MCV588 Friday May 28th 2010 by Intent Media (now Newbay Media Europe)

MCV 21-5-2010 - Front Cover

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THE INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Friday May 21 2010 £3.25

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THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES International Media Partner

Issue 588 Friday May 21 2010 £3.25

04 The price is wrong

11 MTV’s Euro vision

Namco Bandai Partners VP Olivier Comte says the cost of games must be lowered

Scott Guthrie on MTV Games’ expansion – and why Beatles: Rock Band failed

07 MCV set for iPad launch

16 ELSPA update

Brand new digital edition on the way for your weekly games industry magazine

Michael Rawlinson on the LibCon pact, plus details on London Games Festival

09 Ubi’s triumphant April

23 MCM Expo Preview

Publisher celebrates scoring No.1 slot in terms of sales and market share

A rundown of what publishers will show off at the key summer consumer event

EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY INDIE EVERY WEEK

INCORPORATING

Branson back in games Stunning return will be unveiled at E3 Online-only service to offer new opportunities for publishers by Stuart Dinsey RICHARD BRANSON will use next month’s E3 in Los Angeles to unveil Virgin’s return to the video games business. MCV believes that a launch event is being planned, with Branson himself in attendance. This is a major coup for the US trade show, but also signals the return of one of the most exciting and successful brands to have ever operated in the games industry. Branson was one of the first to see the potential of computer software as a global entertainment business, setting up Virgin Games in 1984. Under Nick Alexander, the company eventually acquired Mastertronic and rolled Sega’s Master System across Europe. As Sega Europe then built its own operation, Virgin

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share reached a high of 16 per cent at one point. Affiliates such as Westwood, Bethesda, Capcom, LucasArts, Disney and more made Branson’s one of the most respected sales and marketing outfits in the business. Since 2004, one of Branson’s many businesses has been a new era Virgin Games, which focuses on prize-based online gaming websites. The new gaming service rumoured to launch at E3 will seek partnerships with leading publishers and content owners, offering new and unique opportunities. Ambitious and global, the business is expected to run across the leading console formats and feature the most popular games on the market. MCV understands that the new video games venture will be online-only and again

Branson was one of the first to see the potential of games as a global entertainment business.

Interactive Entertainment emerged under the leadership of Tim Chaney. It became one of the powers on either side of the Atlantic before being acquired by Blockbuster in 1994 for $250m, which itself was then bought by Viacom. At its height in 1997, Virgin Interactive Entertainment reached global revenues of $210 million. From 1994 to 1998, VIE often took turns with Electronic Arts for market leadership in the UK and other European territories. Market

THE GAMES GIANT Virgin Interactive was a formidable games industry force during the ‘90s... Virgin handled some huge developer labels including LucasArts, GTi, Capcom, JVC, HudsonSoft, Westwood, Disney and Bethesda. Key original and beloved properties it brought to market include Cannon Fodder, The 7th Guest and Broken Sword. The 7th Guest specifically represented a significant investment in high-end CD-ROM multimedia gaming that featured filmed sequences and CG.

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challenge-based, possibly built on a technology acquisition. The company itself has refused to comment or confirm any kind of return to the mainstream games market for Virgin, but more details could well emerge as further plans are put in place for what will be one of the biggest events of this year’s E3. A new online launch is likely to tap in to the huge success and growth of networks such as Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, as well as multiplayer PC gaming.

The firm also kickstarted the careers of individual developers, including the likes of designer Dave Perry and composer Tommy Tallarico.

VIRGIN: THE GLOBAL GIANT Branson's Virgin Group holding company is worth £5bn and consists of over 400 firms around the world which he either owns entirely or holds a stake in. Key brands are:

Best selling titles were The Lion King (3m), C&C: Red Alert (4m) and Resident Evil (2m in Europe alone). And Virgin was one of the first to be a major acquisition target, bought for $250m by Blockbuster in 1994. Blockbuster in turn was acquired by Viacom for $6bn in ‘95.

PERSONNEL 26 RETAIL BIZ 31 NEW RELEASES 38 HIGH STREET 40 CHARTS 42

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NEWS

[LEADER] PRICE COMPARISON IT WAS REFRESHING to hear a senior publishing figure like Namco Bandai Partners’ Olivier Comte frankly broach the issue of pricing this week. Such talk usually makes the industry wince. For too long pricing has been an elephant in the room for games – and for no good reason. Games have ‘high’ prices – which have held around the £35-£55 mark for the last 15 years or more – for an obvious reason: making them is a gamble, and the few winning bets pay off the many duff ones. Not the ideal model, certainly. Arguably, it’s broken beyond belief. But, hey, the industry could probably make it last another 15 years if we let it. However Comte is right to call for foresight. In fact I’d argue that the price of games is already changing. At both ends of the spectrum. Games are getting cheaper, to the point where they can be given away. And they’re also getting more expensive. For every no-fee MMO like Runescape, there’s a Call of Duty aiming for a £55 RRP. For every freebie like FarmVille, there’s a £40 game hoping to make a bit on the side through DLC. Many full-priced games now spawn cheaper £6-or-less iPhone spin-offs. So the flexibility is already there; it’s not necessarily in asking format holders to change their policies. (Although we all know cheaper licence fees would help – another contentious issue publishers never really like talking about.) Instead, the industry is rejecting those systems, or obeying them while conceding that console revenues are now just part of the story when it comes to games. The question facing Namco Bandai Partners – and every other ‘traditional’ publisher and retailer for that matter – is how they maintain relevance. And it’s in watching to find out who succeeds and who fails (and many will) that will prove most interesting.

VIRGIN TERRITORY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEUR Richard Branson is set to surprise the industry when his Virgin brand returns to games next month. While the company hasn’t confirmed the news direct (although our source is watertight), I reckon Virgin’s move into online gaming proves two things. Firstly, it speaks to the relative stability, attractiveness and potential of online services. These are now so entrenched in consumer views and business expectations of video games that even newcomers think they can devise services which complement or even rival the likes of Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Just look at OnLive, a minority stake in which is now owned by BT, or Ubisoft’s Uplay. Secondly, the increasingly high profile of games is attracting the attention of high profile personalities and investors previously uninterested in games. How things have changed – just a year ago, format holders were having to pay big name celebs like McCartney and Spielberg to rock up to LA and endorse new games at their E3 events. 12 months later, they’re holding their own press conferences… Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk

‘We must change the price of games’ Namco Bandai Partners VP Comte says new business models can address market slump First parties must help, he adds PRICE CHECK: Comte believes gaming needs a more viable costing model and alternate sources of revenue

by Michael French THE INDUSTRY must work together to address falling software sales by changing the way games are priced and sold. That’s according to Namco Bandai Partners’ vice president and head of sales and marketing Olivier Comte. Speaking to MCV at the publisher’s recent Level Up showcase in Barcelona, Comte said publishers are racing to find secondary business models to support retail sales. Possibilities include selling games at reduced prices, delivering them episodically – and even lobbying format holders to address licensing costs for console and handheld titles. “I feel all the big video game companies need to join together in a worldwide summit to discuss the future of our industry. I think we have to pull our thoughts together,” he told MCV. “If you compare [games] to music, music has two ways to make money – sales of disc, which is decreasing, and concert tickets, which are increasing so there’s another source of revenue

for the artist. Film has a similar situation, there is the disc and the cinema. “Games just have one model, the sale of the product either as a box or a digital download. So we need to think about how we can develop a secondary business model.” DLC is the obvious route and it can help bring down the

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“A good price of a game should be around £20 – but for this price we can’t make a ten to 15-hour adventure. So for £20 we should offer consumers four to five hours of gameplay, then after that we can make additional money with DLC.” Comte also said format holders such as Nintendo have a part to play in helping

Unlike music and film, games have one source of revenue. We need to think about secondary business models. Olivier Comte, Namco Bandai

price of games and make them more attractive to consumers, he added. “I am convinced that in the future we must change the price of video games – they’re too expensive for the audience. With the cost of development and the retail margins, £40 is a fair price [to us], but for the consumer it is too much. “From September to December there are three new blockbusters every week, and consumers just can’t afford to buy all that.

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publishers move on to new business models. He explained: “We need to discuss with first parties about the huge difficulties behind the current retail system. “It is impossible for a publisher to make money on a DS game, for example, that goes on sale for £15. We have to sell that game to retail for lower than that, we have to pay all the marketing, production and distribution costs. “This just isn’t a viable business model.”

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NEWS

London Games Festival reinvigorated Festival returns as month-long celebration in October Priority on mass media by Dominic Sacco THE FIFTH London Games Festival takes place this October as a month-long celebration of games, targeted at mainstream consumers, mass media and key Westminster figures. Festival chairman and EA VP and UK GM Keith Ramsdale has told MCV the focus behind the threepronged event is to ‘make a collective noise about this wonderful industry to key audiences’. He said: “The LGF will make London a focus for interactive entertainment and to engage with media, consumers and Government.” The Festival has run since 2006 – in that time associated events like Intent Media’s London Games Conference, the Eurogamer Expo and MCM Expo have become key fixtures on the industry

calendar. Meanwhile publishers have run their own software showcases in key London locations as part of the Festival. But Ramsdale believes the ELSPA-run event still needs more commitment from the UK trade.

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“The more there is for consumers and the Government to see and take part in, the more successful an image we will have and the amplification of noise will be louder. “ELSPA will work as hard as possible to garner support

The more participants, the more we show ourselves as a truly significant and successful industry. Keith Ramsdale, EA

“We need more participants,” he said. “We already have events that are confirmed and it is an open forum for any organisation to take part in. The more participants, the more we show ourselves as a truly significant and successful industry – and everyone will benefit from the accumulation of all the media attention.

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from as many participants as possible,” added Ramsdale. “At the end of the day this is about making a collective noise about this wonderful industry to the key audiences – and I ask everyone who reads this to make

themselves or an appointed person available.” ELSPA will provide organisational and PR support to anyone wanting to add their event to the roster or get involved. A mainstream PR agency will be appointed, guided by a forum of key industry PR and marketing personnel. The reinvigorated focus for the event has also seen the hiring of a dedicated event manager, Kirtsy Payne. Anyone looking to take part can contact her on kirsty.payne @londongamesfestival.co.uk or kirsty.payne@elspa.com, or by calling 0207 534 0580. Read the full interview about London Games Festival on page 21

[PRE ORDERS]

TOP 10 RED DEAD REDEMPTION: LIMITED EDITION 360, ROCKSTAR

2. RED DEAD REDEMPTION 360 ....................................ROCKSTAR

3. RED DEAD REDEMPTION: LIM ED PS3 ....................................ROCKSTAR

4. UNCHARTED 2 PLATINUM PS3 ..........................................SONY

5. RED DEAD REDEMPTION PS3 ....................................ROCKSTAR

6. UFC UNDISPUTED + 1GB USB PS3 ............................................THQ

7. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 360 ....................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

8. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS PS3 ....................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

9. MODNATION RACERS PS3 ..........................................SONY

10. SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 WII ....................................NINTENDO Week ending: May 14th Source: SHOPTO.COM Turn to page 41 for more pre-order charts from leading online retailers

UK SOFTWARE SALES MONITOR Your weekly guide to the UK games software market… The UK weekly market value fell two per cent to £15.8 million – a minor decrease thanks to strong sales of the latest releases such as Alan Wake. Unit sales fell by only four per cent, again boosted by strong day one sales. EA’s 2010 FIFA World Cup has racked up a third week as the biggest selling title, fending off a trio of big new releases. But those games – Alan Wake, Lost Planet 2 and Skate 3 – nevertheless helped to drive sales further. The market stands to grow from today’s newest releases, which include Rockstar’s hugely anticipated Red Dead Redemption, Disney’s ambitious racer Split/Second: Velocity and Ubisoft’s Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

[WEEKLY MARKET VALUE]

Total UK Software Sales Source: ELSPA/ChartTrack and Intent Media

Week Ending May 15th 2010

£15.8m

CUP GLORY: FIFA beat new hits such as Alan Wake and LP2

£18.8m

£16.0m

£15.8m

840,034 Units

771,104 Units

747,040 Units

0 Week Ending April 30th

Week Ending May 7th

Week Ending May 15th

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Free NFS won’t leave retail behind Need For Speed World could see ‘top up’ cards on High Street EA says distribution model will beat piracy by Dominic Sacco ON THE CARDS: Need For Speed World could still have a presence on the High Street, despite being a digital-only release

FREE-TO-DOWNLOAD MMO racer Need For Speed World won’t be released at retail, but retailers will be able to sell pre-paid game cards for the franchise’s latest title. Speaking to MCV at EA’s European showcase in London last week, Need For Speed’s producer Jesse Abney explained the difficulties of making an online-only game attractive to retailers. “As a free game that we want to distribute to everyone, we have essentially had to reevaluate how we distribute a

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The whole eco system of the games business is still built on retail – we can’t ignore how important that is. Jesse Abney, EA

game with a digital client to aid our retail partners,” Abney said. “In this case we might introduce a product that contains a Need For Speed World activation code – like a

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phone card – that the consumer can buy in store.” A micro-transaction system will give players access to new cars, tracks and power-ups in exchange for pre-paid credits.

