MCV 900 November 11th 2016 by Biz Media Ltd

WITH THIS ISSUE:

MCV EXTRA ISSUE 900 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11TH 2016

THE HOTTEST GAMES ACCESSORIES AND MERCHANDISE

SMASHING THE CYCLE 2000 1995

2007

2013

The first mid-generation machine is here. Can the PS4 Pro end the console generation rollercoaster? ■ Everything you need to know about the hardware ■ 4K and HDR explained

Ubisoft on its followup to 2014’s smash hit Watch Dogs Page 18

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Our guide to the new Future Games Summit event Page 20

What Dovetail is doing with its massive new investment Page 22

08/11/2016 18:09

NEWS

Reshuffle at Koch Media’s UK office Reading branch put in charge of Deep Silver publishing ■ Munich to look after partner products and Ravenscourt by Alex Calvin KOCH MEDIA has made some big changes in its offices. The UK branch will now be looking after Deep Silver original IP, while its Munich site is taking charge of partner products and titles from Ravenscourt. UK sales and marketing director Paul Nicholls has been promoted to global brand and marketing director, while UK marketing boss Mark Fisher is becoming head of global marketing. Both report directly to CEO Klemens Kundratitz. Mike Richardson is being promoted to global community strategist, and PR manager Suzanne Panter is taking the leap to senior global communications and event manager. Senior graphic designer Rob Pace takes the role of global creative manager, while global brand manager Huw Beynon is located permanently in the UK office. Koch Media has also made changes to its vendor management staff, with the company moving from a cross-category team

working across both games and home entertainment clients to separate divisions. Karl Penhaligon takes on the role of head of commercial development for home entertainment, boxed gifting for northern Europe, having worked at Koch for four years heading up its vendor management team. Sales team vet Greg Whalley takes on the role of head of commercial development for games software, reporting directly to MD Craig McNicol. With Whalley’s move to the commercial development team,

Clockwise, from top left: Gary Wilson, Greg Whalley, Huw Beynon, Keiran McGinley, Lynette Hayhow, Mark Fisher, Craig McNicol, Mike Richardson, Tori Ray, Suzanne Panter, Rob Pace, Richard Ives, Paul Nicholls and Nicola Woods

Gary Wilson has been appointed UK sales and trade marketing boss, while Tori Ray joins the trade marketing team from the her role of national account manager. Trade marketing manager Kieran McGinley will report to Ray and Richard Ives has joined the sales team as national account manager. Furthermore the company has made two new appointments. Nicola Woods joins as product and marketing assistant for home entertainment and boxed gifting, while Lynette Hayhow comes on board as games buyer.

Niantic: ‘It’s important to design games specifically for mobile’ by Alex Calvin THE chief marketing officer of Pokémon Go firm Niantic, Mike Quigley, has said it’s important for titles on mobile to be made precisely for the platform. In the past, companies such as Rockstar and Square Enix have brought ‘traditional’ console and PC experiences such as Grand Theft Auto III and Tomb Raider to mobile platforms with on-screen buttons in lieu of controller input. But in the last few years, publishers have started to bring traditional IP to mobile designed specifically for that platform, such November 11th 2016

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as Pokémon Go and Square Enix’s Go series, which has adapted the Hitman, Lara Croft and Deus Ex franchises for mobile. “If you look at killer apps over the history of the games market, they adapt for the platform,” Quigley said. “If you think about the killer apps on Wii, Xbox and PlayStation, the winners are the ones that don’t just port and bring things over, but are trying to think about how they can be optimised for that device. You are starting to see that now with mobile phones, VR and other types of experiences. That is the way to attack it for sure.”

Niantic’s Quigley says ‘killer apps’ are the ones adapted for the platform

www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 18:38

NEWS

THE EDITOR

Ubisoft: ’Watch Dogs 2 will certainly fill Assassin’s Creed’s shoes’ by Alex Calvin 2016’S release slate may be missing a new Assassin’s Creed title, but publisher Ubisoft insists that Watch Dogs 2 can fill the gap. Speaking to MCV, UK sales director Darren Bowen said that the cyberpunk hacking title is up to the task of replacing Assassin’s Creed in its end of year line-up, but that Watch Dogs 2 is part of a strong release slate. Ubisoft has opted to give its normally-annual Assassin’s Creed series a break in order to re-evaluate the franchise. “Assassin’s Creed has been a fantastic seller for Ubisoft and really important to the market every year, but make no mistake, Watch Dogs 2 will certainly fill the gap this year,” Bowen said. “We are very fortunate to have such a strong and varied line-up

so we don’t have to rely just one franchise. Following Watch Dogs 2, we also have Steep launching at the start of December along with strong back catalogue sales on Tom Clancy’s The Division and Far Cry Primal which have been two of the biggest launches so far this year. “Let’s not forget live games like The Crew and Rainbow Six Siege which is really being embraced the community with 10m players worldwide. If that wasn’t enough we also have the Ezio Collection, so for those consumers who need a taste of Assassin’s Creed every year – and we know there are a huge number of people – they will still be able to purchase a great triple pack which covers the most loved period of Assassin’s Creed.” You can read more about Watch Dogs 2 on page 16 and 17.

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

rollercoaster week in the industry has scuppered my plan to talk about myself. Yes, I’m as relieved as you are. Infinite Warfare hit the headlines with reports that sales figures had plummeted alarmingly from Black Ops III. Figures were quoted nearing 50 per cent but there’s a lot more to it than that, and we shouldn’t write off Call of Duty yet. Let’s start with some hard facts. The number of units sold at physical retail were down by 48 per cent compared to last year’s title (figures from GfK). However there were no legacy formats this year, with the Xbox 360 and PS3 being put out to pasture. That trimmed the fall down to 43 per cent. That’s still pretty bad news for both retailers and Activision of course. But it doesn’t include digital figures, all we do know is that two different editions placed in the Steam Top Ten. Units aren’t the full story anyway, revenue has fallen far less, we calculated (and GfK confirmed) that the fall in revenue, on current-gen alone, is around 25 per cent. This is largely down to the expensive Legacy Edition, which was a double-pack including Modern Warfare Remastered. Then there’s always the possibility that EA’s back-toback shooter launches sucked up consumer cash before Call of Duty hit shelves. Bad news for Activision, but it might soften the blow at retail when it tots up at the year’s end. We’ve looked into the numbers from last year for comparison, but

Bowen says Ubisoft doesn’t have to rely on just one franchise and has a strong and varied line-up for Q4

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02 03 MCV900 News_V3.indd 2

Sony

the franchise goliath of Star Wars Battlefront is making direct comparisons hard. It may not have had the best start, but the future could be brighter. Those lost legacy sales may well return as consumers buy shiny new consoles and a copy of CoD for Christmas. While the unavoidable perils of abandoning legacy devices hit Call of Duty, elsewhere we’re seeing Sony smashing the same console cycle that has dominated the industry for decades. The PlayStation 4 Pro is a truly revolutionary step, and one that could herald the end of the generational rollercoaster. Keeping the most hardcore, and therefore biggest-spending, gamers engaged in the latter years of a console generation is something we can all get behind. Smoothing the transition from one generation to the next, for consumers, retailers, publishers and developers. The PS4 Pro’s success depends largely on the fledgling 4K TV market, because of that it looks to be more of a slow burner than a smash hit. I’m intrigued to see how it fares in terms of sales, to what extent it cannibalises sales of its smaller siblings, how much bundling there is around it, and the effect of a possible floor of pre-owned consoles into the market. Whatever happens, these are exciting times, I just hope that by the time you read this Donald Trump isn’t President of the United States. That’s one rollercoaster ride which is a little too ‘exciting’ for my blood. sbarton@nbmedia.com

November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 18:38

CHEAT SHEET

UP & DOWN

Market Data

Software revenue rose 53 per cent thanks to the launch of a new Call of Duty £40m £15m

WORLD OF Final Fantasy’s sales dropped 76 per cent for its second week in the charts

£39m 844,523 units

£30m £20m

£22m 605,162 units

£25m 708,805 units

Week Ending October 22nd

Week Ending October 29th

Week Ending November 5th

SKYLANDERS Imaginators rose 12 place to No.7 thanks to a 131 per cent sales increase

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK: WATCH DOGS 2

[INFO] FORMATS: PS4, XO, PC RELEASED: November 15th PUBLISHER: Ubisoft DISTRIBUTOR: Exertis CONTACT: 01279 822 822

