MCV 854 October 30th 2015 by Biz Media Ltd

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 854 FRIDAY OCTOBER 30TH 2015

#20YearsofPlay

‘WE HAVE MADE MISTAKES’ THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 854 FRIDAY OCTOBER 30TH 2015

CEO FRED CHESNAIS TALKS ATARI’S BOTCHED GAME LAUNCHES P06

FIFA 16 UK digital revenue hits £4.5m in September

New Minecraft tipped for Xmas chart success

SuperData chart details Top Ten highest-grossing digital console games

by Alex Calvin

by Christopher Dring

UK retailers have backed this week’s Minecraft: Story Mode to be the stealth hit of Christmas. Episode 1 of Story Mode was released earlier this month for download, and was developed by The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones creator TellTale Games. As part of MCV’s 12 Games of Christmas list - set to be published next month - UK stores listed Minecraft: Story Mode as one to watch this Q4. The boxed version of the title arrives this week (October 30th). The physical version is being published by Avanquest, and the ﬁrm expects that it will enjoy its most successful festive period as a result. “This Christmas is going to be massive,” games director Simon Reynolds told MCV. “It’ll be our biggest Christmas ever. We’ve been previously known as a little company doing kids games, and then PC and DS titles. But we’ve constantly managed to reinvent ourselves and remain relevant.”

EA’S smash hit FIFA 16 dominated the digital market just as much as the physical one, new figures from SuperData reveal. The console versions were downloaded almost 85,000 times by the end of September, generating more than £4.5m. That revenue included microtransactions made via the game’s Ultimate Team mode. The title generated more than double that of second-placed Destiny, which was bolstered by the launch of expansion pack The Taken King. Destiny may have been the No.2 grossing digital console game, but the second-most downloaded title was Minecraft, which saw sales of more than 40,000. This chart is courtesy of US firm SuperData and is based on digital point-of-sale data collected from 366,385 UK digital gamers. This chart is still in its test phase – SuperData hopes to fill the void caused by a lack of data sharing amongst the big digital retailers and publishers.

UK TOP 10 CONSOLE DIGITAL CHART (BY REVENUE)

FIFA 16 (EA)

£4,552,075

Destiny (Activision)

£2,230,087

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Activision)

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami)

£1,507,125

Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar)

£1,166,386

Minecraft (Sony/Microsoft)

£568,629

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision)

£387,824

Mad Max (Warner Bros)

£372,428

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red)

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (Konami)

£1,798,016

£315,516 £238,638

Deal hunters turn to Europe for cut-price games by Christopher Dring THE strong pound against the Euro has seen savvy online shoppers ﬂock to foreign stores to buy games. Consumers are able to pick up an Xbox One for under £250 at HMV Ireland – £50 cheaper than the UK. Guitar Hero Live is available for £59 from Amazon.fr, a saving of £16 versus the UK equivalent. Meanwhile, LEGO Dimensions

and its expansion packs are £15– £25 cheaper on the continent. And these oﬀers include delivery. The exchange rate between the UK and Europe this year has changed dramatically, with the pound growing stronger almost by the week. One major online retailer told MCV that the Black Friday showdown next month will feature stores from across the continent.

“The exchange rate situation mostly eﬀects high-ticket items, like consoles and peripheral-heavy games,” said our source. “But you just watch: Amazon UK’s biggest competitors this Black Friday will be its own counterparts in France, Spain and Germany. “We’ll just have to work harder and monitor oﬀers in more than just the single territory.”

PLUS UBISOFT OPENS THE FUN HOUSE QA AND LOCALISATION SPECIAL

NEWS

Lobbying opens for new-look MCV Awards New venue, new date and new judging system for leading industry celebration THERE are certain things that signal that Christmas is on its way – the clocks going back, Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor hitting our screens, the onslaught of DFS ads... and the opening of the lobbying period for the MCV Awards. The UK games industry’s most prestigious awards return on Thursday, March 3rd at the swanky new Hilton Bankside. Also new are a number of additional categories, ensuring that all sectors of the business – including publishing, retail, distribution, marketing, PR, events and media – are celebrated. In short, two additional categories make a return for 2016: Mainstream Retailer and Events Team. Lobbying is open now across all categories. (See box out) The way the awards are being judged is also being changed. They will still be peer-

Specialist Retailer Indie Retailer O Mainstream Retailer O New Games Brand O Sales Triumph O Peripherals and Accessories Brand O Buying Team O Marketing Team O Digital Marketing Team O Trade Marketing Team O PR Team O Agency Team O Community Team O Distribution Team O Events Team O Export Team O Media Team O Sales Team O Indie Games Label O Game Campaign O Games Publisher O O

The 2016 MCV Awards mark the return of two categories

The deadline for all entries is Wednesday, December 16th, with ﬁnalists being announced in the New Year. Check out the MCV website for more details on how to lobby. A number of sponsorship opportunities are available. Call Conor Tallon on 01992 535647 to ﬁnd out more or email ctallon@nbmedia.com.

voted, but MCV will put together a panel of experts to encourage better debate and discussion around the individual categories. To lobby for yourself or anyone else, simply email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject line includes the name of the awards category you’re lobbying for.

Xbox UK plots multi-million Tomb Raider ad blitz MICROSOFT is backing Rise of the Tomb Raider with an expensive and unusual marketing push. The sequel to 2013’s reboot of the franchise is exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox 360 for 12 months and launches on November 13th. “There will be a multi-million pound UK marketing investment to support a title of this magnitude,” said Jon Edney, Xbox ﬁrst- and third-party category manager. “Our investment in nontraditional channels continues to grow as we explore new ways to showcase our games. “The Survival Billboard campaign will culminate in eight UK fans being placed on a live billboard in London for 24 hours. They will experience wild Siberian weather conditions in a test of endurance.”

October 30th 2015

THE CATEGORIES

Special Awards O Person Of The Year O Unsung Hero O Store Manager Of The Year

Merge moves onto PS4 and Xbox One by Alex Calvin

Rise of the Tomb Raider is being promoted in completely new ways, says Xbox’s Edney

MERGE GAMES will now publish physical games for PS4 and Xbox One. Up until now, the indie publishing ﬁrm had focused on boxed PC games, such as Terraria and Limbo. The ﬁrst game it will be releasing is Albedo Eyes from Outer Space, which will be hitting PS4 and Xbox One in January. “We have some great contacts in indie land,” said MD Luke Keighran. “In total, we have six games in production on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.”

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NEWS

THE EDITOR

‘Yo-Kai Watch is the next Pokémon’ Licence holders expect successful Japanese 3DS franchise to be next big boys brand worldwide by Matthew Jarvis JAPANESE smash hit 3DS game Yo-Kai Watch will take the UK by storm, predicts Viz Media. The ﬁrm – which is handling the release of the comics and TV show in Europe and America – expects the franchise to have the same eﬀect on the West that Pokémon had in the late 1990s. “This will be the next big boys’ brand, essentially the next Pokémon,” said Waell Oueslati, EMEA associate brand manager at Viz Media. “We have very high expectations for the market and for the UK. “We are certainly bigger than Pokémon in Japan; we currently

have 95 per cent market share in that region.” Yo-Kai Watch is a franchise by Professor Layton creator Level-5. The various games in the series shifted over six million copies in Japan alone in just 18 months. Rob Corney, group MD for merchandising outlet Bulldog Licensing, added: “The last major anime-esque property to really hit the big time in Europe was probably Ben 10 – though that was not a Japanese brand. “It’s been a few years since this was at its peak and a new generation of fans is ready for the next major success story in the genre.”

DIGITAL CONSOLE MARKET GROWS BUT PHYSICAL REMAINS DOMINANT

n the absence of a fully functional UK digital download chart, we’re pleased to publish this latest effort from SuperData. The analyst firm uses genuine point-of-sale information (from over 350,000 sources). Although the chart is still in beta and not completely accurate (it doesn’t count PC or mobile downloads), it still offers valuable insight into the burgeoning marketplace. Take FIFA 16: the game topped the console digital charts for September – no real surprise. What is perhaps most fascinating is that out of its £4.5m in digital revenue, £1.17m came from the microtransactions found in the game’s Ultimate Team mode. That’s more than the entire digital revenue generated by Minecraft last month. Minecraft was the sixth biggest game by revenue, but in terms of units it was actually No.2, with over 40,000 games sold across PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The game has a budget price, hence the lower standing, and its ‘additional revenue’ via DLC also remains low. Just £67,000 was generated by Minecraft add-on packs and microtransactions. Microsoft will want to be careful not to anger its loyal fanbase, but when a twoyear-old game like GTA V is still bringing in £840,000 in additional digital console revenue a month, there’s surely a massive opportunity for Minecraft to do the same. Yet for all the big digital numbers, a cursory comparison between the digital and physical console space just

Yo-Kai Watch will be the next Japanese kids’ success story, says Bulldog’s Corney

SPONSORED BY

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WWE 2K16 + Terminator In-game Bonus (PS4)

2K Games

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Rise of the Tomb Raider + Hope’s Bastion Pack DLC

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BETHESDA

Microsoft

2K Games EA

The best place to sell console games remains the physical space. highlights where the real money is made. The Top Ten digital console games in September generated a cool £13.1m, yet GfK Chart-Track data shows that the physical version of FIFA 16 made £42m alone. Of course, the PC and mobile worlds are heavily weighted towards the digital marketplace. Yet the best place to sell console games remains the physical space. THE MCV AWARDS ARE BACK The categories may look familiar (because they are), but there are a lot of diﬀerences about this year’s MCV Awards. We have a new venue at the Hilton Bankside, and we mean new – it’s only just been built. We also have a new date. The MCV Awards will now take place in the ﬁrst week in March. But the biggest change is in how the Awards are being judged. It is still peer-voted but, following feedback from the trade, we’ll be putting together more focused panels to vote on the individual prizes. That means your lobbying will prove to be more crucial than it ever has. That’s why we’ve given you more than six weeks notice to put it together. Good luck. cdring@nbmedia.com

October 30th 2015

INTERVIEW FRED CHESNAIS, ATARI

Meet the new Atari Atari has survived bankruptcy, and is once again profitable. Yet its efforts to make a splash in games have received criticism from fans. Alex Calvin catches up with CEO Fred Chesnais to discuss the state of the brand, and what it’s doing to appease its consumers

hough Atari was one of the founding fathers of the games industry, for many it will always be synonymous with the video games crash of 1983. The firm’s fast and loose approach to publishing, and its lack of quality control, was so severe that it killed faith in the sector resulting in a market collapse in the US. Since then, the name has passed through a number of hands, including Tramel Technology, Hasbro, Infogrames and IESA. Then in 2009, Atari parent company Infogrames rebranded itself as Atari SA. The once dominant brand has seen its worth diminish during the years, to the point when, in 2013, three of Atari’s subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy. Re-emerging wounded, but still alive. The Atari of today is a different beast to the one of old, with the firm now comprised of less than twenty people. “The brand has gone through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of big ups and big downs,” Atari SA CEO Fred Chesnais tells MCV. “These days, Atari’s status is very simple – we’ve picked up the mess of 2013, we exited bankruptcy, we are now profitable. It’s still a very small company, if you look at the numbers you’ll see there’s nothing to write home about. “But the brand is still here, it’s untarnished, it’s still very popular. We’re still doing a lot of licensing agreements that generate millions of dollars.

