MCV 865 February 12th 2016 by Biz Media Ltd

MARCH 8th 2016

WHEN SOCIETY FALLS, WE RISE AN UNPRECEDENTED PANDEMIC HAS SWEPT THROUGH NEW YORK CITY, LEADING TO THE COLLAPSE OF SOCIETY.

YOU ARE HUMANITY’S LAST HOPE: AN AGENT OF THE DIVISION, ACTIVATED TO SAVE WHAT REMAINS. ENTER A PERSISTENT AND DYNAMIC OPEN WORLD ENVIRONMENT WHERE EXPLORATION AND PLAYER PROGRESSION ARE ESSENTIAL.

PLAY SOLO OR IN A TEAM OF UP TO 4 PLAYERS TO TAKE BACK NEW YORK FROM HOSTILE FACTIONS VYING FOR CONTROL. CUSTOMISE YOUR AGENT, DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AND UPGRADE YOUR GEAR IN YOUR BID TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH.

CHOOSE TO COLLABORATE WITH OR ATTACK OTHER PLAYERS IN THE DARK ZONE WHERE YOU’LL ENCOUNTER DANGEROUS ENEMIES AND RARE LOOT.

©2016 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Tom Clancy’s, The Division logo, the soldier icon, Snowdrop, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. “2“ and “PlayStation” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “Ø“ is a trademark of the same company. Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

GAMESTOP THE PUBLISHER THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES

IS THIS THE FUTURE OF THE RETAIL GIANT? P08

ISSUE 865 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12TH 2016

UK games market hits a record £4.2bn Digital, accessories and pre-owned boosts market O PC gaming hardware market worth £138m by Christopher Dring 2015 was the biggest year in UK games industry history. Almost £4.2bn was spent on video games and related products in last year, topping the £4bn generated in 2008 when Wii and Guitar Hero ruled the market. The primary reason for the growth is the digital sector. According to IHS, digital console and PC games generated £1.2bn, up 13.2 per cent, while mobile gaming also spiked 21.2 per cent to £664m. But there were other key growth areas, namely accessories, tickets for events, soundtracks, DVDs and pre-owned game sales. MCV has also obtained data for PC gaming hardware for the first time, which added £138m to the figure (courtesy of GfK’s tech division). Even without PC gaming hardware included, the UK games market is still at an all-time high. Not all areas grew however. A drop in Minecraft book sales impacted the ‘books and magazine’ section, while toys also took a knock as Moshi Monsters continues to wane in popularity. Boxed software also suffered a slight dip, while price cuts to Xbox One and PS4 saw hardware revenue decrease sharply. Overall, the UK games industry rose by 5.3 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014. This is slower growth than what was recorded last year, when the market value increased by 13 per cent. The market valuation project was co-produced by MCV and games industry trade body UKIE. “These numbers show the increasing strength and confident consumer growth of the industry,” UKIE CEO Dr Jo Twist said. “These kinds of statistics are important when we are promoting the strength of our sector nationally - to investors, the media and policy makers - as well as internationally.”

OVERALL UK GAMES MARKET VALUE: £4.194bn

£1.224BN

£904M

DIGITAL CONSOLE AND PC

BOXED SOFTWARE

UP 13.2%

DOWN 3.3%

Source: IHS

Source: GfK Entertainment

£664M

£689M

£6.2M

MOBILE GAMING

CONSOLE HARDWARE

EVENTS

UP 21.2%

DOWN 24.7%

UP 12.7%

Source: IHS

Source: GfK Entertainment

Source: MCV Estimates

£62.3M

£6.9M

£16.3M BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

TOYS

MOVIES AND SOUNDTRACKS

DOWN 9.7%

UP 26.9%

DOWN 29.1%

Source: NPD

Source: Oﬃcial Charts Company

Source: Nielsen and industry estimates

£360M

£138M

£123M

PERIPHERALS & ACCESSORIES

PRE-OWNED

UP 24.6%

SPECIALIST PC GAMING HARDWARE

Source: GfK Entertainment

Source: GfK

Source: Kantar Worldpanel

UP 9.3%

PLUS THE BIG GAME: FAR CRY PRIMAL IRON MAIDEN’S MOBILE MISSION

NEWS DATA PROJECT

GTA V is top soundtrack for second year running by Christopher Dring

Digital points cards hit £160m SALES of digital points cards in stores rose slightly from £158m in 2014 to £160m last year. The main area of growth in this sector are cards bought for speciﬁc individual titles, which was valued at £27m in 2015. IHS estimates that over £1.224bn was spent on PC and console digital games in 2015 - including microtransactions and DLC. That means digital points cards accounted for around 13 per cent of the overall digital games market. Digital points card ﬁgures are courtesy of GfK Entertainment.

TOP TEN VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS 2015 (REVENUE)

THE soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto V is the top-selling video game album for the second year in a row. The album comfortably outsold the second place Destiny soundtrack, which is also enjoying its second year in the charts. The highest charting new game soundtrack was Halo 5: Guardians, which reached third place, missing out on No.2 by just under £200. In total, £283,356 was spent on video games-related music in 2015, according to the Official Charts Company. Meanwhile, the game-inspired movie Pixels elevated what would have been a disappointing year for DVD sales. Instead, the film boosted this market to reach a value of £6.57m. 2016 should prove a big year for video game films, with the arrival of Warcraft, Angry Birds and Ratchet & Clank.

THE MUSIC OF GRAND THEFT AUTO V

Destiny Oﬃcial Soundtrack

£9,593

Halo 5: Guardians Oﬃcial Soundtrack

£9,400

The Last of Us Oﬃcial Soundtrack

£8,335

Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture Oﬃcial Soundtrack

£7,268

The Greatest Video Game Music

£12,409

£7,101

Elder Scrolls Skyrim Game Soundtrack

£6,568

Dragon Age Inquisition Soundtrack

£6,255

Metal Gear Solid V Soundtrack

£5,628

Ori and the Blind Forest Oﬃcial Soundtrack

£4,949

SPONSORED BY

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

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CAPCOM

Doom + Demon Multiplayer Pack (PS4)

Bethesda

Tom Clancy’s The Division + Beta (PS4)

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PS4)

Doom + Demon Multiplayer Pack (XO)

Far Cry Primal + Owl DLC (PS4)

PS4 1TB Console + Uncharted 4 Limited Edition (PS4)

Tom Clancy’s The Division + Beta (XO)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD + Amiibo + Soundtrack (Wii U)

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (XO)

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Ubisoft Warner Bros Bethesda Ubisoft Sony Ubisoft Nintendo Warner Bros

So many people get hung up on the down arrows and seem to ignore the ludicrously high numbers sitting next to them. short of £1.2bn was spent on games hardware and accessories in 2015. So if you are one of those publishers or developers who have long dismissed the ’broken’ physical games market, then maybe it’ll be worth your while looking again. Likewise, for those out there that believe the mobile sector is only for the lucky, and launching a game on Steam is like navigating the M25 during rush hour, perhaps its time to find a way of getting lucky, and developing some tricks so you can avoid all that traffic. Because the combined digital games sectors are now worth just shy of £1.9bn. The UK games market is bigger than ever, and there are opportunities in all areas. That doesn’t mean it’s easy; whether you’re selling through GAME or Xbox Live or Steam or iOS, there are some real challenges to overcome. But if that £4.2bn market valuation tells us anything, it’s that the hard work and pain can pay off handsomely. cdring@nbmedia.com

February 12th 2016

XXX XXX DOMINIC ASHFORD, GFK INSIGHT

INSIGHT

PC gaming remains a premium opportunity for retail compared to the previous year. A large part of this value increase is due to the average selling prices of graphics cards increasing by 26 per cent over the same time period. While this could reflect individual cards being sold at higher prices, it seems the most significant cause of the increased prices is higher specification graphics cards increasing in popularity. In 2014, cards with 4GB of memory represented nine per cent of all standalone graphics cards sold. In 2015 this grew to 26 per cent. This suggests that gamers who are building or upgrading PCs have one eye on the future as some of the upcoming virtual reality devices recommend that users have graphics cards of this standard. Overall this means that graphics cards will likely continue to be an opportunity for the channel.