November 11th 2016

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BIGGER, better and brighter: that’s how Ubisoft’s brand manager Wayne Greenwell described Watch Dogs’ sequel. “Sentiment from [Watch Dogs 2] previews has been overwhelmingly positive, with many claiming that it fixes all of the issues that the first game faced,” he told MCV. To make sure gamers are aware of these improvements, Ubisoft has planned a substantial marketing campaign. “Watch Dogs 2 is a triple-A game that merits a hefty marketing spend to support its launch, and we will be focusing our paid media efforts in many different channels,” Greenwell continued. “Video makes up a large part of our launch paid media, with a heavyweight TV campaign targeting 16-to-40 yearold men that will be centred on key appointment-to-view programming including sports, movies, entertainment and comedy.” Social media, VOD and cinema campaigns are also planned, as

Watch Dogs 2 is launching next Tuesday, alongside a hefty marketing campaign

well as a “huge national out-ofhome advertising campaign,” Greenwell said. “Outside of traditional paid media, we worked with top tier YouTube influencers Ali-A, Slogoman and Daz Black to create the world’s first YouTuber

drone race as they tackle a series of challenges that tie back to the use of drones in-game. We’ve also partnered with one of the world’s top DJ’s, Oliver Heldens, to create a Watch Dogs inspired music video for his latest release, Good Life.”

www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 17:53

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

CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE SALES WAY DOWN ON BLACK OPS III

The latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise didn’t manage to outsell its predecessor. Infinite Warfare’s Week One sales were down 48.4 per cent compared to 2015’s Black Ops III. However, Infinite Warfare is still the second biggest release of the year, behind FIFA 17.

Red Hook Studios’ indie hit Darkest Dungeon has sold over 1m units worldwide since its release in January

20m

@PsychTyson Jeff Gerstmann spoke of the BF1/TF2 double whammy and suggested it might be an attempt to ‘shake loose’ CoD fans. Might not be the worst theory, based on those sales figures.

@ODDERZinnit I think this is the first time that COD’s lack of buzz and talk has translated into a significant loss in sales.

Andy Manson, Insert Disc Monday, November 7th

Dave Aubrey, WCCFtech.com Monday, November 7th

@Toadsanime Ultimately, Infinite Warfare will still likely sell better than Battlefield 1. But CoD usually outsells by a much greater margin.

Overwatch now has 20m players. It’s the fastest title to reach this milestone in publisher Blizzard’s history

Sony announced that 39 titles have been optimised to launch alongside the new PS4 Pro

@Wesley_Copeland This is a shame considering how freaking good Infinite Warfare sounds.

Ryan Brown, Daily Mirror Monday, November 7th

13%

EA’s FIFA 17 month one sales are up 13 per cent compared to FIFA 16

Wesley Copeland, IGN Monday, November 7th

20m

MAFIA III IS 2K’S FASTEST SELLING GAME

20m iOS owners have registered for a Super Mario Run launch alert. Nintendo’s mobile title is due out in December.

2K Games has sold in 4.5m copies of Mafia III during its first week, making it the fastest-selling title in the publishing label’s history. 2K’s best-selling title so far is 2009’s Borderlands, which sold 10m units. @patrickklepek Mafia III has sold faster than any other 2K Games release. (That means no GTA.) Glad to see their risk paying off.

@NokkonWud Mafia III is now 2K’s fastest selling game. This is mindblowing. That’s faster than BioShock, NBA 2K, Borderlands...

Patrick Klepek, Waypoint Wednesday, November 2nd

Karl Moon, Cane and Rinse Thursday, November 2nd

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MCV, Develop and eSports Pro’s Games Industry Christmas Party is back on December 6th, at the Sway Bar. The tickets cost just £10 and include entrance, free drinks and food. All ticket proceeds go to GamesAid.

GOLDEN JOYSTICKS GAMESAID TENNER ..................

GamesAid will be collecting money at the Golden Joystick Awards. Envelopes will be left on tables, with attendees being asked to donate £10 each. The 34th Golden Joysticks take place on Friday, November 18th at the Indigo2. 05

GAMESAID RAISES £954,000 FOR CHARITY ..................

UK games industry charity GamesAid raised a massive £954,000 in the last year. This was shared between ten different organisations, who each walked away with £95,400. Over nine years, GamesAid has raised £2.7m. November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 17:53

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

Vice Gaming is now Waypoint Mike Diver heads up brand’s UK branch VICE | The media firm has launched a new digital gaming channel called Waypoint. The editor-inchief is AUSTIN WALKER (top left), former head of Vice Gaming, who joined earlier this year. Before that, he was news editor at Giant Bomb. He will be running the brand from Vice’s headquarters in New York. On this side of the pond, Vice Gaming’s UK editor MIKE DIVER (above left) has been appointed as senior editor for Waypoint in London. He launched the games brand in 2015 and has also worked for Clash, Drowned in Sound and the BBC.

PlayStack bolsters its team following new partnership

Walker commented: “We want to focus on telling stories about why people play, and investigating how the games we love came to be. Whether a title was a commercial success or has a small, dedicated community, we want to raise the conversation and take an in-depth look at the passion, people, and politics that underpin these worlds.” Waypoint’s publisher JOEL FOWLER added: “A big priority for us was to expand beyond the reach of a traditional website by experimenting and having fun in new, different mediums. “By partnering with Twitch, developing regular podcasts, and testing out new video formats, the Waypoint team will be

approachable and acknowledge our audience as our peers.” PLAYSTACK | The new publisher has announced three new hires. RUPINDER KHATKAR (not pictured) joins as data analyst, having previously worked for the likes of NBC Universal, International Entertainment and Jagex. Also joining the firm is WILL NEWELL (above) as product marketing manager, previously at Space Ape Games, Natural Motion and Edge Case Games. Finally, BRERA RAZZAQ (not pictured) has been hired as project manager, bringing ten years of experience from

companies such as EA Mobile, Marmalade and Glu. These appointments follow the expansion of PlayStack’s portofolio by signing mobile developer Tiny Viking Games. “As soon as we played Snipers vs Thieves we wanted to be the publishing partner,” said PlayStack’s CEO and founder HARVEY ELLIOTT. “We’re looking forward to working with Tiny Viking Games to give their game the launch it deserves. To ensure we deliver the best results for our developers we have expanded the team with those we consider to be experts in their field. Their combined experience means we can bolster our efforts in a number of areas and continue to pursue even more partnerships.”

Distributed by IT World Services TEL: +44 (0)17538 21122 EMAIL: sales@itworldservices.co.uk

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08/11/2016 10:51

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WEEKLY SALES CHARTS

WEEKLY CHARTS UNSURPRISINGLY, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has taken the top spot in the UK charts. What’s surprising though is that Week One sales for the title were down 48.2 per cent compared to last year’s entry in the franchise, Black Ops III. This figure didn’t include digital sales though. There’s no Xbox 360 and PS3 editions in the franchise for the first time this year, but sales for the PS4 and Xbox One versions were still down 43.6 per cent, GfK pointed out. Meanwhile, EA’s Battlefield 1 was pushed down to No.2 with sales decreasing by 45 per cent. FIFA 17 kept the No.3

spot but only 1,500 units separated EA’s title from No.4 – Skyrim: Special Edition. The latter saw its sales decrease 53 per cent for its second week in the charts. Further down the ranks, Sega’s Football Manager 17 debuted at No.6. This new entry in the popular PC series could have ranked far higher if digital sales were included. There were no other new releases this week. The big winner was Skylanders Imaginators, from Activision, which had a 131 per cent rise in sales thanks to retailer promotions and increased TV advertising. It climbed from No.19 to No.7.