October 30th 2015

Due to quality concerns, Atari has had three seperate studios working on Rollercoaster Tycoon World

For instance, during the first six months of this fiscal year, we have entered into licensing deals in the casino space and it’s taken over $1m dollars. “We’re branching out of the game business. We have entered into licensing agreements in the movie space and we’re working in the TV sector through licensing and co-productions. “It’s clearly a brand for the generations. We get loads of calls asking us to licence the Atari brand. “In another 18 months, our goal is to be in really good shape with our games, and we’ll be able to show good progress outside of the games business, too. We’re trying to branch out of games because it’s a very complicated sector and frankly, you can make a lot of mistakes in that market.”

We do care about these brands and are really trying to pay attention to what the community is saying. Fred Chesnais, Atari

NEGATIVE REACTION Yep, this new Atari has made its fair share of mistakes. The firm launched a new Asteroids game into Early Access in March of this year. Entitled Outpost, this was a survival game akin to Minecraft or Rust. Then in June, the publisher released Alone in the Dark: Illumination, a team-based shooter where players were

neither alone nor in the dark. Both games faced severe criticism from both video game journalists and consumers. “We make mistakes in video games,” Chesnais says. “So first and foremost, we read what the fans say and we always try to bring the games to the next level. We read what they are writing in the forums and we always try to improve the situation. Each game has its own story and history. “With Asteroids, for instance, the idea was to start with a solo experience and keep adding to it. The fans did not respond to that. “On Alone in the Dark, the game is very stable but people didn’t like the gameplay. They were asking us why it was a shooter and they were telling us it was too repetitive. We’re

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FRED CHESNAIS, ATARI INTERVIEW

In March, Atari reimagined Asteroids as Early Access survival title Outpost

working on addressing that. This isn’t a situation where a game is released and we say: ‘Hey, it’s out’; and then we clean up and don’t care about it. We do care about these brands, we are really, really trying to pay attention to what the community is saying and to do our best. “You are only as good as your last game. That’s the problem and also the beauty of our industry. We are just very mindful of what the fans are writing and we don’t do it on purpose.” Atari certainly appears to be trying, if its recent Rollercoaster Tycoon game is anything to go by. The publisher has changed the development studio working on Rollercoaster Tycon World twice. The firm initially had Pipeworks developing the title, before handing the game to Area 52 after

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quality concerns. Atari then gave the reigns to Nvizzio Creations, again citing quality. WHAT’S IN A NAME? Looking at Atari’s recent releases – Alone in the Dark Illumination and Asteroids: Outpost – many might think that the firm is just looking through its portfolio of existing IP and attempting to revive them with modern stylings. But Chesnais says that it is looking into new IP, too. “We have launched a game for the LGBTQ community, Pridefest, which is a new IP,” he explains. “We thought it was interesting, and something for a community that’s underserved when it comes to interactive experiences.” However, Chesnais says that Atari’s main focus will be on its existing brands.

The main issue with new IP is standing out. That’s why we brought the Atari name back. Fred Chesnais, Atari

“We have more than 200 games in our portfolio,” Chesnais explains. “On the App Store you have thousands of games. The main issue you have with new IP is standing out, so people will notice your game. “That’s why we brought the Atari name back, to exploit the portfolio of IP. We’ll see a title’s gameplay, think it’s interesting, and ask ourselves if there’s a brand in our portfolio that we could match to that by making a game of that style. Asteroids: Outpost is a very good example of what we are trying to do, even if we have failed on this one. “We are not very happy with the results on that, but it’s better for us to take very innovative gameplay and then try to see if we can match it to an existing brand.”

October 30th 2015

CHEAT SHEET

UP & DOWN

Market Data New Assassin’s Creed and Guitar Hero games help bump the market by 52 per cent

£20m £15m

£30m £10m

£12.9m 369,581 units

£10.1m 307,453 units

Week Ending October 17th

Week Ending October 10th

FIFA 16 drops down to second place as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate debuts at No.1

£15.3m 434,162 units

Week Ending October 24th

GUITAR HERO LIVE’s launch sales were 24 per cent higher than 2010’s Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK: WWE 2K16

[INFO] FORMATS: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 RELEASED: October 30th PUBLISHER: 2K Games DISTRIBUTOR: Exertis CONTACT: 01279 822 822

October 30th 2015

2K is pushing new sports wrestling title WWE 2K16 to a broader audience with its biggest WWE campaign to date. The publisher is targeting TV audiences by running sponsorship bumpers on Sky channels around WWE programming. This will also include marketing placement during Champions League and Premier League football matches. Adverts are similarly running on the WWE Network streaming service and WWE.com website. To widen WWE 2K16’s appeal, 2K is aiming for male gamers aged from 16 to 34. Cinema spots have been running through October, utilising the game’s pre-order trailer, which stars actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in character as The Terminator. The advert recreates one of the most iconic scenes from Terminator 2: Judgement Day with famous wrestlers alongside Arnie. As well as this, 2K has a nationwide outdoor campaign,

WWE 2K16 is being pushed to a wider audience with the series’ biggest-ever campaign

plus a specialist and mainstream digital campaign. The outdoor eﬀort includes London Underground 12 sheets and National StreetTalk panels to help boost its High Street presence. WWE 2K16 will be represented on the front of SPORT magazine with a cover wrap on launch day.

“The WWE brand is very strong in the UK,” said Simon Turner, head of UK marketing and PR at 2K Games. “It’s great to watch WWE on the television, but the fans want to experience WWE even when it’s not on television. That is what WWE 2K16 oﬀers.”

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CHEAT SHEET

PRESENTS

5 SECOND FACTS

THE NEWS IN 140 CHARACTERS The Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days

Your shortcut to sounding clever in the pub, we take you around the industry in under 30 seconds

SONY DROPS THE PRICE OF PS4 AROUND THE WORLD

17%

Sony has rolled out a permanent price cut for PS4 to multiple territories across the globe. In the UK and Europe, the 500GB machine fell from its starting RRP of £349.99/€399.99 to £299.99/€349.99 – a £50/€50 reduction.

Microsoft revealed that combined Xbox One and Xbox 360 sales for its ﬁscal Q1 have fallen by 17 per cent year-on-year

$25 million @joosterizer PS4 price drop. Holiday frenzy has oﬃcially started. Cue xmas muzak.

@MattKamen Rumoured #PS4 price drop would be nice, but an announcement of external storage support would be even better. #XboxOne has Sony beat there. Matt Kamen, games journalist Monday, October 19th

Joost van Dreunen, SuperData Friday, October 9th

BETHESDA AND CARLSBERG PARTNER TO BREW FALLOUT BEER

PAYDAY 2 STUDIO U-TURNS AFTER MICROTRANSACTION BACKLASH

The latest marketing ploy ahead of Fallout 4 is a beer inspired by the post-apocalyptic RPG by Carlsberg. It costs £29.99 for a case of 12 330ml bottles on Amazon.

Overkill, the studio behind shooter Payday 2, has tweaked the presence of microtransactions in the game after severe criticism from players.

@el_hatcherino Pretty pleased to see Fallout Beer #1 in Amazon’s Beer, Wine, and Spirit chart.

@jawsew Sat in the @gamecity Toast Bar wondering why they aren’t selling Fallout beer. I don’t even drink beer and I’d drink that. Jordan Erica Webber, games journalist Saturday, October 24th

10.4% Vivendi increased its stake in Ubisoft from 6.6 per cent to 10.4 per cent, despite the publisher calling it ‘unwelcome’

127

@Steam_Spy Payday 2 dropped from 93% userscore to 83% in 2 days over 10,000 negative reviews! Score Rank from 86% to 56% Steam Spy Sunday, October 18th

Alistair Hatch, Bethesda Saturday, October 24th

The studio behind virtual reality platforming game Lucky’s Tale, Playful, has raised $25m in fresh investment funding

@retroremakes Hmm at “we don’t like these microtransactions so we’ll destroy the game” attitude around some of the Payday 2 stuﬀs. Rob Fearon, games journalist Sunday, October 18th

Batman Arkham Knight’s PC edition went back on sale October 28th, 127 days after its original June 23rd release

$132.46 Average monthly spending on digital games jumped 39 per cent to $132.46 (£86.41), says SuperData Research Wii U Mario Fight Pad - PDP Design and manufacture the Oﬃcially Licenced Nintendo GameCube Styled Classic Pro Controller for Wii U europesales@pdp.com

www.pdp.com

GAMESAID THIS WEEK .................................................... PLAY YOUR PART BECOME A MEMBER AMBASSADOR TRUSTEE WWW.GAMESAID.ORG

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SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

GLOWBEAR’S 8BIT HIKE

GAMES ON SONG 2015

..................

Developer HotGen is going the extra mile for GamesAid by taking part in the Mens Health Survival of the Fittest on November 21st. If you think completing a 5km run through a 20-obstacle course is worth donating to, visit www. justgiving.com/HotGen-Ltd

Claire Sh, also known as Glowbear, is walking and climbing Mt Muckish in Ireland this December. It’s Claire’s second ‘8bit Hike’, although this one will be a bit chillier due to its Winter timing. Vist www.justgiving. com/glowbear to donate.

