, no children’s channels made the cut. However, February has revealed a re-entrance to the

of Disney Inﬁnity, Nintendo and Rovio’s Angry Birds Epic all had increased presence on TV. We would expect to see children’s focused advertisers upping the ante in advance of the key Easter period, where kids are at their screens more than ever.

market for a number of childrenfocused properties. After breaking for January, Activision is back on air in support of Skylanders Trap Team, which amassed just over 300 children TV viewer ratings (TVRs) across the month. Elsewhere, the likes

With January up 71 per cent year-on-year, games and consoles TV market ad pressure across February fell six per cent short of the levels achieved in 2014. This is due to mobile/online properties becoming signiﬁcantly less active during the month.

MCV GameTime is provided by Generation Media 0207 255 4650 | www.generationmedia.co.uk

March 20th 2015

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ESPORTS PRO

TOP 10 eSPORTS DEVELOPERS 1 BLIZZARD BLIZZARD’S real-time strategy title StarCraft was one of the very ﬁrst eSports behemoths, helping to establish the sector back in 1998. Since then, Blizzard has continued to invest in competitive gaming, launching events to support the communities for

StarCraft II, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm. This year’s StarCraft II World Championship Series will oﬀer a prize pool of $1.6 million. In 2014, the ﬁrm launched an initiative to back college pro-gaming groups in the US.

2 VALVE

3 RIOT GAMES

STARTING out in the eSports sector with its ﬁrst-person shooter Counter-Strike, Valve also owns MOBA giant Dota 2. Last year’s Dota 2 International tournament oﬀered the largest prize pool in eSports history: $10 million.

RIOT helped to create the MOBA genre, with free-to-play hit League of Legends. The game sees more than 27 million players every day, and 2014’s League of Legends World Championship competiton attracted 32 million online viewers.

4 ACTIVISION STUDIOS

5 HI-REZ

6 343 INDUSTRIES

2012’S Black Ops II established Call of Duty as a potential super player in eSports. Things took a step back with Ghosts in 2013, but returned to prominence with last year’s instalment, Advanced Warfare. This year’s Call of Duty Championship in LA will oﬀer a $1 million prize pool, with eight teams from the UK and Ireland participating.

HI-REZ’S ﬁrst foray into eSports came via shooter Tribes: Ascend in 2011. However, real success came with the release of MOBA Smite last year. The ﬁrm focuses on community; 2014’s Smite World Championship had a prize pool of $2 million, crowd-sourced from fans of the game, on top of an initial seed pool of $600,000 from Hi-Rez itself.

HALO developer 343 Industries has nurtured one of the fastest-growing eSports communities on console, in part thanks to its creation of the first official Halo pro-gaming competition – the Halo Championship Series – last year. Designed to unite the Halo eSports segment, the inaugural tournament will hold its finals this August.

7 WARGAMING

8 CAPCOM

9 EA

10 UBISOFT

LAST year, World of Tanks developer Wargaming invested $8 million into its eSports strategy. This followed 2013, when more than 200,000 of the title’s 80m registered users took part in over 1,000 World of Tanks pro-gaming competitions.

THE leader in the ﬁghting game space, Capcom is oﬀering $500,000 in prizes throughout this year’s Pro Tour season. The event was launched last year, focusing on Ultra Street Fighter IV battles. Street Fighter V will embrace eSports even further.

THOUGH it has some way to go to match its real-life counterpart, EA’s FIFA leagues are a rapidly-growing area in eSports. Competitions involving FIFA titles have taken place at events including the Insomnia festivals in the UK.

SHOOTMANIA Storm brought Ubisoft into the pro-gaming market back in 2012. The title was designed as an accessible shooter to encourage a wider eSports audience, and continues to have a presence in competitions across the globe.

A NEW OUTLET FOR eSPORTS A new channel on MCVuk.com dedicated to competitive gaming Written by experts, and guided by an advisory board of insiders Supported by a twice-weekly email newsletter sent to over 10,000 execs Get on the mailing list - email eSportsPro@nbmedia.com to register Sponsorship packages available - email ctallon@nbmedia.com for details

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

NEW ROLES FOR FORMER FUTURE EDITORS Robinson joins Playtonic O New job for Hicks at Gamer Network O Sega promotes Dyer O Skrebels joins GamesRadar+ PLAYTONIC | Former CVG editor ANDY ROBINSON has joined the start-up developer. Robinson wrote for CVG between 2005 and 2015, leaving after Future’s decision to close the popular site. Following that he moved to publisher Bandai Namco as PR executive. Now he has joined Playtonic Games as writer, editor and comms manager, and will be in charge of all editorial and external communications. “I’m delighted to join a team of decorated and talented creators and contribute to what’s sure to be a very special game,” Robinson told MCV.

SEGA | The publisher has promoted JAMES DYER to junior product manager. Dyer moved from Sega’s QA team to become a PR and marketing assistant, and has been responsible for Sega’s YouTube channel, Sega Central. He will be reporting to Sega Europe’s head of product marketing ANNA DOWNING. “James has been an invaluable asset to central marketing team here at Europe, and I’m very pleased to be able to reward his infectious enthusiasm and loyalty with a well-deserved promotion,” Downing said.

GAMER NETWORK | The Eurogamer publisher has named JON HICKS as the head of its newly-announced Gamer’s Edition initiative. Hicks moved to Gamer Network in October, having previously been editor-in-chief of Future’s Official Xbox Magazine. Gamer’s Edition is a concept designed to create physical special editions of indie games. “I’ve been working on Gamer’s Edition since I started at Gamer Network and it’s great to finally launch.” Hicks told MCV. “This is the first of several initiatives we’re developing for indies, and it promises to be a very interesting year.”

FUTURE | JOE SKREBELS is returning to the publisher as community manager for the OXM section of GamesRadar+ Skrebels was previously news editor of Official Nintendo Magazine, then OXM, but left last October to go freelance. “OXM has never had a community manager before, which means I’m approaching this role as a sort of digital Antarctic explorer,” Skrebels said. “We want to make OXM’s corner of GamesRadar+ the internet’s most exciting, funny and occasionally self-indulgent source for Xbox knowledge, and I’ll be making sure that happens.”

AROUND THE INDUSTRY UBISOFT | The Assassin’s Creed publisher has opened a new Consumer Relationship Centre in Newcastle. The office houses 75 employees, with plans to expand to over 100 by the end of the year. The Consumer Relationship Centre will integrate customer support teams and community managers from across Europe, Middle East and Asia territories. “Opening the Consumer Relationship Centre is a key step in better knowing our players and providing them with comprehensive service and support,” Ubisoft’s EMEA consumer relationship director Stéphane Catherine said. “Ubisoft is embracing the ‘games as a service’ model, and having both the community managers and support teams working together to keep our

March 20th 2015

communities continuously engaged and happy with their favourite brands and games is the goal.” APP ANNIE | The mobile analytics firm has opened a new office in Singapore. According to App Annie, this move is related to the fastgrowing mobile market in India and South East Asia. The office will officially open in early April, and will be supporting the region’s growth, as well as conducting sales and marketing across Asia. MINECRAFT | Mojang’s game might be banned in Turkey after its government decided that the game is too violent. Last month family and social policies minister Aysenur Islam ordered an investigation into the game to assess its suitability for children.

www.mcvuk.com

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS Christopher Dring Editor

Michael French Publisher

cdring@nbmedia.com

mfrench@nbmedia.com

Ben Parﬁtt Associate Editor

Alex Boucher Group Sales Manager

bparﬁtt@nbmedia.com

aboucher@nbmedia.com

Alex Calvin Staﬀ Writer

Conor Tallon Account Manager

acalvin@nbmedia.com

ctallon@nbmedia.com

Matt Jarvis Staﬀ Writer

Sam Richwood Designer

mjarvis@nbmedia.com

srichwood@nbmedia.com

Production Executive: Elizabeth Parker eparker@nbmedia.com

Finance Manager: Michael Canham mcanham@nbmedia.com

Head of Operations: Stuart Moody smoody@nbmedia.com

Head of Design and Production: Kelly Sambridge ksambridge@nbmedia.com

Circulation: Lianne Davey ldavey@nbmedia.com

your brand brand here here PROMOTE YOUR JOB EVERY WEEK THROUGH MCV PRINT AND ONLINE CONTACT CONOR TALON FOR MORE INFORMATION 01992 535 647 OR EMAIL CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM

Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England SG14 1JA Newbay Media specialises in tradededicated print and digital publishing for entertainment and leisure markets. As well as MCV, Newbay publishes Develop, PCR, ToyNews, Music Week, MI Pro, Audio Pro International and BikeBiz. It also has two onlineonly brands: Mobile Entertainment, dedicated to the growing mass market smartphone sector, and Licensing.biz, for everyone in the global licensing industry. It also runs a number of events including the MCV Industry Excellence Awards, the London Games Conference and the Games Media Awards.

US Correspondent Erik Johnson ejohnson@nbmedia.com

© Newbay Media 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of MCV are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems.