GLOBAL STEAM CHARTS (UNITS)

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

LW 02 05 NEW RE 04 RE NEW

SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION VI DEVELOPER: FIRAXIS PUBLISHER: 2K GAMES

TITLE PUBLISHER Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar Football Manager 2017 Sega Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Activision The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Bethesda Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Valve Dead by Daylight Starbreeze Studios Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Digital Deluxe Edition Activision

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

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Title Format Publisher Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare PS4, XO, PC Activision Blizzard Battlefield 1 PS4, XO, PC EA FIFA 17 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition PS4, XO Bethesda Titanfall 2 PS4, XO, PC EA Football Manager 2017 PC Sega Skylanders Imaginators PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Activision Mafia III PS4, XO, PC 2K Games Grand Theft Auto V PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Rockstar Forza Horizon 3 XO Microsoft Gears of War 4 XO Microsoft Star Wars Battlefront PS4, XO, PC EA WWE 2K17 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games Minecraft: Xbox Edition XO, 360 Microsoft Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration PS4, PC Square Enix Rocket League PS4, XO 505 Games Farming Simulator 17 PS4, XO, PC Focus Home Interactive Overwatch PS4, XO, PC Blizzard Fallout 4 PS4, XO, PC Bethesda Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco Batman: Return to Arkham PS4, XO Warner Bros Minecraft: PlayStation Edition PS4, PS3, Vita Sony LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii U, 3DS, Vita Warner Bros Guitar Hero Live PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Activision Minecraft: Story Mode - Complete Adventure PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Telltale LEGO Marvel’s Avengers PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita Warner Bros Destiny: The Collection PS4, XO Activision World of Final Fantasy PS4, Vita Square Enix LEGO Jurassic World PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita Warner Bros Call of Duty: Black Ops III PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision NBA 2K17 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 2K Games Tom Clancy’s The Division PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft Just Dance 2017 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii U, Wii, PC Ubisoft Mario Kart 7 3DS Nintendo F1 2016 PS4, XO, PC Codemasters Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Konami LEGO Dimensions PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Warner Bros PlayStation VR Worlds PS4 Sony Doom PS4, XO, PC Bethesda BioShock: The Collection PS4, XO 2K Games

Source: Steam, Period: October 31st to November 6th November 11th 2016

Source: UKIE/GfK Entertainment, Period: Week ending November 5th 08

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08/11/2016 13:54

WEEKLY SALES CHARTS

UK IPAD PAID

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 06 RE NEW 05 02 10 NEW RE RE

UK IPHONE PAID

(UNITS)

MINECRAFT: POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

Title Mini Metro Pixelmon Silver Mini Game Vampire Legends: Untold Story of Elizabeth Terraria Tipping Point The Chase Fear for Sale: The House on Black River Goat Simulator The Game of Life: 2016 Edition

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Dinosaur Polo Club Joseph Karl Big Fish 505 Games Barnstorm Games Barnstorm Games Big Fish Coffee Stain Studios Marmalade Game Studio

LW 02 03 05 06 RE RE 07 08 02

Source: UKIE/Refl ection, Period: October 24th – October 30th

(UNITS)

MINECRAFT: POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

Title Heads Up! Plague Inc. The Chase Bloons TD 5 Construction Simulator Pro 2017 Mini Metro Tipping Point Monopoly Game Pumped BMX 3

Source: UKIE/Refl ection, Period: October 24th – October 30th

UK IPAD GROSSING (REVENUE)

UK IPHONE GROSSING (REVENUE)

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 04 02 03 05 07 06 RE 10 08

CANDY CRUSH SAGA DEVELOPER: KING

Title Game of War - Fire Age Clash of Clans Mobile Strike Candy Crush Soda Saga Gardenscapes - New Acres Clash Royale Roblox Township Gummy Drop!

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Machine Zone Supercell Epic War King Playrix Supercell Roblox Corporation Playrix Big Fish

LW 04 05 03 02 06 07 08 09 RE

Source: UKIE/Refl ection, Period: October 24th – October 30th

POKÉMON GO DEVELOPER: NIANTIC

Title Mobile Strike Clash Royale Candy Crush Saga Clash of Clans Game of War - Fire Age Candy Crush Soda Saga Episode - Choose Your Story, feat. Mean Girls 8 Ball Pool Gardenscapes - New Acres

UK IPHONE FREE (UNITS)

LW RE NEW RE 01 03 02 RE 06 RE

BEST FIENDS FOREVER DEVELOPER: ELECTRONIC ARTS

Title Trolls: Crazy Party Forest! Gear.Club SMILE Inc. Plants vs Zombies Heroes Block! Hexa Puzzle FIFA Mobile Football Minecraft: Story Mode Rolling Sky Sonic CD

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Ubisoft Eden Games Mobile Super Lame Games EA BitMango EA Telltale Cheetah Technology Sega

Source: UKIE/Refl ection, Period: October 24th – October 30th www.mcvuk.com

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Developer Epic War Supercell King Supercell Machine Zone King Episode Interactive Miniclip.com Playrix

Source: UKIE/Refl ection, Period: October 24th – October 30th

UK IPAD FREE (UNITS)

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Developer Warner Bros Ndemic Creations Barnstorm Games Ninja Kiwi Mageeks Dinosaur Polo Club Barnstorm Games EA Yeah Us!

LW 07 RE 05 04 02 09 03 01 RE

FIT IN THE HOLE DEVELOPER: KETCHAPP

Title Smile Inc. Killer Clown Chase Best Fiends Forever Block! Hexa Puzzle Pineapple Pen Rolling Sky Plants vs Zombies Heroes FIFA Mobile Football Color 6: Blitz

Developer Super Lame Games Bidogames Seriously BitMango Ketchapp Cheetah Technology EA EA Tigrido

Source: UKIE/Refl ection, Period: October 24th – October 30th 09

November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 13:54

MONTHLY SALES CHARTS

OCTOBER CHARTS FIFA 17 managed to hold the top place in October, despite pretty fierce competition. Sales for EA’s football behemoth represented 20 per cent of all games sold last month, compared with 53 per cent in September. That’s because there were seven new entries in the Top Ten alone last month. Battlefield 1 shot straight to No.2, helping developer DICE to re-enter the studio charts at No.2. Meanwhile, EA is once again top in the publisher rankings. Take-Two also held second place in the publishers charts thanks to Mafia III, which debuted at No.3 in October, and WWE 2K17 which charted at No.6. The new PS4 and Xbox One version of Skyrim landed at No.4 and helped Bethesda to re-enter both the developers and publishers Top Ten. Xbox One exclusive Gears of War 4 debuted at No.5 and contributed to a slight increase in

FIFA 17 was the bestselling title in the UK in October, for the second consecutive month

the console’s market share. In October, the Xbox One represented 42.8 per cent of the market in terms of revenue (against 39.6 per cent in September) and 40.2 per cent in units (versus 37.5 per cent in September). Rounding out the top 10 this month were Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration at No.7, Titanfall 2 at No.9, plus the stalwart GTA V. Three PlayStation VR titles also made it to the Top 40. The biggest seller for the platform was PlayStation VR Worlds, which debuted at No.18, followed by Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (No.24) and RIGS: Mechanised Combat League (No.39). Other new entries included Batman: Return to Arkham (No.11), Farming Simulator 17 (No.13), Skylanders Imaginators (No.15), Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (No.19), World of Final Fantasy (No.25), Dragon Quest Builders (No.36) and Paper Mario: Color Splash (No.37).

TOP 40 UK PHYSICAL RETAIL 02

TM 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

LM 01 NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW 02 NEW 09 NEW 10 NEW 12 NEW 23 05 NEW NEW 18 17 07 03 NEW NEW 30 04 RE 15 31 RE 37 38 06 25 NEW NEW 27 NEW 16

Title Format Publisher FIFA 17 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 EA Battlefield 1 PS4, XO, PC EA Mafia III PS4, XO, PC Take-Two The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition PS4, XO Bethesda Gears of War 4 XO Microsoft WWE 2K17 PS4, XO, PS3, PC Take-Two Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration PS4, PC Square Enix Forza Horizon 3 XO, PC Microsoft Titanfall 2 PS4, XO, PC EA Grand Theft Auto V PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Rockstar Batman: Return to Arkham PS4, XO Warner Bros Rocket League PS4, XO, PC 505 Games Farming Simulator 17 PS4, XO, PC Focus Home Interactive Minecraft: Xbox Edition XO, 360 Microsoft Skylanders Imaginators PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard Star Wars Battlefront PS4, XO, PC EA Overwatch PS4, XO, PC Blizzard PlayStation VR Worlds PS4 Sony Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco Destiny: The Collection PS4, XO Activision Blizzard Fallout 4 PS4, XO, PC Bethesda LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita Warner Bros BioShock: The Collection PS4, XO 2K Games Until Dawn: Rush of Blood PS4 Sony World of Final Fantasy PS4, Vita Square Enix Minecraft: PlayStation Edition PS4, PS3, Vita Sony Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Konami LEGO Dimensions PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Warner Bros Call of Duty: Black Ops III PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard LEGO Jurassic World PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita Warner Bros Guitar Hero Live PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii U Activision Blizzard XCOM 2 PS4, XO 2K Games Halo 5: Guardians XO Microsoft NBA 2K17 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 2K Games LEGO Marvel Avengers PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros Dragon Quest Builders PS4 Square Enix Paper Mario: Color Splash Wii U Nintendo Tom Clancy’s The Division PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft RIGS: Mechanised Combat League PS4 Sony Doom PS4, XO, PC Bethesda