In 2015, £138m worth of PC gaming tech was sold in the UK. It’s no wonder GAME is getting in on the act. GfK’s Dominic Ashford reveals more about the games hardware market we rarely ever talk about

015 was a positive year for many of the markets associated with PC gaming. Mice and keyboard sales in this sector both increased in value year-on-year. Furthermore, several component categories have also registered growth. The sales value of solid state drives (SSDs), DDR4 RAM, graphics cards and certain types of PC housing all increased over the last year. One trend of note in some of these markets is that prices have increased on average. This suggests that these markets could be an area for retailers, manufacturers and distributors to derive additional value. The increase in value for the gaming mice market was 20 per cent when comparing 2015 with 2014 and the gaming keyboard market increased by 10 per cent over the same time. What is significant is that the volume of sales for both categories increased as did average prices. This suggests that consumers are willing to pay a premium for these gaming peripherals, which is unsurprising when considering the various ways that these products can enhance the gaming experience.

Prices in the PC games space have increased on average, suggesting this is an area for companies to derive additional value.

MEMORY GAME For the last few years, SSDs have been another key component seeing sales increase. Although not specifically a gaming upgrade, this storage medium does have benefits for gaming, particularly with load times. This category remained in growth in 2015, although the market conditions have changed

Dominic Ashford, GfK

GETTING TECHNICAL Some of the component categories mentioned earlier have experienced similar trends to those seen in gaming peripherals. For example, the total sales value of graphics cards sold in 2015 increased by 25 per cent

February 12th 2016

as these products have become more established. Average selling prices have declined by 12 per cent comparing 2015 with 2014 and this reflects the more mature market and higher install-base for SSDs, nevertheless, the value of this market still increased by 21 per cent year-on-year. A factor contributing to the growth of this market is increasing capacities, with SSDs with capacities of 500GB and above accounting for 23 per cent of sales in 2015. This means that there is likely still a significant opportunity for this market to grow but the higher capacities will see price erosion similar to what has happened in the entrylevel capacities. Overall the gaming peripherals and components markets demonstrate that PC gaming remains an opportunity for the channel. What is particularly significant is that these markets appear to be less price sensitive that many other tech markets. The data suggests that consumers are prepared to pay a premium for products and features that enable or enhance the gaming experience. All figures come from GfK’s POS tracking, using retail channels.

There’s been an increase in high-spec graphics cards in the build up to virtual reality launching

00 06

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INTERVIEW MARK STANLEY, GAMESTOP

Is GameStop’s publishing move the future of the retailer, or just an interesting side-project? Last month, GameStop announced it would publish Song of the Deep, the latest title from renown US studio Insomniac Games. Should EA and Activision be afraid? Christopher Dring speaks to VP of strategic initiatives, Mark Stanley

n the surface, Song of the Deep doesn’t come across as anything particularly remarkable. The 2D underwater action adventure is pretty, and bound to delight a certain type of gamer. But ultimately it looks like most other 2D indie games that are on the market at the moment. Yet there are at least two notable elements to Song of the Deep. The first is that Insomniac, the acclaimed US studio behind Ratchet & Clank, Resistance and Sunset Overdrive, is making it. The second, and this is the big one, it’s being published by a retailer. “This partnership started as a discussion between Ted Price [Insomniac Games co-founder and CEO] and I about a year ago,” said Mark Stanley, the GameStop exec tasked with new strategic projects. “We were discussing the state of the industry and the power of bringing exclusive content to customers. During one of those conversations, Ted and Brian Hastings [the other co-founder and chief creative officer] shared with me the story of Song of the Deep, which was a great passion project they wanted to put some resources

February 12th 2016

behind. Together, we thought: ‘What if we could leverage GameStop’s powerful global platform to reach millions of gamers?’ A few days later ‘ Project Merryn’ started and has blossomed into this amazing example of excellence in gaming craftsmanship.”

Our plan is to provide this new IP life beyond console or PC via collectible merchandise that is truly limited edition.

PUBLISHING POWERHOUSE GameStop’s publishing move may come as a shock, but it actually makes so much sense we’re surprised it hadn’t happened earlier. The retailer has plenty of attractive points for developers. It has over 6,000 stores, it runs events around the world, it publishes the most popular US video games magazine (Game Informer) – in terms of consumer reach, there are few better businesses. And Song of the Deep is going to benefit from all of this. “We are going all in,” says Stanley. “We are leveraging the entire marketing arsenal within the GameStop platform. We truly see ourselves as a platform that is focused on helping millions of gamers discover great content and the magic of gaming. Song of the Deep is a perfect example of this.” The firm also owns merchandise specialist ThinkGeek, allowing it to turn Song of the Deep into more than just a game from the outset. “Since our

Mark Stanley, GameStop

GameStop’s Stanley says the ﬁrm is putting its entire marketing force behind Song of the Deep 08

acquisition of ThinkGeek last year, we have learned a lot about collectibles and other merchandise,” continues Stanley. “GameStop customers are some of the most passionate gamers in the world and they are constantly looking for opportunities to dive deeper into a game, a story, or a particular character. Our approach is to provide this new IP life beyond the console or PC, via collectible merchandise that is truly limited edition.” Of course there’s plenty for GameStop to benefit from with this partnership, too. As publishers increasingly go digital, retailers are becoming thirsty for boxed software (and Song of the Deep is getting a physical launch worldwide). What’s more, Insomniac’s new game arrives in the summer, a time where even fewer games tend to hit shelves. However, Stanley denies this partnership is simply to plug a gap in the release schedule. “Everything we do, every decision we make, is focused on making sure that the creative vision for the game is reached,” he says. “In my experience, shooting for specific deadlines usually leads to taking shortcuts or killing the very creative spirit that birthed the idea behind a great game.” GAMESTOP: THE RIVAL GameStop has the outlets, Insomniac has the content; the match-up makes a lot of sense. But Stanley is coy about whether this will be the first of many publishing

www.mcvuk.com

MARK STANLEY, GAMESTOP INTERVIEW

Song of the Deep has gameplay akin to Nintendo’s Metroid series

deals. “We will listen to what the game community has to say about this game,” he says. “And go from there.” He has ever reason to be cautious and to not simply announce that GameStop is launching a great big publishing division. Because that could put the firm at odds with partners such as EA, Activision, Ubisoft and the rest. Song of the Deep isn’t about to compete with Star Wars Battlefront or Fallout 4, but what if the game coincides with a new quirky platformer from Ubisoft? Or a Metroid game from Nintendo? GameStop is suddenly rivaling the companies it relies on for the big blockbusters.

www.mcvuk.com

“GameStop has worked closely with all publishers for many years, and our store associates have been instrumental in growing triple-A franchises and nurturing millions of fans’ passion to play,” reminds Stanley. “That will not change. We are simply taking an opportunity to do something different here. Supporting great game craftsmanship in a way that has never been done before. And this supports our industry’s quest for better gaming, and more gamers.” He adds: “We are not attempting to be publishers here. We are simply taking a great opportunity to collaborate in a non-traditional way, and trust that

We are not trying to be publishers here. We are simply taking a great opporunity to collaborate in a nontraditional way. Mark Stanley, GameStop

the combination of all these great ingredients we have put in make for a great experience.” GameStop has been expanding its business for years. With one eye on the rising tide of digital, the firm has extended into merchandise, technology, media and events. It is strengthening its foundation and expertise so that it can endure any sudden change that the world of video games might spring upon it (which it invariably does). And so, although Stanley may be playing down GameStop’s publishing potential for now, the Song of the Deep experiment may yet prove to be one of the retailer’s more significant moves.

February 12th 2016

CHEAT SHEET

UP & DOWN

Market Data Despite some new releases last week, software revenue dipped by 12 per cent

LEGO Marvel’s Avengers falls one place to No.2 as sales dip 41 per cent

£10m

£5m

£7.5m 273,848 units

Week Ending January 23rd

£9.8m 346,761 units

Week Ending January 30th

£30m

£8.7m 311,335 units BLACK OPS III sales rose 11 per cent last week due to the launch of its ﬁrst round of DLC – Awakening

Week Ending February 6th

EVENT CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2016 .................................................................................. THE UK VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY, POLICY PRIORITIES AND NEW AVENUES FOR GROWTH London Thursday, February 25th Q UK industry veterans including Ian Livingstone, UKIE’s Dr Jo Twist, Richard Wilson of TIGA and Rebellion’s Jason Kingsley discuss what the industry’s priorities are for government policy going forward. Livingstone and Chris White MP will chair aﬀairs

INSOMNIA 57 The NEC Birmingham, Birmingham Friday, March 25th – Monday, March 28th Q Multiplay’s Insomnia eSports event returns to Birmingham’s NEC Q Featuring pro-gaming events and the UK’s biggest LAN party Q Counter-Strike, Rocket League, DOTA 2 and League of Legends tournaments to be played Q Consumers can also check out the latest games in the Exhibition Hall Q In addition, Insomnia 57 features the Indie Zone, Retro Zone and more

APRIL 2016 ..................................................................................

