MCV568 Friday 18th December 2009

THE INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

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THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

Issue 568 Friday December 18 2009 £3.25

05 Digital Play Online retailer Play.com discusses its plans to introduce game downloads

06 Big firms join MCV Awards Codemasters, Nintendo and Premier PR sponsoring next year’s key April event

18 End of an era MCV takes a look back at the events that dominated 2007, 2008 and 2009

EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY INDIE EVERY WEEK

Zavvi makes shock High Street return Online giant The Hut planning bricks and mortar stores to challenge HMV and GAME Zavvi masterplan also includes consumer shows, digital downloads and flash games GAME could be going headto-head with Zavvi in UK shopping centres once again

Andrew Brown Guest Editor Activision UK boss on board for our final issue of 2009 Read his editorial comment, p4 Brown interviews Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, p13

INCORPORATING

THE STORY SO FAR...

September 17th, 2007: Virgin Megastores is sold off in MBO. Zavvi Entertainment Group – headed up by Virgin Megastores MD Simon Douglas and finance director Steve Peckham – takes control of the 125 UK and Irish stores and Virgin’s online operation.

November 12th, 2007: The Zavvi rollout is complete, and all Virgin Megastores outlets have been re-branded.

April 10th, 2008: Zavvi’s Oxford Street outlet wins the Star Store award at the 2008 MCV Awards.

September 16th, 2008: Zavvi reveals its first year results. Online sales jump 148 per cent and High Street sales climb 10.2 per cent over the previous year. Games now account for 30 per cent of Zavvi’s business.

by Christopher Dring THE HUT is planning to bring Zavvi back to the High Street, MCV can reveal.

The news emerges 12 months after the brand’s original owner plunged into administration. The Hut bought the Zavvi name earlier this year and re-launched it online.

Now the firm is meeting with landlords to negotiate the creation of temporary Zavvi Christmas stores in time for September next year, which will remain open for five months.

“Signing long-term leases may not be sensible at this stage,” said commercial director Richard Chapple. “But seeing how well our competitors have done with Christmas pop-up stores gave us the idea to do the same.

“The footfall is there, the product release schedule for all

entertainment is phenomenal, and you can probably make a profit during that quarter.

“We are in discussions about locations with the various landlords,” he continued. “We are taking this seriously. If it

“

initiatives being discussed at the company in a radical shake-up for the Zavvi brand.

A download platform is also on the cards, as well as a user marketplace, toys category, video-on-demand service,

We can see the benefit in going out there, talking to more consumers and building our name on the High Street.

Richard Chapple, The Hut

costs us millions, I doubt we will proceed. But if the risk is manageable, then we’ll go for it. We can see the benefit in going out there, talking to more consumers and building our name on the High Street.

“Hopefully we’ll have more to say on it in the New Year.”

The return to the High Street is just one of many new

”

music streaming, flash arcade – and even a consumer show.

Chapple was one of the men behind the Play.com Live consumer event at Wembley in 2008. And he is now keen to do something similar with Zavvi.

“This is our most aspirational idea,” he admitted.

“I was one of the guys behind Play.com Live, and I

see the value in coming offline and putting products in people’s hands, and then relating that experience back to the brand.

“We’ve got some ideas. But knowing how successful it has been in the past, I am keen to do something like that again.”

In the meantime, The Hut is working hard on its digital offer. MP3 downloads should be available from early next year, with games and films to follow.

“In early 2010 you’ll see an MP3 offering from us, which we’re doing with the help of aggregators,” added Chapple.

“Our ambition in this space is to create our own digital platform so that we can add games and video in the future.

“For The Hut and Zavvi, as well as our white label sites, we want to get the download offer right as soon as we can.”

September 17th, 2008: Zavvi celebrates its first birthday with a party on the roof of its Oxford Street store. On the same day CEO Simon Douglas becomes chairman of ERA. November 26th, 2008: Zavvi’s supplier Entertainment UK goes into administration. Zavvi’s website closes as a result.

December 24th, 2008: Zavvi is unable to pay back the debt it owes to EUK in time, and the retailer falls into administration.

February 18th, 2009: The last remaining Zavvi stores close in the UK. March 2nd, 2009: The Hut Group, which runs a number of websites, buys the Zavvi name and re-launches the brand online.