Source: UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track, Period: October 2nd to October 29th November 11th 2016

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08/11/2016 17:59

MONTHLY SALES CHARTS

PHYSICAL SOFTWARE SHARE BY STUDIO (REVENUE)

01 TM 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LM RE RE RE RE RE 02 RE RE 06

EA CANADA PARENT COMPANY: EA

Developer DICE Hangar 13 The Coalition Bethesda Yukes - Visual Concept Playground Games Crystal Dynamics Respawn Entertainment Travellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tales

Parent company Electronic Arts Take-Two Microsoft Independent Take-Two Independent Square Enix Independent Warner Bros

Source: UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track, Period: October 2nd to October 29th

PHYSICAL SOFTWARE SHARE BY PUBLISHER (REVENUE)

01 TM 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LM 02 03 RE 09 05 04 07 06 RE

ELECTRONIC ARTS Publisher Take-Two Microsoft Bethesda Square Enix Nintendo Activision Blizzard Warner Bros Sony Bandai Namco

PHYSICAL SOFTWARE SALES BY FORMAT (REVENUE) TM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Title

Manufacturer

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

PlayStation 4 Xbox One Xbox 360 3DS PlayStation 3 PC Wii U PlayStation Vita Wii DS

Sony Microsoft Microsoft Nintendo Sony N/A Nintendo Sony Nintendo Nintendo

Source: UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track, Period: October 2nd to October 29th

PHYSICAL SOFTWARE SHARE BY PUBLISHER (UNITS)

01 TM 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LM 02 03 RE 05 06 04 RE 07 09

ELECTRONIC ARTS Publisher Take-Two Microsoft Bethesda Nintendo Warner Bros Activision Blizzard Square Enix Sony Ubisoft

Source: UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track, Period: October 2nd to October 29th

PHYSICAL SOFTWARE SALES BY FORMAT (UNITS) TM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Title PlayStation 4 Xbox One Xbox 360 3DS PlayStation 3 Wii U PC PlayStation Vita Wii DS

Source: UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track, Period: October 2nd to October 29th www.mcvuk.com

10 11 MCV900 Monthly Charts_V4.indd 2

Market Share 48.1% 42.8% 2.8% 2% 1.6% 1.2% 1.2% 0.2% 0.1% 0%

Manufacturer Sony Microsoft Microsoft Nintendo Sony Nintendo N/A Sony Nintendo Nintendo

Market Share 46.8% 40.2% 3.9% 3.1% 2.2% 1.7% 1.6% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1%

Source: UKIE/Gfk Chart-Track, Period: October 2nd to October 29th 11

November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 17:59

PLAYSTATION 4 PRO

Going Pro As PlayStation 4 Pro hits shelves, MCV looks at the big talking points for Sony’s brand new super-powered machine

WHAT IS PLAYSTATION 4 PRO?

Release Date: November 10th Price: £349 Publisher: Sony Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

WHAT COMES IN THE BOX? ■ PlayStation 4 Pro ■ New-style DualShock 4 (with the light bar at the top of the controller’s touchpad) ■ Headphones and mic ■ USB cable ■ HDMI cable ■ Power cable

November 11th 2016

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ANNOUNCED on-stage at an event in New York in September, Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro is the platform holder’s hardware for serious gamers. Previously known under the codename of ’Neo’, the new console has double the graphical power of a ‘regular’ PlayStation 4. That amounts to an impressive 4.2 teraflops. Next year’s Xbox Project Scorpio beats that with 6 teraflops but Microsoft is yet to announce a price. So how is this power being put to use? First of all, the new hardware supports 4K gaming, as well as high dynamic range (HDR). That means sharper, more striking graphics, but for more on those see page 14. The machine does not feature a 4K Blu-ray player, unlike Microsoft’s slim Xbox One S SKU. Sony has said that the reason for this omission was due a shift away from physical media, with consumers instead preferring to stream 4K TV from services such as Netflix. Though 4K is one of the big selling points, there are reasons for gamers who don’t have a fancy new television to pick up the new Pro machine. A number of games – such as Rise of the Tomb Raider and Koei Tecmo’s Nioh – allow consumers to tweak their gameplay experience to have either a higher frame rate or higher resolution. You also get a 1TB hard disk as standard and a new, updated controller.

www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 15:42

PLAYSTATION 4 PRO

Rise of the Tomb Raider features a number of graphical and frame rate options for PlayStation 4 Pro owners

WHO IS THIS FOR? BASED on Sony’s messaging, the Pro appears to aimed at the tmost dedicated of gamers. While the new, slimmer PlayStation 4 SKU looks to broaden out the user base with a £259 price point, the Pro is aimed at highly dedicated

gamers who are willing to pay for that extra power and graphical fidelity. Furthermore, SIE boss Andrew House says that the Pro is also designed to stop migration of gamers midway through the console generation.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR GAMES? SONY confirmed last week that 39 games will be making the most of the extra processing power of the PlayStation 4 Pro, with more than 45 other releases being supported by the end of 2016. For the console’s launch, the likes of Skyrim: Special Edition, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, FIFA 17, Mafia III, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Uncharted 4 (right) and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor are supported. Joining them before 2016 is out are

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games such as Watch Dogs 2, The Last Guardian and Final Fantasy XV, while Resident Evil 7 (above), Nioh and For Honor will support new features when they launch in early 2017. Despite its extra processing power, the Pro will not feature any exclusive games. All PS4 games have to work on both the original model and Pro. Meanwhile, the Pro also offers graphical benefits for those lucky enough to own a PlayStation VR headset too.

November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 15:42

THE 4K DEBATE

To 4K, or not to 4K... The new PS4 Pro is here, but are consumers 4K ready? Seth Barton reports

o the PS4 Pro is here and the traditional hardware cycle has been smashed. Thanks to modern development tools and a PC-related architecture, Sony has evolved a truly backwardcompatible console, one that plays the same games as its sibling but with enhanced graphical capabilities. It’s a fantastic achievement and a bold experiment on the part of PlayStation, one that Microsoft will have its own stab at next year with Project Scorpio. Some improvements will be offered to those using traditional Full HD TVs, but to appreciate the full majesty of the PS4 Pro you’ll need a 4K TV, preferably one supporting high dynamic range (HDR) as well. In short, the success of the PS4 Pro is inextricably linked to the take up of 4K TV. THE PRICE IS RIGHT So just how many 4K TVs are there in the UK? We spoke to Nick Simon, account director of Consumer Electronics at research firm GfK. The latest data tells us that cumulative sales of 4K TVs

November 11th 2016

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had gone past 2m by the end of September 2016. GfK estimates, based on last year’s data, that another 1m will be sold before the end of the year. So that’s around 3m 4K TVs in the UK. That’s a huge acceleration in sales over the 200,000 sets that were sold in 2015. That rise is driven by falling 4K TV prices, as mainstream, rather than just high-end, models switch to 4K resolutions. The accompanying price reduction has been similarly dramatic, with the average falling from circa £1,500 in 2014 to around £750 in the first nine months of 2016. We’ll have to wait until the CES tech show in January to see just how widespread 4K models are going to be in 2017, but we’d be surprised if there are many Full HD TVs left standing. That should mean the majority of the 6m sets annually sold in the UK next year would be 4K. By comparison the PS4 had sold around 3m units in the UK back in March, though that figure should have grown to at least 4m by the end of the year. The big question is how many of those 4K TVs have ended up in households containing PS4 consoles -

3m Number of 4K TVs that GfK Entertainment predicts will have been sold in the UK by the end of 2016

WHAT IS 4K? 4K is the new TV standard that’s replacing the Full HD TV sets of recent years. While a Full HD set has 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (around 2m in total), a 4K TV has four times that number with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels (around 8m in total). Given that smartphones pack 2m or more pixels into a screen just 5 inch across, it’s hardly science fiction to put 8m pixels on a large 50in living room TV. The 4K standard, also referred to as Ultra HD, is similar to the resolution you see in a modern digital cinema, so if it’s good enough for a screen that big, it’s good enough for the living room.