MARCH 2016 .................................................................................. MCV AWARDS 2016 Hilton Bankside, London Thursday, March 3rd 2016 Q Celebrating the best that the UK games industry has to oﬀer Q Awards show to be hosted by BBC funnyman Miles Jupp Q New venue at the Hilton Bankside in London

February 12th 2016

EGX REZZED Tobacco Dock, London Thursday, April 7th – Saturday, April 9th Q Gamer Network’s indie-focused event returns to London’s Tobacco Dock Q Consumers can try the latest games, from the big blockbusters to hits from smaller teams Q On Friday and Saturday, creators will be holding talks for the Developer Sessions and the Rezzed Sessions

www.mcvuk.com

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

LIVINGSTONE TO OPEN TWO NEW SCHOOLS Ian Livingstone is opening two schools. The Livingstone Academies will be located in Tower Hamlets and Bournemouth, and will provide 3,000 students with a ‘rigorous education’ based on the STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths).

The BFI has revealed that 237 games were approved for Video Games Tax Relief in 2015

@Doctoe Congrats to Ian Livingstone on his new schools! Would have loved Ian as my head teacher.

2K Games is putting $250,000 behind an NBA 2K16 eSports tournament, which starts on February 15th

237

$250,000 @MikeDiver Love this. Ian Livingstone is a legend whose work getting kids into tech and arts is inspiring.

Dr Jo Twist, UKIE Friday, February 5th

Mike Diver, Vice Gaming Friday, February 5th

BETHESDA ANNOUNCES SECOND E3 SHOWCASE

MOLYNEUX NEARLY RETIRED LAST YEAR

Bethesda is holding another E3 showcase this year on Sunday, June 12th. It is joining Electronic Arts in holding an event on the Sunday before E3.

Peter Molyneux has given his ﬁrst interview since he said he wouldn’t talk to the media last year. In it, he talks about how he nearly retired following controversy surround his game Godus.

@rob_pearson86 Please please PLEASE let Bethesda be announcing Elder Scrolls VI at its E3 conference. Every other game ever is just a warm up for that. Rob Pearson, PlayStation Access Monday, February 1st

@NickCapozzoli Molyneux’s a character. His new policy is to “only talk to the press about something people can play there and then” according to Eurogamer. Nick Capozzoli, author Wednesday, February 3rd

@bskipper27 So pre-E3 Sunday is slowly becoming a full working day.

1/3 One in three Steam users is running Windows 10, according to Valve’s latest Hardware and Software Survey

$5m Developer Jonathan Blow has announced that The Witness sold 100,000 copies and generated $5m in its ﬁrst week

2 According to lead writer Jesse Stern, Titanfall 2 – unlike its predecessor – is going to have a dedicated story mode

@Crunch_King I’m no Molyneux fan but reading how much that vile Rock Paper Shotgun interview aﬀected him has made me angry about it all over again. Utterly disgusting. Sam Smith, Miniclip Wednesday, February 3rd

GREAT .

Ben Skipper, IB Times Monday, February 1st

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

www.mcvuk.com

LONDON MARATHON

GAMESAID TENNER

STAND UP FOR GAMESAID

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

In just three month’s time, Warner Bros PR and GamesAid trustee Cat Channon is running the London Marathon to raise money for the charity. The 26.2 mile endurace race is taking place on April 24th.

On March 3rd the MCV Awards will be taking place at the new venue of Bankside Hilton in London. As is tradition, GamesAid will be asking for donations of £10 from attendees. Last year’s show saw £3,088 raised for GamesAid.

Games industry comedy night Stand Up For GamesAid returns to London’s Comedy Store on May 9th. The event will be hosted by GamesAid patron and comedian Imran Yusuf. Tickets are available on thecomedystore.co.uk and cost £15

February 12th 2016

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

Dawkins tasked with Gamesradar+ growth Future promotes UK games boss O New PR chief for Nordeus O Freejam hires new community manager GAMESRADAR+ | Future’s UK games editor in chief DAN DAWKINS has become the global editor in chief of Gamesradar+, Future’s primary games website. “I’m thrilled to be joining GamesRadar+ at this stage in its evolution and can’t wait to work with our record breaking team on exciting plans for 2016 and beyond,” said Dawkins. He replaces SOPHIA TONG, who is now working on ‘creative brand strategy and business development’ at Future. “Dan’s work to date with the UK’s games division has been exceptional, and he was the natural person to continue to drive GamesRadar+

February 12th 2016

game developer Nordeus. “It’s a great honour to be global PR manager at Nordeus during such an exciting period,” White said. “Our passionate and creative team continue to advance our hugely popular Top Eleven brand whilst developing a range of fresh and innovative projects for the future.”

forward,” commented NIAL FERGUSON, Future’s content and marketing director. Dawkins continued: “Our leisure time is precious, and GamesRadar+ will take you closer to the moments that matter: from wild Star Wars: Episode VIII conspiracy theories to Fallout 4’s oceanfloor secrets. Y’know, the important stuff. I look forward to seeing you and can’t wait to continue the conversation on GamesRadar+.”

FREEJAM | ANDY GRIFFITHS has been appointed as the new community manager for Freejam’s Robocraft. Griffiths used to be the head of EMEA public relations for ArenaNet products at NCSoft in Brighton, where he launched

NORDEUS | After more than two years as the global PR manager at Square Enix, AMY WHITE has left the firm to join

Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. “We’re immensely excited to welcome Andy to our growing publishing and development team at Freejam,” said CEO MARK SIMMONS. “We have no doubt that his experiences in PR, marketing and games journalism will help Robocraft become an even bigger success in the PC space.” Griffiths stated: “What Mark and the rest of the talented team here at Freejam Games have achieved already with Robocraft is very impressive and it’s my hope that I can lend my expertise in marketing and communications to ensure that this PC hit continues its upwards trajectory.”

www.mcvuk.com

WEEKLY SALES CHARTS

WEEKLY CHARTS CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III has returned to its No.1 spot in this week’s charts. This is the ninth time Activision’s FPS has been at the top of the UK charts since its release in November. As a consequence, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers has been pushed to second place. The Warner Bros title has endured a 41 per cent drop-oﬀ in sales. This week’s No.3 is a new entry: Bandai Namco’s Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, which landed on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One last week. The title has become the second biggest week one seller in the franchise to date. Three new titles have also reached the charts

TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL TITLES

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

LW 02 NEW 05 04 03 NEW 08 06 11 10 07 09 14 29 34 15 NEW 13 19

this week: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, also published by Bandai Namco, at No.11, XCOM 2 at No.20 and Sony’s Gravity Rush Remastered at No.34. Meanwhile, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate has beneﬁted from a 78 per cent increase in sales, thanks to retailer promotions, and has jumped from No.20 to No.9. On Steam, XCOM 2 is monopolising the charts: 2K Games’ release is No.1, while pre-orders and digital deluxe pre-orders for the title take the No.2 and No.3 spots. The Top 20 Individual Titles chart is dominated by PlayStation 4 games, with Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III being No.1 again. (UNITS)

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III (PS4) DEVELOPER: TREYARCH PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION

TITLE PUBLISHER LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (PS4) Warner Bros Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (PS4) Bandai Namco Call of Duty: Black Ops III (XO) Activision LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (360) Warner Bros LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (XO) Warner Bros Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PS4) Bandai Namco Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (XO) Ubisoft FIFA 16 (XO) EA Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (PS4) Ubisoft FIFA 16 (PS4) EA LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (PS3) Warner Bros Star Wars Battlefront (PS4) EA Grand Theft Auto V (PS4) Rockstar Minecraft: Story Mode (360) Telltale Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (PS4) Ubisoft Just Cause 3 (PS4) Square Enix Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (XO) Bandai Namco Star Wars Battlefront (XO) EA Just Cause 3 (XO) Square Enix