Hark, the herald angels sing: Games on Song is back. The games industry Christmas choir will perform at St Stephen’s Church in London on December 16th. Stay up-to-date and get involved at www.facebook .com/GamesOnSong

October 30th 2015

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

New CEO for Testronic Brett Morris moves from Catalis O Haddad promoted to Warner games boss O Sumo’s Albeck joins Kuju TESTRONIC | The QA firm has hired a new CEO. BRETT MORRIS joins as Testronic’s boss. Morris was formerly CFO at Catalis Group – Testronic’s parent company – and has worked there for four years. Prior to his time at Catalis, Morris worked in finance and private equity. “Brett has contributed significantly to the structuring and financial positioning of Catalis Group over the past few years, and I’m delighted that he is stepping up to oversee Testronic Laboratories,” said Catalis Group CEO Dominic Wheatley. Morris added: “It’s an honour to be taking on this new role

October 30th 2015

Before Haddad joined Warner Bros in 2013, he led the Guitar Hero brand at Activision. “David has proven himself to be a leader who is equally adept at the creative and management sides of the games business,” said president of WB Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution RON SANDERS. “This promotion recognises the many contributions he’s made toward WBIE’s recordbreaking success this year, and we’re looking to him to continue the division’s momentum.”

at what is an exciting time for Testronic Laboratories. Our testing facilities in the UK, Poland and the US are witnessing significant growth in activity thanks to our commitment to delivering a first rate service to our customers.” WARNER BROS | The EVP and GM of the company’s Interactive Entertainment division DAVID HADDAD has been promoted to the role of president. Haddad joined Warner Bros in 2013 as SVP of Digital Publishing, before moving over to be EVP of Publishing Operations in 2014. At the start of this year, he was promoted to EVP and GM.

KUJU ENTERTAINMENT | Sumo Digital’s CRAIG ALBECK has joined the

games studio as business development manager. Before joining Kuju, Albeck has worked in business development at a number of different companies including developer Sumo Digital, social games firm Hooplo Media and internet payment firm Wallie. “Kuju has been at the forefront of the work-for-hire sector for nearly 15 years, and we are heading into a period of significant growth for the business as a whole,” said Dominic Wheatley, CEO of the Catalis Group, Kuju’s parent company. “Craig’s experience within the UK games industry is second to none, and we’re very pleased to have him join the team here.”

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INTERVIEW UBISOFT FUN HOUSE

Welcome to the Fun House Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry developer, Ubisoft Montreal, has launched a sub-division dedicated to making niche, quirky and altogether different video game experiences. Christopher Dring enters the Fun House with VP Patrick Plourde

“I

am the vice president of Fun House, which is probably the best job title a person can have.” Patrick Plourde sounds like the boss of a kids’ play park, or a classic 1990s children’s TV show, and, to the team at Ubisoft Montreal, what he actually does isn’t that far removed. Plourde holds the keys to an unusual group lurking within Ubisoft’s monster Montreal studio – the developer behind Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six and Watch Dogs. Simply named ‘Fun House’, the division is made up of several smaller teams working on niche, indie-like projects. These games can be of any genre, for any platform and any target market. “The creativity going on right now makes some people nervous,” says Plourde. “They ask: ‘Are we really going to go in all these different directions? Why not just focus on free-to-play?’ And it’s: ‘No, we can be whatever we want’. Fun House is a place where we say: ‘yes’. “We say yes to different takes on existing IP, we say yes to new IP, we say yes to multiplayer games, single-player games... we are format agnostic. Out of the five projects we currently have in development, we do not have two games on the same platform.” There are just two rules for games in the Fun House. The first is that the core gameplay has to be enjoyable – Plourde is not interested in just a good story. The second is that a project cannot mimic any of the other triple-A titles Ubisoft is working on.

October 30th 2015

Child of Light’s development process inspired the creation of Fun House

“If someone has an idea to make, say, a cheaper Rainbow Six game, we’ll reject it, because we’re making Rainbow Six already. There is no value in doing that. We are doing projects that are testing new markets or new machines. “For instance, right now, we have the VR game Eagle Flight. That is a new market opportunity. The VR headsets are not even out yet, nobody knows how they will do, but everyone is excited about them. And since we are small and nimble, we have the flexibility to take the risk on a VR project.”

Failure would prove that we are taking risks. When you’re doing that, it is expected that some projects will fail.

ANYTHING GOES A division within a studio dedicated to experimenting with new ideas is not uncommon. But what makes Fun House noteworthy is that anyone can pitch a game and join. From designers and artists, to the studio’s receptionist. “The foundation of Fun House is the idea that there are 2,000 people who work at Ubisoft,” Plourde explains. “2,000 brains

Patrick Plourde, Ubisoft Fun House

that are dedicated to thinking about games all the time. “We are technically the biggest machine that is making games in the world. That is a big resource of ideas. “It doesn’t matter what job they do, because we are not judging the person: we are judging the idea and the passion. I am really interesting in buying passion somebody could be passionate about fishing, and then they can talk to me about it, and what the activity is, and create something that’s unique. If they’re going to the Fun House, there’s a chance they could be working on this for two or three years, so it is important they’re passionate about it.” BOXING CLEVER Plourde is talented when it comes to pitching games. This is the man who convinced his bosses that he should stop making Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, and instead create a sidescrolling playable poem called Child of Light (an award-winning project that inspired Ubisoft to launch the Fun House in the first place). Of course, not everyone in Ubisoft Montreal possesses Plourde’s pitching prowess, which is why he has created a step-by-step guide called the Fun Box. This tool is available to the whole studio, and is designed to educate staff on how to sell their ideas to management. Yet even so, getting a game approved won’t be easy, with Plourde insisting that Fun House will never expand beyond 100 staff. “It forces us to make choices, and to stay small and nimble. If we become bigger, then it might become too busy and lose that entrepreneurial spirit.”

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UBISOFT FUN HOUSE INTERVIEW

Plourde is cautious of using the term ‘indie’, but confesses there is a certain ‘indie spirit’ about the Fun House, and says the firm will be relatively free of Head Office interference. He also expects plenty of failures along the way. “If an idea stops progressing or the concept isn’t coming to fruition, then it is our responsibility to stop it early and just move on,” he explains. “Failure would prove to everyone internally that we are taking risks and, when you’re doing that, it is expected that some projects will fail. That is normal and part of the process, and also part of the culture that we are trying to start. It is not a personal failure if your project doesn’t come out. There is that term: ‘fail fast’, and that is what we are embracing.” WHOLE LOT OF FUN Plourde talks a lot about creating a specific culture within the Fun House. He says his staff have to genuinely want to work for him – this isn’t some half-way house for developers who are between triple-A projects. “When we made Child of Light, it was the first choice for everybody who worked on it,” he explains. “It was all their passion project. And when we shipped the game, the team had really bonded together. “We don’t want people who are just waiting for a better opportunity. This has to be their No.1. Even when you’re about to ship a game and you’re going to E3 and presenting things... there are always moments of crisis. We are trying to create a place where those moments are just going to strengthen the team’s bond.” But what is the aim of the Fun House? Is it just a creative outlet for staff fed up with making endless big budget sequels? Plourde makes no secret of his goal. “If I find the next Minecraft, then it would be my life’s success,” he concludes. “But we are not trying to replicate Minecraft. It is about creating a place where - if we turned back the clock five years, and had a programmer that had an idea about a game that involved crafting and blocks – we want to be able to say yes to that.”

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If I find the next Minecraft, then it would be my life’s success. Patrick Plourde, Ubisoft Fun House

October 30th 2015

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THE BIG GAME CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III

Back in Black The record-breaking Call of Duty: Black Ops series returns next month in developer Treyarch’s most ambitious project yet. Christopher Dring talks about the game’s massive undertaking with multiplayer director Dan Bunting

Release Date: November 6th Formats: PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Publisher: Activision Developer: Treyarch

t was the morning of June 15th, and the MCV team had found their seats at the Galen Center in LA to witness Xbox’s annual E3 press event. Microsoft had promised new things, but one element we still fully expected was the traditional jaw-dropping, ear-shattering Call of Duty action set piece that has become a mainstay at Xbox E3 conferences over the last half a decade. Yet, by the time the show had ended, Activision’s shooter was nowhere to be seen. Its absence raised a few eyebrows but, by the end of the day, we found out why. Call of Duty emerged, noisy and epic, at Sony’s press conference that evening. PlayStation, not Xbox, had teamed up with Activision on this year’s game. “A lot of people have been talking about that,” laughed Dan Bunting, multiplayer director at developer Treyarch,

October 30th 2015

speaking to MCV shortly after the announcement. “It’s a great partnership. We have worked with Sony for years - just as we have with Microsoft - and we are excited about what this partnership means. But from a development day-to-day perspective, we just make games for our fans; no-matter what platform it is on, we are going to make the best experience that we can. The fans have to have faith in us that we will deliver across all the platforms.”

third Call of Duty game to arrive on these consoles. But for the game’s developer Treyarch, PS4 and Xbox One are brand new worlds. The last two Call of Duty games were made by different developers – Ghosts was made by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer created Advanced Warfare – so this is uncharted territory for the studio. Fortunately, Activision has given it plenty of time to get it right. “When Treyarch first started on the franchise, we were making games in ten-month or one-year development cycles, working on games back-toback. That was brutal,” recalls Bunting. “Then with Call of Duty: World of War (2008) we did our Dan Bunting, Treyarch first game on a two-year dev cycle, and we were all relieved... but it turned out we just filled that time out with more stuff. “This time we’ve been given three years to make a game,

We just make games for our fans; no-matter what platform it is on, we are going to make the best experience that we can.

OPERATION: NEW GENERATION Call of Duty has some exclusive bits for PlayStation owners this year (see Call of PlayStation), but, of course, it is coming to the Xbox consoles (and PC), too. And although PS4 and Xbox One are still relatively new machines (people still call them ‘next-gen’), Call of Duty is already quite established. Black Ops III is the

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CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III THE BIG GAME

CALL OF PLAYSTATION SONY has teamed up with Activision in a co-marketing partnership for Call of Duty. But this amounts to more than just some PlayStation 4-branded adverts. The first part of the deal saw the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta debut on PS4 before the other platforms, and it was the biggest ever beta in PS4 history.

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As with the previous deal Activision had with Xbox, PS4 owners will also get access to the Call of Duty: Black Ops III map packs 30 days before any other platform. But the most exciting element for retail is that Sony is also releasing a special edition PS4 console (complete with controller) to coincide with the launch of the game.