December 18th, 2009: MCV reveals that Zavvi stores are set to return to the UK High Street next year.

PERSONNEL 26 RETAIL BIZ 29 NEW RELEASES 33 HIGH STREET 34 CHARTS 36

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[LEADER] THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST...

One evening in November, a Northern lad had a reality check while walking the red carpet in Leicester Square. Moments like this – at the fantastic Modern Warfare 2 premiere – make one think twice. Not in terms of industry bragging (promise!), but how far gaming has come as a form of entertainment.

I’ve been given the MCV golden chalice to step in as editor in these final days before Christmas, and I guess I should glance over my shoulder into the past on the eve of a new decade, and try to predict the future. It’s the dawn of 2010, so I need to give Arthur C. Clarke a proper run for his money.

The past ten years have been exciting, aspirational – and surprising. Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine life without the internet. To be able to work, socialise and play instantly and globally is considered a right, not a privilege.

Playing, despite the forces that believe gaming is something to be suspicious of, has become a unifying rather than an isolating force in society – be that with friends (virtual or otherwise) or family.

“The past ten years And this acceptance of what was once inconceivable is part of all our lives. Gaming have been exciting, is now a real mainstream force that sits aspirational – and comfortably beside film and music. surprising. Gaming has With this in mind, what do we all want for become a unifying force Xmas this year? My dream is for a hi-tech in today’s society.” device that consumers across the globe crave. But I’m not talking about a robot to do all my chores, or a copy of a game that meets all my first person shooter needs. I need to track down a robotic pet. This Christmas’ must-have might be a toy hamster (I need to find a Mr Squiggles for my kids or I’m toast) but it’s symptomatic of the place that modern forms of entertainment have in our lives – and the delightful unexpectedness of this year’s perfect present, which is more likely to be a game or a gadget than ever before.

Other surprises that this decade has brought? The ever-changing evolution of the traditional joypad, the belief that wearing dorky glasses to a film and seeing it spring out of the screen in glorious 3D could be cool, and checking your mates’ status update and ‘tweets’ to hear that “today I ate soup for lunch” is of interest.

So at the end of decade we’re all asked to sum up a thing or two. And the next ten years?

God knows. Looking at where we are now I can’t imagine where we’ll be by the time 2020 rolls around.

The only thing that I’d predict is that I’ll be surprised.

Hamster or not.

Andrew Brown, Activision Blizzard & Guest Editor of MCV

Warner wrestles Batman sequel rights from Eidos

by Michael French WARNER DIDN’T MANAGE to buy Eidos, but the Hollywood firm has bested the UK publisher in another sense – by winning back the rights to Batman.

Last weekend Warner Bros Games announced plans to publish the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Developed by London studio Rocksteady, the first game was published by Eidos in August to great sales and reviews. The title has a Metacritic rating of over 90 and has sold close to three million copies globally.

But with the DC Comics hero being a wholly-owned Warner Bros property, it’s little surprise the firm has exercised its rights to handle the inevitable follow-up itself.

Warner’s games boss Martin Tremblay said that the firm will make the Batman title an even bigger ‘global games franchise’.

Warner has not disclosed when the sequel will be released – but has set up a teaser site at Arkhamhasmoved.com which suggests the setting of the new game is different to the original.

“Batman: Arkham Asylum was a phenomenally good title, so we’re delighted and excited to be publishing the sequel under the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment banner in the UK,” commented Spencer Crossley, sales and marketing director, WBIE UK. “We’re very much looking forward to working with the incredibly talented Rocksteady Studios to drive another round of commercial success for this critically acclaimed franchise.”

Sefton Hill, game director and co-founder of Rocksteady added: “Getting the opportunity to create Batman: Arkham Asylum and seeing its success has been a dream come true.”

Warner: 020 7984 6718

GAME enters CD market THE LATEST albums from the Black Eyed Peas, Cheryl Cole and Susan Boyle can now be bought at GAME stores.

The retail chain has begun stocking Top 20 CDs as Christmas stocking filler items, with the range currently found in 200 outlets in the UK and also at GAME.co.uk.

The move fills the gap left behind by music

retailers Woolworths and Zavvi, who both fell in administration last year.