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THE RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD MCV takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on the biggest issues in the industry. The current members are...

Charlotte Knight GAME

Steve Moore Simply Games

David Firth Shop Direct

Don McCabe CHIPS

Jon Hayes Tesco

Sarah Jasper The Hut

Gurdeep Hunjan Simon Urquhart Sainsbury’s Microsoft

Phil Moore Grainger Games

Igor Cipolletta ShopTo

Robert Lindsay Games Centre

Dermot Stapleton Get Games

Niall Lawlor GameStop

Stephen Staley Robert Hennessy Paul Sulyok Gameseek John Lewis Green Man Gaming

Phil Browes HMV

Craig Watson Dixons Retail

James Cooke Argos

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March 20th 2015

DATA ANALYSIS Source Games and Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track

DATA & RESEARCH Rockstar’s blockbuster Grand Theft Auto V returns to the top spot for the eighth time GRAND Theft Auto V is top of the charts for the eighth time since its launch in September 2013. Sales of ROCKSTAR’s crime title rose 49 per cent week-on-week and ended the run of new IPs that have been No.1. The game has received extra attention in the media recently due to the release of GTA Online Heists DLC. If the game manages another two weeks at the top spot it will equal the series’ record, currently held by 2002’s Vice City. Further down the charts, the HD rerelease of 2013’s DMC: Devil May Cry debuts in fifth place. DMC: Definitive Edition sold 28.8 per cent of the Week One sales of the original release. New city builder title from PARADOX INTERACTIVE Cities: Skylines tops the Steam charts. The game has received plenty of press attention for trying to offer gamers a better

version of SimCity. It sold 500,000 units worldwide in just six days. And over in the mobile charts, USTWO’s Monument Valley makes a return to the iPad, iPhone and Android charts, perhaps as a result of its prominent placement in the third series of Netﬂix show House of Cards. The game also picked up two BAFTA awards last week – the only game to collect more than one prize. Meanwhile RARE’s Banjo-Kazooie tops the Xbox Live charts. The title was in the current round of Deals with Gold. It’s been a busy week for the classic 3D platformer. A special Banjo-Kazooie ‘crowd’ game was shown oﬀ at the event SXSW. Meanwhile, former Banjo-Kazooie developrs have formed a new UK-based development studio called Playtonic to build a spiritual successor to the game, currently entitled Project Ukelele.

TOP 10 XBOX LIVE (UK)

BANJOE-KAZOOIE MICROSOFT DEVELOPER: RARE

TW TITLE 02 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION 03 WORMS 2: ARMAGEDDON 04 TRIALS EVOLUTION 05 ZOMBIE DRIVER HD 06 TOY SOLDIERS 07 PORTAL: STILL ALIVE 08 BATTLEBLOCK THEATER 09 TERRARIA: XBOX 360 EDITION 10 CASTLE CRASHERS

PUBLISHER Microsoft Team 17 Ubisoft Exor Studios Microsoft Valve The Behemoth 505 Games The Behemoth

TOP 40 UK RETAIL 01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

LW 01 03 06 NEW 04 10 09 08 NEW 05 13 14 15 11 19 17 12 16 21 07 24 30 35 32 22 36 23 28 18 38 37 26 27 NEW 26 35 33 RE RE

GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR FORMATS: PS4, XO, PS3, 360

Title Format Publisher Dying Light PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros FIFA 15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PC EA Minecraft: Xbox Edition XO, 360 Microsoft DMC: Deﬁnitive Edition PS4, XO Capcom Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard Minecraft: PlayStation Edition PS4, PS3, Vita Sony Evolve PS4, XO, PC 2K Games Zombie Army Trilogy PS4, XO Rebellion/Sold Out Sniper Elite 3: Ultimate Edition PS4, XO, PS3, 360 505 Games Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Bandai Namco WWE 2K15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games Terraria PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge Forza Horizon 2 XO, 360 Microsoft Far Cry 4 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft The Crew PS4, XO, 360, PC Ubisoft Disney Inﬁnity 2.0 PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Disney Destiny PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D 3DS Nintendo LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros The Order 1886 PS4 Sony Super Smash Bros Wii U, 3DS Nintendo Watch Dogs PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft Halo: The Master Chief Collection XO Microsoft Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft Halo: The Master Chief Collection XO Microsoft Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate 3DS Nintendo/Capcom The Evil Within PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda Saints Row IV Re-elected and Gat out of Hell PS4, XO Deep Silver Just Dance 2015 PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii Ubisoft Dragon Age Inquisition PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA Wolfenstein: The New Order PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda Assassin’s Creed Unity PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft Tomodachi Life 3DS Nintendo Call of Duty: Ghosts PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard Football Manager 2015 PC Sega Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Warner Bros Alien Isolation PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Sega The LEGO Movie Videogame PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros

Week ending March 14th

March 20th 2015

DEVELOPER: ROCKSTAR NORTH

Week ending March 14th

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DATA ANALYSIS Source

TOP 10 IPAD PAID (UK)

TOP 40 INDIVIDUAL FORMAT

DYING LIGHT WARNER BROS FORMAT: PS4

DEVELOPER: TECHLAND

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

LW 02 03 01 05 07 06 12 08 10 22 04 11 14 13

Title Grand Theft Auto V Dying Light Grand Theft Auto V Minecraft: Xbox Edition DMC: Deﬁnitive Edition FIFA 15 FIFA 15 FIFA 15 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D Forza Horizon 2 The Order 1886 Evolve Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Format PS4 XO XO 360 PS4 PS4 XO 360 PS3 3DS XO PS4 XO PS4

Publisher Rockstar Warner Bros Rockstar Microsoft Capcom EA EA EA Sony Nintendo Microsoft Sony 2K Games Activision Blizzard

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

20 NEW 19 RE RE

Zombie Army Trilogy Terraria DMC: Deﬁnitive Edition Minecraft: PlayStation Edition Grand Theft Auto V Minecraft: Xbox Edition Halo: The Master Chief Collection Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Zombie Army Trilogy Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Evolve Dragon Ball Xenoverse Sniper Elite 3: Ultimate Edition Tomodachi Life FIFA 15 Football Manager 2015 The Crew Disney Inﬁnity 2.0 Super Smash Bros WWE 2K15 Destiny Dragon Ball Xenoverse Far Cry 4 Pokémon Omega Ruby The Sims 4

PS4 360 XO PS4 360 XO XO 3DS XO XO PS4 PS4 PS4 3DS PS3 PC PS4 360 3DS 360 PS4 XO PS4 3DS PC

Rebellion/Sold Out 505 Games Capcom Sony Rockstar Microsoft Microsoft Nintendo Rebellion/Sold Out Activision Blizzard 2K Games Bandai Namco 505 Games Nintendo EA Sega Ubisoft Disney Nintendo 2K Games Activision Blizzard Bandai Namco Ubisoft Nintendo EA

24 33 17 11 09 20 08 NEW RE RE 31 40 35 RE RE 25 19 30 34 RE

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 Monument Valley The Chase Tipping Point Dr Panda’s Ice Cream Truck Flightradar24 – Flight Tracker Sid Meier’s Starships Terraria Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

DEVELOPER Scott Cawthon Ustwo Barnstorm Barnstorm TribePlay Flightradar24 2K Games 505 Games Scott Cawthon

Week ending: March 15th

TOP 10 IPHONE PAID (UK)

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT — POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE DVSA Theory Test Heads Up! Enlight Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 Ski Tracks – GPS Track Recorder The Oﬃcial DVSA Theory Test Kit Monopoly Monument Valley Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

DEVELOPER Focus Multimedia Warner Bros Lightricks Scott Cawthon Core Coders TSO EA Ustwo Northcube AB

Week ending: March 15th

TOP 10 GLOBAL GOOGLE PLAY

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TW TITLE 02 Facetune 03 Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 04 Theory Test UK 2015 05 Worms 3 06 Monument Valley 07 Tipping Point 08 Motosport Mangement 09 AllCast Premium 10 The Chase

PUBLISHER Lightricks Scott Cawthon Focus Multimedia Team 17 Ustwo Barnstorm Christian West ClockworkMod Barnstorm Correct as of March 16th

Week ending March 14th

PRESENTS

5 SECOND FACTS

Read and remember these stats so you can sound clever at the next Monday morning meeting...