October 30th 2015

THE BIG GAME CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III

Treyarch’s Bunting says Black Ops III has the series’ richest universe yet

and we were thinking this would be great, but you just end up increasing the ambition and taking more and bigger risks. “For this game in particular, the first year of development was spent transitioning to the new consoles and we had a lot of overhauling to do with our tools and technology. We also spent a lot of time on new AI systems – we did that from the ground-up. The movement system was one of the really important things that we wanted to revamp, to make it familiar but also new. “And on another front, the narrative development side, we spent so much time just building up the game universe and the world fiction. People see on the surface a trailer, and they can’t fully grasp the depth of the story or the universe, but we spent a lot of time building that out, which is something that we haven’t previously had the opportunity to do. The third year really did give us a lot to work with, in terms of bringing more to the table and making it a richer experience. Not to mention capitalising on the power of the new-generation consoles.” The new movement systems were a significant change for the team at Treyarch. The way players can chain moves together and

October 30th 2015

traverses obstacles fluidly has impacted everything the studio has come to know and expect from Call of Duty. It meant that it had to think carefully about level and map design, and how the new movements impacted those. “We probably spent the entire first year on three multiplayer maps, which was way too long, but we had to figure out how to get it right,” says Bunting. DIFFERENT STUDIOS, DIFFERENT IDEAS Black Ops is one of three Call of Duty sub-brands and Treyarch is one of three different lead studios working on the series. It means that each new game can often feel quite different, and excel in different areas, year-in, year-out. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “There are three studios, each with their own talent, developers and personalities,” says Bunting. “You just can’t separate the people, the developers, from the product you make. We are a team that makes games and we each have our own quirks and standards. “In terms of the fans, I think this difference is a good thing. You have all these sub-brands that you are attracted to. There is a thread that goes through all games - they

We spent the entire ﬁrst year of development on three multiplayer maps, because we had to ﬁgure out how to get it right. Dan Bunting, Treyarch

are all Call of Duty - but we each create unique flavours.” Treyarch’s particular strength is in multiplayer. This is the developer behind the Zombies mode (now back with the addition of XP) and was the first of the Call of Duty developers to make a major play in eSports, introducing spectator modes into Black Ops II. In fact, the 2012 FPS is arguably the most popular Call of Duty eSport so far. Treyarch is hoping to repeat that with this year’s game. “eSports is a really big agenda for us at Treyarch,” says Bunting. “Black Ops II was the first time that we had the Call of Duty World Championship, hosted by Activision. That was our own eSport league of sorts. We had CODCaster for the first time, which was all about supporting the spectator experience and competitive play. That was a feature entirely developed for the eSports community. We have done a lot with custom games and creating layers within the game so that the leagues can play around with the settings and rules. It has been a really big initiative for us. The first Black Ops is when we started talking about it and made it a big priority for us. Nothing has changed this time around and the hope is that those that loved the eSports elements in Black Ops II, will adopt and embrace the eSports side of Black Ops III.” We’ve only scratched the surface of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. This is a monster of a game; we’ve not even touched the storyline (the deepest it’s ever made, Treyarch says), let alone the survival modes, four-player co-op, new multiplayer features, physics... for all the criticism Call of Duty faces for being ‘the same old game’, there’s an awful lot new here. It also kick-starts what is being anticipated as one of the most exciting November sales periods for UK games retail. Call of Duty is followed days later by Fallout 4, then Tomb Raider and then Star Wars Battlefront. In fact, with the recent release of Halo and the December launch of Rainbow Six: Siege, it’s a manic time for bigbudget first-person shooters. Is Bunting worried? He smiles: “It is a good time for video games.”

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For the very best... just follow ...in French the shooting localization, star

TRANSLATION, RECORDING, POSTPRODUCTION ENSURE A GAMING EXPERIENCE IN FRENCH THAT'S AS RICH AND IMMERSIVE AS THE ORIGINAL

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WHY BRING DIGITAL GAMES TO BOXES?

Thinking inside the box More and more previously digital-only games are coming to physical retail. The likes of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Team 17’s The Escapists and Rebellion’s Zombie Army Trilogy have all hit the High Street in the last year. Why bother with bricks and mortar? And who is buying these games? Alex Calvin speaks to the experts

he narrative goes that boxed games retail is dying as the digital market thrives. The digital sector has, in many ways, lowered the barrier to entry in the games market and been one of the main factors in the booming indie movement. Oh course, the physical games market is still worth £1bn. What’s more, that market is far from finished. And the likes of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight and Team 17’s The Escapists are making their way to boxed retail. “We’ve done the first two seasons of [Telltale’s] The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us so far and they’ve all been really strong performers – despite the fact that, certainly in the case of the first season of The Walking Dead, they came out a long way after their initial release,” Avanquest games director Simon Reynolds says. “The window between digital and physical is getting shorter and shorter - Minecraft: Story Mode comes out two weeks after digital as a physical product. Going back

October 30th 2015

to the first Walking Dead title, the performance was phenomenal. We were a little taken aback because you’d think that because it’s been out digitally for so long, everyone who would want it would have already bought it. It just goes to show there’s very much a thriving market for people who want to buy physical products. The same can be said for music and DVD. Those guys have been going through the same process ahead of us.” Luke Keighran, MD of Merge Games – a company that publishes digital titles, as well as special physical editions of indie games for PC – adds: “We’ve had the physical PC version of Terraria since before it became hugely popular. The game has been fantastic, absolutely brilliant for us. We do the collectable box – it comes with a Terraria keyring, and some poster art. We always try and build up the content of our collectable indie packs.”

Why wouldn’t you release your game as a physical product? There’s no extra work. Garry Williams, Sold Out

MAKING THE LEAP Without a doubt, there will be many indie developers sat at their

desks wondering why they should bother with a physical release. They’ll say that a boxed release costs too much to produce, and there’s so much admin that it just becomes a hassle. “Actually, there’s no extra work,” retorts Sold Out founder Garry Williams, who released Team 17’s The Escapists and Rebellion’s Zombie Army Trilogy at physical retail. “If you make a digital master you’ve got everything ready for a boxed release. You can release digitally because it’s simpler – you go straight to market, you push a button, there’s not too much planning. You probably don’t do much marketing because you rely on the format holder to do that for you, so it’s a simple process. With boxed, there’s more work involved and, for that reason, basic inertia stops people entering it. What we are trying to do with Sold Out is give developers the opportunity to benefit from our publishing skills. Developers aren’t taking the overhead, we take a percentage and you can turn us on and off as you need us.”

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WHY BRING DIGITAL GAMES TO BOXES?

Below, from left to right: Merge Games’ Keighran, Sold Out’s Williams and Avanquest’s Reynolds

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Keighran adds: “Steam has become very busy hasn’t it? So many games launch on there each month, so whatever extra retail presence or marketing exposure you can get can only be a good thing. It’s a good idea to do retail as well. It’s probably a bit disappointing that retailers have given up a bit on PC. But I actually think that they will start selling PC products again. People don’t just want to buy digital cards, they want to buy things as a physical gift. In a lot of cases, consumers buying these physical editions will already own a copy of the game. But with the extra goods that we do and the collectable nature of them... if you look at Limbo, people still want to have that gift box on their shelf, similar to what DVDs have with collector’s boxes and things like that. We always find out that developers really like the physical goods that we do. For the majority of developers that we sign, we try and bring out a full box set.” Avanquest’s Reynolds says a physical release will yield extra money for nothing for developers:

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“There are lots of barriers. Some will want to trade-in games, some don’t want the download charges in certain territories, others want a physical copy because it’s better than giving away a code and they can swap and share or whatever. For the majority,

“A boxed version may only make 15 or 20 per cent of their overall revenue on a product, but it’s 15 or 20 per cent developers would not have otherwise got. They’ll be able to exploit digital – Yacht Club [Shovel Knight developer] has done a great job of doing this and formed a really healthy community. There are a lot of people who bought the digital property that actually want to own it physically. There’ll also be a lot of people who will go into a store and see Shovel Knight for the first time – they won’t know it’s a digital property. There’s a whole market out there that wouldn’t come across the game if it was purely digital.”

There’s a whole market out there that wouldn’t come across these games if they were purely digital. Simon Reynolds, Avanquest

GIFT BOXES Indeed, there will always be consumers that don’t like or trust downloads. “They’re consumers who just won’t go digital. People are happy to stream their music, they’re happy to download TV shows or watch them on Netflix, but not as many are happy to do that with their game experience,” Williams says.

the boxed market is their way of dealing with products. The majority of revenues comes from boxed software. It seems somewhat negative not to follow that.” Reynolds concludes: “There’s very much room for both physical and digital and I’d argue that developers and publishers would benefit from having both, rather than pursuing one route or the other.”

THE likes of Avanquest, Sold Out and Merge don’t just put games in boxes – they also offer a raft of support for these titles at physical retail. “We offer a secondary promotional route, because obviously they’re promoting it through their own websites and social media, but we push it from a completely different angle – we’re advertising in magazines, we’re putting it on the shelf, we’re taking out new release bays in-store,” Avanquest games director Simon Reynolds says. “We’re raising awareness of the title and basically helping them deliver the game in a different way. They are good at what they are doing in terms of digital, we’re experts at what we do in terms of delivering product at retail.” Sold Out boss Garry Williams adds: “We provide expertise in knowing where developers are going to go, who to talk to to get some advanced payments to go onto a different format. All of this is just revenue extension really. That’s what publishers have always done and still do. “For example, if you are going to put something out in Germany you have to do USK ratings. If you don’t know how to do those, if you don’t know the process and don’t know how to fill in the forms, your title can come out late. There are lots of procedural things in publishing with a box that these guys don’t care for.”

October 30th 2015

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BEATING THE INDUSTRY’S BROKEN GAMES

Quality time The controversy surrounding games unfit for release continues to rage, as some of 2015’s biggest hitters repeat the woes of last year’s buggy and broken titles. Matthew Jarvis asks QA and localisation experts at Universally Speaking, Testology, La Marque Rose, Testronic and Keywords about what needs to be done

The new Consumer Rights Act allows players to obtain a refund for games up to 30 days after their purchase if they are deemed ‘broken’ or ‘faulty’. What impact could this have on the QA and localisation sectors? James Cubitt, QA manager, Universally Speaking: We hope this new legislation will mean that QA will have additional focus, as it has historically been a part of the development cycle that is often cut short. This should mean that testing is more extensive to ensure that all major issues are fixed before release, rather than fixing issues in a day one patch. However, it is entirely possible that an increase of paid Early Access or open betas will become a more common occurrence. This will depend on the public’s reaction to being utilised as pseudo QA testers. The industry as a whole needs to be aware of these changes, as a premature release of a title may cause a backlash from users against the IP, publisher and developer.