EA is also confident that Need For Speed World’s new distribution model can tackle piracy and maximise exposure at the same time. Abney added: “We’re fully content to have the digital client distributed via every channel – as well as pirated. “I think the majority of customers still want a material object they can buy and the whole eco system of the games business is built on retail – we

can’t ignore how important that is. “Sony and Microsoft might not care as much if we deliver things digitally, but we have a tremendous number of retail partners that might. “So to do a wholesale transition overnight will have a detrimental impact – it would

be like killing all the blue whales in the ocean and then expecting that there will be no knock-on effect.” Need For Speed World will be released worldwide in July. The franchise has been a regular sales success for EA over the past 16 years. EA: 01483 463 000

Record sales predicted for Big Beach 2 THQ EXPECTS upcoming title Big Beach Sports 2 to become one of the best-selling titles on the Wii. The game follows in the footsteps of 2008’s Big Beach

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The original Big Beach Sports became one of the biggest success stories on Nintendo’s console, helping to silence frequent claims that third parties are hard-pressed to

The original Big Beach Sports is the fourth highest-selling third-party Wii title of all time and continues to sell well. Rebecca Attard, THQ

Sports, and is the third title in THQ’s Big franchise after last year’s Big Family Games.

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rack up high sales on Wii. Now THQ believes that BBS2 will perform just as well.

“We are really pleased to be launching the sequel to Big Beach Sports this summer,” said THQ’s associate PR manager Rebecca Attard. “The original is the fourth highest selling third-party Wii title of all time. It has continued to generate sales and reached 815,635 units sell-in to date.” After the suburban setting of Big Family Games, THQ has taken the brand back to its roots for this summer’s release. Big Beach Sports 2 features a wide variety of new motionsensitive mini-games set on tropical beaches.

It also introduces Balance Board-compatibility for certain mini-games, such as surfing. THQ believes the crossover between the game’s theme and timely release should help drive sales among its target market. Attard adds: “Big Beach Sports 2 is hitting the market a few weeks before the kids’ summer holidays begin, offering great fun for all the family with both single-player and multiplayer games along with plenty of great beach spots to compete in, including dune buggy racing, surfing and beach football.”

Big Beach Sports 2 is due to be released on the Nintendo Wii on June 25th. THQ: 01483 767656

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NEWS

GamesMaster mag finally relaunched

MCV to launch on Apple iPad

FUTURE Publishing released the new look GamesMaster this week as part of its ongoing plans to reboot the entire brand. The redesign is the biggest in the publication’s 17-year history and sees the introduction of new features, as well as a shift in focus to incorporate mobile, online and social network games. “With considerable respect from the industry and an unrivalled legacy amongst UK gamers, GamesMaster remains an important gaming brand within Future’s portfolio,” said Simon Maxwell, group publisher, console and online. “This extensive redesign of the monthly magazine kicks off our well-publicised reboot of the GamesMaster brand. We are currently exploring a variety of brand extensions, initially focusing on how GamesMaster is reflected online, through our CVG and GamesRadar networks. “GamesMaster is the UK’s best-selling multiformat games magazine and continues to drive pre-orders and buzz for new games amongst early adopters. With the magazine’s fresh new look and feel, and the appointment of Lee Nutter as publisher, we are able to offer our industry partners some incredibly creative ways of promoting their new launches.” Back in March, MCV reported that Future may be launching a new iteration of the popular GamesMaster TV series this autumn.

by Michael French

Future: 01225 442244

E3 issue will kick off new digital edition App includes video and back issue archive

THE E3 EDITION of MCV will launch as a special iPad app next month, kick-starting a brand new digital edition strategy for the leading games industry publication. Available from June 11th, the interactive version of MCV arrives just days after the UK roll out of the Apple device. Apple launched the iPad in the US at the start of April – the tablet has since sold over 1m units in the territory. The UK version arrives on May 28th, and rolls out in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time. Since launch iPad has sold over 12 million apps through its App Store, as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore as users start to consume the printed word in different ways. MCV’s iPad app will be a digital version of the weekly magazine. Along with our authoritative news features and

LAUNCH PAD: An enhanced digital edition of MCV will be available for Apple’s iPad every week, starting with the E3 Edition

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Launching on iPad is part of our on-going commitment to making MCV content available on all devices. Stuart Dinsey, Intent Media

product coverage, it will contain video segments and various ways to read the magazine.

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“Launching on iPad is part of our on-going commitment to making MCV content available

on all devices,” said Intent Media MD Stuart Dinsey. “This digital edition will bring to life our print edition, with rich media options and even wider UK and international circulation. “Our established PC digital edition will also be relaunched at the same time.”

Mindscape enters Sony plots kids’ push digital with Girls Night with PSP Essentials MINDSCAPE takes its first steps into the digital games space next month with the release of U-Sing: Girls’ Night. The karaoke title, which is released on June 18th, will arrive with the launch of the U-Sing Wii Store. This online service allows Wii owners to download new tracks that can be used with any U-Sing title. Girls’ Night already boasts a packed tracklist, with more than

30 songs from leading female artists including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Pixie Lott, Rihanna and more. “It’s very important that we can offer our content by every viable means,” said UK GM Mark Stanger. “The great thing about the U-Sing digital store is that it adds value for those with a physical version of the game, by extending the catalogue and making those downloads available for life.” Mindscape: 01858 469573

A NEW PSP range is set to boost sales among younger gamers as the holidays approach. Launching on June 4th, the PSP Essentials colleciton encompasses more than 20 best-selling handheld titles at new sub-£10 price points. “We’re aiming this series mainly at children and their families, encouraging them to get some new games for the summer,” said Sony product manager Claire Backhouse. “The price points mean

that even kids can afford top titles with their pocket money.” Rebranded editions of games such as FIFA, LocoRoco and Ben 10 will now be available for £9.99 on UMD or £7.99 via PSN. The range will benefit from a dedicated marketing campaign, with TV spots and print ads kicking off in mid-July. Sony: 020 7859 5000

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4mm reveals European battleplan New publisher wants UK studio European marketing director named ‘Konami partnership key,’ says Heath by Christopher Dring 4MM WANTS to set up a development studio in the UK in a bid to become a ‘global digital publisher.’ The US publisher/developer – which is currently working on promising music game Def Jam Rapstar – set up a UK sales and marketing office last

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“Opening a UK studio is absolutely something we’re looking at,” said Geoff Heath. “The UK has a tremendous talent pool and history in games. We will be watching closely to see if the new Government follows through on its pre-election proposals. “The 4mm team feels that we are very much at the

The UK has a tremendous talent pool and history in games. Opening a UK studio is something we’re looking at. Geoff Heath, 4mm

month, and has recruited industry veteran Geoff Heath to its advisory board. The firm has told MCV that part of its plans to become a major player in the digital and social games market includes opening a UK studio – if the Government can follow through on the promise of tax breaks.

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beginning of the social games market. Def Jam Rapstar is a social game, not in the pure ‘game played on a social network’ sense, but with the extensive online play and promotional metagame across social networks. “We think you will see the lines blurring over time as to

RAPPING TO EUROPE: 4mm hopes to open a UK development studio to produce titles like Def Jam Rapstar

what a social game is – we see a future where ‘social’ becomes a feature – where all games build in social hooks to better engage their players.” 4mm has also announced the appointment of Gavin Shackell to its UK office as European marketing director.

WEEK E H T F O N IG A P M A C ELOCITY SPLIT/SECOND: V Disney prepares its major racing release with a creative marketing plan…

RELEASED: MAY 21 FORMATS: 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER: DISNEY DEVELOPER: BLACK ROCK STUDIO PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

Shackell joins from EMI Music where he held the role of VP of European marketing. Meanwhile, the firm says that despite setting up a UK office it won’t be handling European distribution itself. “4mm has established a great relationship with Konami

TV Users can create their own race sequence online from game footage and enter it into a competition. The winner will get their movie used in a UK TV ad spot. Disney will also advertise editorial-style spots on MTV featuring one of the channel’s presenters.

and they have been incredibly supportive of Def Jam Rapstar,” added Heath. The game features a number of tracks from leading rap artists including Dizee Rascal’s ‘Fix Up, Look Sharp’ and Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger’. www.4mmgames.com

game’s ambassador. He has provided the developer with feedback and will help promote the game. CINEMA A national cinema campaign will attract potential buyers with a series of high definition film spots. PRINT Advertising will appear in consumer print and trade press publications.

EVENTS Consumers had the chance to play the game at The Gadget Show Live and the 2009 Eurogamer Expo. Petrolheads will also be able to see it at the automotive Modified Nationals show on May 28th to 30th. Disney claims this attracts the family, tech savvy, gaming and car enthusiast audiences.

ONLINE Ads and editorial articles will appear on several gaming websites, as well as an official downloadable Split/Second: Velocity magazine appearing on Gamerzines.

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT Disney has signed Manchester City and Engand footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips as the

RETAIL Disney will provide retail with a range of POS materials and instore trialling.

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NEWS

Sponsored by

Ubi on top in monthly charts Just Dance leads April charts as UK market value falls EA relinquishes No.1 spot by Christopher Dring EA’S THREE-MONTH stay at the top of the UK monthly charts is at an end as Ubisoft is declared the biggest publisher in April, according to GfK Chart-Track. It was a tough month for the UK games industry. In terms of value the market is down 22.2 per cent compared to the same period the year before, and in terms of units the market is down 23.5 per cent year-on-year. Ubisoft took an 18.6 per cent share of the UK software market last month, rising up to the top of the publisher rankings after sitting in fifth position in March. EA slipped to second with 18.1 per cent, but is still well ahead of Nintendo which sits in third place with a 14 per cent share. The reason for Ubisoft’s triumph was down to the continued success of its MCV Award-winning Just Dance, which was April’s biggest seller. The game has sold over

1m copies in the UK since its release in November last year. Ubisoft also secured second position in the April Top Ten with the arrival of its anticipated stealth sequel, Splinter Cell: Conviction, while EA grabbed third place with its FIFA World Cup game. Ubisoft’s UK MD Rob Cooper told MCV: “It is a great start to the new financial year – Splinter Cell: Conviction has performed well and Just Dance continues to be a huge seller. “With Prince of Persia released today (21st May) and the rest of the exciting line-up we have for this year, I am confident of maintaining a high level of success.” In terms of the value of games sold, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 held a 30.9 per cent share of the software market, with PS3 in second place (23.6 per cent) and Wii following closely behind in third position (21.4 per cent). GfK Chart-Track: 020 8741 7585

SQUARE ENIX: The publisher posted its best annual financial results since the merger of Square Co and Enix Corporation in 2003. Operating income was up 130 per cent at £210m. Net sales increased 41.7 per cent. NINTENDO: DS sales in the US saw a year-on-year decrease of 600,000 units in April, despite selling over 1m during the same period. This was due to the DSi’s launch in April 2009. Wii sales were down 63,000 year-on-year.