2016

160,000

500,000

50,000

Naughty Dog’s PS4 exclusive Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has been delayed until 2016. The title was initially slated for release this year

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 fans have set up a petition for Activision to remake the title. At time of writing, 160,315 people have signed the petition

Paradox’s citybuilding title Cities: Skylines sold over 500,000 copies in its ﬁrst week across PC, Mac and Linux

GAME has oﬃcially opened Marketplace, which allows third parties to sell content online. Right now, Marketplace oﬀers 50,000 products

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PDP design & manufacture the Oﬃcial Microsoft licensed Xbox ONE TV Kinect Sensor Clip europesales@pdp.com

www.pdp.com March 20th 2015

FEATURE ROCK BAND’S RETURN

WHO WILL GO TO ROCK BAND’S REUNION TOUR? After a five-year hiatus, Rock Band returns this Christmas courtesy of developer Harmonix and publisher Mad Catz. But will anyone care? And has anything been learnt from the genre’s 2010 collapse? Christopher Dring asks Mad Catz’ Alex Verrey and Harmonix’s Eric Pope

here was a time when everyone was playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero. And then they stopped. All of them. At the same time. The billion-dollar plastic guitar industry vanished overnight. It was a painful time for everyone associated with that genre. But Harmonix, the studio that created both franchises, endured. It bought itself out from its owners Viacom, launched a dancing franchise with Xbox, teamed up with Disney and experimented with new genres and platforms – all with its expertise in music at its core. And now, five years after the last major Rock Band release, Harmonix is dusting off those plastic instruments to launch Rock Band 4. But why? “In those five years we’ve seen that hundreds of thousands of players continue to play the game each month. So, we know there’s still a dedicated hardcore base that’s playing regularly, but we also know that there’s been a long enough gap that people who did stop playing are now missing it,” says Harmonix product manager Eric Pope. “Every time we make announce something, the reaction is “Hey this sounds great! But what about Rock Band 4?” It’s also a good point to get the game out as lots of people now own a PS4 or Xbox One.” He adds: “It’s also a good time for Harmonix. We’ve spent the last five years stretching out and trying

March 20th 2015

various new things in the music gaming space. We’ve pushed the limits of what you can do in a music game with Dance Central on Kinect, A City Sleeps for PC, as well as other projects in virtual reality and mobile. The Rock Band 4 team is bringing with them a ton of new knowledge to a franchise they are already experts on.“

We have no intention of engaging in a retail arms race with anybody this time around. Eric Pope, Harmonix

Last time around, the battle between Rock Band and Guitar Hero was fierce; new versions of both games came out almost every other month. The market became saturated, gamers lost interest and the bubble burst. The fear is that history could repeat itself, especially as there are reports of a new Guitar Hero coming this year, too. But Pope insists it won’t be drawn into another plastic guitar war. “It’s no secret that the band game space got really crowded last time,” he says. “It was a lot to keep up with as a fan of the genre. So some fans rather understandably needed a break. “We have no intention in engaging in a retail arms race with anybody this time around. We want to deliver the best game the series

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ROCK BAND’S RETURN FEATURE

FIVE YEARS TOO LONG? IT may seem like only yesterday for some of us older folk, but Rock Band has been missing from shelves for five years. And that gap, says product manager Eric Pope, gives Harmonix a lot of opportunities with Rock Band 4. “Five years is a long time in game years,” he says. “What excites me most about getting back into Rock Band is the opportunity for old friends to get back together, but also for kids who were too young previously to pick it up for the first time and discover amazing rock music they’ve never heard before.” He adds: “We’ve also built a brand new engine for Rock Band 4 to make the most of the new hardware. It’s going to look ‘next-gen’ with more realistic lighting, character models, and animation. It’ll be 1080p and will run at 60fps, I know there’s a vocal group of players that want to hear that. But what to me is more exciting is the online infrastructure of the consoles. It will open a lot opportunities for us to support the game in more reactive, timely ways.” Harmonix is planning just one Rock Band game that will

It’s been ﬁ ve years since Rock Band 3, but Harmonix and Mad Catz say the timing is right for a new entry

has ever seen. The current state of consoles is really exciting for us, as it gives us an opportunity to really deliver on the ‘Rock Band Platform’ ambitions we’ve always had for the game. It’s much easier today to grow a single game, adding new features and content along the way, pivoting based on player feedback.” The ‘Rock Band Platform’ is something Pope continues to reference throughout the interview. He says that the fourth Rock Band game is not so much about trying to recreate the glory days of 2008, but rather to be a game for the new machines that is aimed at those hardcore players that are still buying DLC today. “While the Rock Band phenomenon – or fad, as I’ve seen it called - reached far beyond anyone’s wildest expectations in 2007 and 2008, it was always a dedicated core that came back every week to check out the new

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songs we were releasing, bought the new entries in the series, and re-upped on hardware when we put new stuff out,” says Pope. “Rock Band 4 is for them.” Alex Verrey, communications director at publisher Mad Catz, adds: “Digital distribution has moved on considerably. The plan is for Rock Band 4 to remain relevant throughout the console cycle and continue to surprise lovers of music and rhythm gaming the world over.” ROCK IS DEAD Harmonix is eager to keep its old fans with the launch of Rock Band 4, and hopes they will be able to use their old instruments and songs when the new game launches – which will be music to the ears of old-school fans. But when it comes to bringing in new players, Harmonix has to overcome the fact that rock music just isn’t very popular at

Mad Catz’s Verry (top) and Harmonix’s Pope (above) say the market won’t be ﬂ ooded with Rock Band product

be updated digitally. But with plastic instruments needed to play, there will remain a physical presence. Alex Verrey, communications director at Mad Catz, which is developing the controllers, says that he’s aware of not flooding the market with expensive accessories. “Practically everyone we have spoken to about Rock Band 4 has been universally supportive and excited,” he says. “We’re very aware that retail and consumer alike may be wary about a sudden overload of big box products, which is why we are proceeding with thought and care. We’re focusing the experience on the fun, partycentric core so we don’t expect retail to be stocking all manner of additional accessories or PRO instruments. “For the new range of music game controllers, we want to innovate but not deviate too far from the core experience. Everything has been refined, from the latency of the controllers through to features like the tilt sensors, build quality and more.”

the moment. But Pope believes rock may be about to make a comeback. And perhaps Rock Band can help. “As a self-acknowledged music snob, I am a little bit bummed out that guitar-driven rock isn’t the force in popular music that it once was, but I also know there’s never been a better time to be into it,” he concludes. “There are tons of amazing bands around the world putting out really great stuff without having to go through the traditional industry channels, and the internet puts it all at your fingertips. “One of the most rewarding parts of making these games has always been how it exposes new audiences and generations to music they’d otherwise never hear on the radio. I think the decline of heavy radio rotation for guitar music is only another opportunity for Rock Band 4 to make a statement.”

March 20th 2015

THE BIG GAME RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS 2

RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS 2

ROOT OF ALL EVIL Capcom is going back to its roots for its latest, episodic take on the Resident Evil franchise. Ahead of the game’s full retail release, Christopher Dring speaks to producer Michiteru Okabe and production manager Matt Walker about what’s new with Resident Evil: Revelations 2

Release Date: March 20th Formats: PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom

sk hardcore Resident Evil fans what they made of 2012, and they’ll likely shoot you a disappointed look. 2012 marked the release of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City – a spin-off that returned to the fanfavourite world of Resident Evil 2. It also saw the arrival of ambitious core series sequel, Resident Evil 6. Fans were not particularly fond of either. These were games more about shooting things than scaring people, and Resident Evil’s most ardent supporters were not happy. But there was one game that came out of 2012 that core Resident Evil lovers did appreciate. It was a 3DS title (with Xbox 360 and PS3 versions to follow) that brought back popular characters and

March 20th 2015

with – this is a game that’s designed to scare the hell out of people.

trapped them on a boat filled with undead nasties. It was called Resident Evil: Revelations. Revelations cuts to the heart of the conflict within the Resident Evil franchise. It may have gone down well with the franchise’s most loyal fans, but the more successful Resident Evil games – at least in terms of sales – are the more action-orientated titles, namely Resident Evil 5 and 6. Capcom has found itself in a position where it has two fanbases asking for two oftenconflicting things. So when it came to developing its first Resident Evil game for the new generation of consoles, Capcom had a choice to make: follow the fans or follow the numbers? With Resident Evil: Revelations 2, it is clear which group it has sided

We worked really hard on trying to create a balance between action and survival horror, so that as many people can enjoy the game as possible. Michiteru Okabe, Capcom

THE EVIL THAT MEN DO “There are a lot of people that like Resident Evil 5, and even Resident Evil 6 for that matter. So we had to think internally: ‘What should we do here?’” says Michiteru Okabe, producer on Revelations 2. “We decided that we wanted to return to the survival horror roots, but it has to be modernised. People have different expectations about games now that they didn’t have when Resident Evil first arrived in 1996. We worked really hard on trying to create a balance between action and survival horror, so that as many people can enjoy the game as possible, but with a heavier lean

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RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS 2 THE BIG GAME

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March 20th 2015

THE BIG GAME RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS 2

Fan-favourite character Barry Burton is playable for the ﬁrst time in Revelations 2

on survival horror. It needs to have that scary atmosphere. “Our sound guys worked really hard on making it so that if you put on your headphones and walk around the environment, that alone should be creepy, that should give you the chills. “Our games director, Yasuhiro Anpo, has been on Resident Evil since the first instalment – he was a programmer on the PlayStation version of RE1, and he was a director on Resident Evil 5; he has been on the franchise the whole time. He is always asking what it is that people enjoy about the series, and what we can do to make the experience better for people. Including how can we can create these levels that provide the tension that gamers expect, plus those jump scares, too.” Capcom has certainly done a lot to satisfy its core fanbase in Revelations 2. It’s even letting