Chris Bewick, operations director, Testronic: QA has always been at the bottom end of the development process, so the introduction of the new Act is good for us and our contemporaries in the business. It highlights how important quality is in the whole game development process. My only concern is how this will be policed; who will decide whether a game is not up to standard? Erik Hittenhausen, head of QA for games, Testronic: From an industry perspective, this is a very

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a lot. The industry, as a whole, will have to learn that QA is an integral part of development and more time and money is needed for QA to add this quality to games.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 was criticised for its gameplay bugs

good development, because it means more of an emphasis on quality. Not only do publishers and developers have to think about their reputation and the reputation of their brands, especially in the days when word can quickly spread via social media, there are also serious financial implications of a game being released that does not meet the quality bar. There isn’t much you can get away with if your game isn’t up to scratch.

An increasing number of firms are releasing their titles to the public in ‘Early Access’ or alpha/ beta states. What are your feelings on this growing trend? Christopher Kennedy, Asia GM, Keywords Studio: There is no substitute for a real-world check on your game with hundreds or thousands of users in just as many play environments. This is where alpha and beta testing can deliver meaningful results. However, there still remains a need for professional checks within the boundaries of test cases. If anything, there is a huge potential for harmony here and the chance for developers to test their games in continuously rigorous environments.

Robson: It has helped with the big releases, as it allows developers to get lots of players from all over the world playing at the same time. For QA service providers and internal QA, we can’t do this, as you need thousands or millions of users. The downside is that consumers don’t all understand the process of games and simply expect the early releases to work and be functional. This maybe gives them a false impression and negative thoughts about the games.

Andy Robson, MD, Testology: This is something that should have happened a long time ago. I’m hoping that developers and publishers will give more time to QA and add more quality to games being released. It’s good for QA service providers, as there could be more work, but this is also a consideration for internal QA. We all want to release and work on high quality products, and having something in place to stop games getting released in an essentially incomplete state is going to help

La Marque Rose’s Irlinger (top) and Universally Speaking’s Cubitt (above) say Early Access has been beneﬁcial for QA ﬁrms

Cubitt: The majority of developers and publishers understand the importance of a good QA service, and use it to complement Early

October 30th 2015

BEATING THE INDUSTRY’S BROKEN GAMES

Access or beta testing. It has had a generally positive impact on the perception of development. Users are now seeing the process first hand, how slow it can move, and what can go wrong. There is a big worry that publishers will try to get around bug-testing by increasing the amount of sold beta releases: that way, there is no finished product and those bugs won’t be a big issue. That avoids delays in release, keeps the audience interested and cheapens QA by allowing users to do it.

Hittenhausen: Early Access works well for publishers and developers, but it depends how you use it. Some people misuse it and charge gamers too much - and then still expect to use those people as beta testers. With Early Access, the feedback you get on bugs is just what’s been found. You have no idea what has been checked and what hasn’t. This is where a QA vendor comes in, which can provide a more comprehensive and consistent solution from a technical perspective. Early Access is incredibly useful for developers and publishers in terms of gauging feedback from the people who are most interested in a particular game, brand or genre. Cécile Irlinger, localisation department manager, La Marque Rose: It provides an opportunity for the game’s localisation team to be hands-on. However, it’s not always manageable to have earlier access to the game as an outsourcing company. As far as workflow is concerned, we deal with bugs and anomalies at an earlier stage than before, while the localisation process is still ongoing, so changes are more easily integrated into the localisation workflow. Kennedy: Methodic QA and realworld environment testing are two separate yet potentially harmonic processes. Too much or too little of either could tip the balance, but working in tandem can create great results across the board. If anything, there is an opportunity here for developers and professional QA firms to work together to create

October 30th 2015

Batman Arkham Knight’s PC release was pulled from stores after complaints over its technical issues

thorough test cases for a wide array of real world scenarios and assess the outcome side by side.

the ‘games as a service’ ethos is on the rise, with titles constantly being updated with content and fixes, QA and localisation support continues far beyond the original release.

With more and more titles being released as on-going ‘services’, how has the approach to QA and localisation changed? Kennedy: Games are living, breathing creatures. Processes need to be kept elastic and we need to make sure that common resources – or at least a common knowledge base - remain in place over time to feed and nurture the product. Translation, QA, and customer experience management are more intertwined than ever, and it falls on us to take advantage of the synergies possible. For example, keeping good records of the issues faced during QA can help the customer support team when they jump into position.

Irlinger: We used to deliver a project and move on to something different. Today, one doesn’t just perform localisation and deliver: we are now committed to escort the game post-launch as well. Efforts are focused on keeping references and teams up to date, and we must stay as reactive as hell for post-launch requests.

Top: Testology’s Andy Robson; Above: Testronic’s Chris Bewick

Cubitt: In the past, when a game was released it usually signalled the end of QA support. However, now

Bewick: Working with a developer or publisher on a ‘game as a service’ means a great on-going relationship with the company, the title, the brand and the audience. We can keep the same team on a game, as opposed to moving them on once a traditional major title has been released – this benefits the developer and the publisher, as the QA team build up a knowledge base on the game that improves

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BEATING THE INDUSTRY’S BROKEN GAMES

testers are rotated often; ensuring a single person is not testing with a VR unit on their head for extensive periods of time. As the teams become more familiar with the new devices, and their limits, the processes will be revised.

Hittenhausen: There are no standards at present, but this is what we are working towards and are investing heavily in R&D to create guidelines along with the publishers and developers in this sector.

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric included a glitch that let players beat the game in under an hour

the quality of the title and by extension, the player’s experience.

Robson: With the internet, games can be updated all the time, so there is a constant flow of work even

Today, one doesn’t just perform localisation and deliver: we are now committed to escort the game postlaunch as well. Cécile Irlinger, La Marque Rose

after initial release. QA isn’t seasonal anymore – we aren’t just testing games for the Christmas period. What challenges could virtual reality experiences present for QA? Kennedy: Kinect and PlayStation Move testing gave us a strong

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What are the trends you expect to shape the QA and localisation sectors over the next five years? Kennedy: Flexibility is the key word here. Games are showing up on more and more platforms and in more languages than ever. This means that we need to be ready to tackle new situations when they happen: multiplayer scenarios across borders and territories, in-app purchases in new countries, and stylistic text and audio performances in new languages. We need to keep our fingers on the pulse of the burgeoning territories without losing grip of the methods that have taken us this far.

Cubitt: It seems the majority of publishers have learned from last year’s technical issues. Already a number of titles that were originally billed for release over the next month have been pushed to next year, which we see as a positive thing as developers will have more time to deliver a polished experience. There will always be a few issues in larger games but, as long as these do not affect the gameplay and the majority of users, things should be a lot better.

tasting of this. Testers had to come to work in tracksuits and keep towels and water bottles near their workspace. Sore wrists and thumbs suddenly turned into body aches when testers had to perform jumping jacks or jog for long stints of time. VR and augmented reality might take this further but, at the same time, we are confident that gamers and testers alike will accept the challenge. In the end, it will be up to publishers and QA professionals alike to make sure there is an adequate environment and play space ready to make this all happen.

Cubitt: As when Kinect and 3DS came out, there are some concerns when it comes to tester safety. Although we are unsure how much of an effect nausea, and other potential issues, could have, we will have precautions in place to ensure tester safety. The obvious ones are making sure they have plenty of breaks and a clear working area, but we will also make sure that

Top: Keywords’ Kennedy; Above: Testronic’s Hittenhausen

Irlinger: There is an increasing amount of data to localise, such as influencers’ input, web marketing, eSports and more. Working with large-scale triple-A titles offers an opportunity for rock-solid localisation companies to stand out. The race between firms is not about to end: the games industry is flourishing, attracting non-specialised agencies eager to offer lower prices to increase their business. Their focus is not on quality: they don’t run the same race.

October 30th 2015

INDIE INTERVIEW INTROVERSION SOFTWARE

How Prison Architect freed Introversion Software After a run of bad luck, Introversion began work on simulation title Prison Architect, and decided to release the game unfinished as an alpha. That title sold 1.25m units and made $19m in gross revenue before it was even completed. Co-founder Mark Morris explains the strategy to Alex Calvin

hough most will know the studio for its work on the hugely successful Prison Architect, the history of Introversion Software makes for some very hard reading. The studio was started by a group of friends at Imperial College London: Mark Morris, Chris Delay and Thomas Arundel. Delay had been working on a hacking game called Uplink, which they teamed up on. The group set up a website and sorted physical distribution deals in both the UK and the US, but the firm handling the US release – Strategy First – went into administration, meaning Introversion never saw its money. The developer limped forward and put together AI-themed title Darwinia, which launched in 2005 to critical acclaim. It won the IGF Award in 2006, but it was not commercially successful. Undeterred, the team started work on its third game, DEFCON, which was at least profitable for the studio. Hoping to gain some momentum, the firm then signed a deal with Microsoft to release an Xbox 360 port of Darwinia, yet it proved difficult working with the game’s old code base. The platform holder also demanded a multiplayer component. It was a tough task and when Darwinia+ launched it barely sold any units. The result was Introversion effectively shutting down. All staff apart from Morris and Delay were laid off. “At that point we had removed all of the expense from the cashflow.

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Prison Architect made $19m and sold 1.25m units before it was even ﬁnished

There was no office or staff, so the trickle of revenue that was coming in from the back catalogue on Steam actually became a stream,” Morris tells MCV. “It was enough for Chris and I to continue. Humble Bundle had just launched, too, and we went out to GDC and tried to convince them to do a bundle of all of our back catalogue. Unknown to us, they were also very keen to do an Introversion bundle, so that happened. We made just under $1m in the Introversion bundle, which was an astonishing success.”

Without the Alpha releases, we wouldn’t have been able to make a game as complicated as Prison Architect.