TOP 40 UK PHYSICAL RETAIL 02

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

LW 02 01 NEW 03 04 06 05 07 20 12 NEW 15 13 14 09 40 17 19 10 NEW 24 22 RE 16 18 27 21 25 23 08 30 29 33 NEW 31 RE 32 38 RE 26

Title Call of Duty: Black Ops III LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 FIFA 16 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege Grand Theft Auto V Star Wars Battlefront Just Cause 3 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Minecraft: Story Mode Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth LEGO Jurassic World Destiny: The Taken King Minecraft: Xbox Edition Fallout 4 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Disney Inﬁnity 3.0 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition Resident Evil Origins Collection XCOM 2 Halo 5: Guardians The Elder Scrolls Online Battleﬁeld 4 Forza Motorsport 6 Life is Strange Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Rise of the Tomb Raider Just Dance 2016 Need for Speed Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain LEGO Dimensions WWE 2K16 Football Manager 2016 Gravity Rush Remastered LEGO Marvel Super Heroes The Sims 4 Dying Light Terraria Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo

Source: UKIE/GfK Entertainment, Period: Week ending February 6th February 12th 2016

Format Publisher PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Rockstar PS4, XO, PC EA PS4, XO, PC Square Enix PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Telltale Games/Avanquest PS4 Bandai Namco PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard XO, 360 Microsoft PS4, XO, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Disney PS4, PS3, Vita Sony PS4, XO, PC Capcom PC 2K XO Microsoft PS4, XO, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA XO Microsoft PS4, XO, PC Square Enix PS4 Sony XO Square Enix PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Ubisoft PS4, XO EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Konami PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 2K Games PC Sega PS4 Sony PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PC EA PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Vita, PC 505 Games PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision PS4, XO, PC PQube

Source: UKIE/GfK Entertainment, Period: Week ending February 6th 14

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WEEKLY SALES CHARTS

UK IPAD PAID

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 02 03 05 14 NEW NEW 10 07 13

UK IPHONE PAID

(UNITS)

MINECRAFT: POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

Title Hide N Seek Minecraft: Story Mode Geometry Dash Football Manager Mobile 2016 The Build Battle Grim Tales: The Final Suspect The Sims 3 Terraria Crashlands

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Wang Wei Telltale RobTop Games Sega Wang Wei Big Fish EA 505 Games Butterscotch Shenanigans

LW 03 02 05 07 04 10 09 15 12

Source: UKIE/Reﬂ ection, Period: January 25th to January 31st

(UNITS)

MINECRAFT: POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

Title Football Manager Mobile 2016 Heads Up! Monopoly Game Plague Inc Geometry Dash Storage Hunters UK: The Game Bloons TD 5 The Chase Crashlands

Source: UKIE/Reﬂ ection, Period: January 25th to January 31st

UK IPAD GROSSING (REVENUE)

UK IPHONE GROSSING (REVENUE)

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 03 02 04 07 05 06 08 09 11

CLASH OF CLANS DEVELOPER: SUPERCELL

Title Game of War- Fire Age Candy Crush Saga Candy Crush Soda Saga Hay Day Boom Beach Candy Crush Jelly Saga The Sims FreePlay Farm Heroes Saga Mobile Strike

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Machine Zone King King Supercell Supercell King EA King Epic War

LW 03 02 05 04 09 08 07 06 11

Source: UKIE/Reﬂ ection, Period: January 25th to January 31st

CLASH OF CLANS DEVELOPER: SUPERCELL

Title Game of War – Fire Age Candy Crush Saga Candy Crush Soda Saga Boom Beach Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Candy Crush Jelly Saga Mobile Strike 8 Ball Pool Marvel: Contest of Champions

UK IPHONE FREE (UNITS)

LW 03 01 04 10 NEW 15 05 RE 14

COLOR SWITCH DEVELOPER: SAMUEL RATUMAITAVUKI

Title Candy Crush Jelly Saga World Chef Piano Tiles 2 Racing in Car Blocky Football - Endless Arcade Runner Genies and Gems Swing Rolling Sky Subway Surfers

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer King Social Point Cheetah Technology Caner Kara Full Fat SGN Ketchapp Turbo Chilli Kiloo

Source: UKIE/Reﬂ ection, Period: January 25th to January 31st www.mcvuk.com

Developer Machine Zone King King Supercell EA King Epic War Miniclip.com Kabam

Source: UKIE/Reﬂ ection, Period: January 25th to January 31st

UK IPAD FREE (UNITS)

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Sega Warner Bros EA Ndemic Creations RobTop Games UKTV Interactive Ninja Kiwi Barnstorm Games Butterscotch Shenanigans

LW 02 NEW 08 03 04 09 07 RE 06

COLOR SWITCH DEVELOPER: SAMUEL RATUMAITAVUKI

Title Swing GyroSphere Trials Candy Crush Jelly Saga Piano Tiles 2 World Chef Twist Racing in Car Rolling Sky Pixduel

Developer Ketchapp Pronetis King Cheetah Technology Social Media Ketchapp Caner Kara Turbo Chilli FEO Media

Source: UKIE/Reﬂ ection, Period: January 25th to January 31st 15

February 12th 2016

THE BIG GAME FAR CRY PRIMAL

FAR CRY PRIMAL

Back to the Stone Age Far Cry Primal takes the franchise in a radical new direction, replacing guns with bows and cars with sabre-toothed tigers. But is it really as diﬀerent as it appears? Marie Dealessandri asks narrative director Jean-Sébastien Decant

Release Date: February 23rd (PS4, XO), March 1st (PC) Formats: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Exertis Contact 01279 822 822

ar Cry Primal hits shelves at the end of the month and the title faces the difficult task of offering something new, whilst living up to its predecessors’ commercial success. 2014’s Far Cry 4 was a huge success, with retail ordering 7m units during its first six weeks on sale. It follows the massive sales of 2012’s Far Cry 3, which soldin more than 10m units. Now we have a new Far Cry spin-off called Primal. Yet unlike the previous spin-off in the series - 2013’s Blood Dragon – Primal is an altogether different, and bigger, beast. “The main path and the world are as big as in Far Cry 4, and we even have more factions,

February 12th 2016

wildlife and biomes than previous games,” says Far Cry Primal’s narrative director, JeanSébastien Decant. Primarily developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the title was made by a team of a similar size to Far Cry 4. “But a project of this scope required the contribution and support of other major Ubisoft studios in Toronto, Shanghai and Kiev,” Decant states. Like its forerunners, Far Cry Primal is an open-world firstperson shooter, but this time it is set in the Stone Age. After the Himalayas region in Far Cry 4 and the Pacific islands in Far Cry 3, players will explore the land of Oros. This new setting highlights Ubisoft’s efforts to mix things up.

We felt that there was a natural ﬁt between the Stone Age and Far Cry. Jean-Sébastien Decant, Ubisoft

REFRESHING THE EXPERIENCE “We are taking you back to 10,000 BCE at the very first frontier, when men started to settle down and claim the land as theirs during brutal and savage times, and where the Megafauna was still ruling over the world,” explains Far Cry Primal’s narrative director. In this new installment, you play as Takkar, a hunter who has the ability to tame and command wild beasts. “As the Beastmaster, Takkar will re-unite his tribe and fend off the other competing tribes. It’s Takkar’s journey from prey to apex predator,” Decant says. For Ubisoft’s teams, the Stone Age was the perfect

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FAR CRY PRIMAL THE BIG GAME

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February 12th 2016

THE BIG GAME FAR CRY PRIMAL

As Takkar, you have to take down two tribes and unite the Wenja tribe

setting for a Far Cry title, the narrative director continues: “The daily life of a Stone Age man could be boiled down to: explore uncharted territories, gather resources, craft tools and weapons, hunt or combat other threats. All of these activities already form the core gameplay loop of a Far Cry game, and we felt that there was a natural fit between the Stone Age and Far Cry. “On one hand, we were willing to surprise our audience with a strong shift in terms of setting. On the other hand, we wanted to focus more on the hunting and survival aspects of Far Cry to refresh the experience.” On paper, the Stone Age setting appears to have one big flaw: the relative lack of weaponry and vehicles that have defined previous iterations. But Jean-