as existing PS4 owners are undoubtedly the core target market for Sony when it comes to initially selling the PS4 Pro. We know (from UKIE statistics) that the core of console gamers consists of men in their twenties and thirties in the lower middle, or skilled working classes. We’re not able to find similar data for purchasers of 4K TVs to date but large, high-end TV sets have traditionally sold to older, richer consumers - after all these were largely £1,000+ devices. So there’s more 4K TVs out there than you might think. But they might not be in the hands of gamers. NOTHING TO WATCH The 4K TV market is just hitting its stride but it seems to be gaining mainstream traction by default rather than out of any great enthusiasm on the part of consumers. That’s in part due to a lack of content to date for the high-resolution TV format. Netflix UK has a handful of good TV shows, largely self-made, and a few movies; while Amazon Prime has a similarly limited selection. The BBC is talking about adding 4K to iPlayer but that’s still a way off. Either way, consumers

www.mcvuk.com

09/11/2016 13:17

THE 4K DEBATE

Guerrilla’s Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the title’s Sony is using to highlight PS4 Pro’s 4K capabilities

will also need to pay for a fast, fibre internet connection, if it’s available at their home. Then there’s the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format but as PS4 Pro has chosen not to support it, that only brings more confusion to the 4K debate. Ultra HD discs are supported by the Xbox One S, which should then appeal to home cinema enthusiasts. Either way, it’s hardly a mass market proposition to date, with only a handful of films on sale in the UK. Thus, 4K TV owners have little 4K content to enjoy on them. So hopefully they’ll be overjoyed to see the 4K-capable PS4 Pro.

by rendering at a middle-ground native resolution of around 4m pixels and then upscaling that to the full 8m pixels of 4K. Putting this detail aside the results remain impressive, with a crispness and detail which rivals that of a highend gaming PC. That’s the easy bit. This image is further enhanced by the addition of HDR. In our experience, this is as much a draw as 4K. However, only the more expensive 4K TVs support HDR in any appreciable manner (£600+) and only the very topend models (£1,000+) are bright enough to get the top industry specification, UHD Premium.

WHAT IS HDR? HIGH dynamic range (HDR) TV has a wider contrast ratio than typical TV sets. That means darker sections should be really black, with more detail in dark shadowy scenes; while bright areas of the screen are seriously bright, like a light being shone in your eyes at the extremes. While a typical TV today produces around 300nits of brightness, a top-end HDR

TV will put out 1,000nits. That means when the sun glints off a character’s armour, you’ll get a far more realistic effect. Yet not all HDR TVs are born equal, with many current models struggling to hit 500nits at best. Consumers will also benefit from a wider colour gamut, providing more realistic colour and more finely graduated colour palette onscreen.

CLEAR MESSAGE PlayStation has had its hands full of late, what with PSVR and PS4 Pro launching in close succession at similar prices. The big question is whether the message is getting out to consumers about what the PS4 Pro offers. As it’s far from simple. Most big games will get updated to run at 4K resolution, most

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09/11/2016 13:17

THE 4K DEBATE

SIE’s Nioh is one of the titles that will support 4K on the PS4 Pro

Oh, and by the way, Sony has patched HDR into the regular PS4 as well. So some consumers, with the right TV, might want to give that a go before splashing out on the PS4 Pro. Meanwhile, Microsoft has added HDR to the Xbox One S, but not to the Xbox One. If all that wasn’t enough for consumers to get their heads around, the PS4 Pro also offers enhancements for regular Full HD TVs. This can take the form of more stable frame rates, additional graphical effects or details, and super-sampling techniques which smooth out the whole image. These will vary considerably from game to game, though, and will be seen as refinements by most consumers. Who, in addition, may need to play with graphics settings to get the best experience for them. There is a danger, then, in overselling the PS4 Pro to Full HD owners, which could be a PR nightmare for both Sony and retailers. Some upgraders simply won’t see a £350 difference between the PS4 and PS4 Pro on a typical HD TV. Demoing the difference in stores could overcome this, but the temptation will always be to show the new console at its best, which is in 4K with HDR.

November 11th 2016

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In short, PlayStation 4 Pro only reliably shines on a 4K TV, preferably with HDR.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE XBOX ONE S? MICROSOFT already has a 4K console of course, in some respects. The recent Xbox One S supports 4K resolution, although only by upscaling the usual graphics output to match the TV’s resolution. It does, however, support HDR, allowing for more striking images for those with a compatible TV.

YEAR 4K? 4K and HDR are undoubtedly the future for console gaming. The inevitable churn in the TV market, and rapidly-declining 4K prices, mean that practically everyone’s next TV is a 4K TV. There are quite a few sets out there today, and some of those have good HDR support, but there are many, many more PlayStation owners in the UK than fully-fledged 4K/HDR TVs. That may mean the PS4 Pro is a slow burner in terms of sales, with consumers buying in when they upgrade their TVs. It’s even possible that the PS4 Pro can actually drive 4K TV sales itself, rather than simply satisfying a demand for 4K gaming. Either way, it’s generally accepted that where the early-adopters go, the mass-market will follow. At what speed remains to be seen, but right now the PS4 Pro looks like a snow plough, bravely cutting a crystal clear 4K path through a frozen tundra of Full HD TVs. The only question is will enough consumers follow before Project Scorpio, and eventually the true next-gen, arrives.

The Xbox One S includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, which plays the latest generation of disc-based movies. Sony omitted this hardware from the PS4 Pro, instead concentrating on streaming services. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video apps support 4K but there’s no 4K movie rental from Sony yet.

www.mcvuk.com

09/11/2016 13:17

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08/11/2016 15:41

INTERVIEW UBISOFT - WATCH DOGS 2

Old dog, new tricks Watch Dogs 2 has a lot to live up to. Not only is it the follow-up to the original 2014 commercial smash hit, it is standing in for Assassin’s Creed in Ubisoft’s end-of-year line-up for 2016. Alex Calvin speaks to the Ubisoft’s UK team about the hacking title

hen the original Watch Dogs hit shelves in May 2014, the reception was something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was a big seller, becoming the fastestselling new IP at the time, going on to sell well over a million units in the UK alone. But many gamers felt let down by the title. In short – they felt it didn’t live up to what was promoted ahead of launch and that there had been a downscaling of graphical fidelity. For Watch Dogs 2, the team at Ubisoft Montreal has looked at the reception the original title received. “The team were really proud of what the first game accomplished and we learned a lot from that experience,” marketing director Mark Slaughter says. “The development team listened to players and have worked very hard to implement changes based on that feedback into the next instalment. There will be a more relevant narrative with deeper characterisation; a fresh, lighter

November 11th 2016

18 19 MCV900 Watch Dogs 2_V4.indd 1

tone, more creative hacking options, better driving and a seamless online experience. Add to this more choice on how to approach challenges and a great sense of dynamism and variety in the game world and the team have worked very hard to produce a strong offering that the players will love.” UK MD Rob Cooper adds: “There’s been a huge amount of feedback from Watch Dogs; the studios have listened and have added everything possible to the new game to ensure that the experience is a significantly better one. The previews so far have shown this is the case.”

Assassin’s Creed has been really important to the market every year, but make no mistake, Watch Dogs 2 will fill the gap this year.

LIGHTEN UP This is certainly evident in the more upbeat tone of Watch Dogs 2. Whereas the original starred gruff and serious protagonist Aiden Pearce and was set in a gritty depiction of Chicago, Watch Dogs 2 stars a more laid back and immediately likeable cast of hackers, led by new protagonist

Darren Bowen, Ubisoft

Marcus Holloway. The setting too is a contrast, with the game heading to a rather sunny-looking depiction of San Francisco. “The sentiment from previews so far has been overwhelmingly positive with many claiming that the game delivers an intelligent, funny and brilliant open world game that could easily be up there as a Game of the Year contender,” Slaughter says. “With all our launch activity we’re seeing there’s a lot of strong buzz coming to the game quite late in the campaign so we’ve got high expectations.” The setting and tone aren’t the only things that have changed between games. Before the launch of the original Watch Dogs, the mood around the game was one of extreme excitement. This was, after all, a brand new IP from Ubisoft and one of our first glimpses at what the next generation of consoles would be capable of. This time around, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said in an interview that pre-orders

www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 17:55

UBISOFT - WATCH DOGS 2 INTERVIEW

TECHNOLOGY GONE MAD AT the moment, hacker culture and online data are at the forefront of popular culture. Thanks to television shows like Amazon’s Mr Robot , and headlines from the media about the likes of Anonymous, Wikileaks and Edward Snowden, issues of technology and personal information have never been more of a concern to the general public. And UK marketing director Mark Slaughter argues that the Watch Dogs franchise is very much part of this movement. “The Watch Dogs brand has been exploring data security and privacy as well as and

hacking ever since the release of the first opus in 2014,” he explains. “We are in a time where hackers are now at the forefront of driving consumer awareness of this super complicated and technologydriven world that we live in. It’s a mainstream topic now with high profile stories appearing regularly. Even our own government have recently outlined a new cyber security strategy to combat hacking and yes, shows like Mr Robot all help to position the game squarely put in the middle of a very relevant cultural reality.”

Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2 launches on November 15th

have – so far – fallen short of expectations. Yet the firm insists that this is not an indication of how Watch Dogs 2 will perform. “Pre-orders are still a good gauge for the business to demonstrate consumer appetite for a game, but they’re not the only indication of a game’s potential success,” sales director Darren Bowen explains. “Watch Dogs was a unique proposition as a launch title for a new generation of hardware and it wouldn’t be realistic to compare this to current games. After talking to some of our retail partners it is clear that consumers are now waiting longer before they decide what games to buy. Consumers have a lot of great titles to choose from this Christmas. We’re confident that gamers will be surprised and delighted when they play the game to see how improved this sequel is.” Cooper adds: “Ubisoft as a business does listen to its consumers and has focused on

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making this a great consumer experience. For Far Cry 3, preorders weren’t where they needed to be before launch, but when it came out it proved itself as a significant improvement over the previous game.” BIG SHOES As well as being the follow-up to a massive new IP, Watch Dogs 2 has an even bigger job this year – it has to fill the shoes of Assassin’s Creed. Earlier this year, Ubisoft opted to give its annual Assassin’s Creed series a break in order to ‘re-examine’ the franchise. “Assassin’s Creed has been a fantastic seller for Ubisoft and really important to the market every year, but make no mistake, Watch Dogs 2 will certainly fill the gap this year,” Bowen insists. “We are very fortunate to have such a strong and varied line-up so we don’t have to rely just one franchise. Following Watch Dogs 2, we also have Steep launching at the start of December along

Mark Slaughter (top) and Rob Cooper (above)

with strong back catalogue sales on The Division and Far Cry Primal which have been two of the biggest launches so far this year. Let’s not forget live games like The Crew and Rainbow Six Siege which is really being embraced by the community with 10m players worldwide. If that wasn’t enough we also have the Ezio Trilogy so for those consumers who need a taste of Assassin’s Creed every year – and we know there are a huge number of people – they will still be able to purchase a great triple pack which covers the most loved period of Assassin’s Creed.” Given the huge sales reception Watch Dogs received back in 2014, coupled with the wealth of improvements the developers have made, Ubisoft is perhaps justified in having sky high expectations of its second installment in the series. “[Our expectations] don’t come much bigger,” Cooper says. “We are expecting strong sales to help the overall UK market and a title in the top five new releases for 2016.”

November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 17:55

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ROOKIE Panel: Making the most of Regulation and protecting the Traditional sports and eSports: how far • The role of analytics in eSports • Optimising eSports team sponsorship TRACK A: ENTRY LEVEL: ESPORTS Regulation, analytics & diversity Investment, ROI & brand placement ESPORTS IN 2016: UNDERSTANDING THE GROWTH TRAJECTORY TRACK B: LEVEL UP:need PRO integrity eSports should the parallels be taken? • role of analytics in eSports • Optimising eSports team sponsorship Regulation and protecting Traditional sports and eSports: how Regulation, &ESPORTS diversity Investment, ROI & brand placement monetisation gender neutral? Panel: Does eSports tothe remain tournaments and live ROOKIE Panel: the most of integrity eSports should the parallels beevents taken? Regulation and protecting the Traditional sports and eSports: how far far • The The role of analytics analytics in eSports • Optimising eSports team sponsorship TRACKMaking A: ENTRY LEVEL: ESPORTS monetisation • Panel: Making the most of TRACK B: UP:in PRO LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT Regulation, analytics & diversity Investment, ROI & placement • Regulation and protecting the • Traditional sports and eSports: how monetisation integrity ofLEVEL eSports should the parallels be taken? The role of analytics eSports Optimising eSports team sponsorship Regulation, analytics &ESPORTS diversity Investment, ROI & brand brand placement ROOKIE Panel: Making the most of • Regulation and protecting the • sports and eSports: how far far gender neutral? Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live integrity eSports should the parallels beevents taken? monetisation • The role of analytics in eSports • Traditional Optimising eSports team sponsorship TRACK A: ENTRY LEVEL: ESPORTS Panel: Making the most of Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT integrity ofLEVEL eSports should the parallels be taken? TRACK B: UP:need PRO • Regulation and protecting the • Traditional sports and eSports: how monetisation Panel: Does eSports to remain tournaments and live The role of analytics in eSports Optimising eSports team sponsorship integrity eSports should the parallels beevents taken? Regulation, analytics &ESPORTS diversity Investment, ROI & brand placement gender neutral? ROOKIE Panel: Making the most of Regulation and protecting the Traditional sports and eSports: how far far monetisation TV, OTT & eSports The role of analytics in eSports • Optimising eSports team sponsorship • Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events gender neutral? • Panel: Making the most of LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & Future EXHIBITION VISIT on the integrity eSports should the parallels be taken? Join MCV team at Games Summit The role of analytics in • Optimising eSports team sponsorship Regulation, analytics & eSports diversity Investment, ROI & brand placement gender neutral? monetisation • Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live integrity eSports should the parallels beevents taken? Panel: the most of TV, OTTMaking & eSports The role of the analytics in eSports • eSports team sponsorship Regulation and protecting the Traditional sports and eSports: howAdvertising far the • monetisation gender neutral? • Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: & media buying in eSports • Optimising Panel: Making the most of LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT monetisation 23rd and 24th of November The role of analytics in Optimising eSports team sponsorship LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT Regulation, analytics & eSports diversity Investment, ROI &Interactive brand placement Panel: Making the most of gender neutral? • Regulation and protecting the • sports and eSports: how far Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events monetisation integrity eSports should the parallels be taken? TV, OTT & eSports • The role of analytics in eSports Optimising eSports team sponsorship Closing Keynote Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports • Traditional Panel: Making the most of gender neutral? Panel: Does eSports need toVISIT remain tournaments and live events LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT monetisation • Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events integrity of2016 eSports should the parallels be taken? gender neutral? Panel: Making the most of Regulation and protecting the Traditional sports and eSports: how far monetisation TV, OTT & eSports • Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events The role of analytics in eSports • Optimising eSports team sponsorship END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT gender neutral? Closing Keynote Interactive & media buying in eSportsVISIT • Panel: Making the most ROUNDTABLES, of Panel: Advertising & SPEAKER NETWORKING & EXHIBITION TV, LUNCH OTT & eSports gender neutral? LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT • Panel: Does eSports need to remain tournaments and live events integrity eSports should the parallels be taken? TV, OTT & The role of2016 analytics in eSports • Optimising eSports team END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT neutral? monetisation • gender Panel: Does eSports need toVISIT remain tournaments and live events Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports Panel: the most ofsponsorship • OTTMaking & eSports eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION • TV, Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING &business EXHIBITION VISIT gender neutral? monetisation industry whatever your and beyond – with topics play games, debate the big t’s now• only three weeks until TV, OTT & eSports • The role of analytics in eSports Optimising eSports team sponsorship Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 Panel: Making the most of gender neutral? Panel: Doesbuying eSports toVISIT remain andInteractive live events LUNCH & ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION TV,Future OTTGames & eSports • tournaments Closing Keynote Panel: Advertising &Subjects media in need eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING &diverse EXHIBITION VISIT may be. are as and seminar sessions designed issues and find better ways to the inaugural monetisation • tournaments TV, OTT & eSports END FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 • gender Panel: Does eSports need toVISIT remain and live events neutral? Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports Panel: Making the most ofOF TV, OTT & eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 as Brexit, performing on Steam, to enable delegates to get monetise your output. Summit• 2016, which is being • Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT • TV, OTT & END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 gender neutral? • and Panel: Does eSports remain tournaments andInteractive live events Closing Keynote Panel: & media buying in eSports AR VR, media influencers, the absolute most out of Advertising Jointo us at the Millennium brought • to you inOTT association TV, & eSports eSports END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 • Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in need eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT eSports, industry diversity and in eSports their experience. Mayfair Hotel in Central London with MCV . Closing TV, OTT & eSports END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 • Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying gender neutral? • TV, OTT & eSports Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media2016 buying in eSports END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT LUNCH ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION many more. Some of which you Keynotes include Roger on 23rd VISIT - 24th November It’s a brand new two-day & SPEAKER END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in • OTT & eSports END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 can see here. Walkden from Microsoft’s for this exciting conference which will examine • TV, Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports eSports LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISITevent that END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 • TV, OTT & eSports The SUMMIT Hololens team, Damian Horner GAMES will examine and celebrate current and future trends MCV and Develop teams, END OF FUTURE 2016 • Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports from Hachette andFUTURE Joost van GAMES the trends, opportunities and across the entire spectrum of plus the soon to launch eSports END SUMMIT • TV, OTT Keynote & eSports END OF OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 Closing Interactive Panel: Advertising & media2016 buying in eSports Dreunen from Superdata challenges facing the games the interactive entertainment Pro, will be in attendance, so END OF FUTURE 2016 Research. There are over Advertising 30 GAMES business over the coming years. industry.• The two-day Keynote Interactive come SUMMIT along and pick our brains.in eSports Closing Panel: & media buying confirmed speakers covering GAMES For more details and passes, programme will inform and And asSUMMIT if that’s not 2016 enough, END OF FUTURE every aspect of the industry, head to: inspire delegates who work there’s plenty of opportunity to END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016 providing key insights into the www.futuregamessummit.com within the games industry – network with other delegates,