A NEW HOPE Now able to sustain itself, Introversion began work on a highly ambitious management simulation game called Prison Architect in 2010, and launched the first build of the title in September 2012. But this release was a little different – the game Introversion

Mark Morris, Introversion Software

had set loose was not finished. Actually, it wasn’t even close to being complete. The firm decided to experiment with a relatively new business model whereby consumers would purchase a game that was still in development. Roughly six months later, in March 2013, having supplied its Kickstarter backers with regular new versions of the game directly, Introversion brought Prison Architect to Steam’s new Early Access platform. Harnessing the business model Introversion had been using previously, Early Access allows PC gamers to pay for unfinished titles and receive periodic in-progress versions before the main game is released. Prison Architect was one of the first 12 games to use the service. “Early Access has been perfect,” Morris says. “At the time we launched Prison Architect in 2012, there was nothing better that we could have done with the game or that the market could have done. The sales enabled us to know we were working on a really strong concept. “And having that feedback from the players enabled us to layer in all of these different systems into Prison Architect. We just wouldn’t have been able to make the game as complicated as it is without that really tight monthly feedback loop.” During the course of its paid-Alpha run, the developer sold 1.25m units before Prison

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INTROVERSION SOFTWARE INDIE INTERVIEW

Architect was even finished, and the game grossed over $19m. But it was not without its challenges. “The biggest worry was overpromising to people, telling people we were going to do something and not being able to do it,” Morris explains. “At the start we were very cautious about what we said and the language we used. We never promised anybody monthly updates for instance, we just settled into that pattern. To begin with, we didn’t know if we were going to be able to build in meaningful features every four weeks, alongside ensuring we weren’t breaking old builds and weren’t releasing a version that would just crash on launch. We were very careful to be clear about what people were actually paying for at the start, which was a very buggy and broken version of a game. We didn’t want people coming back and saying they couldn’t play it. “We wanted them to understand that they were getting involved with a development process.

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“As it turned out we actually managed to maintain a monthly development cycle and meet the expectations of the players, in part because we had so carefully ensured that they weren’t raised. The bar we were shooting for in a player’s mind was quite low so we were able to constantly exceed that. That management of expectations and community management of – by the end – well over 1.25m players, was the biggest challenge.” MOBILE WOES Introversion isn’t just looking to release Prison Architect on PC – it has a tablet edition in the works, too. But Morris has some issues with the game market Apple’s App Store has created. “Apple’s model is not healthy for games with scope, scale and ambition,” he says. “Apple might disagree with me, but there are hundreds of games released each day on iPad,

Apple’s business model is not healthy for games with scope, scale and ambition. Mark Morris, Introversion Software

most of which are little bite sized experiences. The market that’s being set up is one where you pay a dollar for an app. It doesn’t transition well to fully-functioning, scaled, proper game experiences, which is what I consider Prison Architect to be. “We’ve never confirmed a price or anything like that for the tablet edition, but part of our thinking was always to price it as a premium product. We charge $30 on desktop, and it’s not cost us less than that to put Prison Architect on iPad, so why are we going to be charging $10? I have no expectations that we are going to perform in higher numbers on iPad than we will on PC, so the idea that from a development perspective that we should be charging a few dollars just doesn’t work. It makes development for the iPad unviable. “Something is going to have to change there. That’s partially why we haven’t launched it just yet.”

October 30th 2015

30 YEARS OF ALTERNATIVE SOFTWARE

Alternative history Alex Calvin catches up with the founder of Alternative Software Roger Hulley to talk about the publisher’s three decade history, and what the big changes have been during that time

years ago, Roger Hulley was approached by two men who wanted to publish their game. The year before, Hulley had moved out of the music industry to work at UK games distribution firm R&R, but with this title he was being pitched, he decided to set up his own games label. Those two men were Martyn Brown, who would go on to found Team 17, and Mick Robinson. The title was a Spectrum platformer called Henry’s Hoard, and it was the first title published by Hulley’s own games firm – Alternative Software. “They were having difficulty getting it out into the market place so I basically bought the title, the stock and the name and thought: ‘what am I going to do next?’,” Hulley says. “I then started looking out for other products to put out on the label as well. I came from the record industry before that. I used to love the idea of having a hit record – of course, I wasn’t going to get that myself – but I just liked the idea of being able to publish a game, seeing it go into the charts and so on. That’s what inspired me to get started.” He continues: “In the early days we were buying people’s back catalogue. I bought games off Creative Spark, Mikro-Gen and Activision. So we were going into the marketplace and acquiring titles that way, as well as actually going out and getting indie developers on board. We were always very indie-friendly; we wanted to source games which really needed October 30th 2015

an expert hand to steer them through the market place.” THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT By 1988, Alternative had started developing its own games, and in 1989 it launched a string of licensed kids products. “We had games based on Postman Pat, Thomas the Tank Engine and Sooty and Sweep – those characters sold phenomenally well,” Hulley says. “It was my thinking at the time – having a little family – that there were no real children’s games available that were retailed at the

PRINT ISN’T DEAD ALTERNATIVE’S success hasn’t just been in games. In 1989, it made a graphics package, allowing users to produce printed cards, invitations and other media decorated with licensed IP. “We’ve adapted our graphics packages for Thomas the Tank Engine. And we created electronic paint and create products,” founder Roger Hulley says. “We stayed with that product and enhanced it and improved

the print engine. We produce some of the best interactive print software in the world – so much so that manufacturers like Canon, HP, Dell and Epson all use our software. Recently we did a Harry Potter activity print studio for Canon. For Epson, we did a Man United one. For Dell we did Spider-Man. We basically worked on the engine and kept it going. We now produce the best print studios in the world.”

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30 YEARS OF ALTERNATIVE SOFTWARE

right price point. So the public was going out to buy a game for their child and had to spend £10. Parents are going to cough and splutter at that price – in those days it was a huge amount. So we brought out children’s games at a sensible price point. We targeted £1.99 and figured we’d get people picking up those titles much quicker. Parents thought that if their kids didn’t like it, they had only lost £1.99 not £10. It was a good spend.” Alternative has seen its fair share of success during its 30 years. At one point the firm constituted a decent section of the budget games market. “Titles like Postman Pat and big games like Thomas the Tank Engine, Sooty and Sweep, football games like Soccer Boss, Tracksuit Manager, eventually Dalek Attack and Yogi Bear – they all sold very well,” Hulley recalls. “In 1990 we had 17 per cent of the budget market. By volume we were really moving units through. We are obviously much smaller now in terms of market share, but our turnover is good. “And just this September, we had Rugby League Live 3 reach No.9 in the Top 40. That was fantastic. But things have changed - we are no longer a volume publisher, we’re quite selective in what we put out and we are obviously developing most of our own games today as

well as publishing and distributing other peoples’ titles.” TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’ Of course, the games market has changed beyond recognition in the last 30 years. Back when Hulley started publishing games, they were on cassette tapes – a far cry from our modern infrastructure of discs and digital downloads. “The biggest change was in about 1993 when 8-bit was suddenly killed overnight,” Hulley recalls. “In those days the market place was dominated by Spectrum, Commodore and Amstrad games, on cassette of course. We actually purchased a cassette duplication plant at that time because we were moving that amount of volume. What happened was WH Smiths decided it didn’t want to stock 8-bit anymore and then other retailers followed suit. That whole market died very, very quickly. We were set up at that particular stage in time to do much more. We were just developing 16-bit games and bringing a few through, but we didn’t have any volume. That was a major event for us. “The advent of console games, when they started coming through – the Master System, Mega Drive etcetera – really started biting into the market. Prior to that, there had been the Atari VCS2600 and Intellivision, but home computer games had really taken off in the UK in particular. When Sega came into the show with the Master System and Mega Drive, the market place changed dramatically.” Today, Alternative Software continues to support the console space. But Hulley says he’ll be keeping his options open for the next 30 years. He concludes: “Going forwards, I hope Alternative will keep producing products that are relevant to the market place at that particular stage in time.”

By 1990 we had a 17 per cent market share of the budget games sector. Roger Hulley, Alternative Software

KEY DATES 1985 – Alternative Software founded, Henry’s Hoard published for Spectrum 1987 – The publisher’s first No.1, Run For Gold, is released 1988 – Alternative starts developing its own games 1989 – It launches a line of licensed kids games. Postman Pat released, goes straight to No.1 and wins Game of the Year at Indin Awards. The company creates a graphics package that would go on to be licensed for a huge number of brands over the years, including Thomas The Tank Engine, Lord of the Rings, Marvel and Transformers 1990 – Alternative reaches 17 per cent market share of the budget games market 1993 – Dalek Attack released for Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum and Commodore 64. This was Alternative’s first TV-advertised game. 1998 – Creates its Premier Sports label, releases an extensive range of officially licensed Premier League software 1999 – Develops Manchester United’s first internet access service, Manufree.net 2003 – The publisher makes its console debut with Super League Rugby League for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 2006 – Releases its first mobile title, Super League Rugby League 2011 – Tru Blu Games’ Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge is released, makes its way to No.5 in the All Formats chart 2015 – Rugby League Live 3 launches for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360 and debuts at No.9 in the UK Top 40

October 30th 2015

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RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER INTERVIEW

A Tomb with a view 2013’s Tomb Raider breathed new life into a nearly 20-year-old franchise. Now, the reboot has an Xbox One-exclusive sequel in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Can it repeat its predecessor’s success? Matthew Jarvis speaks to Xbox first- and third-party category manager Jon Edney

efore 2013, Tomb Raider had arguably found itself with one foot in the grave. A single digital spin-off – Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which omitted the Tomb Raider name – filled the five-year gap between 2008’s Tomb Raider: Underworld and Crystal Dynamics’ self-titled reboot of the series. People were, unsurprisingly, sceptical before launch. But Tomb Raider struck a chord, receiving critical acclaim for its modern take on the IP. It became the best-selling entry in the francise to date, with over 8.5 million units sold worldwide. With a new golden age seemingly dawning for the brand, it’s easy to understand why Microsoft was enticed to lock down a timed Xbox One exclusivity deal for this year’s sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider. “When we first announced the partnership, [Xbox boss] Phil Spencer spoke about how it was about working together [with Square Enix] in order to make a great franchise stand out even further,” recalls Jon Edney, first- and third-party category manager at Xbox. “That holds true today. The conversation has now progressed on to focus on the game and what an incredible title it’s shaping up to be. Are we delighted that it will be coming first to Xbox this Christmas? Absolutely. Our task, however, is to do the best possible job for the game – and that means absorbing the Xbox community in Lara’s great tomb raiding expedition.” GOING IT ALONE This Q4 is packed with triple-A titles, all of which will be competing for a place in players’

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Rise of the Tomb Raider is an Xbox One exclusive until next year

consoles. Yet, Rise of the Tomb Raider stands in a number of ways. One major factor separating the game from its peers is its lack of online multiplayer – a rare sight in today’s industry. But could this contrasting element also limit the title’s mainstream appeal? “Rise of The Tomb Raider’s backbone is a story mode that embodies all that is great about the platform and action genres,” Edney responds. “It gives the game a unique differentiator from a lot of the titles landing this peak. We’ve been delighted with the way the game is shaping up and the reaction it has received both at press preview events and consumer shows such as EGX, where fans patiently stood in line all weekend to get their first hands-on. “It’s a very different proposition and offers a true alternative to gamers, with such a rich, in-depth story that you can immerse yourself in for potentially over 30 hours. “We’re still some way off being able to say that online multiplayer is a pre-requisite for a successful title.”