February 12th 2016

Sébastien Decant promises the game will have “lots of weaponry”. “It’s just this time it’s made out of flint, wood and rocks! We have clubs, spears, knives and projectiles. We have multiple bows too, long range, rapid fire rate, double arrows. On top of this, we have pushed the interaction with fire and the player’s weapons. You can now set any weapon on fire to either inflict more damage, light your way in the dark or set the world on fire,” he continues. Apart from this wide range of weapons, Far Cry Primal also introduces new abilities, such as the Beastmaster. “It totally changes the way you approach enemy camps,” Decant enthuses. “The felines are super stealthy, while canines can spot threats ahead of you and bears are like

The sabretooth tiger is probably one of the coolest Far Cry vehicles ever. Jean-Sébastien Decant, Ubisoft

tanks, and can divert attention while you sneak in. We have 17 beasts to tame throughout Oros, and each one has a special trick.” Some of the beasts can also be ridden, including mammoths, bears and sabretooth tigers. The latter was even described by Decant as “one of the coolest Far Cry vehicles ever.” A SINGLE PLAYER JOURNEY Far Cry Primal also drops the multiplayer that featured in previous Far Cry titles. “Bringing the Stone Age to life and providing the player with a strong gameplay experience based off of the Far Cry legacy meant that we had to reinvent our core gameplay loop, which was no small undertaking. Our focus was on delivering that

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FAR CRY PRIMAL THE BIG GAME

THE LAND OF OROS

There are 17 beasts to tame throughout Oros, including mammoths

fantasy, which required clear priorities for us. Therefore, in the early stages of the project, we made the difficult choice of focusing our efforts on the single player experience,” Decant explains. To compensate for the absence of the multiplayer mode, the first-person shooter will mostly rely on its brand new massive open-world to try to provide an improved gaming experience to players. “We put a great emphasis on player freedom,” Decant insists. “After the introduction, the game opens up pretty quickly and leaves the player free to choose how he will proceed. Every Wenja you save in the wilderness, every camp you take back from the other tribes, every quest you complete,

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everything you do will strengthen your tribe and help you grow in return. There are no artificial barriers, the player can decide to go anywhere at any time. But will he survive? That’s another story.” He concludes: “Far Cry has always been more than an FPS. “It’s an open-world game, it’s a living and breathing world where there is always something happening whether you are there or not. It is a very cinematic game with lots of iconic characters and memorable moments. There are also shamanic visions taking the game in other dimensions, the possibility of building a village, the capacity of taming and commanding wild beasts... there is a lot, and a lot of it is fresh.”

We put a great emphasis on player freedom. Jean-Sébastien Decant, Ubisoft

THE Far Cry series is hugely popular, but it has faced some criticism for lacking variety. And this is something Ubisoft is eager to remedy. “We put a lot of effort in creating a world true to the Stone Age. A virgin territory in which humans would feel so small compared to the gigantic trees and the Megafauna,” Jean-Sébastien Decant states. “We tried to make it as varied as possible too, with three distinct biomes spanning over Oros. The temperate forest, in which the player’s tribe has settled, the cold and icy mountains of the North, where the primitive Udam are hiding, and the hot and swampy marshlands in the South, where the more advanced Izila have built their agrarian society,” he continues. The narrative director adds he hopes “everyone will be able to appreciate the level of detail and variety we brought to that recreation of the Stone Age.”

February 12th 2016

XXX XXX INTERVIEW EVERYBODY PLAYS

Can everybody play? Content suitability isn’t the only consideration parents have when buying a game for their kids. Required skill and reading ability is another big stumbling block for pre-schoolers. Ben Parfitt talks to Everybody Plays about how it’s trying to solve the problem

e like to think that parents have all now got a grip on content age ratings on games. Admittedly, spend five minutes in any branch of GAME and you’ll likely see a mum buying a copy of Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto V. But at least we can tell ourselves that they’re making this purchase more because they don’t care rather than don’t know. Less documented, however, is the other struggle parents have when buying games. Yes, Peppa Pig: Theme Park Fun is almost certain to be free of dismemberment, graphic sex and the c-bomb, but will my three year-old actually be able to play it? Do they need to read to be able to use the menus? How difficult are the puzzles? Is there any typing involved? None of this informs upon the PEGI 3 rating. And you’d be amazed how difficult this information is to come across online. It’s a problem that media website Everybody Plays is trying very hard to solve. “While the traditional sites focus on the 18-to-35 male demographic, we pull in a more mid-core readership, and give them somewhere they belong,” Everybody Plays’ Sarah Hadley tells MCV. “Our audience is unlike anything else in the industry, with a majority female readership and a majority female staff, almost all of whom started out as regular readers of the site.” BARRIER TO ENTRY The site has introduced its new Everybody Plays Ability Level system (EPAL). Alongside a content suitability rating, EPAL

February 12th 2016

Everybody Plays has introduced a system that indicates what abilities are required to play a speciﬁc game

offers an at-a-glance guide to what sort of ability is required to play a title. “We’ve always said buying games for kids is a bit of a minefield, and that’s still true today,” Hadley adds. “If you want to know about a game’s content, you can check the PEGI rating on the box - but if you want to know if your child will actually be able to do the game, you’re really just left to guess. A game can be a PEGI 3+, but if it’s a turn based strategy game, or a visual novel, a three year old wouldn’t have much luck. It’s something we’ve had our fingers burnt with before. “Our parent’s guides aim to put that right. Providing a brief, plain English guide to what a game’s all about, along with details of any mature content, and a complexity rating, they’re a one stop shop for parents who want to know if a game’s right for their child. And our EPAL rating makes them even more useful.”

If you want to know if your child will actually be able to do the game, you’re really left to guess. Sarah Hadley, Everybody Plays

00 22

It seems bizarre that there isn’t already an available source of such information. But as Hadley points out, gathering it is no easy task. The site’s staff take the time to play these games with their kids, noting what is and isn’t easily accessible for them. It’s time consuming and requires specialist skills. Still, ability ratings are standard in the toy market. Why should games be any different? “I’d love our ratings to become established, and adopted by the industry,” Hadley explains. “Having this sort of information at the pointof-sale would be of huge value to retailers, platform holders, parents, and the industry in general, giving families the confidence to go ahead and buy a game they otherwise may have umm’d and ahh’d about.” SPREADING THE WORD The challenge is bigger than that, of course. Compiling the information is one thing. Getting to parents – particularly those standing in store pondering a purchase – is another matter entirely. “Very little of this information is available at the point-of-sale,” Hadley outlines. “It’s one thing seeing a game says PEGI 12 and has a ‘bad language’ or ‘violence’ icon on the box, but it’s another knowing what that actually means for the game, and for your family. “As websites and digital store fronts have space to feature this sort of information – and with retailers like GAME having their own apps, complete with barcode scanners – we could deliver our parent’s guides straight to the point-of-sale, empowering parents, and helping drive sales.”