THE APRIL TOP TEN 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Just Dance .............................................................................Ubisoft Splinter Cell: Conviction......................................................Ubisoft FIFA World Cup 2010 ...................................................................EA GTA: Episodes From Liberty City ..................................Rockstar Battlefield: Bad Company 2 .......................................................EA Wii Fit Plus ..........................................................................Nintendo Wii Sports Resort ..............................................................Nintendo Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ...................................Activision Just Cause 2 .................................................................Square Enix Pokemon: Soul Silver .......................................................Nintendo

New UK sales force Hive to share THQ’s Splatters over retail UFC 2010 success A NEW GAMES marketing agency Splatter is calling on publishers to utilise its unique services, promising them a cost-effective way to get their titles into retail. In addition to running marketing campaigns for games firms, Splatter also boasts a sales solution. The company helps publishers pitch their products to retailers, with the focus on bringing European titles to the UK. It can arrange in-store activities from staff demos to launch parties. Splatter was set up in February by former Channel Advantage man Jonathan

SPLATTER HOUSE: Dunnett helps publishers pitch products

Dunnett, who now works as Splatter’s owner and director of sales and marketing. “We feel we are the most cost-effective agency in this industry and offer some unique services,” said Dunnett. Splatter: 07812 353116

UBISOFT: A new retail version of Assassin’s Creed II – dubbed The Complete Edition – will hit retail on June 4th. It includes a full copy of the game and both DLC expansions.

PERIPHERALS specialist Hive Entertainment will benefit from the release of THQ’s UFC Undisputed 2010. Hitting shelves around the same time as the game will be Hive’s Round 5 World of MMA Champions series – a range of UFC fighter figurines priced at £12.99 each. THQ’s UFC Undisputed 2009 sold 3.5 million units worldwide. With the 2010 edition expected to top this, Hive believes its own UFC range will also be a hit.

“As UFC fans ourselves, we wanted these officially licensed figures to be available in time for the release of the new Undisputed game,” said Hive’s director Steve Nicholas. “It is evident from the popularity of last year’s 2009 outing that gamers have really embraced UFC and with the launch of THQ’s UFC 2010, this is the perfect time to make these collectable figures available.” Hive Entertainment: 07872 692486

SEGA: Sega Sammy Holdings posted year-onyear profits of £151.8m up from a loss of £171.3m in the same period last year, while total sales were down 10.4 per cent. WARNER BROS: Super Scribblenauts has been given an autumn release window. It’s the sequel to the popular DS title Scribblenauts which has hold over 1.1m copies worldwide. KONAMI: Profits rose 22.4 per cent year-on-year for Konami during its fiscal year ending March 31st at $143.4m, and revenues fell 15.4 per cent at $2.8bn.

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MCV INTERVIEW SCOTT GUTHRIE, GM & EXEC VP, MTV GAMES

MTV’s Euro Vision Rock Band may be the market leading music game in the US, but in Europe it lags firmly behind the Guitar Hero series. Christopher Dring speaks to MTV Games boss Scott Guthrie to discuss the firm’s new European office, its plans to unseat Activision and the appointment of industry veteran Roy Campbell… How have MTV Games and Rock Band performed in Europe so far? The positive is that we see Europe as the biggest opportunity for growth. The reality is we have underperformed in this market, certainly versus our competitor. We had decent growth with The Beatles: Rock Band, but we absolutely believe there is much more to come from us for the European territories.

TOP OF THE POPS: MTV Games’ Scott Guthrie is confident the company can be the market leader in all forms of music gaming

How does the company plan to turn things around? It is a fairly straightforward game plan – we need to have more feet on the ground so that we’ve got dedicated resources that will be able to collaborate and work with our EA and Mad Catz partners. One of the new people you’ve hired is Roy Campbell. What can he bring to the business? As you know this is a very competitive market place, particularly here in the UK. I’d say the UK is the toughest territory for anyone in the gaming business. There is a lot of price compression. So somebody with Roy’s experience is key. He allows us to be nimble, he will hopefully team up quickly with our partners, and then be able to go out to the marketplace and achieve the required growth. Is the long-term plan to stick with EA or will MTV look to go it alone? We have a partnership that is not longterritories for a music-based business, and term, but we have been together a long we expect to participate in the 16 to 17 time. These things are contractually per cent sizing that the music/rhythm bound, but in terms of how we space has in these markets. Our goal is approach the partnership, it is longto be the number one player in music term. Electronic Arts is I’d say the UK is the toughest fully supportive of what we are trying to do and territory for anyone in the they’re really the key gaming business. There is a drivers in helping us lot of price compression. achieve our objectives.

“

How much market share are you looking for in Europe and the UK? It varies from territory to territory. The UK and Nordic countries are good

Scott Guthrie, MTV Games

games. We have a long way to go, and we are playing catch-up – we were not the first people in the market and we’re

up against not just a formidable opponent in Activision, but also Sony with the SingStar franchise. There are several things in play here – but we absolutely believe we can be the market leader. In the UK Guitar Hero is No.1. How can you unseat this franchise? Guitar Hero absolutely is the market leader in Europe, but that’s not the case back in the US, so we have been able to do this before. We think we have better gameplay, better song selection and a better online presence. When you

”

access Rock Band’s DLC we have over 1,000 songs, whereas they have a third of that. We really believe that with the launch of Rock Band 3 – which is a significant upgrade to what we had before – we believe we can take market share aware from them. At the end of the day, what we are trying to do is isolate what our consumer is looking for, and hopefully grow his or her participation in our games. Gaining market share is our secondary objective. We want to please our consumers and expand our consumer base. Music is one of those things where there may be some songs on Guitar

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MCV INTERVIEW SCOTT GUTHRIE, GM & EXEC VP, MTV GAMES Hero that isn’t in our title that a consumer wants to play, so hopefully they will enjoy both products. So both businesses can be compatible with each other. How important is Rock Band’s digital element to your overall business? I think it is critical no matter what entertainment category you’re in. For us the disc has always been the entry point for our game, but then that disc opens up a whole other world of opportunities through DLC. For example, we can feature a new artist every month for download. DLC allows the franchise to stay alive and it keeps it interesting. But one is not separate from the other. We don’t see it is a digital business and a boxed business, both are connected to one another. We know that space at retail is tight and expensive, and it has to be a huge opportunity for retail to give up that space. So digital allows us to compliment what we are doing on a day-to-day basis. Do you think it will ever reach a stage where you won’t need to release a disc and can just update the game through DLC? I don’t know. The consumer will tell us how they want to get their entertainment. But I don’t see that happening in the short term. I see that there is still a need for us to distribute product through bricks and mortar. One of your digital initiatives has been the Rock Band Network. What’s been the response to that? It has been really fun and is exceeding our expectations in the number of artists that are using it. We expected artists that have yet to make a living out of music to be putting their songs on the network. But what we are finding is that very well-known artists are also using it – we’re more than doubling the number of artists we anticipated. Activision is looking to grow the market by targeting other music fans through DJ Hero and Band Hero. What are your thoughts on this strategy? I will speak for my franchise, because I can’t talk for theirs. But we believe that Rock Band can suit different genres. You may have an inclination to metal or to country, but we believe that once you

GOT THE GREEN LIGHT: Guthrie says Green Day’s history and fans makes the group more suitable for Rock Band than The Beatles

have played our game with your chosen genre you can then go on and enjoy a different style. Rock Band can bring families together. That is what was so cool about The Beatles. It allowed parents to introduce that music to their children, but it also allowed the children to go on the Rock Band store and introduce Green Day to the parents.

that this isn’t a band that has been around for short period – they’ve been going 21 years. They have a great history. For the core gamer market, Green Day probably has a much higher awareness than perhaps The Beatles did. Were you happy with how The Beatles: Rock Band performed? The honest answer is no. We were expecting higher sales. We got caught in a few things that happened last year. It was a tough economy; there was a lot of competitive products out there, and I think Beatles probably had softer sales than it would have if some of those things weren’t in play. Overall we were pleased with the sales. I think that we

The Beatles and Green Day certainly have very different fans. But if you don’t want to get stuck focussing on a specific genre, then why release band-specific titles? First and foremost it has to be a band that wants to work with us and has a story to tell. And that story has to be able to translate into the game itself. We know I don’t see DLC replacing new that consumers like a music games in the short wide range of music, so term. There is still a need to we are trying to walk distribute these through retail. that fine balance of Scott Guthrie, MTV Games giving consumers what they want but also, when we have the opportunity to work with a underestimated the competition and great band like Green Day, to be able to they took mind share away from us. embrace it and tell their story. The music genre still performed well.

“

Would you say that perhaps a band like Green Day is more suited to Rock Band’s audience than perhaps The Beatles were? Yeah, I think that is a fair statement. I think that our core audience of 16 to 34-year-old males are much more familiar with Green Day music than The Beatles. What is interesting about Green Day is

So you don’t agree that the music genre is in terminal decline? Yes, when you look at share year-overyear, it is in decline. But what has happened is that people now have the plastic peripherals in their homes. You could argue the instruments should never have been part of the share in the first place, because in terms of software

our business was up 73 per cent yearon-year. I believe that was also the case with Guitar Hero. I think that is where we are in the evolution of music games. Most people have their instruments and they are only looking to buy the software. Music games are still significant in the marketplace – they’re the number two genre behind shooters. Like any big genre, it will have its ups and downs, but it will be built on new content and creativity, and those will be the things that decide whether consumers want to keep investing in music games. Why should we be excited for Rock Band 3? At E3, you’ll see that Harmonix has spent two years on an engine upgrade and creating the next evolution of Rock Band. Unlike the other guy, we haven’t been bringing a new game out every year. Sure, last year we had The Beatles but that was more about the content. This time we have lots of great, new music and some new consumer features you will find interesting.

”

What about MTV Games’ ambitions outside of the music genre? We’re very focused on leveraging the assets of MTV, which is a music, popculture business, and the ability of the Harmonix studio, which is music-based as well. You will see some things announced at E3 that will focus around both the music and pop-culture elements.

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TRADE UPDATE

A new political era ELSPA director general Michael Rawlinson discusses British politics, LGF and new staff... THE LAST FEW weeks will doubtless be seen by historians as a truly remarkable time in British history, the outcome of which will have a huge impact on UK business not least the games industry. In the run up to the General Election, having developed our policy agenda, ELSPA looked at the most effective ways to impose the needs of our industry on the future Government. It was clear to us that the General Election outcome would be close, though we did not predict the astonishing result leading to such a political pickle. Nevertheless, to ensure maximum influence of our policy agenda we decided that the best possible approach was to communicate our messages to all three parties. At the time we were a little concerned that our strategy meant that we were spreading our resources and messages too thinly. However, this has proved to be rather prudent as we have now been assured that regardless of the colour (or colours) of our new Government, our next Minister will be up to speed regarding the video games industry well before his civil service briefing paper arrives. With this in mind we very much hope to see early progress on our policy agenda including the implementation of PEGI, the beginning of the consultation into tax breaks, exploration into the viability of a ‘games council’ and support for our skills agenda via StemNet and SkillSet. Sticking with Parliamentary issues for a moment, I’m sure you are aware that, as part of the Digital Economy Act, provision has been made to allow PEGI to become the legal system for classifying games in

the UK. Once appointed, the new Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will need to ask Parliament to approve his choice

“

campaign to educate the public about the changes to the law and what the PEGI symbols actually mean. To ensure the maximum impact of this

We’re assured that regardless of the new Government’s colours, our PM will be up to speed on the games industry. Michael Rawlinson, ELSPA

of ratings body (‘The Video Standards Council’), and alter the packaging and labelling regulations accordingly. These approvals will take a little while so we are not expecting PEGI to become the sole classifier for video games in the UK until the autumn at the earliest. As soon as we have firm information, we will update you accordingly. This will also mean big changes for consumers. We are therefore already developing a

”

campaign, we are creating a working group of the great and the good from our industry. Therefore if you have an interest in this area, please do get in contact. As you will read on the page opposite, we are delighted to be supporting London Games Festival again this year at which events will run throughout the month of October. ELSPA is employing Kirsty Payne as a consultant to drive participation in the

festival and ensure that publicfacing PR is co-ordinated as we approach and lead into the festival. Alongside the exciting consumer events that are already planned and in discussion, we will be using the festival as an opportunity to showcase our industry, our creativity and cutting edge technological developments to policy makers and Parliamentarians. With the launch of Natal already lined up for October and Sony’s Move likely not to be far behind, we are in a great position to demonstrate the economic and cultural value interactive entertainment can bring to this country. These events are a great opportunity for you to build a relationship with your local MP, so do think about how you can get involved, what products or events you might like to showcase and how we can

help your company make the most of the festival. On a final note, many of you will probably have seen our advertisements for two new positions; a commercial manager and a public affairs and communications manager. We had a great response and interviews are taking place right now. This investment in the association’s team is a vital part of our future plans for UKIE to ensure that we have the scope and capacity to deliver a first class service to our members and the industry. As part of this drive the development of our vision, together with our re-branding is well under way and on course for a late summer launch. I look forward to seeing you then – by which time, I hope, the UK economic and political climate will be considerably more settled.