The home of Tomb Raider is right here in the UK. Jon Edney, Xbox

BELOVED BRIT Tomb Raider may now be a multinational affair – it’s published by a Japanese firm and developed in the US – but the franchise’s origins as a British games icon remain strong. “It’s fair to say that the home of Tomb Raider is right here in the UK,” observes Edney. “Not only does that open up opportunities from a PR perspective, but also has an influence in terms of the location of major marketing investments. “For example, the Survival Billboard, a campaign that will culminate in eight UK Tomb Raider fans being placed on a live billboard in central London for 24 hours. They will experience wild Siberian weather conditions in a test of endurance, courage and self-discovery, akin to what Lara has to face in the game.” This is just part of Xbox’s in-depth promotion of Rise of the Tomb Raider in the UK, as the platform holder targets the IP’s British fan base. “It goes without saying that there will be a multi-million pound UK marketing investment to support the launch of a title of this magnitude,” Edney continues. “One of the custom components within it is a landmark Instagram experience that will give fans a customisable visual journey through the world of Rise of the Tomb Raider. “Our investment in non-traditional channels continues to grow as we explore new and unique ways to showcase our games, engage fans and give them a fully personalised experience that they can then share. “The decision to locate a global launch activation of this scale in Britain speaks volumes about the importance of the UK.”

October 30th 2015

MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE Extreme Gamez’ Stuart Benson on the store’s plans regarding retro stock, his eﬀorts to streamline his games business in the face of ‘laughable’ margins and the trouble of competing with Amazon on pre-orders the margins are too laughable to be worthwhile.

How has business been? Different. We closed our Swadlincote store back in June so we have focused and concentrated everything into one shop. We’ve expanded our retro stock. The first floor is entirely dedicated to all things retro – Mega Drives, Master Systems, GameCube, N64, SNES... We are also becoming more toy-orientated. We are selling a lot of Star Wars stock. We’ve also started selling LEGO, which

we’ve managed to get from a few diﬀerent places. Games are still our main area, though we are tending to do stuﬀ to order and have two or three spare units for the consoles so we aren’t overstocking anything. We are just trying to streamline as much as possible on the games side – prices continue to be an issue. You get support from certain publishers. It just depends on individual titles about whether you can compete or not. Some of

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What was your retro business like before? We’ve always dabbled. We’ve been buying up collections via Facebook and eBay so we have really ramped it up. The upstairs is the same size as the ground floor. It’s becoming more and more popular. We do a lot through Facebook, we are affiliated with a lot of different groups on that.

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MARKETPLACE

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What’s been selling particularly well recently? Lately we’ve been selling a lot of FIFA. It doesn’t have the biggest margins, but we get huge numbers in turnover. We’ve been selling a lot of PS4 consoles, too. What are pre-orders looking like for the big titles this Q4? They’re nowhere near what they should be. People just don’t preorder anymore. They think they can walk in and pick the stock up.

Phone: 01530 412 983 Website: extreme-gamez.co.uk Facebook: /ExtremeGamezAshby Twitter: @Extreme_Gamez

Fallout 4 pre-orders are doing quite well; we have about 25 on PS4 and 15 on Xbox One. For Call of Duty we stand at about 25 on PS4 and 18 on Xbox One, which is massively down from where we used to be. People are a bit more savvy with their buying habits. Some people are leaving it until a couple of days before then telling us they want the game. Amazon just batters us on most things, so it’s getting harder to compete on that side of things.

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Wrestling title WWE 2K16, horror game Project Zero and Minecraft: Story Mode close October, as November revs up for Need For Speed and Anno FORMAT

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October 30th 2015

WWE

WWE 2K’s wrestling franchise steps into the ring once again with WWE 2K16. Matthew Jarvis grapples with the latest merchandise

WHEN it comes to passionate sports devotees, professional wrestling still holds the belt. For more than three decades, enthusiasts have been fascinated by the sight of two competitors slamming each other into a mat. The number of wrestling followers is increasing, too – especially in Britain. “The UK audience is interesting because it’s a fan base that is growing,” explains Bryce Yang, director of brand marketing for WWE at 2K games. “NXT [the

The UK and US are the two territories in the world where you always have a base line of wrestling fans. Bryce Yang, 2K Games

WWE division for up-and-coming superstars] has grown as a segment of WWE globally, but has done especially in the UK where fans appreciate that style of wresting more-so.” There are many major wrestling shows which take place every year. But the hottest calendar date of 2015 for UK fans is sure to be this winter’s NXT Tour, which is coming to the country for the very first time. 2K will be promoting new game WWE 2K16 around the shows,

STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN 3:16 AUTHENTIC T-SHIRT Stone Cold Steve Austin is the cover superstar of WWE 2K16 and one of the most successful wrestlers of all time. Although the ‘Texas Rattlesnake’ retired in 2003, he has remained a ﬁrm fan favourite thanks to his iconic Attitude Era rivalry with The Rock during the 1990s. A member of the WWE Hall of Fame, he now hosts a regular podcast about wrestling. Austin’s iconic 3:16 slogan takes pride of place on this shirt, which is one of the best-selling pieces of merchandise in WWE history. SRP: £22 Manufacturer: WWE Distributor: WWE EuroShop Contact: wweeuroshop@wwe.com

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Massively popular among younger wrestling fans, superstar John Cena is recreated here in articulated toy form.

Brock Lesnar’s love of throwing opponents coined the phrase ‘Suplex City’. Lesnar lovers can celebrate with this authentic merchandise.

SRP: £18 Manufacturer: 2K Games Distributor: Take Two Interactive Contact: 01753 496 600

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October 30th 2015

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WWE Sponsored by

gaming merchandise uk

meaning fans will be heading to games stores to seek out their wrestling fix. “Ticket sales are doing extremely well,” says Yang. “During the European tour we have tons of activity going on, whether it’s media, appearances by the superstars At live events you’re hitting fans that have chosen to go to a WWE live event, so it’s always a great audience to expose the game to.” With excitement at a peak during Q4, wrestling lovers will be on the

lookout for merchandise to represent their favourite competitors. These include Stone Cold Steve Austin, who takes pride of place as the frontman for WWE 2K16. The title features the franchise’s largest roster, making its mainstream appeal bigger than ever. “Wrestling always goes through its ebbs and flows in popularity, but the UK and the US are the two territories in the world where you always have a base line of consumers,” concludes Yang.

WWE SLAM ATTAX: THEN, NOW, FOREVER TRADING CARDS This brand new line of WWE collectible trading cards features a host of superstars from WWE history, including Sting, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ultimate Warrior, alongside current WWE and NXT champions such as Seth Rollins, John Cena and Kevin Owens. The cards are available in packs of eight, with Starter Packs including two new championship frame cards, a collector’s binder, A1 game guide and game mat, plus a packet of cards, with one guaranteed Limited Edition. SRP: £4.99 (Starter Pack), £1 (Pack of Eight Cards) Manufacturer: Topps Distributor: Click Entertainment Contact: 0203 137 3781

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These packs contain a random toy of a famous WWE superstar and a collector’s guide. There are 12 to collect, plus special extra kits.

Covering The Undertaker’s legendary unbeaten run, this boxset spans 13 years and comes in limited edition coﬃn-shaped packaging.

Divas Sasha Banks and Bayley made headlines this year with an acclaimed 30-minute match. Fans can show Banks is the boss with this shirt.

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October 30th 2015

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INSIDER’S GUIDE

INSIDER’S GUIDE FUNBOX MEDIA

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: Publishing Location: 25a Napier Court, Gander Lane, Barlborough Links, Chesterﬁeld, S43 4PZ

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Barry Hatch, MD of Funbox Media, explores the eﬀect of the digital boom on smaller publishers

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Tell us about your company. Funbox Media is a publishing company set up almost six years ago. We publish on most formats – boxed and digital – in all territories. We also own a number of well-known games IPs.

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT: MHT TV GAME................................................................. gerry@mhtgame.com

What successes have you seen recently? Probably our biggest success has been The Cube which we launched on Wii, PS3 and 3DS. We also currently have exclusive rights to Don Bradman Cricket for PS4 and Xbox One, which is continuing to sell extremely well. Myst 3DS was a big seller for us. What are you currently working on? We are very excited about our next releases, which are scheduled for Q4; they include Space Hulk for PS3 and Vita, XBlaze Code: Embryo on PS3 and Vita, and Top Trumps Turbo for PS3, Vita, 3DS and PC. What are the biggest trends affecting you right now? Obviously the digitalisation of product sales is having a big effect especially on smaller publishers who perhaps do not have big financial backing to market their titles. Also, from our point of view, it has been the almost overnight decline in retailers stocking PS3 products. This has not been confined to the UK markets but most of Europe. However, there is still a massive market for PS3 games that

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

The digitalisation of product sales is having a big eﬀect, especially on smaller publishers. we are happy to tap into with our products. What are you looking forward to over the next 12 months? In 2016 we have some titles with great licences attached to them due for launch, which we know will be successful. We will continue to look at every opportunity available to help maintain the company. Growth is not essential to Funbox – stability is the key. How did you choose your name? After the demise of Zushi Games, we simply wanted to put a bit of fun back into our work.