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INDIE INTERVIEW ROADHOUSE

INDIE INTERVIEW Maiden heaven 17 years after PC shooter Ed Hunter, British metal act Iron Maiden returns to games with mobile title Legacy of the Beast. Christopher Dring meets dev James Hursthouse and the band’s ‘creative director’ Llexi Leon

ron Maiden isn’t the first metal band to work in games, but it’s hard to think of another that fits the medium so well. Led by its famous monster/mascot Eddie, the Brit rockers have weaved quite a visual story with each album, whether it’s via their epic live sets, dramatic videos or iconic album covers, Eddie and the band have fought demons in Ancient Egypt, the far future and during various British wars. “There’s an incredibly rich mythology to Iron Maiden’s imagery that has not been explored fully and is ripe for creating an epic adventure for gamers,” says Llexi Leon, Iron Maiden’s creative director at Phantom Music Management. That adventure is Legacy of the Beast, a new mobile RPG from Roadhouse Interactive. “Making sure the game is accessible beyond the Maiden fan base has been a key priority for the project,” says Roadhouse CEO James Hursthouse. “We have been fortunate that Phantom and Maiden themselves are keen to have this be a great game first and foremost, rather than just a great Iron Maiden game. Also, a lot of other games draw quite heavily on metal-inspired themes, imagery and music, so

We’ve wanted to return to games since 1999. With mobile tech being where it is now, we feel this is the right time. Llexi Leon, Phantom Music Management

gamers who aren’t aware of Maiden’s influence in this regard are in for a real treat.” Leon adds: “We’re building a cohesive universe from these incredible worlds filled with unique original characters but by staying true to what Iron Maiden and their mascot Eddie are all about, we’ve been able to innovate and build some very cool features which set this game apart.” CAN WE PLAY WITH MADNESS? This isn’t Maiden’s first foray into gaming. Last year, the band’s video for its Speed of Light single (directed by Leon) was littered with gaming references. There’s been numerous

Maiden browser games down the years, and in 1999 the band even had its own PC shooter – Ed Hunter. “The idea of creating a game to accompany an album or promote a tour is commonplace now, but was unprecedented back in 1999,” recalls Leon. “We’ve been putting out web and flash games for many years and have long since wanted to return to games in full force. We feel with smartphone technology where it is now, that this is the right time to do just that.” He adds: “It was a real pleasure to create the Speed of Light music video that encapsulated so much of both my childhood and Maiden’s history, whilst simultaneously teasing the band’s gaming return. Speed of Light had over 6m views in its first week, that shows there’s a huge number of Maiden fans who are gamers” Hursthouse may insist that Legacy of the Beast has wide appeal, but this is ultimately a game for the fans. Which is why mobile platforms were the only real choice. “Given that this is our first game since 1999, we didn’t want to restrict it to players with gaming PCs or consoles,” explains Leon.

(Left to right): Phantom’s Shack, Roadhouse’s Hursthouse, Phantom’s Smallwood, Phantom’s Leon and 50cc’s Shackell

February 12th 2016

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ROADHOUSE INDIE INTERVIEW

Legacy of the Beast is coming to mobile devices in order to make it accessible to a wide variety of fans

“Iron Maiden’s fan base is a truly global and varied demographic, and going mobile allows us to bring a localised experience to fans all over the world. We have millions of fans in Brazil for example, and that’s an area where standalone game devices are very expensive.” Hursthouse continues: “Rod Smallwood, who has managed the band since the very earliest days, often says that for Iron Maiden, the fans must come first, you never compromise on quality and you never compromise on integrity.” BRAVE NEW WORLD Hursthouse is bullish about Legacy of the Beast, pointing to the recent success of licensed smartphone games: “A review of the mobile app charts shows that

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brands such as Star Wars, Marvel, and The Walking Dead are becoming increasingly prevalent. Even original titles such as Mobile Strike feature well known celebrities in their advertising.” And Iron Maiden is a big licence. This is a band that headlines festivals around the globe (including Download festival in June) and Hursthouse is keen to point out the band’s 13.5m Facebook likes, which compares nicely with Star Wars’ 16.5m. So there’s certainly a big potential audience for Legacy of the Beast. But the real appeal might come from the involvement of the band itself. “Bassist and band founder Steve Harris selected archived live recordings to be included, which were then remixed for the

game under his guidance by Iron Maiden’s live sound engineer Tony Newton,” concludes Leon. “Rod Smallwood and I worked closely with Roadhouse to craft a narrative that all of the band members could get behind, weaving in plenty of lyrical lore along the way. We were able to draw directly from the Iron Maiden archives for art inspiration - there’s so much of it recreated in the game it’s going to be like one giant easter egg for fans and an incredible port of discovery for newcomers. Of course, we’ve got all the usual suspects from the album covers - but keep an eye out for costumes and characters from vintage tour shirts, event posters, and so on. “Bringing Eddie to life in his many forms and giving him a purpose in the world has been particularly rewarding for me.”

February 12th 2016

INTERVIEW KOEI TECMO

Koei Tecmo and the curious world of Japanese licences Save for some notable exceptions, licensed titles have all but vanished in the Western triple-A games space. But for publisher Koei Tecmo they are becoming an important part of its business as it teams up on some of Japan’s biggest games and anime IP. Alex Calvin speaks to European GM Yasutomo Watanabe to find out why

015 was a year of experimentation for Koei Tecmo. While the publisher continued to release the console Japanese role playing games (Bladestorm) and brawlers (Dead or Alive 5 Last Round) upon which its business was built, Koei Tecmo has also been testing new areas. It is releasing titles on PC. It’s even trying out new business models, such as its free-to-play version of Dead or Alive 5 – Core Fighters – which has been downloaded over five million times. But perhaps the most interesting part of Koei Tecmo’s business right now is its increased focus on licensed games. This includes rival game licences. The company has opened a division dedicated to working on collaborative projects. 2014 saw it team up with Nintendo on Hyrule Warriors for Wii U, a cross-over between The Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors (a 3DS edition – Legends – is due in March). It even collaborated with Square Enix for an arcade version of the latter’s Dissidia Final Fantasy fighting game series. It’s latest collaboration is with Japanese publishing giant Kodansha for a game based on Attack on Titan – a Japanese manga that has sold 52.5 millon copies worldwide. Dynasty Warriors studio Omega Force is picking up development duties. “Previous collaborations with well-known anime IP have shown us that there is a decent market

February 12th 2016

in Europe for Japanese animebased games,” general manager Yasutomo Watanabe explains. “One Piece Pirate Warriors, published by Bandai Namco and developed by us, was extremely successful. We hope to be able to reach that market with the upcoming Arslan: The Warriors of Legend and the game we are developing based on Attack on Titan.” He continues: “We have collaborated with other companies to deliver new entertainment, like One Piece Pirate Warriors, Hyrule Warriors and Square Enix’s Dragon Quest Heroes and it has been really successful for us. There’s a lot of anime, manga, films and

other forms of entertainment that enjoy large and loyal fan-bases and that have a high affinity with our game engine. “So if we could combine those IPs with our high quality development skills and knowhow, I believe we could deliver our games for the enjoyment of a larger audience.” TURNING JAPANESE And there’s certainly an audience for these – admittedly niche – titles, with a thriving audience for manga and anime. “The French market is obviously one of the most supportive markets for Japanese games based on their love and understanding of Japanese culture,” he says. “And in the UK, we have several events like MCM and Hyper Japan and I see them getting bigger and bigger. More Japanese manga and anime franchises are available and introduced in the gaming world as well. I feel there is a similar trend in the rest of Europe.” But Koei Tecmo doesn’t want to be producing just anime and manga titles. In fact, it is working on a brand new IP, Ni-Oh, which looks like a cross between the company’s own Ninja Gaiden franchise and From Software’s

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KOEI TECMO INTERVIEW

2016 FOR KOEI TECMO Arslan: The Warriors of Legend (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, PC)

February 12th

Developed by Dynasty Warriors studio Omega Force, this title is a mix of the popular Heroic Legend of Arslan book series and the Warriors games.

Samurai Warriors 4 Empires (PS4, PS3, Vita)

March 11th

This title offers a new perspective on the events of 2014’s Samurai Warriors 4. It is the first Empires title in the Samurai Warriors franchise since 2007.

Nights of Azure (PS4)

April 1st

Nights of Azure is one of the Koei Tecmo’s brand new IPs being developed by its Gust studio. The dark RPG is set for launch in April.

Attack on Titan (PS4, PS3, Vita)

Kodansha’s blockbuster manga and anime Attack on Titan is being given the video game treatment again courtesy of Warriors studio Omega Force.

Koei Tecmo is collaborating with Japanese publisher Kodansha for an Attack on Titan game

Souls games. The title was initially announced in 2004 as Oni. But a troubled development meant that game didn’t meet its initial 2006 release date. The title resurfaced at Tokyo Games Show 2015. “Successful Japanese games are not restricted to IP based on manga or anime,” Watanabe says. “We hope Ni-Oh, will appeal to the broader audience and be an excellent addition to our popular franchises. This is only one example, but I’m sure more people pay attention to Japanese games today than ever and we would like use this opportunity to further expand our operations.” He continues: “Establishing new IP is very challenging. Focusing on the right market, where we can expect relative success, with the right marketing approach is a process that requires a lot of work; especially since we like to follow the market trends and listen to our fans’ voices. “We have recently left our comfort zone and ventured down some new

EAST MEETS WEST KOEI TECMO’S line-up is discinctly Asian. Its flagship franchise – Dynasty Warriors – draws heavily upon Eastern history, namely wars from the Chinese Three Kingdoms era. And the gameplay is typical of Japanese titles. “Our games are very popular in the Japanese and Asian markets,” Koei Tecmo Europe GM Yasutomo Watanabe says. “Most of our titles have a different gameplay system than European mainstream games, so we would like to try and educate local gamers to show them how fun our games can be. “We place high value in our relationship with users. We try to attend consumer shows as often as possible to engage the gaming community; in addition, we heavily focus on our social media channels.”