“We know from our research that there is real overlap across entertainment products,” said a spokesperson.

“We’re committed to giving our customers everything they want for Christmas and to support this, we are launching a small album range within our stocking fillers area with the added bonus of earning Reward points.”

GAME: 01256 784000

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NEWS

Play.com plots upcoming games download service

[PRE ORDERS]

TOP 10

Digital is ‘cornerstone’ of our strategy, says marketing boss Game codes planned

by Christopher Dring PLAY.COM will sell video game downloads in the near future, the firm has told MCV. The online retail giant already offers music downloads, and will add books, movies and games to that line-up – but the company wouldn’t give a launch date for the new service.

“Downloads will be the cornerstone of our strategic

FINAL FANTASY XIII

“We’re not ready to announce that just yet. But from our point-of-view, digital is a key part of our strategy.”

Like music, it is probable that Play.com’s games download service will be run in-house.

And the e-tailer is also keen to introduce download codes for individual WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade and PSN games – a service its rival Amazon already runs in the US.

PS3 SQUARE ENIX

2. BAYONETTA 360 ..........................................SEGA

3. SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV PS3 ......................................CAPCOM

4. DARKSIDERS PS3 ............................................THQ

5. GOD OF WAR III

“

Selling full game codes is another part of our strategic development, and part of our overall digital plan.

Martin Talbot, Play.com

development going forward,” said Play’s marketing director Martin Talbot.

“We are looking at all the different media platforms.

We’ve done music and we will move into doing downloads on books, films and of course, video games.

“Right now we’re working out which category will be the best one to move into next.

PS3 ..........................................SONY

6. DARKSIDERS 360 ............................................THQ

”

“We have worked with game codes in the past,” continues Talbot.

“One of the things we offer customers is the opportunity to get exclusive in-game content through game codes. For instance, when Age of Conan came out we offered an exclusive War Rhino.

“So we have looked at using game codes as a USP for us,

7. BAYONETTA Martin Talbot says that Play.com will not resurrect its huge Play.com Live event, but that the Play Live brand will still be used

and they have worked well. In terms of moving on from this to selling full game codes, again it is another part of strategic development that will go into our overall digital plan.”

Talbot also revealed to MCV that there is currently no plans to bring back Play.com Live, the consumer games show that debuted at Wembley in 2008.

“The Play Live brand was introduced to create a live

PS3 ..........................................SEGA

8. YAKUZA 3

experience around the products we sell,” he added.

“It started off with music, and we did exclusive events with up and coming bands that proved to be very popular.

“Play Live at Wembley was us developing that strategy into a major event. In 2010, we’ll use the Live proposition in an experiential way. But we have no plans for a big event.”

PS3 ..........................................SEGA

9. SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 360 ......................................CAPCOM

10. MASS EFFECT 2 360 ..............................................EA Week ending December 12th Source: SHOPTO.COM Turn to page 35 for more pre-order charts from leading online retailers

www.play.com

UK SOFTWARE SALES MONITOR Your weekly guide to the UK games software market…

Sales for the UK video games software market grew by 13 per cent this week to 3.4 million units, driving the sector’s value up by 11 per cent to £77.3 million.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 totted up a fifth consecutive week at the top of the charts, unaffected by an 11 per cent drop in sales or new entries such as Zelda: Spirit Tracks and James Cameron’s Avatar.

With no more major releases left for the year, any further rise in Christmas sales will depend on retail promotions, back catalogue and a steady stream of last minute gift-shoppers.

The market can expect a further boost in the wake of the big day as the annual sales season begins once more.

[WEEKLY MARKET VALUE] Week Ending December 12th 2009

£77.3m

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

80 70 60 50 40 30

£61.8m

£69.4m

£77.3m

2,589,873 Units

3,040624 Units

3,449,492 Units

20 10 James Cameron’s Avatar could see a surge in sales as the film hits cinemas nationwide today

0

Week Ending November 28th

Week Ending December 4th

Week Ending December 12th

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Nintendo, Codemasters and Premier PR partner with UK’s trade awards Retail Category, New Games Brand and pre-event reception sponsored as MCV Awards 2010 take shape

by Stuart Dinsey KEY SPONSORS are already being tied up for next year's MCV Awards – which return to London on Thursday April 22nd.