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TRADE UPDATE

London Calling EA MD Keith Ramsdale talks exclusively to MCV about ELSPA’s plans for this year’s London’s Games Festival…

FULL LIST OF MEMBERS 505 Games Activision Blizzard Avanquest Software

Is London Games Festival definitely returning this year? When is it and what will it consist of? Yes it is; the Festival will run throughout October. The LGF is to make London a focus for Interactive Entertainment and to engage with media, consumers and Government. The London Games Festival is made up of individual events led by seperate companies all brought together under the LGF umbrella. ELSPA will coordinate the full festival as well as organise the ELSPA-specific events to be determined. There will be Festival PR led by ELSPA but each event’s PR will be down to the organising participant.

CD Team CDV Software Capcom Centresoft Codemasters Disney Interactive Studios Electronic Arts Eurogamer Fidelity Investment Services Focus Multimedia Frontier Future Publishing GAME Group Gamebridge Hasbro Intent Media Koch Media Konami Majesco Europe

How can the industry make the most of LGF? Is this just for publishers, or can retail play a part too? The LGF is an open format allowing stakeholders and participants to hold shared or autonomous events as they deem appropriate. We also encourage people to run bespoke events of course. However if a participant already has planned activities then we just ask that they be held under the LGF banner. This could well mean that no additional investment would be needed as the activities a

“

Mastertronic Microsoft Midas Interactive

benefit from the accumulation of all the media attention. The more there is for consumers and the Government to see and take part in, the more successful an image we will be and the amplification of noise will be louder. ELSPA will take ownership of the LGF and provide organisational and PR support. ELSPA will facilitate the calendar of events and activities and will be pro-

The more participants, the more we show ourselves as a truly significant and successful industry. Keith Ramsdale, EA

participant organises may already be budgeted and planned for. What needs to happen for LGF to grow in profile in 2010, after a very quiet festival last year? We need more participants. We already have events that are confirmed and it is an open forum for any organisation to take part in. The more participants, the more we show ourselves as a truly significant and successful industry – and everyone will

”

active to the trade and stakeholders to fill the calendar. ELSPA will work as hard as possible to garner support from as many participants as possible.

Who is leading the LGF project this year? This year we are lucky to have secured Kirsty Payne who will manage the event. Anyone looking to take part or find out more should contact Kirsty at kirsty.payne @londongamesfestival.co.uk or kirsty.payne@elspa.com or

contact +44 (0) 207 534 0580. In addition to Kirsty, we will have a retained Mainstream PR Agency and much of the comms and marketing initiatives will be formed as an output of a forum of lead marketing ad PR experts from the Industry. What do you want the event to achieve? There are three key desired outcomes from this year’s London Games Festival: Engagement of mainstream and dedicated media in a coordinated and centrally-led London Games Festival. Engagement of consumers in interactive entertainment events for four weeks in and around London. Engagement of Westminster – with a monthlong focus on cultural and economic benefits of games and interactive entertainment as a whole.

this year than live events as such? The LGF isn’t bound by dates and both the events you mentioned will be taking place under the LGF banner. We have flexibility. At the end of the day this is about making a collective noise about this wonderful industry to the key audiences mentioned above. We all believe that this is where the ‘whole will be greater than the sum of the parts’. Kirsty will be looking to make contact with as many players in the industry as humanly possible and I ask everyone who reads this to make themselves or an appointed person available.

Namco Bandai Games Europe NCSoft Europe Nintendo UK Nordic Games Publishing PlayV Rising Star Games Sega Europe SCEE Sony DADC Square Enix THQ International Take-Two Tecmo Koei The Stationery Office Tradewest Ubisoft Warner Bros ZeniMax Europe /Bethesda

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON JOINING ELSPA GO TO Two key events, Eurogamer Expo and London Games Conference, took place during LGF last year, but both have moved to either ends of the month – will they be part of LGF this year? Or is LGF more about marketing and PR

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MCV 21/05/10 19

INDIE ROUND TABLE

Independent thinking It may be in decline, but independent retail remains a lucrative sector for some of the more savvy businessmen out there. To celebrate last week’s Top 20 indie feature, MCV and Nindie.com hosted a special dinner for a selection of the winners to discuss the burning issues affecting the sector…

OUR INDIE PANEL (from left to right): Shaun Mulvey – Powerplay Direct, Martin Marriot – Nintendo, Robert Lindsay – Games Centre, Paul Nicholls – Koch, Nick Elliot – Barkman Computers, Chris Harwood – Grainger Games, Jason Cooling – Koch, Phil Moore – Grainger Games, James Rowson – ShopTo, Neil Muspratt – Simply Games, Matthew Brady – Game On and Matthew Bowdon – DVD.co.uk

What are the biggest challenges facing the independent games retail business today? Nick Elliot, Barkman Computers: A lot of the time it is about availability. One of the biggest problems we have is when national accounts have exclusive versions or tin boxes or exclusive content, and in these areas we just can’t compete. But we do whatever we can.

What challenges are there online? Matthew Bowden, DVD.co.uk: Online competition is very fierce at the moment with the likes of Amazon being particularly aggressive on price, so it can be difficult to get a good price point for your customers. The key is picking the titles our bigger rivals are not concentrating on. If they are focusing on Avatar, we will focus on a different DVD. We did the same with Harry Potter and Modern Warfare 2.

Matthew Brady, Game On: It is very tough, especially when rivals sell below cost. But One weakness of High Street you do get loyal customers chains is that they follow a who come back, because it specific brand identity – is about availability, independents don’t have to. customer service, customer Shaun Mulvey, Powerplay Direct knowledge and they can trade games in as well. How interested are you in the How important has online become digital market? to your business? Shaun Mulvey, Powerplay Direct: Phil Moore, Grainger Games: We Digital is something that everyone from know where we are online, and it still an independent perspective has to look needs progressing. The good thing is at. We are obviously researching it, and that online our like-for-like sales have where appropriate we will implement it. performed extremely well, with double digit growth. That can only get better Matthew Bowden: We are hoping to because of the added focus online – we have some digital download content on have just hired a specific online monitor. our site for this Christmas. Games will

“

be the first thing we introduce before music or video. Robert Lindsay, Games Centre: We have no plans in digital. At the moment we don’t see where the opportunity is in digital. I’d like to see if we could, but at the moment it is physical product we are working on. In what ways do you compete with the big multiple retailers such as GAME and Amazon? Shaun Mulvey: One of the weakness of the High Street is that you have 100 stores in a chain that is following a very specific brand identity – independents don’t have to follow that. As an independent we can communicate and engage with our local community at a much better level.

”

James Rowson, ShopTo: The major difference between the multiples and us from a sales perspective is mass-market product. Look at Just Dance. It could be No.1 every week, it could sell up to 40,000 every week, but it is on Wii and is something we almost can’t give away.

But give us Yakuza or Demon’s Souls and we can build up hundreds, if not thousands of pre-orders in under 72 hours. What advice would you give to a struggling indie, or someone trying to open their own store? Matthew Bowden: The biggest challenge is getting the suppliers to take you seriously. You’ve got to stick with it. It’s no easier to set up an online store than a bricks and mortar outlet. And it is getting the supply chain. If you have good supply relationships, then you can definitely compete on the market place. Neil Muspratt, Simply Games: The most sensible thing to do is not fight every fight. We could build a volume business and make no money. Our mantra is to always try and make money.

TOP 20 UK INDIES MCV and Nindie.com offer a rundown of the best indie game stores in the UK.

Visit tinyurl.com/top20indies or turn to page 14 in last week’s MCV.

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TERRITORY REPORT: SOUTH AFRICA

[THE FACTS: SOUTH AFRICA] Population: 49,320,000 Currency: Rand (ZAR) GDP (Per Capita): $10,243 Capital Cities: Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative) Languages: Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu Distributors: Core, Apex Interactive, Ster-Kinekor, Megarom, Comztek, Prima, Nu Metro Key retailers: Pick ‘n’ Pay, Jet, Makro, Checkers, Incredible Connection, Hifi Corporation, BT Games, Look ‘n’ Listen, Musica, Toyzone, Reggies, Toys R Us, GAME

TOTAL GAMES MARKET VALUE

SOFTWARE UNIT SALES SPLIT 2009

2000

1500

30% PC

734

54% Console

730 HW

(£65.2m)

(£88.1m)

(£65.6m)

1000

16% Handheld

HW -1% YoY

500

866

986

(£77.4m)

SW +14% YoY

2008

2009

A land of diversity South Africa plays host to the World Cup next month, but is it as welcoming to games companies as it is to footballers? Christopher Dring looks at the challenges the country has faced in the last year... MARKET OVERVIEW The games market in South Africa was worth 1.72 billion rand (£152 million), a seven per cent rise in sales over 2008. However, so far in 2010 revenues are down year-on-year, with industry estimates suggesting that by the end of the year the market would be flat. PS2 is the strongest selling platform by quite a long way with almost 845,000 consoles sold, PSP is the second most successful console with an installed base of 170,000 (see Estimated Installed Bases). Console unit sales in 2009 showed a decline for Xbox 360, which was due to the collapse of the platform holder’s

South African distributor, MI Digital. The fastest rising platform is PS3, which saw a year-on-year sales increase of 36 per cent. PS3 software sales also shot up in 2009, with unit sales up 55 per cent compared to 2009. Meanwhile, a major growth category for publishers has been mobile gaming. The most popular games in South Africa are driving and sports titles, namely Need For Speed, FIFA and Gran Turismo. Traditional shooters such as Grand Theft Auto and Gears of War also perform strongly. Unfortunately these increasing sales are offset by South Africa’s severe

piracy problem, despite the efforts of anti-piracy group SAFACT. “South Africa still has strong sales on the PS2 console, even though it is not strong in Europe,” says Apex International director Quinton Davie. “Piracy has always been an issue in South Africa, as it is in the rest of the world. The problem is South Africa is also far away from other markets, geographically, which makes it a little difficult to keep release dates exactly to international release dates. “We also had delays in stock arriving in South Africa due to the flight cancellations from the Volcanic eruption

in Iceland, we’re very dependent on air travel because we are so far away from the UK and Europe, where we get most of our goods from, as we are also a PAL territory when it comes to the console market.” EA South Africa’s Charmaine van Niekerk adds: “Our biggest challenge is that our strongest install base is still PS2 and most of the developers are not catering for this format anymore and that leaves us with very limited new product to service this demand. Piracy is always a challenge for us. Not so much online as actual product being shipped in from the east.”