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Contact: W: funboxmedia.co.uk E: barryhatch@funboxmedia.co.uk P: +44 (0) 1246 810 623 T: @FunboxMediaLtd

October 30th 2015

FACTFILE POLAND Sponsored by

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: POLAND Population: 38,483,957 Capital City: Warsaw Currency: Złoty GDP (Per Capita): $12,662 KEY RETAILERS Media Markt, Gry Online, Empik, Sklep Gram, Gram.pl, Toys R Us, GOG.com TOP DISTRIBUTORS CD Projekt, GOG.com, Cenega, Galapagos, LEM

POLAND is fast becoming the keystone of Eastern European games development. According to a 2014 report by B2B event organiser Digital Dragons, 60 per cent of Polish internet users play games. Of these, 35 per cent play on PC, while just one in ten opt for consoles. 28 per cent play on smartphones and tablet platforms. Polish players’ preference for the PC is reflected in the output of the country’s games sector. Perhaps the bestknown Polish development studio is CD Projekt Red, which produces the Witcher series of titles. The franchise was primarily PC based, with third and final entry The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt finally breaking onto both Xbox One and PS4. CD Projekt is joined by People Can Fly, which was for a time

TOP DEVELOPERS CD Projekt Red, The Astronauts, People Can Fly, Techland, Acid Wizard, Crunching Koalas, 11 Bit Studios, Flying Wild Hog, CI Games, Wargaming, Wastelands PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION CD Projekt, CI Games, Nintendo, Sony, Ubisoft, Codemasters, EA, Microsoft

known as Epic Games Poland. It reclaimed its independence this June, after two years of serving as a subsidiary of the Gears of War creator. Poland’s development success is expanding to its smaller studios, too. Independent developer 11 Bit released digital title This War of Mine to positive reviews, with the game topping the Steam weekly charts. With outlets and games such as these making waves in the wider Western market, it’s little surprise that Poland boasts the 23rd-largest games industry in the world, according to market tracker Newzoo. 2014 games revenue totalled $279.6 million – more than double its next closest Eastern Europe competitor, Romania, which saw revenue of $122.3 million.

35 per cent of Polish gamers play on PC, while just one in ten opt for consoles.

October 30th 2015

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POLAND FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... AUSTRALIA The first 15 minutes of Halo 5’s story mode have been broadcast on the world’s biggest aerial screen 2,000 feet above Sydney IF you live in Sydney, Australia, the opening to Halo 5’s campaign would’ve been hard to miss this week. That’s because Xbox Australia decided to promote the new sci-fi shooter by broadcasting the opening 15 minutes of its campaign on the world’s biggest flying screen. The display was launched into the air 2,000 feet (609 metres) above Sydney on Monday, October 26th – a day before Halo 5: Guardians’ launch date. It took flight at 7:30pm, travelling down the

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coast from Curl Curl to Coogee, before turning around and heading all the way back. The sizeable screen was visible up to three kilometres away.

Meanwhile, one lucky fan, selected from those that pre-ordered the game, took control of Master Chief for the demo.

October 30th 2015

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION Sponsored by

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTORS IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR NEW PARTNERS OVERSEAS, THEN LOOK NO FURTHER

BELGIUM

CLD DISTRIBUTION Rue du Grand Champs 14 , B 5380 Fernelmont Belgium Tel: +32 81 83 02 02 Fax: +32 81 83 02 09 Email: infos@cld.be Web: www.cld.be home of www.dragonwar.eu & www.mawashi.eu

CYPRUS

SWEDEN

G3 GREAT GAMES LTD 4 Gregoriou Papaﬂessa Street, Oﬃce 101, Engomi, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus. Tel: +357 22 666612 Web: www.greatgames.com.cy

GAME OUTLET EUROPE AB PO Box 5083, S-650 05 Karlstad, Sweden Sales dept: ali.manzuri@gameoutlet.se Sales dept: andreas.lindberg@gameoutlet.se Purchase dept: hamed.manzuri@gameoutlet.se Purchase dept: david.nilsson@gameoutlet.se Web: www.gameoutlet.se

IRAN

BRAZIL Sony Music Entertainment Brasil # 1 Physical Distributor in Brazil Rua Lauro Muller n°. 116 – 40°. Andar Salas 4001 a 4003 Botafogo Rio de Janeiro RJ CEP. 22.290-160 Tel. +55 21 2128-0771 Fax: +55 21 2128-0747 Email : rodrigo.altieri@sonymusic.com Website: www.sonymusic.com.br | www.day1e.com.br

UAE

DC GAMES GROUP No.9, Hemmatian St., Takestan St., Sattarkhan Tehran, Iran Tel: +98-912-1014090 +98-21-44228670 Email: Bahizad@Doostan-Co.com Web: www.Doostan-Co.com

ALESAYI UNITED COMPANY Video Games Distributor in the Middle East, P.O BOX 16999 Jebel Ali Free Zone Dubai U.A.E. Tel: 00971 4 883 5960 Fax: 00971 4 883 5175 Email: marketing@alesayi.ae U.A.E. Website: www.alesayi.ae Group Website: www.alesayi.com

NORDIC

WORLDWIDE

WENDROS AB SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK & FINLAND Jakobsdalsvägen 17 12653 Hägersten Sweden Phone: +46 8 51942500 Fax: +46 8 7466790 Email: HM@wendros.se LM@wendros.se Web: www.wendros.se

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED Email: info@click-entertainment.com Web: www.click-entertainment.com Phone: +44 (0)203 137 3781

MCV WORLDWIDE Editorial: + 61 (0)424 967 263 Leigh.Harris@mcvpaciﬁc.com

Advertising: + 61 (0)417 084821 Joel.Vandaal@mcvpaciﬁc.com

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MORE DISTRIBUTORS AUSTRALIA AFA Interactive, Bluemouth Interactive, Five Star Games, Mindscape, Namco Bandai Partners, Turn Left Distribution BENELUX CLD Distribution, Koch Media, Gameworld Distribution B.V. CANADA E One, Importel, Just4Games, Solutions 2 Go, Vidéoglobe CYPRUS Access, Gibareio, Zilos, Nortec Multimedia CZECH REPUBLIC Cenega, Conquest, Comgad, Playman, ABC Data DENMARK Bergsala, Elpa, Impulse, Koch Media, Nordisk Film Interactive, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision FRANCE Big Ben, Innelec, Koch Media, SDO, Sodifa GREECE Zegatron, CD Media, Namco Bandai Partners, IGE, Nortec, Enarxis, Beacon HUNGARY CNG.hu/Cenega Hungary, CTC Trading, Magnew, PlayON, Stadlbauer ICELAND Sena, Myndform, Samfilm, Ormsson INDONESIA Maxsoft, Uptron, Technosolution IRELAND MSE Group, Baumex JAPAN Ajioka, Happinet, Jesnet NORWAY Bergsala, Game Outlet, Koch Media, Nordic Game Supply, Nordisk Film, Pan Vision POLAND CD Projekt, Cenega, Galapagos, LEM PORTUGAL Ecoplay, Infocapital, Koch Media, Namco Bandai ROMANIA Best Distribution SERBIA ComTrade, Computerland/Iris Mega, Extreme CC SPAIN Digital Bros, Koch Media, Namco Bandai Partners, Nobilis SWEDEN Bergsala, Koch Media, Namco Bandai, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision, Wendros, Ztorm (digital) UAE Red Entertainment Distribution, Pluto Games (LS2 Pluto), Viva Entertainment, Gameplay Entertainment, Geekay Distribution

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION PLEASE CONTACT CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM October 30th 2015

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OFF THE RECORD

OFF THE RECORD This week, it’s an Assassin’s Creed special, as GAME, Ubisoft and IGN go all-out for Syndicate A GOOD NIGHT FOR A FIST FIGHT As Syndicate brings London to the world of Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft brought the world of Assassin’s Creed to London to celebrate its launch. The publisher transformed a venue into the Seven Bells pub, complete with Victorian entertainment: a hog roast, magicians Troy and Archie Manners, bare knuckle boxing and even a professional pickpocket – because nothing’s more entertaining than ﬁnding your keys missing at the end of a night out.

HULL OF A TIME Stores across the UK got stuck in for the release of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, but none more-so than GAME Hull. The outlet transformed into a Victorian-era street, complete with its very own cut-throat Sweeney Todd barber. The pies from the shop next door were delicious, too – although, we couldn’t work out what meat they contained...

ASSASS-IGN’S CREED Games media giant IGN selected Syndicate to kick oﬀ its new series of Premiere events on October 20th. The immersive London occasion allowed attendees meet the reallife stars of the game (okay, we admit: they weren’t real assassins), talk to developers, try the title themselves and see brand new gameplay. Plus, the only way to leave the secret location was via an eagle dive into the Thames (not really). www.mcvuk.com

October 30th 2015

OFF THE RECORD

My mum catching me playing Nintendo at 2am was my most memorable boss battle.

Beating Sin in Final Fantasy X back in 2001. I will never forget that bittersweet moment.

Chris - Nitro @WorldGoonSquad Deadlift from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is the URXJKHVW ERVV ¿ JKW ,¶YH ever seen, regardless of character class.

Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid. Any other answer is just plain wrong.

:+$7·6 %((1 <285 0267 0(025$%/( %266 %$77/(" #GMGASKS

Nico @kubrickphile My rival at the end of Pokémon Red. My last Pokémon: an under-leveled Dugtrio. In desperation, I XVHG ¿ VVXUH DQG LW KLW

Sierra Starsong @starsongky

BlindRaven @BlindRavenGames

The Boss from MGS3. I cry everytime.

Dark Souls’ Bell Gargoyles... the struggle and pain and then being able to ring the bell for all to hear was just the best.

Shivers @UnaiShivers

Tukker Intensity @MotherTukker

PikeyZA @PikeyZA

Oh man. The Capra Demon in Dark Souls.

Shadow of the Colossus. Walking up that eerily VLOHQW ODNH EHIRUH WKH ¿ IWK colossus swoops overhead. Still get goosebumps James Bartholomeou @yagovos

I like Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

Chris Brown @SilasEmbargo

ShitsHappens @Necrillo

CONTACTS Christopher Dring

Kelly Sambridge

Andrew Wooden

Editor cdring@nbmedia.com

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Content Director awooden@nbmedia.com

Ben Parﬁtt

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Associate Editor bparﬁtt@nbmedia.com

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Account Manager ctallon@nbmedia.com

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Staﬀ Writer acalvin@nbmedia.com

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Staﬀ Writer mjarvis@nbmedia.com

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Erik Johnson

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Head of Operations smoody@nbmedia.com

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THE RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD Charlotte Knight GAME

Steve Moore Simply Games

Jennifer Johnson Don McCabe CHIPS Shop Direct

Jon Hayes Tesco

Sarah Jasper The Hut

Gurdeep Hunjan Simon Urquhart Sainsbury’s Microsoft

Dermot Stapleton Niall Lawlor GameStop Get Games

Phil Moore Grainger Games

Igor Cipolletta ShopTo

Phil Browes HMV

Robert Lindsay Games Centre

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

Craig Watson Dixons Retail

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October 30th 2015

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2014

ASSASSIN’S CREED: SYNDICATE