Nintendo is official partner of the retail category, whilst ambitious agency Premier PR is sponsoring New Games Brand and Codemasters will help set up a memorable night with pre-reception drinks in the early evening.

Retail is a key element of the MCV Industry Excellence

“

Once again, the MCV Awards will take place at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London. Proceedings will kickoff with early evening drinks across the road at a venue called Parker McMillan from 6pm for all guests.

“Our event kick-starts the biggest night of the year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to our partners for the support and great results of the past few months,” said Codemasters' general manager Jeremy Wigmore.

This year has been one of the toughest I can remember, so it is an appropriate time to recognise the best of retail.

Andy Yates, Nintendo

Awards, with every single major High Street and online buyer attending the event and battling it out for recognition.

The retail categories this year are Star Store, Online Retailer, Independent Retailer (under 30 stores), High Street Chain and Supermarket.

“The MCV Awards are a celebration of all that's good about the games industry,” commented Nintendo sales director, Andy Yates.

“We pride ourselves on our commitment to retail.

“We live and breathe every day, week and month of the year to help deliver positive results for our customers.

“This year has been one of the toughest I can remember and so there has never been a more appropriate time to champion the retail cause and celebrate achievement.

“Therefore it really is a great honour for Nintendo to step forward and support this year's retail awards.”

”

“We will also showcase some of our titles for the year ahead, such as F1 2010, plus some big surprises.”

Premier PR, meanwhile, is already making a name for itself as a major London agency targeting the games business.

It will host New Game Brand, which is always hotly contested.

“We recently formed our own games PR department, headed up by our own awardwinning PR Simon Byron, so this category is an absolutely perfect fit,” said Premier chairman John Reiss.

“As leaders in the field of PR for films, home entertainment, theatre, TV, brands, celebrities and now games, Premier Public Relations is the ideal partner for New Game Brand.”

Over 600 retailers and senior executives from all sectors of the business will attend what is one of the most popular nights on the UK games industry calendar.

Retail Sponsor

Pre-Event Reception

New Game Brand Sponsor

Several new categories have been introduced for next year, including Supermarket of the Year, Peripherals & Accessories Brand of the Year and Best Game Creative (basedon a single advertising execution).

For more information about sponsorship opportunities contact Kathryn Humphrey directly at Intent Media on 01992 535646 Tables will be sold on a Gold, Silver and Bronze basis.

THE CATEGORIES RETAIL Star Store Online Retailer Independent Retailer (under 30 stores) High Street Chain Supermarket PEOPLE & INDUSTRY UK Development Team Distribution Team Sales Triumph Sales Team Games Publisher PR & MARKETING Peripherals & Accessories Brand Game Creative (single ad execution - any media) PR Team Trade Marketing Team New Game Brand Game Campaign Marketing Team SPECIAL AWARDS MCV Retail Advisory Board: Special Recognition Grand Prix

For more details about the MCV Industry Excellence Awards 2010, sponsorship or table sales information please contact Kathryn.Humphrey@intentmedia.co.uk

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Konami: Shattered Memories ‘most important’ Silent Hill release to date Publisher preparing to revitalise long-running survival horror series with innovative upcoming Wii release

by James Batchelor KONAMI has described its upcoming title Silent Hill: Shattered Memories as a landmark entry in the survival horror series.

The game is due for release on Wii, PS2 and PSP on February 5th, making it the publisher’s first major release of 2010.

“

The review scores from the US are universally high, and opinions from UK press are also unanimously positive.

Martine Saunders, Konami

Early reviews for Shattered Memories have been very positive, supporting Konami’s claims that this will continue the success of the long-running horror series.

Product manager Martine Saunders told MCV: “The Silent Hill series is one of Konami’s many jewels in its

Shattered Memories is based largely on the original Silent Hill but Saunders is keen to stress that the game is much more than a simple port, thanks to some interesting new features added by UK developer Climax.

“The key to the game is that it changes constantly,” she explained. “While the game shares certain plot similarities with the original PSone title, Shattered Memories is an incredible new take on it.

“The game is constantly monitoring the way the user plays the game and responds to situations, and duly adapts to their decisions.

“This ‘psyche profiling’ means that characters and situations will differ depending on how the user reacts.