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2016

In the past few years, we have left our comfort zone – we’ve ventured down some new paths, supported new consoles and created new IP. Yasutomo Watanabe, Koei Tecmo

paths, created new IP, supported new consoles. This is something that has worked well for us so we plan to continue in the future.” NICE AND PC Another interesting development in Koei Telmo’s business is its growing PC business. Starting in March 2014 with Ninja Gaiden spin-off Yaiba, the company has started releasing its niche titles on PC. “This venture has been successful and we have gained a lot of new fans in PC gamers,” Watanabe enthuses. “In September, we released Japanese strategy title Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence in Europe for the first time. It has been well-received by fans of the genre – especially in Germany. With this achievement under our belt, we can now move on to releasing more PC strategy games in the next year. “Steam is our main platform for PC games but we are actively seeking other opportunities in order to explore the PC market further.”

February 12th 2016

MARKETPLACE Sponsored by

SHELF LIFE Lee Revill from Game Dojo in Lytham St Annes shares his thoughts on the battle between Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the struggles facing the High Street and virtual reality How has your business been lately? January started quite well considering how it normally does. It’s become quiet now but we expected that. We’ve got a few good game releases coming up, like Street Fighter V, which will help a little bit. What games are you looking forward to this year? There are quite a few that I am personally looking forward to,

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

like Street Fighter V, Uncharted 4, and the Zelda game on the Wii U. As a store, all of them will sell nice I think. And there will be the inevitable annual hit like FIFA or Call of Duty I suppose.

are selling a little more, including older games people never got round to when they launched. The PS4 has been the one platform selling games really. Do you think PlayStation 4 will also perform the best this year? Yes, I do. Last year, Xbox One had some good exclusive titles and towards Christmas Sony did not have any triple-A releases, so they mostly promoted games like Star Wars Battlefront.

What games have been selling particularly well recently? Fallout 4 still trickles through things and FIFA is pretty consistent, as always. A lot of people obviously got a PS4 this Christmas for the ﬁrst time. So we

PRICE CHECK: LANCASTER

TOP 10 PRE-ORDERS 1. TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION INC BETA Ubisoft, PS4 2. Tom Clancy’s The Division Inc Beta Ubisoft ...........................................................................XO 3. Gravity Rush HD Remastered Sony.............................................................................PS4 4. Street Fighter V Capcom .....................................................................PS4

MORTAL KOMBAT X DEAD OR ALIVE 5: LAST ROUND

Warner Bros, PS4

Koei Tecmo, XO

STREET FIGHTER IV DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE

Capcom, PS3

Bandai Namco, XO

N/A

£20

N/A

£18.26

£26.99

£24.99

N/A

£14.99

£24.99

£5.99

£19.99

£26.79

£24.45

£14.90

£18.43

£25.70

£33.06

N/A

7. Amiibo Smash Roy No.55 Nintendo................................................................. Wii U 8. Amiibo Smash Ryu No.56 Nintendo................................................................. Wii U 9. Far Cry Primal inc. exclusive Owl DLC Ubisoft ........................................................................PS4 10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD + Amiibo Nintendo................................................................. Wii U

UPLOADING The latest digital releases coming to market

February 12th 2016

ONLINE

£20

6. Digimon Story Cybersleuth – Day 1 Edition Bandai Namco .......................................................PS4

IN STORE

5. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 + 2 playable characters Bandai Namco .......................................................PS4

THE ESCAPISTS: THE WALKING DEAD

POKÉMON RED, BLUE & YELLOW

ROCKET LEAGUE

Team17 is delivering the Walking Dead version of its hit on PS4

The original Pokémon games are landing on the Nintendo’s 3DS eShop

Psyonix’s hit car-football title will debut on Xbox One this month

OUT: FEBRUARY 16TH

OUT: FEBRUARY 27TH

OUT: FEBRUARY

www.mcvuk.com

MARKETPLACE

Game Dojo 21 The Crescent, Lytham St Annes, FY8 1SZ

But I think this year PS4 has got better exclusives. What challenges do you think you will be facing this year? I feel like the High Street is getting quieter. Obviously, online sale is a massive factor. We’ve got games stuck on our shelves because people can just download it from home, which is more convenient. We do have people that buy digital credit for PlayStation and then they go

P: 01253 789 922 W: www.game-dojo.co.uk F: facebook.com/gamedojo T: @gamedojouk

home and download a game. They could have just bought it in the store! What are your thoughts on virtual reality? I’ve tried the Oculus on a couple of occasions and I really liked it. But I really hope it will not be beyond £250 because I don’t think we will sell hardly any of them. But as long as there is the right software to back up the hardware, it will make a big diﬀerence.

INCOMING TITLE

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

Dying Light’s expansion is ﬁnally out today and Capcom’s long-awaited Street Fighter V is hitting retail at the beginning of next week FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

PS4/XO

Action

Avanquest

01480 359 403

Open

February 12th Alekhine’s Gun Arslan: The Warriors of Legend

PS4/XO/PS3

Strategy

Koei Tecmo

01462 476130

Open

Dying Light: The Following

PS4/XO

Survival horror

Warner Bros

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Earth Defense Force 2

Vita

Arcade

PQube

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Earth Defense Force 4.1

PS4

Arcade

PQube

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

3DS

RPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

Goosebumps: The Game

3DS

Action

Avanquest

01480 359 403

Open

Mighty No. 9

PS4/XO/Wii U/3DS

Action

Deep Silver

01256 385 200

Koch Media

Terraria

3DS

Adventure

505 Games

01215 069 590

Advantage

PS4/PC

Fighting

Capcom

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

3DS

RPG

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

February 16th Street Fighter V

February 19th Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Project X Zone 2

3DS

RPG

Bandai Namco

01215 069 590

Advantage

Ziggurat

PS4/XO/PC

FPS

Soedesco

01902 861 527

Pavillion

February 23rd Far Cry Primal

PS4/XO

FPS

Ubisoft

01279 822 822

Exertis

Toki Tori 2+

PS4

Puzzle

Soedesco

01902 861 527

Pavillion

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2

PS4/XO/PC

Tower defense

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

Superhot

FPS

IMGN.pro

01902 861 527

Pavillion

3DS

RPG

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

February 25th

February 26th Bravely Second: End Layer

www.mcvuk.com

February 12th 2016

INDIE GAMES

INDIE GAMES Indie titles have taken the video games industry by storm in recent years, and some even have their own merchandise. Marie Dealessandri takes a closer look

UNRAVEL was released three days ago and could prove to be the next indie hit. The physics-based game is the result of a partnership between EA and Swedish developer Coldwood Interactive, and it was announced at E3 last year. Since then, the title has been generating a lot of interest. Jonathan Blow’s The Witness is another recent indie game that had plenty of hype before its release on January 26th. Since then, the puzzle game has been widely acclaimed

Jonathan Blow’s The Witness has generated over $5m (£3.4m) on its ﬁrst week

and performed very well in its first week: the title made over $5m (£3.4m) with more than 100,000 unit sales. “This is a good chunk more revenue in one week than Braid [Blow’s previous game] made in its entire first year,” commented the developer. These hits show how the indie games industry has been continuing to flourish. As a consequence, there are more and more merchandise related to indie titles.

CRYPT OF THE NECRODANCER OFFICIAL DANCE PAD Crypt of the NecroDancer has just been released on PS4, following its unexpected success on PC last year. And now fans can play the roguelike rhythm game with an oﬃcial dance pad, which includes Rup Grip to prevent it from sliding. SRP: $350 (£238) Manufacturer: Precision Dance Pads Distributor: Precision Dance Pads Contact: precisiondancepads@hotmail.com

SMOOCH-CUT UNDERTALE STICKER SHEET

THE INDIE GAME DEVELOPER HANDBOOK

ROCKET LEAGUE BEANIE

Kickstarted RPG Undertale surprisingly won the 2015 Best Game Ever contest held by GameFAQs.