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TERRITORY REPORT: SOUTH AFRICA

TERRITORY ANALYSIS Chris Stanton-Jones of emerging market specialists Catapult Business Solutions provides us with an overview of the South African games market…

ESTIMATED INSTALLED BASES DEC 2009

800k

The PS2’s lead over the other consoles is quite clear and not uncommon in lesserdeveloped markets. Interestingly, the PSP is not only ahead of its rival – the Nintendo DS – but also the three major consoles. Like other markets around the world, the Wii maintains a lead over Microsoft and Sony’s consoles.

600k 400k 200k 0 Household Penetration

PS2

PSP

XBOX 360

PS3

WII

6.7%

1.3%

0.9%

0.8%

1.0%

0.45%

DEVELOPMENT

RETAIL

The video game development sector in South Africa is very small, only a handful of games are developed in the sector – with the most famous being a ‘90s PC title called Toxic Bunny. Any developers in the region work largely on mobile and digital titles. A publication called Dev.Mag for South African developers exists that serves this underused community. Most South Africans trying to break into games development end up having to work abroad. “We have had a few smaller companies developing games but I think the biggest challenge here is the cost of development,” comments EA South Africa’s Charmaine van Niekerk. “One of the developers on Need For Speed: Shift is from South Africa.”

South African retailers can be found mostly in enclosed shopping malls due to problems with crime in the country. There are a wide array of games outlets, including national chains, toy outlets, music retailers and specialists. The biggest specialist is BT Games, which has around 25 stores in the country. The firm is well known for its pre-order initiatives, which allows it to secure more new release sales than its rivals. Interestingly, storebased shopping is popular in South Africa and is more widely adopted than internet shopping.

In terms of distribution, Megarom is the dominant local distributor ahead of EA and Ster Kinekor. However, distribution is very expensive in South Africa and only really occurs in the main towns. Last year, Xbox 360 console distributor MI Digital entered liquidation and Microsoft has since switched distribution to PC specialists Comztek. “The retail market is very strong in general,” says EA South Africa’s Charmaine van Niekerk. “A good mix of specialist and mass merchants ensures we are able to reach a very diverse target market.”

South Africa’s economy had its worst year in 2009 for a long time as GDP and consumer spending reduced year-on-year. Despite tough trading conditions, however, the total video games market grew in 2009 by seven per cent, with even stronger growth of software alone at 14 per cent. 2010 growth is expected to be lower, nevertheless, and trading in the first quarter is reported as down versus last year. 2009 was a good year for Sony with PS2 (remarkably) still the fastest-selling console, PSP outselling the DS and PS3 regaining its week-on-week sell through lead over Xbox 360. Nintendo has achieved good sales results from Wii, which is now has the second highest installed base of all TV based consoles after PS2, but DS is performing poorly. Microsoft has had a troubled 2009 following the demise of their distributor and a loss of market share to other formats. Despite this, they maintain an installed base lead over PS3. PC is still the second largest software format after PS2, although its market share is slipping slightly. There are few changes in the retail landscape apart from the continued growth of the games specialist chain BT Games. There have been no bankruptcies amongst the key accounts although retailers are reportedly being cautious in their buy-in. In terms of key challenges, with few new PS2 titles being released – what will fill the gap? PS2 titles currently represent 30 per cent of market volume and 15-20 per cent of revenue. Xbox also has some work to do to regain lost momentum in 2009. The market, however, is one of great opportunity. It still has much room to grow and there are signs that it is now starting to open up to the mass market. The software format with the greatest growth opportunity for publishers is PS3.

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MCM EXPO PREVIEW

Show & Sell

WHILE THE Midlands event is also popular, it’s the London iteration of the MCM Expo that thousands look forward to. Held in the city’s ExCeL centre, this twice-yearly show is a celebration of all things related to movies, comics, manga and more. Given the crossover between demographics, games are becoming an increasingly important part of the expo and this year is no exception. From publishers to platform holders, some of the industry’s biggest companies are preparing the products they’ll be showing off at the upcoming May expo, as well as gauging the public’s reaction as they plan ahead for the event’s larger October counterpart. Event promoter Bryan Cooney says: “May’s London MCM Expo is going to be a blast for everyone taking part. The advance ticket sales are already up 30 per cent compared to last year so smashing the 40,000 consumers we saw over the two days in 2009 looks a certainty. “We are so pleased to have some great publishers on board. Plans for October’s show are already well underway with a record number of publishers registering their interest, including Nintendo, Tecmo Koei and Ubisoft which are already confirmed. “If publishers keep supporting London MCM Expo, it will be without doubt the number one consumer event for video games.”

As the MCM Expo returns to London, publishers and platform holders will be showcasing their titles directly to consumers. James Batchelor provides a run-down of what gaming fans can expect…

NINTENDO

ACTIVISION

UBISOFT

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Transformers: War for Cybertron

While the publisher won’t be showing off any new games, it will have a strong presence thanks to some viral marketing for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. There will be giant banners in the main hall and special masquerade sponsorship with Prince of Persia goodies, with a poster and discount voucher for the game given to the first 5,000 attendees. The MCM show guide will also promote the game.

Dragon Quest IX Monster Hunter Tri Professor Layton Super Mario Galaxy 2 Sin and Punishment Samurai Warriors 3 WarioWare DIY

“This is part of our Nintendo Unleashed gamer’s tour where we are visiting the biggest events in the country where gamers’ might be found,” says Nintendo UK’s head of communications Rob Saunders.

“We want to show that Wii and DS have titles that even the most hardcore gamer can enjoy and feel challenged by – and MCM Expo really gives us the opportunity to showcase those. “We hope that the attendees enjoy playing these titles, along with all the other awesome games we’ve got.”

Activision will stand out at the show thanks to two of its most successful licences and its newest IP. “We are delighted to announce that both Blur and Transformers: War for Cybertron will be shown at this years MCM Expo,” says Activision brand manager Natalie Giles. “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will also be in a dedicated area and

we are excited to be able to showcase all of these highly anticipated titles to consumers.” MCM Expo is set to have the world’s first playable demo of Transformers.

As an extra treat for fans, Yuri Lowenthal – the voice of the Prince – will be attending and signing posters. Brand manager Jan Sanghera says: “The MCM Expo has evolved over the years and it’s a great way to target a young audience of people who love games, manga and films. We hope to further raise awareness for The Forgotten Sands and remind attendees that the game is on sale.”

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24 MCV 21/05/10

WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCM EXPO PREVIEW

KONAMI

RISING STAR GAMES

TECMO KOEI

AND THE REST...

Konami will be holding the UK Yu-GiOh! Trading Card Game National Championship and the Yu-Gi-Oh! DS National Championship throughout the weekend. Fans will be able to battle it out with both the trading cards and the publisher’s most recent DS release, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2010. Konami hopes to see up to 394 entrants for each tournament, who will be whittled down until a national champion has been found.

No More Heroes 2 Samurai Shodown Sen

Quantum Theory

MCM Expo will be aiming to set a Guinness World Record for the largest handheld game console party. Attendees are invited to bring their DS and a game on May 29th in the hopes of breaking the record set by Australia back in October 2007. As part of this Nintendo will be giving consumers the chance to win one of five DSi XLs, with other random prizes up for grabs from other exhibitors.

“The MCM Expo is the largest consumer event of this kind in the UK and provides us with a unique and direct contact with our core consumers,” comments product manager Yen Hau. “It is a very relaxed atmosphere and you can genuinely tell people about your games in an upfront and friendly manner.

Tecmo Koei will be leading with a playable version of Quantum Theory – the first time gamers have been able to get hands-on with the game outside of the Tokyo Game Show. The publisher will also be selling a limited edition figurine of Kasumi from Dead or Alive: Paradise. “For us MCM Expo is mainly about having a place where our fans can come and play the new games and

Namco Bandai will be supporting the Manga Entertainment stand with demo pods for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 and Dragon Ball: Origins 2.

The champion will then go on to play in either the card tournament’s European Championship or the DS World Finals.

“As it is not a dedicated games event, the people who attend just want to have fun and see what is new, so there is no pressure to ‘outperform’ another publisher or say who had the best game on show. We hope to build upon our already strong relationship with this key market audience for Rising Star Games.”

meet and greet with our staff,” says TKE’s sales and marketing vice president Will Curley. “We get great feedback from the visitors and we can also source some nice items for them from Japan. It helps create an all-round experience of Tecmo Koei – there’s a lot more to our franchises than just the games.”

Hasbro will be showcasing a playable version of XBLA title Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, based on the popular Wizards Of The Coast trading card game. The firm will also be promoting the upcoming launch of the PC version, due this summer. Wizards of the Coast’s assistant brand manager Lupita Garcia says: “London Expo is a good event for us to be at, where we aim to reach a wide audience to showcase both the cards and Duels of the Planeswalkers.” Turtle Entertainment will be running professional gaming tournaments as part of the ongoing Electronic Sports League’s ESL Pro Series for the UK.

Advertentie 230x315_advertentie 230x315 v2 23-04-10 11:23 Pagina 1

www.foreignmediagames.co.uk

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Sponsored by

POLL IS THE LACK OF A ‘WII 2’ OR ‘WII HD’ HURTING NINTENDO?

REVIEW SCORES MCV provides the most important average review scores of the last few days – all sourced from Metacritic...

93% ModNation Racers, PS3, Sony

56%

Yes

Super Street Fighter IV PS3, Capcom

82% 81% 80% 68% Skate 3, 360, EA

44%

3D Dot Game Heroes,

PS3 South Peak

Lost Planet 2, PS3, Capcom

Speaking to MCV recently, analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Nintendo is leaving it far too late to reveal a successor to the Wii. He claimed Wii games are not compelling enough to drive consumers to buy more than two per year and that game quality suffers because publishers have to develop separate versions from Xbox 360 and PS3 titles. It seems that a little over half of the participants in the latest MCV online

survey agree with him, believing that Nintendo should have released an upgraded or succeeding console sooner. However, just under half of voters (44 per cent) believe Nintendo is in an acceptable position and that the Wii’s success has not suffered for its lack of horsepower when compared to Microsoft and Sony’s platforms. Take part in MCV’s next poll at www.mcvuk.com

MARGIN MAKER

*Metacritic scores correct at the time of going to press

INDIE CHARTS - ALL FORMATS 1

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

TITLE/FORMAT

PUBLISHER

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP: SOUTH AFRICA FORMAT: 360

DEVELOPER: EA CANADA PUBLISHER: EA

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION 360

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP: SOUTH AFRICA PS3

UBISOFT EA

MONSTER HUNTER TRI WII

GOD OF WAR: COLLECTION PS3

POKÉMON SOULSILVER DS

SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV PS3

CAPCOM

SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 360

CAPCOM

IRON MAN 2 360

THE SIMS 3 PC

CAPCOM SONY

Gamers on the go this summer will be interested in this smart transportation and storage pack for their DS. The Mini Transporter Case sports a backpack-style design and can safely carry a Nintendo DS, DS Lite or DSi. It also has space for other

accessories, as well as storage slots for up to twelve games. The cases are made from a rugged, hard-wearing material that should survive whatever kids can throw at it, and are available in a mix of colours – blue, pink and cyan. BDA: +1 425 492 6111

NINTENDO

SEGA EA

Charts compiled by Game Guide/Complete EPOS Solutions. For more information about Complete EPOS Solutions call 01543 370002. For more information about the Game Guide call 01606 836347.

DEAL OF THE WEEK GAME customers can save almost £100 when they pick up a 250Gb PS3 Slim, Final Fantasy XIII and either God of War III or Uncharted 2 for £289.99.