March 20th 2015

players control Barry Burton – a popular recurring character from the franchise – for the first time. (I’m bound to get a few tweets on how, actually, he was playable in the largely forgettable Gameboy Color spin-off Resident Evil: Gaiden. But nobody counts that one.) Yet Revelations is not all about horror. Capcom knows there are a number of Resident Evil gamers that like nothing more than to shoot things, and although Revelations 2 is very much a game designed for survival horror connoisseurs, there have been concessions made for the more, shall we say, ‘nervous’ audience. “For this game we have separated it out,” explains production manager Matt Walker. “The scenario, the story, is more representative of the survival horror experience. Whichever character you choose to play as, you will get this resource-

She is using a ﬂashlight against an infected that’s wielding a bat with nails in it. That is going to be quite terrifying. Matt Walker, Capcom

management, intense, survival horror experience. “But then we go on NeoGaf, and we see some people say: ‘We loved seeing [Resident Evil 6 hero] Jake body slam people.’ And we’re like: ‘Ok, cool, if you like action stuff then we have Raid Mode.’ Raid Mode is the actionpacked, run-and-gun experience.” Raid Mode is a challengebased game where players must kill as many enemies as possible to complete each level. This is a mode all about combat and levelling-up your character. It’s frantic and scary in an altogether different way to the brooding, slow-paced chills of the core story. Yet, even in the story there have been some additions to help ease in the more casual players – include the co-operative mode. Co-op is a nice concept on paper for a horror game. It gives players who find these titles a

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RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS 2 THE BIG GAME

little too frightening or stressful the opportunity to play with a friend to help relieve the tension. Unfortunately, it’s not something that has gone down that well with the horror fans. “People would say that when you have two people with guns blazing... that doesn’t feel like a horror experience,” comments Walker. “In response, our director said: ‘I want to do something where everyone wins’. In order to do so, he implemented this support character mechanic. So, if you play as Claire, you have this support character of Moira. And if you’re Barry, you have this support character of Natalia. These support characters are different: they do not carry guns. Moira is a little girl and Natalia... well you’ll discover why she doesn’t have a gun via the story. So hopefully, as a result of this, players won’t find Resident Evil less horrific. They won’t have two characters all guns blazing. Moira can only use a flashlight. She is using a flashlight against an infected that’s wielding a bat with nails in it. That is going to be quite terrifying.” DAWN OF THE DEAD Focusing on the horror side of Resident Evil would have sounded like madness a few years ago. Back then, horror games were all but extinct – you wouldn’t find one on any release schedule. Yet over the last 18 months, that has changed. In 2014 alone

there were a number of excellent, acclaimed and popular horror games, such as Outlast, Alien: Isolation and The Evil Within. One incredibly popular horror game was the unusual interactive trailer that Konami made called PT, which was used to announce the upcoming Silent Hills. It’s certainly reassuring to see the genre return from the grave. However, could there be an oversaturation of survival horror games? There are only so many titles that fans can buy, after all. “We have just been so busy making this game that we just haven’t been given the chance to play some of the cool new games like Alien: Isolation and Outlast,” admits Okabe. “But we have looked at what people think of those games. With regards as to whether or not we will reach a saturation point of horror games... it is a possibility. But actually, at the moment, we are getting lots of different types of survival horror games. It’s not like everything is going in one direction. Rather than saturating, it feels like horror games are instead spreading out in interesting directions.” Resident Evil won’t be too concerned about the competition. After all, It is the original survival horror, the one that started it all almost 20 years ago, and, judging by the response to Revelations 2, it looks set to remain the industry’s premier scary story for some time to come.

EPISODE BY EPISODE

Revelations 2 was released in weekly episodes, before hitting retail as a complete collection

CAPCOM is experimenting with a new business model for Resident Evil: Revelations 2. The game is being released in four parts over the space of a month, one episode a week for £4.99 an episode. Gamers can either buy them individually, in a season pass for £19.99 or get the all-inclusive boxed version, featuring several extras. “If you played the first Resident Evil: Revelations on 3DS, you will find that it was already broken up into these episodes. So we decided to build upon that and take the next natural step, which is to actually release it episodically and not lock in gamers to buying the whole thing at once,” says Revelations 2 production manager Matt Walker. “That way we hopefully have given gamers choice, so that if they just want to play episode one, they can, and they can try it out and see how it goes. “Then we looked at it and thought: ‘What else can we do with episodic that would be cool?’ So we looked at TV shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, and we saw

Capcom’s Michiteru Okabe (left) and Matt Walker (right)

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that the passionate fanbases for these TV shows are getting online right after their shows are over, and they’re talking about the cliffhangers and asking: ‘What is going to happen next?’ We want that for Resident Evil.” The new distribution model also had a big impact on how the game was being created. “Normally when we make a $60 game, we create a scenario that has a distinct beginning, middle and end,” says Walker. “This time we have to write it in a way that has these compelling cliffhangers, so that people cannot wait to see what happens next. So we worked with a guy called Dai Satō, who also wrote the story for the first Revelations. There was a lot of back and forth between him and our game director over how they were going to implement these story elements and where the cliffhangers would come in. Then they just had to re-write and re-write. They just kept going at it until they had something they thought was compelling enough.”

March 20th 2015

“2”and “PlayStation” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Also, “ ” is a trademark of the same company. Bloodborne™ ©2014 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by FromSoftware, Inc. “Bloodborne” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All rights reserved.

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INDIE INTERVIEW OPPOSABLE GAMES Sponsored by

MADE IN BRISTOL Not content with just making video games, Bristol-based Opposable has started working on its own proprietary technology. Alex Calvin speaks to MD Ben Trewhella DEVELOPER for hire. Tech pioneer. Events organiser. A studio not short on ambition. The above labels are all appropriate for Bristol-based indie developer Opposable Games. Set up at the end of 2011 by Ben Trewhella, a mobile app veteran, the firm began life working for the likes of Channel Four, where it made mobile title Embarrassing Bodies: Angry Boils. “Embarrassing Bodies has a huge viewership,” Opposable MD Trewhella says. “Maverick, the company behind the show, featured the game within the show itself and the downloads shot up. The figures spiked after each episode. You could literally see it minute-by-minute. “There’s a lot of room for people to experiment and do interesting things by combining TV and mobile games.” GETTING TECHNICAL As well as making games, the firm has also put a lot of work into its OneTouchConnect technology. “We very rapidly got onto the idea of connected screen games,” Trewhella explains. “One of our first releases was Clockwork Racers. It was a game where you could use smartphones as controllers to play on a main screen, using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. “It showed us there was an opportunity. People were interested in these multi-screen games. And we began to see a few options – the first was to create some technology. “It was difficult to connect an iOS device, an Android device, Mac or PC together. So we created some technology called OneTouchConnect, which is effectively a Unity plugin now.

March 20th 2015

Opposable’s upcoming release Salvaged uses its OneTouchConnect technology

It makes the task of creating peer-to-peer multiplayer games very simple. We’ve sold that to developers all over the world.” While not a big seller, OneTouchConnect is still a handy revenue stream. It’s also central to Opposable’s upcoming release, Salvaged, a title that casts you as the captain of a space ship exploring other derelict star crafts. “In Salvaged you are always in the view of the ship’s captain and as you send your soldiers in you can see on the main screen what they see, their first person views, but you control their action via a tablet,” Trewhella explains. “Using OneTouchConnect, players can hook up a phone or tablet to their PC or console, and then control the game as you would as the ship’s captain via a touch screen rather than a mouse and keyboard. “It works really well. We scraped and pulled things together and recently got some investment to build Salvaged. We’re going for a Steam release first because it’s got this very niche multiple screen thing going. We are also hoping that Sony or Microsoft or even

It was difficult to connect iOS devices to Android to computers. So we put together some tech called OneTouchConnect. Ben Trewhella, Opposable Games

Nintendo might see it as a cool thing to have on their consoles.” Salvaged also comes with virtual reality support, with the studio also working on another VR title called Sherlock. In addition to this, Opposable put together a festival for virtual realty earlier this month. “We are really big fans of VR, so much so that we put together this conference called South West VR, which happened in Bristol,” Trewhella says. “We had over 250 delegates turn up. There were there to listen to talks from Sony, Oculus, Microsoft and lots of indie devs, all giving interesting talks. We had about 20 demo stations and developers bringing their own unique VR games and experiences. It was incredibly successful, we had amazingly good feedback. “We’re quite keen on VR, and there are some unique opportunities. It’s still a bit niche in terms of consumers, but excitement is going to grow very rapidly.” And this isn’t the only thing that Opposable is doing to support the local games industry – it has opened up its offices to developers as part of Bristol Games Hub. “Bristol Games Hub is a not-forprofit space, with 48 developers and more coming along,” Trewhella says. “People come along and make games. And it’s just grown. There are more and more people in the area, and people are even coming to Bristol because there’s this easy-to-access space. We do lots of technical talks, and we have great partners in Microsoft, Sony and Unity, and they all come down to explain how things work.” He concludes: “It’s a really positive thing to both Bristol and the games industry.”