This guide contains all there is to know to successfully enter the independent games industry as a developer.

Rocket League was named the Best Independent Game at the Game Awards 2015: it has been downloaded more than 8m times.

SRP: $11 (£7.50) Manufacturer: Forward Printing Distributor: Fangamer Contact: orders@fangamer.com

SRP: £34.99 Manufacturer: Focal Press Distributor: Taylor & Francis Group Contact: 0207 017 6000

SRP: £10 Manufacturer: Psyonix Distributor: Psyonix Contact: rlorders@psyonix.com

February 12th 2016

www.mcvuk.com

INDIE GAMES Sponsored by

gaming merchandise uk

However, the ‘indiepocalypse’ is still lurking: it is the fear that the indie bubble is going to burst soon because of the increasing number of titles coming to market. ID@Xbox European boss Agostino Simonetta told MCV he still believes in the indie sector: “There’s never been a better time to be making games,” he said. “Sure, like in any other business, not everyone can be a winner. But saying there’s an apocalypse is looking at the wrong angle. The

difficulty now is in visibility and marketing your product and getting the consumers to notice it.” Volume developer Mike Bithell says the ‘indiepocalypse’ is impossible to quantify without data: “The indiepocalypse is incredibly difficult to have an opinion on because it requires access to everyone’s data. The answer to the problem is that everyone should share their data and then we’d all know,” he told MCV.

GISBORNE INDUSTRIES (VOLUME) T-SHIRT Mike Bithell’s Volume was critically acclaimed and will soon have a free PlayStation VR expansion, due later this year. Inspired by the stealth adventure, this T-shirt features the name of the ﬁctional company that character Robert Locksley has to face, Gisborne Industries. SRP: £22 Manufacturer: Insert Coin Clothing Distributor: Insert Coin Clothing Contact: 01702 521 850

OCTODAD – ‘HOW TO PREPARE TAKO TOSAN’ POSTER

JOURNEY SCARF

INDIE MEGABOOTH TOTE BAG

In Octodad, Chef Fujimoto constantly wants to cook the main character. So illustrator Laura Wilson created this recipe to help.

In 2012’s hit Journey, the main character can use his scarf to ﬂy. This one comes without the ﬂying feature though.

Indie Megabooth is an association of game developers who promote the indie scene. Now you can show your support with this tote bag.

SRP: $16 (£10.90) Manufacturer: Fangamer Distributor: Fangamer Contact: orders@fangamer.com

SRP: £59.99 Manufacturer: PlayStation Gear Distributor: PlayStation Gear Contact: support@gearplaystation.zendesk.com.

SRP: $11 (£7.50) Manufacturer: Forward Printing Distributor: Fangamer Contact: orders@fangamer.com

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February 12th 2016

MARKETING, PR & CREATIVE AGENCIES

LEGAL

AUDIO IN

GERARD FOX LAW

Tel: 0044 7985678437 www.audioin.co.uk ........................................................................................................

charne@sprintmail.com www.gerardfoxlaw.com ........................................................................................................

BIG TOP PR Tel: 07784 778197 www.bigtop-pr.co.uk ........................................................................................................

TRADE BODY UKIE

DEAD GOOD MEDIA Tel: +44 (0)7780 600 728 www.deadgoodmedia.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: +44 (0) 207 534 0580 www.ukie.org.uk ........................................................................................................

STUDIO DIVA

PUBLISHING

Tel: 0117 214 0404 www.studiodiva.co.uk ........................................................................................................

FUNBOX MEDIA LTD

FLUID Tel: +44 (0)121 212 0121 www.ﬂ uidesign.co.uk ........................................................................................................

KENNEDY MONK Tel: 0207 636 9142 www.kennedymonk.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: +44 (0) 114 278 7100 www.uberagency.com/ ........................................................................................................

info@funboxmedia.co.uk www.funboxmedia.co.uk ........................................................................................................

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES & RECRUITMENT

Tel: +44 (0) 208 664 3456 www.creativedistribution.co.uk/ ........................................................................................................

DC GAMES GROUP Tel: +971-50-9287220 www.Doostan-Co.com ........................................................................................................

INCOMM Tel: 01489 588 200 www.incomm.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: 0207 688 6789 www.oklogistics.de ........................................................................................................

PLAY DISTRIBUTION Tel: +64-9-815-3852 www.playdistribution.com ........................................................................................................

WHOLESGAME info@wholesgame.com www.wholesgame.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: + 44 (0) 8701 600 504 www.audiomotion.com ........................................................................................................

OPM RECRUITMENT

QA & LOCALISATION, PAYMENT & SOLUTION

CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION

OK MEDIA LTD

AUDIOMOTION

UBER

RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION & MANUFACTURING

Tel: +44 [0] 1206 214421 http://opmjobs.com/ ........................................................................................................

PERIPHERALS, ACCESSORIES & MERCHANDISE

RAGTAG DEVELOPMENTS LTD

GAMING MERCHANDISE UK LTD

Tel: +44 (0)1295 817617 www.ragtagdev.com ........................................................................................................

hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com www.gamingmerchandiseuk.com ........................................................................................................

REMOTE CONTROL PRODUCTS

LIME DISTRIBUTION

LA MARQUE ROSE Tel: +33 1 43 14 88 00 info@lamarquerose.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 210 205 70 http://www.r-control.de/ ........................................................................................................

UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING

SOUNDING SWEET LTD.

PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS LTD

Tel: +44 (0) 1480210621 www.usspeaking.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: +44 (0) 1789 297453 www.soundingsweet.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: 01628 509 047 www.pdp.com ........................................................................................................

EXEQUO Tel: +1 425 279 7855 sbonﬁ ls@exequo.com ........................................................................................................

Tel: 01622 845 161 www.limedistribution.co.uk ........................................................................................................

TO LIST YOUR COMPANY HERE AND ONLINE EVERY WEEK PLEASE CONTACT CNANGLE@NBMEDIA.COM OR CALL 020 7354 6000

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AGENCIES AND SERVICE COMPANIES

COMPANY PROFILE / EXEQUO KEY CONTACTS: Stéphane Bonﬁls CEO Exequo Corporation

Gabriel Karandysovsky Business Development & Marketing Manager

Vincent Bonhomme General Manager Exequo Asia

sbonfils@exequo.com

Gkarandysovsky@exequo.com

vbonhomme@exequo.com

ADDRESS: Suite 110, 2101 112th Avenue NE, Bellevue WA 98004 USA

EXEQUO is a premier multilingual localisation services provider for the video games industry. Over 17 years we have contributed to the worldwide success of more than 1,800 titles – having worked on franchises such as Mass Eﬀect, Halo, Batman or Diamond Dash. We have forged an image that resonates for the quality of the services we provide. With oﬃces and production sites in Paris, Berlin, Seattle, Tokyo and Taipei we service up to 30 languages. Whether you are in need of translation, voice recording, localisation testing or adapting audio or video assets to a target culture, we can get it done. Whether you’re an triple-A title developer or an indie dev just launching on Kickstarter, we help your game reach millions of gamers worldwide.

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO ISSUE 859 FRIDAY DECEMBER

GAMES

4TH 2015

ISSUE 860 FRIDAY DECEMBER 11TH

2015

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS COMPANY AND MANY MORE ONLINE NOW AT:

THE A TEAM

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES

INDIE THICK OF IT

N SHAHID AHMAD ON 10 YEARS PLAYSTATION’S DEV CHAMPIO

BESTWICK TAKES US THROUGH 25 YEARS SONY P16 ATDEBBIE OF TEAM17

P18

UK RETAIL SPEAKS OUT 55%

70%

believe PS4 will rule next year (above top),

Twist think virtual reality is doomedUKIE’s SuperData’s van Dreunen

(above middle) and Reﬂection’s Leksell (above)

ack are bdig Charts ital e y’r the time, And this

19%

console hips for mobile and digital de

data Q MCV re-launches charts

section

41%

picked Uncharted 4 as their most anticipated game of 2016