Tomorrow’s world

ESPORTS DAY FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT is going big on eSports in its inaugural year with an entire day dedicated to the subject, with speakers covering every aspect of this booming area. Joost van Dreunen (right, top) will be leading the debate with his keynote speech providing an invaluable overview of where eSports stands today. “With the market for competitive gaming finally breaking into the mainstream, the industry as a whole is going through a reality check. Certainly there is demand from audiences, and the sheer volume of current deal-making among brands and teams is reason to be excited. But this ascension into the mainstream also comes with a set of responsibilities. In my keynote

November 11th 2016

20 21 MCV900 Future Games_V5.indd 1

GAMES FUNDING CROWDFUNDING is just one of the diverse ways to get funding for your game in a rapidly-changing marketplace. Among those speaking on this topic is Tony Pearce: “Having had two successful crowdfunding campaigns raising over £600k, I will be giving my tips on the do’s and don’ts of crowdfunding.”

I will provide an overview of the eSports market and the brand new challenges it faces in catering to a global audience.” said van Dreunen. Also speaking is Darren Newnham (right, below), head of business development at Fnatic - one of the leading western eSports teams. Darren said: “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to give the attendees an insight into the exciting world of eSports team sponsorship. Working for Fnatic, one of the leading global teams in eSports today, I will be talking about the kind of commitment involved in sponsoring a successful team and some of my top tips for creating partnerships that deliver and optimise brand association.”

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08/11/2016 17:56

FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT

ND THE OF THE USTRY

hallenges and ustry, attendees will cs, speakers and discussion

Interactive Roundtables Live on-stage Interviews eSports Showcase

AGENDA AT A GLANCE DAY 1: 23RD NOVEMBER 2016 FINANCE, INVESTMENT AND THE ECONOMICS OF THE GAMES INDUSTRY TRACK 1: FUTURE TECH 2016

TRACK 2: FUTURE BUSINESS

• Mobile Gaming

• Games investment & funding trends

• Interactive Panel Discussion: Augmented Reality Games – Where Do We (Pokémon) Go from here?

• Have traditional publishers had their day?

• Interactive Panel Discussion: Has VR blown its chance of being the future of games?

• How do we create a more diverse games industry?

LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT • Has the Steam train left the station? • Interactive Panel: Who are the games media influencers of the future – and where will you find them? • Interview: Creating the next generation of interactive entertainment DRINKS RECEPTION & ESPORTS SHOWCASE

BREXIT

THIS is the big issue even games can’t escape from. Our keynote panel discussion includes Dr Jo Twist OBE (top), CEO of UKIE. She said: “The referendum fallout inevitably raises a number of questions for our industry, but during the discussion at the Future Games Summit, we need to highlight the substantial opportunities for digital economy innovators. We are creative problem solvers, so we need to be thinking about how we invest in our talent, ensure diversity in creativity, foster the best environment for innovation, and how we can create opportunity for uturegamessummit.com all as digital exporters in a global economy.” The panel is moderated by Rob Crossley, head of games and digital at Creative England (above). Crossley said: “The UK’s vote to leave the EU is the most all-encompassing decision the country has made for generations. The effect it has across the country will last for decades. How it affects the games industry, from the opportunities it presents to the challenges it introduces, will be discussed at length.”

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20 21 MCV900 Future Games_V5.indd 2

DAY 2: 24TH NOVEMBER 2016 ESPORTS IN 2016: UNDERSTANDING THE GROWTH TRAJECTORY TRACK A: ENTRY LEVEL: ESPORTS ROOKIE

TRACK B: LEVEL UP: ESPORTS PRO

Investment, ROI & brand placement

Regulation, analytics & diversity

• Traditional sports and eSports: how far should the parallels be taken?

• Regulation and protecting the integrity of eSports

• Optimising eSports team sponsorship

• The role of analytics in eSports monetisation

• Panel: Making the most of tournaments and live events

• Panel: Does eSports need to remain gender neutral?

LUNCH & SPEAKER ROUNDTABLES, NETWORKING & EXHIBITION VISIT • TV, OTT & eSports • Closing Keynote Interactive Panel: Advertising & media buying in eSports END OF FUTURE GAMES SUMMIT 2016

LEARNING THE LESSONS AFTER many decades of being seen as a bit of a leftfield industry, the very idea of gaming is now spreading beyond its traditional boundaries. So for our closing keynote, Damian Horner from Hachette, will be talking about what other businesses are learning from gaming. Horner said: “For years other industries have regarded gamers – both

developers and consumers – as a bunch of geeky blokes who have never had a girlfriend, eat pizzas all day and probably need a wash. Isn’t it fascinating to see how reality has slapped everyone in the face? Other industries now stand back in awe – and shock – at the way gaming has taken over the world. Many want a piece of it. But most still don’t understand it.”

November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 17:56

INTERVIEW DOVETAIL

One-stop hobby shop Alex Calvin catches up with Dovetail Games CEO Paul Jackson and COO Jon Rissik to find out about its recent investment, its plans for the Dovetail Live platform and the state of the sim market

You recently secured a multimillion pound investment from UK finance house Alcuin Capital Partners. What do you plan to use this money for? Jon Rissik, COO: We build simulation products but we think about them more in terms of hobbies than games. Our customers tend to stay with us for multi-year periods. They’re deeply invested in what they do. They don’t play other products; they’re not playing Train Simulator one day and then Call of Duty the next. They tend to stick with what they know. We think about it as being quite different from games. We know we are in the games space, we know we are positioning ourselves alongside games in many environments, and that’s something we’re looking to change. With the investment we have secured, we are looking to build something called Dovetail Live, which is going to be a digital centre for all things hobby. Whether that’s a place where you can access simulation, where you can customise content and share it. A place where you can gather tips and tricks, a place where you can support the journey from novice to expert. It’s going to deliver everything our consumers do inside and out of games. It’ll be a place to access the software, but also the ancillary place where everything you do around the hobby that isn’t directly playing the software sits. What is your ambition for Dovetail Live? Rissik: Our long term vision is to build an army of enthusiasts that

November 11th 2016

22 MCV900 Dovetail_V4.indd 1

COO Jon Rissik (below) and CEO Paul Jackson (bottom) want to build an ‘army of enthusiasts’ with Dovetail Live

we can service. We think about it as a platform that we can keep engaged. We know that core simulation experience is only the tip of the spear. It’s one element of the hobby. Dovetail Live will help us facilitate the other elements of that. How would you assess the state of the simulation market right now? Paul Jackson, CEO: It’s in an interesting place. There are a few titles, perhaps five to seven, that do it very well. Then there are a sea of other simulation titles in there somewhere. By that I mean very much the sort of simulations that we do, like Flight Simulator and Train Simulator, and other things like EuroTruck Simulator. There are fabulous products out there. Then there are a lot of other smaller products that fulfil an interesting niche, but can’t get enough money spent on them, they’re not big enough niches to be able to drive the quality

that I’m sure they want. That may well change over the next few years. Simulation seems to be something that is attracting more money and interest. It’s clearly the perfect partner for VR, where most games probably are not. Given all of that, the future of simulation is probably more exciting than the more traditional game space right now. Obviously I’d say that, but I genuinely think that’s true. Other companies in the sim space such as Excalibur have also said that there is a great potential for VR in the sector. What are your thoughts on VR? Jackson: We have made significant investment into VR, but we’re not in a position to talk about that right now. More generally speaking, VR is very challenging for the traditional games industry. It’s hard to see where some of the big blockbusters like FIFA will operate in that space. There’s incredibly bright people [at EA], so I’m sure they’ll fix that, but it’s not obvious. A lot of the violent first-person shooter games – all of that stuff doesn’t operate how a human being does. You run sidewards very fast, you run around very fast. Those things will just make you sick in virtual reality, like they would in the real world. But if you look at sim titles, especially peaceful simulations like ours, if you are flying a plane or driving a train or sat fishing or driving a truck or lorry, all of those things work with the underlying tenants of VR brilliantly well.