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OPINION

INSIGHT

GAMES INDUSTRY SHOULD UNITE TO END ‘KEY STRIPPING’ it later emerged that those keys had been obtained fraudulently using stolen credit cards - they were effectively ‘stolen goods’. Ubisoft was clearly doing the right thing. Obviously gamers want to get the games as cheaply as possible but they also want developers to continue to create great games. Equally, publishers are keen not to agitate gamers but they are losing profits and obtaining inaccurate market data affecting future strategy. Authorised distributors who are ‘doing the right thing’ have expressed concerns that key stripping is hurting their sales.

ARTY RAJENDRA, partner at Rouse Legal, discusses the legalities around key stripping and the impact it is having on the games business

he market for digital downloads increases yearon-year, yet there remains a healthy market for the boxed products. Why is this and should gaming companies continue to invest heavily in what is forecasted to become an obsolete format? The answer may lie in the rise of key stripping. Boxed products often contain both a game disc and a download code or ‘key’ that enables the user to download and access the game from a digital platform. Key stripping happens because there are significant price variations for games between different territories due to tax, size of the market, distribution costs or simple economics. The price variation is exploited by third parties who buy boxed games in bulk from lower priced countries, such as India, remove the code from each box (i.e. ‘strip the key’), enter it on to a website for sale to consumers in the higher priced countries, and ditch the boxed game disc. The consumers then use the key to download the game, avoiding the higher price they would have been charged in their home territory. Obviously third party key strippers are on to a good thing, but this practice is not good for the UK industry and has dubious legality.

Publishers are keen to not agitate gamers, but they are losing proﬁts and obtaining inaccurate data.

LEGAL PERSPECTIVE Key stripping has a number of legal implications, not least VAT, national laws relating to the depiction

Arty Rajendra, Rouse Legal

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE Key stripping recently hit the headlines because Ubisoft deactivated keys for Far Cry 4 bought via a key stripping website. Gamers were incensed. However,

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German courts have twice sided with publishers and said code stripping is illegal

of violence and breach of EULAs (end-user licence agreement). Publishers take these into account when marketing and pricing their products. From an IP perspective, the sale of game keys potentially enables infringement of the many copyrights held in the game, including the software but also musical, artistic and text, any in-game films and so on. We refer to this as the ‘game’s copyright’ but it is actually a bundle of copyrights in a single product. Publishers cannot use their IP rights to stop individual copies of games that have been put on to the European market by them, or with their consent, from being freely traded across all EU states. In these circumstances, the IP rights were ‘exhausted’ at the first sale. However, can it really be said that the publisher authorised the use of the individual copy of the game, which was downloaded with the stripped key? This issue has been tested by the German courts on two separate occasions. They have consistently found that exhaustion does not apply to the sale of games via stripped keys and, consequently, there is infringement. It is likely that other European courts would follow suit. Indeed, it may well be that the courts would look favourably on arguments by the publishers that sales of the stripped keys breach European laws relating to the circumvention of protection measures, already successfully used by console-makers in relation to modchips, and Sky in relation to unauthorised decoder cards. Key stripping is damaging the UK games industry. There is clearly a need for publishers to get together and tackle the issue, perhaps by way of a test case managed by an industry body. A good result is possible if the games industry is brave and collaborates effectively.

March 20th 2015

INTERVIEW VISCERAL GAMES

CRIMINAL MINDS The latest Battlefield game isn’t being made by DICE. Nor is it a gritty military shooter. Instead, it’s set in LA and features cops and robbers. Why the change? Alex Calvin asks Visceral Games creative director Ian Milham

attlefield Hardline is a departure from the series’ formula in more ways than one. To start, it’s not being made by series creator DICE, but rather Visceral, the studio behind EA’s science fiction survival horror series Dead Space. It is also ditching the military shooter trappings for a crime caper set in Los Angeles. “The general idea is that Hardline is sort of Battlefield with its feet up on its desk,” creative director Ian Milham tells MCV. “It’s bringing a lighter attitude and police drama, cops versus robbers vibe on top of the depth and strategy that Battlefield is known for.” Ditching the military shooter gameplay is an interesting move for the team. The series’ main rival, Call of Duty, shook things up in last year’s Advanced Warfare by introducing new mechanics, as well as futuristic gadgets and weaponary, so it is only understandable Battlefield would similarly try to refresh the wellworn shooter genre – or risk being seen as stuck in the past. Milham hopes the new setting can attract both Battlefield fans and some newcomers. “There are all kinds of people out there; there are Battlefield veterans from way back when that maybe have been taking a break, there are people who have come in during the last few iterations and, of course, there are people who have never played before,” he says. “We’re hoping aspects of the game will appeal to all of those people. Maybe you’re a single player fan – we’ve done a really great job with the single player. Maybe you’re more into the

March 20th 2015

cops and robbers – that’s cool, too. But if you are a hardcore Battlefield player who likes the gun experience and how the weapons handle, we’ve done our own take on Battlefield – but brought that same depth to it. There’s something for everybody.”

Hardline is Battlefield with its feet up on its desk. It brings a lighter attitude and police drama vibe on top of the depth that Battlefield is known for.”

TESTED TO PERFECTION Visceral has run two betas for Battlefield Hardline – one last June, and another this January. The tests served a dual purpose; letting fans get their hands on a slice of the game early was an obvious goal, but the firm also wanted to make sure that Hardline actually worked on a technical level. “It’s been brilliant,” says Milham. “We had seven million people try the beta out, which exceeded our expectations. It ran really smoothly. Of course, collecting data, feedback and reactions is all very nice, but the goal is to get a tight launch. It ran perfectly, and we had a good reaction to the beta. Now we’re ramping up to launch. “We can’t even count the changes from the one last year – there were so many. The latest one was more focused on balancing tweaks. We purposely changed things during the beta, maybe more broadly than we really needed or wanted to, just to collect more feedback and practice rolling out changes – making sure that the process actually worked properly.” This focus on quality and functionality is a reaction to the number of games that have had troubled launches recently – as well as, undoubtably, the marred launch of predecessor Battlefield 4 in 2013, which came under severe consumer fire for its continued server woes.

Ian Milham, Visceral Games

“Many titles have had pretty rocky introductions to the world recently. You only really get one chance to make a first impression, as much as you can build and change content later,” Milham explains. “We have been very vigilant and very conservative. We’ve simulated just about every scenario we can simulate, we’ve had two betas which have both run pretty well. We’ve made a smooth launch our number one priority. That said, it’s naive to promise there would be no turbulence at all – it’s hard to roll something to potentially tens of millions of people and not have something go wrong. But we’re doing everything we can, and everything we have done so far has gone quite smoothly.” DELAYED GRATIFICATION Ensuring a smooth launch was one of the factors in Visceral and EA’s decision to delay Battlefield Hardline from Q4 2014 to this year. Milham says developers shouldn’t be afraid to push their games back if they are not ready for launch – even if they will miss that lucrative Christmas window. “The delay was a blessing,” he states. “Besides overall polish and quality, which is really important, it lets us focus on a few of the little features that differentiate us from the crowd. “Whether it’s Q4 or not, if a game isn’t ready for release then you shouldn’t put it out. When I think back to my favourite titles, whether they were long-term multiplayer experiences, or single player ones, I don’t remember or care when they came out. I only remember or care about whether they were amazing – that is what everybody should be focusing on.”

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VISCERAL GAMES INTERVIEW

ESPORTS RELIEF SINCE the Battlefield series’ last release – Battlefield 4 in 2013 – the first-person shooter eSports scene has boomed and the multiplayer in last year’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare came with a slew of eSports modes. The team at Hardline developer Visceral is eager to bring eSports to Battlefield, too. “It’s one of those deals where the competitive community makes the decision whether to bring it to the eSports scene,” says Battlefield Hardline creative director Ian Milham. “But the things that they value are good for everybody. We absolutely have paid

Hardline transplants Battleﬁeld’s staple gun and vehicular combat into a Los Angeles setting ﬁlled with cops and criminals

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attention and done our research into the competitive community, and some of the things that are important to it – rock solid performance, stability and credibility – are all important to everybody. Listening to the competitive community helps everyone. To get more specific, spectator abilities are particularly nice to have. “There are a couple of new modes like Rescue and Crosshair, and we think these are especially appropriate for the eSports community. In the end, they choose what’s happening. We just want to provide an experience that is great for both them and us.”