40,41 MCV588_final

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RETAILBIZ: HIGH STREET WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 21/05/10 41 Sponsored by

PRICE CHECK [PRE ORDERS] Sin & Punishment Wii, Nintendo

Lost Planet 2 360, Capcom

2010 FIFA World Cup PSP, EA

God of War: Collection PS3, Sony

Iron Man 2 Wii, Sega

TOP 10 RED DEAD REDEMPTION: LIMITED EDITION

IN STORE: BLACKPOOL

360, ROCKSTAR

£39.99

£32.99

£24.99

£29.99

N/A

£32.99

N/A

£29.99

2. RED DEAD REDEMPTION – LIMITED EDITION

£34.71

£27.00

N/A

£27.71

3. RED DEAD REDEMPTION

£39.99

£32.99

£24.99

N/A

4. HALO: REACH – LEGENDARY EDITION

PS3 ................................................................ROCKSTAR 360 ................................................................ROCKSTAR 360 ..............................................................MICROSOFT

5. RED DEAD REDEMPTION

PS3 ................................................................ROCKSTAR

6. ALAN WAKE + STRATEGY GUIDE

ONLINE

360 ..............................................................MICROSOFT

£34.99

£29.99

£24.99

£17.99

£29.99

£34.99

£25.18

£17.91

£22.00

£34.95

£26.45

£17.95

£21.95

£32.75

£27.85

£21.86

£19.85

£24.85

7. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS

360 ................................................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

8. SKATE 3

360 ..........................................................................EA

9. UFC UNDISPUTED 2010 + 1GB USB

PS3 ........................................................................THQ

10. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS

PS3 ................................................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Week ending MAY 14th Source: SHOPTO.COM

FROM THE FRONTLINE This week we chat to Kev Taylor at The Cool Spot…

[PRE ORDERS]

What makes your store unique? I’m Doncaster born and bred so my customers can relate to me and I’m keen to look after them. I try not to sell games – I offer them games and services at a price they want. Also, we do disc and console repairs so we can resolve almost any problem a gamer can have. Of course, a lot of indies do that now – it’s hard to be different in games retail, so it’s all about friendly service for us.

TOP 10 RED DEAD REDEMPTION 360, ROCKSTAR 2. RED DEAD REDEMPTION – LIMITED ED

PS3 ................................................................ROCKSTAR

What do you think will be the biggestselling title this summer? We’re getting big numbers for Red Dead Redemption. I’m looking forward to that one and so is my son – if I don’t bring that one home, there’ll be trouble. UFC should also be quite big and Crackdown 2 might do rather well, too. What are your hopes for E3? I’d like to see a fourth console come out from a complete independent – a genuine contender. We indies are always being squeezed on price by the Big Three and while that’s bound to happen with a fourth console from a smaller

“I’d like to see a fourth console come out from a complete independent with fairer pricing – a genuine contender.” manufacturer, hopefully we’d get fairer pricing while they’re starting out, like we did with the PSP. Games-wise, it’d be nice to see less sequels and more new ideas. And it’d be good to see Natal and Move at affordable prices well. What is the biggest problem you face? Supermarkets. They’re going to make us all butchers and milkmen if we’re not

careful. Now that Asda is looking at selling second hand games, it’s a dangerous situation. That said, supermarkets selling new games hasn’t stopped us, so maybe their pre-owned schemes might not have that bad an impact. The trouble is people are getting lazy – if they can pick up games while doing they’re shopping, they don’t have to wander into town centres.

3. STARCRAFT II: LIBERTY – LIMITED ED

PC ..................................................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

4. ALAN WAKE

360 ..............................................................MICROSOFT

5. STARCRAFT II: WINGS OF LIBERTY

PC ..................................................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

6. SKATE 3

360 ..........................................................................EA

7. RED DEAD REDEMPTION – LIMITED ED

360 ................................................................ROCKSTAR

8. ALAN WAKE – LIMITED EDITION

360 ..............................................................MICROSOFT

9. RED DEAD REDEMPTION – LIMITED ED

PS3 ................................................................ROCKSTAR

10. SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2

WII ................................................................NINTENDO Week ending MAY 14th Source: AMAZON.CO.UK

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS 42 MCV 21/05/10

WWW.MCVUK.COM

Check out RETAILBIZ at WWW.MCVUK.COM

OFFICIALUKCHARTS NINTENDO DS THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[1] [FULL PRICE]

TITLE

POKÉMON SOULSILVER

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

POKÉMON HEARTGOLD NINTENDO WARIOWARE D.I.Y NINTENDO NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NINTENDO JEWEL QUEST: EMERALD TEAR GSP/AVANQUEST PROFESSOR LAYTON & PANDORA’S BOX NINTENDO MARIO KART DS NINTENDO DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING NINTENDO PEPPA PIG: FUN AND GAMES P2 GAMES MARIO & LUIGI: BOWSER’S INSIDE STORY NINTENDO

1 3 4 6 5 7 9 8 10

WII THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

TOP 40ALL

PUBLISHER

[ENTERTAINMENT - ALL PRICES]

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

[2]

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA FORMAT: 360, PS3, Wii, PSP

DEVELOPER: EA CANADA PUBLISHER: EA

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

TITLE

NEW

ALAN WAKE 360

NEW

LOST PLANET 2 360, PS3

CAPCOM

JUST DANCE Wii

UBISOFT

NEW

SKATE 3 360, PS3

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 360, PS3, PC

[FULL PRICE]

PUBLISHER

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2 360, PS3, PC, DS

FINAL FANTASY XIII 360, PS3

MICROSOFT

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD SQUARE ENIX

WII FIT PLUS Wii

NINTENDO

WII SPORTS RESORT Wii

NINTENDO

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.

GTA: EPISODES FROM LIBERTY CITY PS3, PC, 360 ROCKSTAR

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 360, PS3

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MARIO KART WII NINTENDO MONSTER HUNTER TRI CAPCOM 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA EA SONIC & SEGA ALL-STARS RACING SEGA MARIO & SONIC: WINTER OLYMPICS SEGA RED STEEL 2 UBISOFT F1 2009 CODEMASTERS IRON MAN 2 SEGA FIFA 10 EA

JUST CAUSE 2 PS3, 360, PC

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION 360, PC

COD: WORLD AT WAR PS3, 360, WII, PS2

SONIC & SEGA ALL-STARS RACING PS3, 360 Wii, DS

ALIENS VS PREDATOR 360, PS3, PC

SEGA

IRON MAN 2 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP

SEGA

JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS WII Wii

3 2 4 6 5 8 7 9 13

WII THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

TITLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

WII FIT PLUS WII SPORTS RESORT HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE WII PLAY EA SPORTS ACTIVE JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR MONOPOLY SUPER MONKEY BALL: STOP & ROLL CARNIVAL: FUNFAIR GAMES

5 6 4 7 13 9

[3]

[4]

PC CD-ROM

[BUDGET PRICE]

JUST DANCE

2 3

PUBLISHER

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

PUBLISHER

CAPCOM SQUARE ENIX UBISOFT ACTIVISION BLIZZARD SEGA

UBISOFT NINTENDO

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

PUBLISHER

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010

NINTENDO

THE SIMS 3

NINTENDO

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2

DISNEY

C&C4: TIBERIAN TWILIGHT

NINTENDO

THE SIMS 3: WORLD ADVENTURES

WOW: WRATH OF THE LICH KING

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

UBISOFT

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

DAWN OF WAR II: CHAOS RISING

SEGA

BIOSHOCK 2

2K PLAY

MASS EFFECT 2

DEVELOPER: UBISOFT (FRANCE) PUBLISHER: UBISOFT

[5]

DEVELOPER: SPORTS INTERACTIVE PUBLISHER: SEGA

THQ 2K GAMES EA

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 21/05/10 43

EA’s 2010 FIFA World Cup has held on to the top

Ubisoft’s successful Just Dance, which fell to its

spot for the third week in a row, despite three

lowest position in seven weeks.

new games making a strong impact in the charts.

Modern Warfare 2 slipped from No.3 to No.7

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 exlusive Alan Wake was

following a price cut at retail, while Final Fantasy

the highest new entry in at No.2. It received just

XIII leapt back into the Top Ten after eight weeks

1,000 fewer sales than FIFA but 12,000 more

sitting below it.

than Capcom’s new Lost Planet 2.

Price promotions caused a number of re-

The other key new release this week – Skate 3

entries including World at War and BioShock 2.

PS3

L FORMATS

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

Highest New Entry

POKÉMON SOULSILVER DS

ASSASSIN’S CREED II 360, PS3, PC

NEW

NIER 360, PS3

NINTENDO UBISOFT SQUARE ENIX

FIFA 10 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS, PC, PSP

LIPS: I LOVE THE 80’S 360

MICROSOFT

FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 360

MICROSOFT

POKÉMON HEARTGOLD DS

NINTENDO

HALO 3: ODST 360

MICROSOFT

GOD OF WAR COLLECTION PS3

BIOSHOCK 2 360, PS3, PC

BAYONETTA 360, PS3

BAND HERO 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

COD4: MODERN WARFARE PS3, 360, WII

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

GOD OF WAR III PS3

SONY

NAPLOEON: TOTAL WAR PC

SEGA

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV 360, PS3, PC

ROCKSTAR

MARIO KART WII Wii

NINTENDO

WARIOWARE D.I.Y DS

LEGO BATMAN PC, DS, PS3, 360, Wii, PSP

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS DS

PC CD-ROM THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

SEGA

TITLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HIDDEN MYSTERIES TRIPLE PACK

1 2

NINTENDO

PUBLISHER

DEVELOPER: CREATIVE ASSEMBLY PUBLISHER: SEGA SIMS 3: DESIGN & HIGH-TECH STUFF MYSTERY CASE FILES: DIRE GROVE

GSP/AVANQUEST EA FOCUS

NEW

ANCIENT MYSTERIES: KING TUT’S TOMB GSP/AVANQUEST

NEW

ALIENS VS PREDATOR

3 5

ROME: TOTAL WAR WOW: BATTLE CHEST

NEW

CHRONICLES OF MYSTERY: TREE

NEW

AGATHA CRISTIE MYSTERIES: TRIPLE

SEGA GSP/AVANQUEST ACTIVISION BLIZZARD CITY INTERACTIVE MASTERTRONIC

PUBLISHER

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOST PLANET 2 FINAL FANTASY XIII BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 GTA: EPISODES FROM LIBERTY CITY SKATE 3 SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV GOD OF WAR III COD: MODERN WARFARE 2 YAKUZA 3

NEW

8 5 2 NEW

4 3 6 26

DEVELOPER: EA CANADA PUBLISHER: EA CAPCOM SQUARE ENIX EA ROCKSTAR EA CAPCOM SONY ACTIVISION BLIZZARD SEGA

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

PUBLISHER

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

GRAN TURISMO LITTLEBIGPLANET MONSTER HUNTER: FREEDOM UNITE ASSASSIN’S CREED: BLOODLINES FIFA 10 IRON MAN 2 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010 DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA HEROES 3

2 3 RE

6 5 4 7 9 NEW

DEVELOPER: EA CANADA PUBLISHER: EA

XBOX 360

[BUDGET PRICE]

NAPOLEON: TOTAL WAR

NEW

NINTENDO WARNER BROS

TITLE

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

2K GAMES

[FULL PRICE]

PSP

SONY

dominic.sacco@intentmedia.co.uk

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

TITLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOST PLANET 2 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA SKATE 3 COD: MODERN WARFARE 2 BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION FINAL FANTASY XIII FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 HALO 3: ODST

1 NEW

2 4 3 10 8 6

SONY SONY CAPCOM UBISOFT EA SEGA SEGA SQUARE ENIX NAMCO BANDAI

[FULL PRICE]

ALAN WAKE

NEW

– entered the charts in fifth place behind

WEEK ENDING 15/05/10

PUBLISHER

DEVELOPER: REMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT CAPCOM EA EA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD EA UBISOFT SQUARE ENIX MICROSOFT MICROSOFT

[SOURCE]

[ANALYSIS]

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION 44 MCV 21/05/10

WWW.MCVUK.COM

International Distribution Guide AUSTRALIA

DENMARK

INDIA

RUSSIA

All Interactive.................Helensvale Town Centre

Hitzona.............................................................Moscow Noviy Disk .......................................................Moscow

AUSTRIA

Soft Club..........................................................Moscow Vellod...................................................................Mitishi

GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION APS

SERBIA

Gateway Distribution ApS +44 1279 408 665 (UK)

JOWOOD ENTERTAINMENT AG Heiligenstädterstrasse 201-203/19 1190 Wien, Austria Tel: +43 (0)1 37909 0 Fax: +43 (0)1 37909 1064 Web: www.jowood.com

+45 7026 0870 (DK) dt@gatewaydistribution.dk

COMPUTERLAND DOO

www.gatewaydistribution.dk

Kumodraska 45

ESTONIA

11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Andrico ..............................................................Tallinn

Tel:+381(0)11 309 95 95 Fax:+381(0)11 309 95 96

FINLAND Koch Media GmbH...............................Rottenmann Play Art Multimedia Handels GmbH....Rankweil

mail:games@computerland.rs

Panvision Oy.......................................................Turku

FRANCE

website:www.computerland.rs

ISRAEL

SINGAPORE

Hed-Arzi......................................................Or-Yehuda

Replay Interactive....................................Singapore

ITALY

SOUTH AFRICA

Cidiverte Spa ...............................................Gallarate

Midigital ..............................................Johannesburg

INNELEC MULTIMEDIA

Coop Italia..........................................Sesto F.NO (FI)

Nu Metro Interactive ......................Johannesburg

45 rue Delizy,

Digital Bros spa................................................Milano

ZI Noville les Bois, Rue de la Tour,

93692 PANTIN Cedex, France

Leader Spa.................................Gazzada Schianno

SPAIN

2b 5380 FERNELMONT, Belgium

Email purchase: f_alglave@innelec.com

Newave Italia...................................................Firenze

Ardistel. S.L..................................................Zaragoza

Phone: 0032 81 83 02 07

Email export sales: g_armspach@innelec.com

Promovideo SRL ...........................................Senago

Fax: 0032 81 83 02 09

Tel: 00.33.1.48.10.55.55

BELGIUM

CLD DISTRIBUTION S.A.

EMC GROUPE CASINO..........Croissy Beaubourg

E-mail: infos@cld.be

NETHERLANDS

Distribuciones Videográficas Digitales ....MADRID

Lamee Software S.L. .....................................Madrid DistribucionesVideográficas Digitales ....Madrid

Web: www.cld.be

EBS-Benelux...........................................Bunschoten

Distribuye Palmera................................Las Palmas

Wholesaler Gaming products

Gameworld BV............................Capelle A/D Ijssel

JC Distribuciones .............................................Getxo

Official Benelux distributor for

Micromedia BV...........................................Nijmegen

Shine Star, S.A...........................................Barcelona

SUPREME FACTORY

Favour Games..................................................Tilburg

439 avenue de la Gare

Rigu Sound B.V................2153 GB Nieuw Vennep

84470 Chateauneuf de Gadagne Email : xavier@supremefactory.com Horelec S.A............................................Bruxelles

BENELUX

Phone : 0033 432 751 165 Fax : 0033 432 751 160

GERMANY

NEW ZEALAND

SWEDEN Bergsala AB............................................Kungsbacka

Gamewizz..........................................................Albany

NORWAY Pan Vision Norway.....................................Trollasen MPX.no .......................................................Sandefjord

Groß Electronic .......................................Rohrnbach

Platekompaniet....................................................Oslo

Otto Group ...................................................Hamburg

Massemedia AS...........................................Notteroy

PO Box 5083

GAMEWORLD

Playcom Software Vertriebs .......................Erfurt

Pan Vision Norway..............................................Oslo

S-650 05 Karlstad, Sweden

Cornusbaan 1, 2908 KB Capelle A/D IJssel

Vitrex Multimedia Großhandel.....................Erfurt

Tel: +31 10 298 3838 Web: rishi@gameworld.nl

GREECE

POLAND CD Projekt Sp. z o.o......................................Warsaw

Centric ...............................................................Athens

GAME OUTLET EUROPE AB

Phone: +46 54 854750 Fax: +46 54 854759 E-mail: info@gameoutlet.se Website: www.gameoutlet.se

Nortec Multimedia.........................................Athens

CYPRUS Gibareio.............................................................Nicosia

Zegetron S.A....................................................Athens

SIBA AB ...................................................Gothenburg

HUNGARY Antec .............................................................Budapest

GOODTONES GREAT GAMES LTD

ICELAND

1 Alkaiou Street / Office 1 /

Sena ................................................................Reykavik

Engomi / Nicosia 2404 / Cyprus

Panvision....................................................Stockholm

TECHLAND Sp. z o.o. ul. Jana Szczyrki 12, 54-426 Wroclaw, Poland E-mail: business@techland.pl

ABC Software GmbH.......................................Buchs

Web: www.techland.pl Phone: +48 71 354 46 10 Fax: +48 71 354 46 10

TURKEY ARAL Import..................................................Istanbul

tel. +357 22 666612 www.greatgames.com.cy

SWITZERLAND

PORTUGAL

Nortec Eurasia...............................................Istanbul

ecofilmes...............................Sao Joao Da Madeira

TO ADVERTISE IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION GUIDE PLEASE CONTACT ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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EDITORIAL PLANNER WWW.MCVUK.COM

The International Distribution Guide is dedicated to promoting companies outside of the UK. If you are looking for new customers overseas, then look no further...

UNITED STATES BASCO, INC. VIDEO GAMES DISTRIBUTOR Tel: 1-917-627-3000

MCV 21/05/10 45

UPCOMING FEATURES A glimpse at some of the special features coming up in MCV, the only trade publication that covers all sectors of the video games market... FRIDAY JUNE 4th

FRIDAY JUNE 25th

DEVELOP AWARDS FINALISTS

E3 REVIEW

As this year’s Develop Industry Excellence Awards approaches, MCV announces the full list of finalists: every studio in each category, including new awards for Best New Download IP and Best Micro Studio.

Fax: 1-718-228-4401 Email: sales@bascodistribution.com Web: www.bascodistribution.com

FRIDAY JUNE 11th

E3 2010 SPECIAL

U.S. GAMES DISTRIBUTION, INC. 16700 Schoenborn St. #2 North Hills, CA. 91343 Tel: +1 818 920 9393 info@usgamesdist.com www.usgamesdist.com

A thorough and comprehensive look back at this year’s E3 Expo, reporting on each and every revelation as well as the – potential impact they will have on the industry, We cover the Big Three’s presentations and the major developments from the leading third-party publishers.

UAE ALESAYI UNITED COMPANY

FRIDAY JULY 2nd

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

The biggest event in the games industry’s calendar returns and, as the offical International Media Partner for the event, MCV brings you a complete guide to this year’s E3 Expo. We look at how the organisers have improved the 2010 event over its predecessors, and offer a roundup of what to expect, including: A breakdown of the venue, including stand locations for all of the major publisher and format holders, and a schedule of key presentations. Interviews with major execs from some of the industry’s leading publishers. Industry roundtables on some of the most topical issues that face gaming and retail.

GUIDE TO GAMES RETAIL The games retail landscape is constantly changing, so we bring you the definitive guide to the major retailers on the market. As well as essential information on each company and a summary of its position in the industry, you’ll find a breakdown of the games buying teams identifying the key personnel and their roles.

FRANCE TERRITORY REPORT

PLUTO GAMES PO Box 10705, Office 103-104 Emirates Islamic Bank Building, Dubai, UAE www.pluto-games.com

FRIDAY JUNE 18th

DISTRIBUTION SPECIAL

Tel: +971 4261 8111 Fax: +971 4261 8112

Modern Pluto Trading LLC...............Saudi Arabia NXT Global LLC .................................................Dubai Pluto Derinton Games LLC............................Egypt Red Entertainment Distribution ..................Dubai

As well as covering all the big E3 headlines, this week’s issue of MCV takes an in-depth look at the biggest challenges facing the always-important distribution sector. We speak to the major players – from pick ‘n’ pack specialists to multi-faceted sales and marketing behemoths – about the future of the supply chain and how they will be tackling the challenges ahead for the distribution side of the games trade.

France is one of Europe’s biggest video game territories not least because it’s home to publishing giant Ubisoft. MCV takes a closer look at how the country’s video game output is evolving and speak to the key retailers, developers and publishers on the current challenges affecting the region. We also provide a rundown of the country’s headline-grabbing efforts to thwart piracy with its strict laws and regulations.

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT: CHRIS.DRING@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR

DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS

DESIGN STUDIOS Fink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01480 302352

GAMING ACCESSORIES

...bringing you all the right lines

DISC REPAIR Elm-Digitalia UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0845 643 6021 Total Disc Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01202 489 500 DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION Green Man Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 7193 6910 TripleACodes.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . sales@tripleacodes.com

Wii Perfect Shot

360 Intercooler TS

DISTRIBUTION Creative Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8664 3456 Curveball Leisure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01792 652562 Discstribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0845 430 8735 Gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01279 822800 GLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01708 725742 Ideal Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01767 689720 Meroncourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01462 680060 Universal Games Distribution (UK) Ltd . . 0208 787 7030 USD Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01933 227220

Premier Disc Cleaner

Laser Lens Cleaner

GAMING ACCESSORIES Logic3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471 000 Pinpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01606 558428 GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR Total Console Repair Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 087 19 18 17 21 LOCALISATION

Wii Fitness Kit Plus

Wii Racing Wheel

Partnertrans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 229030 Testronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01753 653 722 Universally Speaking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01480 210621

01606 558 428 or email: enquires@pinpointce.co.uk General enquiries:

Road One, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 3QG www.pinpointce.co.uk Part of the Pinpoint Group

STORE FITTINGS AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 2311030

PINPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01606 558428 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pinpointce.co.uk

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

Distributors of DVDs, Blu-Ray, Music CDs and Video Games

www.discstribution.com Over 100,000 Different Items to Order Online

THE NEW FORCE IN ENTERTAINMENT

DISCSTRIBUTION +44 (0) 845 430 8735 Call Kevin, Ashley, Richie or Pete Accepted Payments - Paypal - Google Checkout - Credit Cards - Bank Tranfers and 30 Day Credit Accounts

DISCSTRIBUTION . . . . . . . +44 (0)845 430 8735 . . . . . . . . . www.discstribution.com

GLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01708 725742. . . . . . . . . wholesale@glsgames.com

DISTRIBUTION

CURVEBALL LEISURE . . . . . . 01792 652526 . . . . curveballsimon@googlemail.com

GEM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01279 822800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.gem.co.uk

DISTRIBUTION

MERONCOURT . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1462 680060 . . . http://trade.meroncourt.co.uk

CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION. . . . 0208 6643456 . . . . www.creativedistribution.co.uk

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR GAMING ACCESSORIES

Develop is the only dedicated publication for the UK and European games development community. It reaches over 8,000 request-only subscribers every month. STUDIOS Epic Games..........................................................+1 919 870 1516 FaceFX...................................................................+1.919.727.9624 Stainless Games .............................jobs@stainlessgames.com TOOLS Blitz Games Studios.............................+44 (0) 1926 880 000 bluegfx.....................................................+44 (0) 1483 467 200 Dolby.........................................................+44 (0) 1793 842 922 Havok .................................................................+1 415 543 4620 SERVICES Amiqus ..............................................................www.amiqus.com Brand Protect ..........................................+44 (0) 1869 346160 Outso Ltd.............................................................www.outso.com Partnertrans.............................................+44 (0) 1273 229030 Testronic Labs.........................................+44 (0) 1753 653 722 Universally Speaking..............................+44 (0) 1480 210 621 COURSES Futureworks .............................................. +44 (0)161 237 7570 University of Hull ...................................+44 (0) 1482 465 951 To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and every week in MCV) contact alex.boucher@intentmedia.co.uk. All subscription requests should go to mcv.subscriptions@c-cms.com GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR

TOTAL CONSOLE REPAIR . . . . . . . 08719 181721 . . . . . www.totalconsolerepair.co.uk

LOGIC 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471000 . . . . . . . . . . . www.uksales@logic3.com