www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 13:55

THE #1 RETRO GAMING LICENSES ON THE PLANET

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08/11/2016 11:00

INTERVIEW KIZ STUDIOS

INDIE INTERVIEW Toys, mobile and free-to-play Initially founded with the notion of mixing toys and video games, Kiz Studios is now focused on developing mobile titles. Alex Calvin catches up with chief gaming officer Ed Blincoe to find out more

ack in 2007, the team that would become Kiz Studios had a crazy idea. The developers wanted to merge the disparate sectors of physical toys and video games. Sound familiar? It should, as the studio was somewhat ahead of the curve in the toys-tolife format, which has seen players such as Activision, Disney, Warner Bros and Nintendo. But during the development of this product, the team ran into issues. In short, they did not have the means to produce boxed products – to get the game into stores – nor did they have the means of building toys, either. Thus, they opted to focused on the games side of things. “Our idea was pretty ahead of its time,” Kiz Studios’ chief gaming officer Ed Blincoe admits. “Skylanders came out much later than when we would have started. We would have had to be a much bigger company to achieve it. That’s what we’ve seen with Disney and Activision. It’s a daunting task trying to organise something like that.”

GOING MOBILE Now the firm is focused on the mobile games sector. And while it is currently working on its own titles, the team is open to developing projects based on other people’s IP. “The mobile market is huge and there are lots of consumers within it, and lots of developers working on projects for it. From a competition point of view, I don’t feel other developers are competition,” Blincoe explains. “But we’re all fighting for eyeballs, probably not the same ones because the market is so big. Obviously you have big titles like Pokémon Go jumping out and doing massive numbers. From our side we’re looking to continue with original IP because we believe in what we have. “We are also looking at some licensed IP as well, just to try and break into the market with some consumer eyeballs we are going to get straight away. There are lot of successful licensed games, such as Marvel’s portfolio. All of them have been done really well and the developers have really taken advantage of the franchise and used it to create great games

November 11th 2016

24 MCV900 Indie Interview_V3.indd 1

Ed Blincoe says Kiz Studios is focusing on developing original titles, such as Dash Galactic, but is open to work on other people’s IP

We’re a free-to-play company. What we are aiming to do is get to the market that actively spends within mobile. Ed Blincoe, Kiz Studios

with it. Off the back of seeing other really good developers making really good games with licensed IP, we should be looking at similar things on that side too.” Kiz was formerly focused on the kids market to a more core or mid-core audience. “We’re a free-to-play company - every game we have released in the last 18 months has been free-to-play. What we are aiming to do is get to the market that actively spends within mobile,” Blincoe says. “In our experience, those are the gamers that typically have the higher lifetime values around them and certainly the ones we retain for

longer. The casual market is great and we have made many casual games, like Wonky Ship, but retention for those games is very difficult. “You have to have a superbly executed title to be able to retain those casual players because they flip flop around from game to game and tend not to hang around for long.” While free-to-play is a popular business model, it has had its ups and downs when it comes to public perception. A few years ago the business model ran into trouble after some people – mostly children – managed to rack up huge bills from microtransactions. Now the App Store and Google Play storefronts display that these titles feature microtransactions. “On the demographic we serve, it’s viewed as a business model that they like as long as the game is fair,” Blincoe says. “One thing that we absolutely strive to do is make our games fair. There may be cosmetic things that you can’t get, but the reality is that we make our games freely available and, if you want to play it for long enough, then you can get to all of the content within all of our games.” “There are some areas of some games where if you want something that is cosmetic, that changes the look of a character, then you may need to pay for it but it’s not going to hinder your experience.”

www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 13:55

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MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE

The director of online retailer The Game Collection Giles Davies tells MCV about the performance of the Xbox One, whether there has been demand for Microsoft and Sony’s mid-gen upgrades and what has been selling well How has business been lately? Very busy. An increasing part of our business comprises of pre-orders, so September and October have been a bit hectic ahead of busy Christmas release window. Even August was unusually busy with No Man’s Sky, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided all generating a lot of sales. Although the marketing hype for No Man’s Sky did leave some customers feeling a little misled, which was

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

unfortunate. We’ve also started selling clothing and merchandise in the past few months, which is allowing us to expand the range of items we offer our customers.

consistently been our bestsellers We’ve also done well from 360 titles like Red Dead Redemption when they’ve been added to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility.

What games have you been selling particularly well? Unsurprisingly, FIFA 17 has been our best seller over the last month or so. Mafia III has also sold really well along with Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2. EA has launched three titles in the space of a month so they’ve

Has there been much demand for Sony and Xbox’s mid-gen console upgrades? We don’t stock a lot of consoles, but what we’ve had in has sold well. We’ve sold more Xbox One S consoles than PS4 Slims so hopefully that’s a sign of the Xbox

PRICE CHECK: LONDON

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UPLOADING The latest digital releases coming to market

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www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 17:57

MARKETPLACE

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Phone: 01792 704 379 Website: www.thegamecollection.net Facebook: /thegamecollection Twitter: @game_collection

clawing ground back. We’re still seeing PS4 game sales beating Xbox One by about 4:1 so there’s a long way back. With PS4 Pro, we’re stocking a small quantity but preorders are going well so far. There’s a definite hunger for more powerful consoles but there’s also a ‘wait and see’ attitude from some, too. What are your expectations for the end of the year? There’s still a strong line up of new releases up until Christmas

including Dishonored 2, Watch Dogs 2 and Pokémon Sun and Moon to name a few. We’ve built stronger relationships with distributors and publishers this year so we’re feeling optimistic for Q4. Do you have plans to open a physical store at some point? Not at the moment. We’ve considered a popup store at something like EGX but haven’t taken the plunge yet. Maybe it’s something we’ll look at in 2017.

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WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV? Contact mdealessandri@nbmedia.com or call 02038 894900

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November 11th 2016

08/11/2016 17:57

SKYRIM

SKYRIM To celebrate the return of Skyrim, after the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version last month, Marie Dealessandri look at the latest merchandise related to the iconic franchise

SPEAKING to MCV earlier this year, Bethesda’s PR and marketing chief Pete Hines said that Dishonored 2 was the most important thing for the publisher this year. But what about Skyrim’s remastered edition? “Even though I think Skyrim is going to do tremendously well, I don’t think we need to spend a whole lot of time explaining what that is,” he said. And he was absolutely right, fans needed no reminding about

As of November 2015, Skyrim has sold over 22.7 million copies worldwide.

Skyrim. The PS4 and Xbox One Special Edition versions of the 2011 hit launched on October 28th and debuted at No.2 in the UK charts. Only EA’s Battlefield 1 prevented the title from taking the top spot that week. Skyrim’s remastered edition also landed at No.4 in the October charts, despite the fact it had only been on shelves for two days when GfK closed its monthly sales report. It may not have outsold the original but there’s obviously still

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM - THE SKYRIM LIBRARY, VOL. I, II & III Bethesda and Titan Books have partnered to create this unique collection that gathers everything you need to know about Skyrim’s universe. These three volumes not only cover the history behind the game but also feature high quality illustrations. SRP: £29.99 (each) Manufacturer: Titan Books Distributor: Titan Books Contact: sales@titanemail.com

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SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION COLLECTOR’S STRATEGY GUIDE

THE ELDER SCROLLS V SKYRIM STATUE 1/6 DAEDRIC ARMOR 42 CM

This oversized Funko Pop figure of Skyrim’s big bad guy stands at 15 cm tall.

Prima has produced a true Skyrim bible here, which covers over 350 quests, 500 enemies and 2,000 items.

Available in May 2017, this high-end statue is limited to 1,000 units worldwide.

SRP: £16.99 Manufacturer: Funko Distributor: Underground Toys Contact: kenny@underground-toys.com

SRP: £24.99 Manufacturer: Prima Games Distributor: DK Contact: sales@uk.dk.com

SRP: £299 Manufacturer: Gaming Heads Distributor: Heo UK Contact: info@heo.com

November 11th 2016

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www.mcvuk.com

08/11/2016 17:57

SKYRIM