March 20th 2015

Interactive content marketplace Indies Investors Introduction meetings In-depth funding advice Interesting venue In London In your diary: May 14th

For more information contact Conor Tallon on 01992 535647 or email ctallon@nbmedia.com

Thursday May 14th 2015 A new event for developers and publishers in a unique Central London arts space Connecting content makers and investors

Guaranteeing delegates at least 10 good intro meetings

Meet an investor or sign up the next big game

Indie Zone Partner

Event Partner

MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE On the eve of Game Centre Clydebank’s ﬁrst anniversary, store manager Michael Deary tells MCV about what it is doing to celebrate, its plans for events this summer and why it wants more digital point of sale content How’s business been recently? It’s been great. We’re coming up to our ﬁrst year now and we have loads of loyal customers, so things have been looking really great. What’s been selling well? The Order has been doing quite well, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse, too. Pre-owned stock is also a big seller in this store. And our pre-orders are looking nice and healthy.

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

birthday cake. We’re going to get balloons and stuﬀ in store, too. And hopefully, we’re going to try and organise some goody bags, similar to what we did when we ﬁrst opened the store. We arranged those through CentreSoft.

How has hardware been selling? Hardware has had its ups and downs. The new price points for Xbox One and PS4 have helped. They were ﬂying oﬀ shelves over Christmas – especially PlayStation 4s. Right now, it’s quite quiet, given that it is March.

Do you do many in-store events? We do midnight openings. Not that many at the moment, but we did ones for the big games last year. In the summer we are also going to do a lot of daily events

As you mentioned, your one-year anniversary is approaching. Are you doing anything to celebrate? We are. Hopefully we’re going to be getting a game-themed

PRICE CHECK: PLYMOUTH

TOP 10 PRE-ORDERS 1. WOLFENSTEIN: THE OLD BLOOD Bethesda, PS4

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Day One Ed Konami ...................................................................PS4

MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR

DARK SOULS 2

3. Bloodborne Sony.........................................................................PS4

Bandai Namco, 360

DARK SOULS Bandai Namco, PS3

4. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remastered Square Enix..........................................................PS4

Warner Bros, XO

Square Enix, PS4

£12.99

£19.99

£27.99

£49.99

N/A

£34.99

£49.99

£12.99

£19.99

£24.97

£34.99

9. Borderlands The Handsome Jack Collection 2K Games .............................................................PS4

£9.85

£14.86

N/A

£29.86

10. Borderlands The Handsome Jack Collection 2K Games ................................................................XO

N/A

£12

£33

£44

6. Battleﬁeld Hardline + Versatility DLC EA ................................................................................XO

IN STORE

5. Steins; Gate PQube ......................................................................Vita

LORDS OF THE FALLEN

7. Final Fantasy Type 0 HD + FF XV Demo Square Enix..........................................................PS4

UPLOADING The latest digital releases coming to market

STEALTH INC 2

SLENDER: THE ARRIVAL

NOT A HERO

The former Wii U-exclusive is headed to Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Vita

Terrifying character Slender Man is coming to haunt PS4 and Xbox One

This chaotic shooter from OlliOlli studio Roll7 is hitting PC in May

OUT: APRIL

March 20th 2015

ONLINE

8. Battleﬁeld Hardline + Versatility DLC EA .............................................................................PS4

OUT: APRIL 25TH

OUT: MAY 7TH

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MARKETPLACE

Games Centre 57 Sylvania Way Clyde Shopping Centre Clydebank G81 2RR

– Mario Kart Monday and that kind of thing. Just to keep people coming in. What digital products do you oﬀer at the moment? Pretty much everything. We do the digital range and have a dedicated bay for Sony and Microsoft. We also stock the Nintendo eShop range, too. That’s been doing well. Digital has deﬁnitely become a driving force in our business. We have a lot of

Phone: 0141 299 8008 Website: www.gamescentre.co.uk

people who are coming on board with digital. What more do you want from publishers regarding digital? A lot of customers don’t know about digital, and if it was better presented in-store that might help. Microsoft in particular should be focused on getting us a better point of sale, so we can advertise its product. And at the moment we just do the top-up vouchers from Xbox – it’s very basic.

INCOMING TITLE

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV? Contact acalvin@nbmedia.com or call 01992 515 303

RPG fans are in for an exciting few weeks – ﬁrst up is From Software’s new IP Bloodborne, then its Dark Souls 2 re-release, Scholar of the First Sin FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Shooter

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

March 20th Battleﬁeld Hardline Bladestorm: Nightmare

PS4/XO/PS3

Strategy

Koei Tecmo

01462 476 130

Open

Final Fantasy Type 0 HD

PS4/XO

RPG

Square Enix

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Mario Party 10

Wii U

Party

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Horror

Capcom

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

The Awakened Fate Ultimatum

PS3

RPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

PS4

RPG

Sony

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

March 27th Bloodborne Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

PS4/XO

Shooter

2K Games

01279 822 800

Exertis

Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stones: Thunderﬂash

3DS

Strategy

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stones: Wildﬁre

3DS

Strategy

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

Ride

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Racing

PQube

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Toukiden: Kiwami

PS4/Vita

RPG

Koei Tecmo

01462 476 130

Open

Xblaze Code: Embryo

PS3/Vita

RPG

Funbox Media

01246 810 623

Open

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

RPG

Bandai Namco

01215 069 590

Advantage

PS3

RPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Reef

PS3/Vita

RPG

PQube

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Action

Rockstar

01279 822 800

Exertis

April 2nd Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

April 3rd Hyperdimension Neptunia Hypercollection

April 10th Steins; Gate

April 14th Grand Theft Auto V

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March 20th 2015

FINAL FANTASY

FINAL FANTASY Square Enix’s seminal RPG franchise continues to attract fans new and old, even as the IP approaches its 30th anniversary. Matthew Jarvis has the ﬁnal word on the current crop merchandise from the series

FINAL FANTASY’S journey is far from over. First launched in 1987, it was one of the defining role-playing games on the NES. And in its near thirty-year history a variety of different games, including thirdperson shooters, rhythm, fighting and racing titles have all carried the Final Fantasy moniker. This year, Square Enix’s bestselling franchise – with more than 100 million units sold in total – sees a number of new entries.

Final Fantasy is Square Enix’s bestselling franchise, with more than 100 million units sold.

Following a negative critical and commercial response upon its initial release, MMO instalment Final Fantasy XIV – the spiritual successor to fellow MMO Final Fantasy XI – was relaunched on PC and PS3 as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in 2013. The revamped title was a hit, exceeding Square Enix’s expectations and leading the firm to revise its financial results, raising its net sales forecast for the financial year from ¥140 billion (£0.77bn)

FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK This collection includes all of the music from the latest entry in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. As well as the original versions of the songs, the 62-track set also includes remixes, new compositions and music from smartphone game Final Fantasy Agito. Bonus video content, including a trailer, music video, behind the scenes feature and a video interview with producer Tabata Hajime and music composer Ishimoto Takeharu, is also included. SRP: £32.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

MOOGLE STRESS BALL

FINAL FANTASY SERIES MASCOT HANDTOWELS

TRADING ARTS KAI MINI NO.6 – LIGHTNING

Modelled after the cat-like Moggles from the Final Fantasy series, this rather cute stress ball is comforting to squeeze.

These towels feature three iconic creatures from the Final Fantasy franchise: a Moogle, Chocobo and Cactuar.

Lightning, the protagonist of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, is shrunken down to miniature size for this ﬁgure.

SRP: £9.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

SRP: £8.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

SRP: £18.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

March 20th 2015

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FINAL FANTASY Sponsored by

gaming merchandise uk

to ¥155 billion (£0.85bn). A Realm Reborn was launched on PS4 in April 2014; as of February 2015, more than four million accounts have been registered. The game’s first major expansion pack, Heavensward, is set for release on June 23rd. First released for PSP in Japan in 2011, Final Fantasy Type-0 breaks from the turnbased format of the core Final Fantasy series to embrace

real-time action-based gameplay. This year, the title comes to Western shores and the new generation of consoles as Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. Long awaited by fans (it was first announced nine years ago as Final Fantasy Versus XIII), Final Fantasy XV is yet to have a release date confirmed, but purchasers of Type0 HD will get an early hands-on with the game in the form of the bundled Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae demo.

THE SKY: THE ART OF FINAL FANTASY SLIPCASED EDITION Previously only available as part of a sold-out boxed set, The Sky consists of three hardcover books containing selections of illustrations from Final Fantasy series artist Yoshitaka Amano from the ﬁrst ten games in the franchise, printed on glossy stock. Volume I focuses on Amano’s work for Final Fantasy I to III, Volume II showcases his art for Final Fantasy IV through VI and Volume III covers Final Fantasy VII up to X. SRP: £65 Manufacturer: Dark Horse Distributor: Diamond Comic Distributors UK Contact: 01928 531 760

FINAL FANTASY XV WALL SCROLL

THEATRHYTHM FINAL FANTASY CURTAIN CALL FAT CHOCOBO PLUSH

FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN PLAY ARTS KAI – CLOUD STRIFE

This poster features the characters from the next entry in the core Final Fantasy series.

The stout fan favourite Fat Chocobo takes plush form here, based on his appearance in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call.