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

Now is a great time to expand your digital business Distributors of CDkey, Epin and downloadable products.

www.tripleacodes.com

sales@tripleacodes.com

nima

DESIGN I DIGITAL I LITHO

TripleACodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sales@tripleacodes.com DISTRIBUTION

IDEAL SOFTWARE . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1767 689720 . . . . . . . . . . www.idealsoftware.net DISTRIBUTION

UNIVERSAL GAMES DISTRIBUTION (UK) LTD . 0208 787 7030 . www.unigames.co.uk

GREEN MAN GAMING. . . . . . . 020 7193 6910 . . . . . . . . info@greenmangaming.com

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LOCALISATION

STORE FITTINGS

PARTNERTRANS . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 229030 . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.partnertrans.com

AMA DISPLAYS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 2311030 . . . . . . . . . . . www.ama-displays.co.uk

LOCALISATION

DISTRIBUTION

TESTRONIC LABORATORIES . . . +44 (0) 1753 653 722. . . . www.testroniclabs.com

USD LIMITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01933 227220. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.usdlimited.com

LOCALISATION

DESIGN STUDIOS

Design/Branding/ Advertising/ Packaging/Web

finkcreative

01480 302 352 olly@finkcreative.com www.finkcreative.com UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING . . . . . . . 01480 210621 . . . . . . . . . . . www.usspeaking.com

FINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01480 302352 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.finkcreative.com

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DISC REPAIR

DIARY DATES From the MCV Awards to our Games Developer Conference, here are all the essential industry dates to put in your diary…

MAY MONETISING MOBILE Wednesday, May 26th BAFTA, London Jodie.Holdway@intentmedia.co.uk MCM LONDON EXPO Saturday, May 29th – Sunday, May 30th ExCeL, London www.mcmexpo.net

JUNE E3 2010 Tuesday, June 15th – Thursday, June 17th Los Angeles Convention Centre www.e3expo.com

JULY DEVELOP CONFERENCE 2010 Tuesday, July 13th Thursday, July 15th Brighton, UK www.develop-conference.com DEVELOP INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2010 Wednesday, July 14th Brighton, UK www.develop-online.net CASUAL CONNECT SEATTLE Tuesday, July 20th – Thursday, July 22nd Benaroya Hall, Seattle, US seattle.casualconnect.org

AUGUST GAMESCOM Wednesday, August 18th Sunday, August 22nd Cologne, Germany www.gamescom-cologne.com EDINBURGH INTERACTIVE FESTIVAL 2010 Wednesday, August 25th – Thursday, August 26th Edinburgh, Scotland www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com

SEPTEMBER MCV/XBOX 360 QUIZ Thursday, September 23rd Sway Bar, London Orlaith.Kennedy@intentmedia.co.uk

TOTAL DISC REPAIR. . . . . . . . . . 01202 489500 . . . . . . . . . www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

DEVELOP INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2010 Wednesday, July 14th Brighton, UK www.develop-online.net Lobbying has already opened for the Develop Industry Excellence Awards. Now in its eighth year, the event takes place in Brighton at the Hilton Metropole, on July 14th. Anyone in the industry can nominate a studio for the awards. Simply send a 300 word pitch to developawards@ intentmedia.co.uk. Prices have also been reduced to make the event more accessible. Contact Kathryn.Humphrey@intent media.co.uk to book tables and Katie.Rawlings@intent media.co.uk to order tickets.

MCV/XBOX 360 QUIZ Thursday, September 23rd Sway Bar, London Orlaith.Kennedy@ intentmedia.co.uk The MCV/Xbox 360 Quiz gives retailers, suppliers and the media the chance to show off their general knowledge skills in an appropriate arena for our industry – the local bar. There will be thousands of pounds’ worth of prizes up for grabs to the best performers on the night, as well as loads of top-notch booze and food. The quiz is free to enter for retailers and the media, and serves as a great networking opportunity.

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s nce a h c two ant? d n s a you w e e d gr De coul x i S re ew t mo n a h ,a ics es. W p ing am ass ted g r r a ba em nticip f o a nty hotly e l P win to

SIX DEGREES

OF ACTIVISION

It’s almost rude not to know someone who once worked there. This week, we start with...

Frank Herman, the sorely missed, Spurs-supporting industry legend created Mastertronic in 1983. Some of its earliest games were written by a couple of scamps called...

2 David and Richard Darling, who went onto find fame and fortune as founders of one of ‘Tronic’s main rivals, Codemasters, where...

NO SPAIN, NO GAME

Namco Bandai showed off its 2010 line-up in style by inviting assorted journos from publications including OXM, CVG, GameSpot, Inside Xbox and more to sunny Barcelona. Guests were kept busy with drinking, working, more drinking, playing the latest titles, and karaoke – while drinking. NBP’s Lee Kirton and Marlene Fitzsimmons were hand to supply earplugs.

Dene Landucci used to do PR duties and much more, having started his gaming career as an on the road rep at merchandising outfit USD, jointly managed by...

Gavin Chesire is now VP of studios. He was once managing director of Banbury-based sports games specialist Silicon Dreams, where...

Roy Campbell, who’s now re-emerged as the head of MTV Games’ international division but was once UK boss of THQ, which has just appointed...

Suzanne Panter as senior PR manager. She’s previously had spells at Hasbro, Koch and... ACTIVISION

SEND YOUR PICTURES TO JAMES.BATCHELOR@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK EDITORIAL: 01992 535646 Managing Editor: Lisa Foster Lisa.Foster@intentmedia.co.uk Editor-In-Chief: Michael French Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk Deputy Editor: Christopher Dring Chris.Dring@intentmedia.co.uk Staff Writer: James Batchelor James.Batchelor@intentmedia.co.uk Staff Writer: Dominic Sacco Dominic.Sacco@intentmedia.co.uk

ADVERTISING: 01992 535647

Online Editor: Ben Parfitt Ben.Parfitt@intentmedia.co.uk Contributors: Will Freeman, Rob Crossley, Stuart Richardson, Colin Campbell Advertising Manager: Lesley Blumson Lesley.Blumson@intentmedia.co.uk Advertising Executive: Rob Baker Rob.Baker@intentmedia.co.uk Art Director: Stuart Moody Stuart.Moody@intentmedia.co.uk

Design: Adam Butler Adam.Butler@intentmedia.co.uk Production Manager: Suzanne Powles Suzanne.Powles@intentmedia.co.uk Business Development: Dave Roberts Dave.Roberts@intentmedia.co.uk Contributing Editor: Samantha Loveday Samantha.Loveday@intentmedia.co.uk Circulation & Marketing: Hannah Short Hannah.Short@intentmedia.co.uk

FAX: 01992 535648

Please address all enquiries to: MCV, Intent Media, Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA. Managing Director/Publisher: Stuart Dinsey Stuart.Dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk Telephone: 01992 535688

Finance Director: Hilary Cole Finance Manager: Michael Canham Michael.Canham@intentmedia.co.uk Printed By: Pensord, Tram Road,Pontllanfraith Blackwood, NP12 2YA

SAXON HOUSE, 6A ST. ANDREW STREET, HERTFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND SG14 1JA Intent Media specialises in trade-dedicated print and digital publishing for entertainment and leisure markets. As well as MCV, Intent publishes Develop, PCR, ToyNews, Mobile Entertainment, MI Pro, Audio Pro International and BikeBiz. It also has two online-only brands: CasualGaming.biz, dedicated to the growing mass market video game sector, and Licensing.biz, for everyone in the global licensing industry. It also runs a number of events including the MCV Industry Excellence Awards, the London Games Conference and the Games Media Awards.

www.intentmedia.co.uk

MCV is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation and the Periodical Publishers Association. Membership of the ABC and PPA provides our advertising partners with confidence in our circulation statements. For the 12 months ending December 2009, MCV had an average weekly net circulation of 8,045. MCV’s circulation is 100 per cent named and zero per cent duplicated.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS United Kingdom £150 l Europe £175 l Rest of the World £250 To order your subscription via Visa, Mastercard, Switch or AMEX or to make changes to your subscription details, contact mcv.subscriptions@c-cms.com or call 01580 883848.

MCV has an exclusive media partnership with Famitsu - Japan’s leading video games analyst and news source

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WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 21/05/10 53

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN FROM THE ARCHIVE October 20th, 1997 NEWS: Nintendo’s UK distributor, THE Games, cuts software prices so that N64 titles such as Goldeneye and Diddy Kong Racing will be released at a staggeringly cheap, er, £49.99... Gem founder Peter Bellamy quits the company leaving Paul Donnelly in sole charge... Sega says no new hardware is due, following rumours of a new project, codenamed Dural, that utilises PC technology... Emap starts getting to grips with this pesky ‘internet’ thing by launching a ‘website’ called Game-online... You think that’s creaky? CTW has a section called MULTIMEDIA. CHARTS: All Formats Top 5: Lylat Wars (N64) .....................................Nintendo Formula 1 ‘97 (PL)..................................Psygnosis Red Alert: The Aftermath (PC) ..................Virgin Flight Simulator (PC) .............................Microsoft Nuclear Strike (PL) ......................Electronic Arts FEATURES: A profile of Telstar, the music compilation king which has just appointed Geoff Heath as boss and Gary Bracey as development director and has Siege and Lone Soldier on the slate... BT predicts great things for its online multiplayer games service Wireplay. Looking back, file next to dial-a-disc (and for added points, try explaining dial-a-disc to someone under 30)... Dick Francis, the boss of THE Games, is as entertaining as ever in a big Q4 interview.... A think piece wonders if the games market’s fortunes will always be shackled to hardware cycles (see next week’s MCV for more or less the same feature).

We’re giving away five copies of Namco Bandai’s upcoming action title Clash Of The Titans. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question: What happens to those who stare into the eyes of Medusa? a) They get stoned b) They get turned to stone c) She throws a stone at them

Please send your answer, name and address to titans@intentmedia.co.uk

AND FINALLY... Andrew Hewson of 21st Century Entertainment writes in to defend himself from accusations of ghoulish profiteering following the announcement that his company will be selling Diana Screensavers just a few weeks after her death. No one makes any jokes about them being likely to crash. Thank goodness.

MCV takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on the biggest issues of the day. The current members are...

GAME & Gamestation

Neil Ashurst,

Duncan Cross, Asda

Marc Spence, Best Buy

Don McCabe, CHIPS

Tim Ellis, HMV

Graham Chambers, Amazon

Danielle Fleming, DSGi

Igor Cipolletta, ShopTo

Anthony Stocker, Argos

Stephen Staley, Gameseek

Keith Sharpe, play.com

Joanna Hunt, Tesco

Sarah Jasper, The Hut

Gurdeep Hunjan, Sainsbury’s

Jon Biggs, Morrisons

Phil Moore, Grainger Games

Azeem Sadiq, Comet

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WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

We’ve got five copies of Disney’s Split/Second to give away. To be in the running, answer the following question: WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE ENVIRONMENT-BASED ATTACKS PLAYERS CAN TRIGGER DURING A RACE?

a) Powerplays b) Car hazards c) Opponent obliterating power system (Oops) Please send your answer, name and address to velocity@intentmedia.co.uk GRAINGER TURNS TOON

WET WET WET

Not content with owning half of Newcastle’s games stores, ambitious indie Grainger Games took over Newcastle United’s home turf at St James’ Park for a charity football day. Getting more than a little competitive resulted in £500 for industry organisation GamesAid – and no doubt a similar amount was spent in Shearer’s Bar after the games.

Not the band, but Sega’s David Corless – dubbed a ‘computer games marketeer’ by the BBC, which sounds oddly exciting. Corless was spotted on the final of Total Wipeout and lived up to the game show’s name with some spectacular tumbles into the drink. If you can track down the episode on iPlayer or YouTube, we advise you do so – if only to admire the headband.

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© Disney. “2”,“ ” and “PlayStation” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. Product names and/or visuals shown are of product currently in development and may be subject to change.

MCV 21-5-2010 - Disney Back Cover

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