Final Fantasy’s most iconic character, Cloud Strife, appears here as he did in ﬁlm sequel Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

SRP: £19.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

SRP: £39.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

SRP: £69.99 Manufacturer: Square Enix Distributor: Square Enix Contact: 020 8636 3000

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March 20th 2015

HOT PRODUCTS

DIRECTORY

MCV DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS Sony DADC ............................................ +44 (0) 207 462 6200

CREATIVE Fink ................................................................. info@ﬁnkcreative.com

GAMING ACCESSORIES DISC REPAIR

L3I............................................................................+ (0)1923 471 020

Total Disc Repair ..................................+44 (0) 1202 489500

Venom ............................................................... +44 (0)1763 284181

DISTRIBUTION Click Entertainment ............................ +44 (0) 203 137 3781 Creative Distribution ......................+44 (0) 20 8664 3456 RATES

Curveball Leisure ................................... +44 (0) 1792 652521

£70 per two column box (100mm x 75mm). To run weekly for a minimum of 1 year. Please phone for other size and/or position requirements.

Enarxis Dynamic Media ............................. +302 1090 11900

DISC REPAIR

TOTAL DISC REPAIR

Tel: +44 (0) 1202 489500

March 20th 2015

Web: www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

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DIRECTORY

ENQUIRIES CONOR TALLON Tel: 01992 535647 ctallon@nbmedia.com

FINK

CREATIVE

DISTRIBUTION

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT

Artworking Mastertronic Brand Identity Ukie Localisation Rising Star Games Advertising BBFC Website Design Deep Silver Exhibition Bethesda Illustration Just Flight Appynation Digital Media IntentMedia Charity GamesAid Banners & Takeovers Konami Packaging Design Just Flight Email: info@ﬁnkcreative.com CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 (0) 208 6643456 ENARXIS DYNAMIC MEDIA

Tel: +44 (0)203 137 3781

Web: www.ﬁnkcreative.com DISTRIBUTION

email: sales@click-entertainment.com

CURVEBALL LEISURE

Web: www.creativedistribution.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1792 652521

DISTRIBUTION

SONY DADC

DISTRIBUTION

Web: www.curveball-leisure.com DISTRIBUTION

Empowering your creative business

Tel: +44 207 462 6200 games@sonydadc.com

www.sonydadc.com Tel: +302 1090 11900

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Web: www.enarxis.eu

Tel: +44 (0) 207 462 6200

Web: www.sonydadc.com

March 20th 2015

DIRECTORY

GAMING ACCESSORIES

L3I

GAMING ACCESSORIES

VENOM

New officially licensed products

Arcade Stick

For the authentic arcade experience

Hurricane Steering Wheel

Tel: + (0)1923 471 020

Web: www.logic3.com

Take racing to the next level

ADVERTISE WITH US “

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN OUR DIRECTORY?

” and “PlayStation” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Also, “ ” and ” ” are trademarks of the same company.

Web: www.venomuk.com Phone: +44 (0)1763 284181 Email: darren.scott@venomuk.com sam.phipps@venomuk.com tom.hodge@venomuk.com

CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535647 OR EMAIL HIM AT CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 March 20th 2015

Venom UK Gaming @VenomGamingUK

w w w. v e n o m u k . c o m

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INSIDER’S GUIDE

INSIDER’S GUIDE SCANAVO

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: Packaging Location: Scanavo A/S, Roskildevej 328, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark

Develop is the only dedicated publication for the UK and European games development community. It reaches over 8,500 subscribers every month.

Scanavo sales and marketing director Jeanette Sölling talks about the packaging specialist’s work in games

FOR GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT ALEX BOUCHER ABOUCHER@NBMEDIA.COM

Tell us about your company. We manufacture customised packaging and marketing solutions for the global home entertainment industry. We have 25 years of experience and we are partners with the major publishers, Hollywood and independent studios.

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT: Epic Games .................................................. www.epicgames.com/careers

What is your biggest success so far? The SteelBook brand is deﬁnitely one of our biggest successes. The concept was launched 10 years ago and the very ﬁrst project released was Killzone for the PS2. It was a major success and very soon more games were released in SteelBook packaging.

To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and now every week in MCV) contact aboucher@nbmedia.com

With the successful console transition, we expect to see a solid SteelBook presence this year.

What projects do you currently have in the works? We have tons of triple-A games and movies in the pipeline, but this is classiﬁed information. With the successful console transition, we expect to see a solid SteelBook presence this year, tied to the many incredible game releases.

promotion and media will be around for a long time and we have some new very good solutions which can support this changing marketplace.

What are the biggest challenges you face? It is not a secret to anybody that the physical media market is declining on a global basis. Our job and challenge today is to help and support the entertainment industry in oﬀering marketing solutions that can promote and support both digital and physical releases. Physical

How did you choose your company name? With an unshakeable belief in the future, a basement room in the Copenhagen Freeport, and a modest start-up capital, Scanavo was founded in 1990. The name Scanavo comes from Scandinavia. Today Scanavo has facilities in North America and Asia and we export products to Europe, Americas and Asia.

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR COMPANY IN INSIDER’S GUIDE? PLEASE CONTACT MJARVIS@NBMEDIA.COM OR CALL 01992 515 303

WWW.DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET www.mcvuk.com

Contact: P: +45 4355 1000 W: www.scanavo.com E: sales@scanavo.com

March 20th 2015

EASTERN EUROPE TERRITORY REPORT Sponsored by

TERRITORY REPORT: EASTERN EUROPE Eastern Europe is quickly becoming one of the world’s video games industry powerhouses, driven by huge uptake in PC gaming and increasing consumer spending. Matthew Jarvis takes a trip to this major emerging market

hen Barack Obama visited Poland a few years ago, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk offered the US president a copy of The Witcher 2 from local developer CD Projekt Red. Though Obama later admitted that he hadn’t played the game himself, the gift highlights the growing importance of the video games industry to the economy of Poland and its neighbouring Eastern European countries.

£1.5bn The total Eastern European games market was worth £1.5bn in 2014 Market tracker Newzoo estimates that the total Eastern European games market was worth $2.3 billion (£1.5bn) last year. Around half of this was comprised by the games industry of Russia, which generated approximately $1.1 billion (£0.74bn) in 2014. This value makes it the 12th-biggest video games market in the world, in terms of annual revenue. Poland is the second most prosperous games sector in Eastern Europe, with estimated 2014 games sector revenue of $279.7 million (£187.3m). The region ranks as the 23rd-biggest games market globally.

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Romania places as the thirdbiggest region in the territory in terms of games market revenue, generating $122.4 million (£0.67m) last year. It is the 39th-biggest country when compared to the rest of the globe. Having seen year-on-year growth of 13.3 per cent between 2013 and 2014, the Eastern European games market is expected to continue growing. This development is spurred by a high level of consumer uptake in the territory; 41 per cent of Eastern Europe’s inhabitants play games regularly, a proportion only slightly lower than Western Europe’s 49 per cent. DIGITAL LOVE Consumer interest in digital games retail is also contributing to the healthy games market. Analyst SuperData reports that digital games revenue in Eastern Europe grew by seven per cent during 2014, with Russia once again accounting for half of the market. Poland comprises a fifth of the digital space. One reason for the widespread adoption of digital retail may be the high level of consumer

March 20th 2015

TERRITORY REPORT EASTERN EUROPE

preference for digital payments – electronic wallets and credit/ debit cards account for almost half of all payments in Eastern Europe. This may subsequently contribute to the success of freeto-play MMOs in Eastern Europe, where conversion and spending rates are higher than the rest of Europe. According to SuperData, the freeto-play MMO sector is the largest portion of the Eastern European games market, carving out $800 million (£535.7m) in 2014 revenue and holding 36 per cent of market share. Meanwhile, the pay-to-play MMO segment is resisting the decline seen across much of the rest of the world. The sector was worth $205 million (£137.3m) in 2014 and declined seven per cent – slower than in other global regions. PC AND PIRATES The popularity of MMOs may also relate to Eastern Europe’s love of the PC. Russia is proportionally the biggest market in the world for PC gaming, with 98 per cent of gamers playing on the platform. 11 per cent of Russian gamers play across every available platform, a low section of the overall audience when compared with mature markets such as Canada and Australia. Meanwhile, games consoles attract just over a third (36 per cent) of gamers, with two-thirds (65.6 per cent) gaming on mobile. However, Eastern Europe is still troubled by piracy. Russia ranks as the fifth-biggest country in the world for unlicensed software, according to the latest BSA Global Software Survey. Unlicensed software outweighs the value of licensed software, with $2.7 billion (£1.8bn) of software lost to piracy each year. 62 per cent of all software is pirated – a stark contrast to the 24 per cent rate of the UK. Newzoo adds its prediction that just 56 per cent of Russian players actually spend money on games.

March 20th 2015

Russian PC gamers have also been hit by the economic troubles of the ruble. Digital distribution platform Steam introduced limits on sales in Russia

THE FACTS

62 per cent of all software in Russia is pirated – a stark contrast to the UK’s 24 per cent rate.

INFO Countries: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine Population: 149.2 million Primary Languages: Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian Currency: Various

last December after the ruble plunged, losing half of its value against the dollar. This meant that titles costing $40 (£27) in America were available for less than $5 (£3.35) in Russia. As a result, game sales were restricted to Russia, with region-locking imposed to stop Russian buyers reselling titles outside of the country.

TOP DEVELOPERS 4A Games, Wargaming, Epic Games Poland, Techland, Flying Wild Hog, Playtech, CD Projekt, Gaijin Entertainment, 1C Company

KEY RETAILERS GOG.com, Gry Online, Media Markt, Sklep Gram, Gram.pl, Comfy, Eldorado, Foxtrot, Moyo, Protoria, Rozetka TOP DISTRIBUTORS 1C Company, Longstein, Noviy Disk, CD Projekt, Galapagos, LEM, Cenega LOCAL PUBLISHERS Gameloft, Sony, Disney, Bandai Namco, Ubisoft, 1C Company, CI Games, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA

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FACTFILE NETHERLANDS Sponsored by

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: NETHERLANDS Population: 16,912,640 Capital City: Amsterdam Currency: Euro GDP (Per Capita): $52,249 KEY RETAILERS Nedgame, Carrefour, Game Mania, Gameshop, Intertoys, Media Markt, Bart Smit, Saturn, Bol.com

TOP DEVELOPERS Vlambeer, Guerrilla Games, Lionade Games, Engine Software, Triumph Studios, VSTEP

KEY DISTRIBUTORS Koch Media, Big Ben Interactive, Micromedia, CLD Distribution, Level03 Distribution, Game World

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, 2K, Ubisoft, Two Tribes

THE Netherlands continues to host a flourishing games market, experiencing massive growth propelled by the strength of serious games and social titles. According to the latest data from market research firm Newzoo, the Netherlands is the 16th largest games industry in the world, generating total revenue of $433.2 million (£287.1m) last year. The Dutch games industry differs from many of its European neighbours in that the biggest proportion of the market is occupied by ‘serious’ games, such as training, educational and simulation titles. Innovation Taskforce Utrecht Region predicts that these titles comprise approximately 15 per cent of games industry revenue globally, in the Netherlands they

contribute half of all revenue, split equally with ‘non-serious’ titles such as racing, shooting, adventure and strategy games. In addition to this, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reports that a fifth of Dutch gamers regularly invest in additional virtual in-game content. More than a third (35 per cent) have purchased such content at least once. PwC adds that social games see the most regular use among consumers, with 43 per cent of gamers playing such titles daily. Games consoles see the least regular use; just one in ten gamers play on console every day, with the majority – 28 per cent – playing several times a month. This is less than half of those who play regularly on PC or laptop, with 21 per cent of gamers playing every day.

Just one in ten Dutch gamers play titles on games consoles every day.

March 20th 2015

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NETHERLANDS FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... GERMANY Google Play revenue has surpassed that of Apple’s iOS App Store in the region, as the size of the local Android app market doubles THE Android mobile platform has bested its iOS competitor in Germany, as German mobile gamers continue to invest more heavily in app purchases. According to mobile research and analyst ﬁrm App Annie, annual Google Play revenue in Germany grew by 150 per cent in 2014, surpassing Apple’s iOS App Store in terms of monthly revenue. It’s not just the most popular games keeping the Android market healthy, either; titles that ranked outside of the Google Play store’s Top 100 apps also saw their annual revenue increase in 2014.

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Android’s growth has resulted in Germany now standing as the secondlargest market in Europe in terms of combined Android and iOS revenue, behind the UK. Combined revenue for both platforms in

Germany grew by 70 per cent last year. However, the UK remains more Apple-friendly, with iOS holding the lion’s share of revenue.

March 20th 2015

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OFF THE RECORD

OFF THE RECORD This week, the BAFTA Game Awards return, Final Fantasy battles its way onto the Silver Screen and King makes an oﬀer no-one can refuse – free cake ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED The BAFTA Games Awards returned this year to once again celebrate the best of the games industry. Among the winners this year was Activision’s Destiny, which walked away with the accolade for best game of 2014. Best British game went to mobile title Monument Valley, while Valiant Hearts was crowned the best original property of last year. Elite co-creator David Braben was the latest inductee into the BAFTA games Fellowship. And like with any glitzy party, plenty of celebrities – from both in games and outside – turned up to lend their support (and grab some drink and food while they were there). Among the big names joining host Rufus Hound on the night were Double Fine’s Tim Schafer, Valve’s Chet Faliszek, Ian Livingstone CBE and, those stalwarts of the games industry, athlete Linford Christie and magician Dynamo. Oh, and Katy Hill. Can’t forget Katy Hill.

THE WEEK IN 140 CHARACTERS The Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days @HotlineMiami The reviews are coming in and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is either the best or second best Hotline Miami video game EVER!

@si_lumb When working at the BBC you sometimes think that the work you do could change the world. Not many actually do. But [BBC Micro Bit designer] @sparks_rd probably will.

Hotline Miami Tuesday March 10th

Si Lumb, BBC Connected Studio Thursday March 12th

@azwah Finally digging into @MouldyToof’s and @team17ltd’s The Escapists... Excited! PUT ME BEHIND BARS DAMN YOU!!

@MituK BAFTA I do love you, but we NEED to do better than trying to legitimise our industry by having *Dynamo* present the award for Best Game. :|

Aaron Cooper, GAME Wednesday March 11th

Mitu Khandaker-Kokoris, The Tiniest Shark Thursday March 12th @djbteamsters Just reminded that a game we don’t talk about just hit 66 million sales. Thank you. It’s building foundations for the next generation. #Worms

@DanDawkins 90,000 fans call for a remake of CoD: MW2 and Uncharted 4 slips until 2016... this isn’t the new-gen I signed up for.

Deborah Bestwick, Team 17 Thursday March 12th

Daniel Dawkins, Future Wednesday March 11th @onebitbeyond Pretty much 10 years to the day we started Curve, and it has been such an incredible journey. I feel 20 years older.

@buzzspinner Remember how 3D TV was all the rage and was going to be the future? I feel the same thing will be true for #VR... not feeling it yet.

Jonathan ‘Bidds’ Biddle, onebitbeyond and ex-Curve Digital Wednesday March 11th

Erik Reynolds, Riot Games Sunday March 15th @BenjaminCousins The last of the dinosaurs turned. As a lifelong Nintendo fan, mobile gamer and ex-DeNA employee, I’m really happy.

@daniellamlucas Might have to print oﬀ pages of @GamesRadar and staple them together to ease the transition

Ben Cousins, The Outsiders Tuesday March 17th

Daniella Lucas, Games Master Wednesday March 11th

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March 20th 2015

OFF THE RECORD CAKE IS KING Candy Crush creator King took to the kitchen to celebrate Mother’s Day last Friday, oﬀering Candy Crush Soda Saga fans (and those who had forgotten to get their mum a gift) the chance to nab free baked goods. The mobile giant teamed up with the London-based Hummingbird Bakery to give away a selection of Candy Crush Soda Saga-themed cupcakes. And, no, that doesn’t mean you had to wait six hours to take each bite. All Candy Crush fans had to do was show that they had downloaded the game on their mobile, and they’d be eligible for a free treat.

POPCORN AND PUNCHES Final Fantasy has consistently been praised for its impressive visual flair, so the franchise’s trip to the cinema ahead of the launch of next instalment Type-O HD made perfect sense. (Let’s all try and forget 2001 movie spin-off The Spirits Within, shall we?) Last weekend, Empire Online editor-in-chief James Dyer hosted a day of free film screenings for cineastes and Final Fantasy fans alike. Dubbed ‘The Fight for Survival’, the four movies shown at the Prince Charles Cinema in London were picked to tie in with Type-0’s fast-paced fighting action gameplay. It kicked off with The Hunger Games at 1pm and ran through Tomorrow, When The War Began and The Faculty, before closing with Battle Royale at 8pm, the marathon also offered free refreshments and Final Fantasy-themed goody bags.

The Von Braun from System Shock 2.

Darragh O’Connor

friend for hire

@DarraghWV

@MasterByrne

Cloudbank, pre-the events of Transistor.

IF YOU COULD GO ON HOLIDAY TO ANY GAME WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? #GMGASKS

The Great Sea from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

Halo installations, maybe the Ark.

The Witcher. No wait! I take it back! ...shit

.Natalie(kvalheim)

Ricky

˫#.YB&DWDOLH

@Rickfurd

Costa Del Sol from FF7!

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, just amazing...

Joel Svensgård @JoelSvensgard

As beautiful as the land of Skyrim is, you’ve got to think of how dangerous it is with all the bandits and dragons.

March 20th 2015

George Sinos

Mert Ercan

#0LQLB6PHH

@RevolutionLand

Mineral Town, or any other Harvest Moon location.

Harran, before the events of Dying Light.

Pontus Redin

Gumba Butts

orangehead

@PontusRedin

@GumbaMasta

@iorangehead