“Two different people playing the game will not experience the same reactions as each other, while other smaller differences will play out as the title continues.”

crown, and Shattered Memories is by far the most important advance in the series to date.

“Silent Hill is a strong series with excellent recognition.

The review scores from the US version are universally high, and the groundswell of opinion from UK press has also been unanimously positive.”

Konami is putting its full marketing weight behind

”

Shattered Memories, hoping that the expected positive reviews will raise awareness of the game’s arrival in the same way the US press did.

The publisher is preparing a strong in-store presence for the game and is in discussions with its movie partners about potential horror tie-ins.

Konami hopes to arrange Silent Hill promotions with movie firms

Konami: 020 8987 5730

THQ promotes Donnelly to grow European share THQ’S Rory Donnelly has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of European publishing.

The announcement comes as the publisher pushes to strengthen its presence and operations in the region.

In his new role, Donnelly has been tasked with leading THQ’s European business back to profitability in line with the company’s overall global strategy, using his decade of experience working in Europe.

He has worked at the publisher for ten years, having joined THQ France as managing director in 1999.

During this time, he opened the company’s Benelux office and oversaw the German management team for a period of 15 months.

He also took responsibility for the Spanish and Italian offices when promoted to vice president of Southern Europe in 2007.

Before his time at THQ, Donnelly spent ten years working at Konami, including a four-year tenure in the publisher’s Japanese office and a year in the German office.

He was instrumental in the establishment of Konami’s French operations.

“I am excited to play a key role in driving THQ’s continued growth throughout Europe, growing our market share in all of the key regions through our incredibly diverse portfolio,” said Donnelly.

The publisher’s executive vice president of global publishing Ian Curran added: “Having managed the THQ offices in France, Benelux, Spain and Italy, Rory is very well placed to succeed me in managing the European business and continuing to drive presence and market share throughout the region.”

Veteran Donnelly has strengthened numerous European publishers

THQ: 01483 724500

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Abu Dhabi plots games market growth United Arab Emirates’ region calls on UK companies to capitalise on Middle East’s potential through TwoFour54

by Christopher Dring THE ABU DHABI Government has set up content creation firm TwoFour54 to drastically improve the Middle East games market – and is keen for UK companies to help achieve its aim.

The new initiative is designed to assist companies and people to create TV shows, films and video games aimed at Arab audiences.

“

“We are establishing a media and content hub to service the broader Arabic, Middle East and North African region,” said TwoFour54 COO Wayne Borg.

“This region represents about 320 million people, with about 60 per cent of those people under the age of 25.

We are one of the youngest populations in the world, and that age group is the sweet spot for leisure and entertainment expenditure.

We are establishing a media hub in the Middle East and North Africa. That area represents 320 million people.

Wayne Borg, TwoFour54

Publishers around the world have already teamed up with TwoFour54 in order to tap into the potentially lucrative Middle Eastern games market.

”

“These territories haven't been well served by quality content for the Arabic world.

The role of TwoFour54 is very much about building the

TwoFour54’s Wayne Borg says ‘Arabic world’ hasn’t been well served by the games industy

industry ecosystem, by making sure we have got the physical and intellectual infrastructure in place to support a growing industry.”

TwoFour54 offers vocational courses, in-house studios, support and training facilities to help companies produce the

sort of content that will appeal to Middle East consumers.

And Borg feels this is key to succeeding in the region.

“We want to develop a skilled workforce of game developers, so we can publish games initially for the region,” he added.

“We want to create a consumer market for great Arabic-based games. Localised content is important. People want to experience their own content and have their own stories told. They want material they can relate to.”

TwoFour: +971 2 401 2454

Rising Star Games boosts Japan tourism THE JAPAN National Tourist Organisation has teamed up with Rising Star Games as part of its ongoing campaign to improve the country’s tourism industry and reputation.

The initiative – entitled Cool Japan: Fusion with Tradition – is designed to promote the nation and its culture, as well as its legacy as a technological trendsetter.

As part of this, the publisher’s Muramasa: The Demon Blade will play a central role in a competition that gives consumers the chance to win a Virgin Holidays trip for two to Japan.

The contest will be promoted by an extensive twomonth UK campaign across national media and Rising

Star’s online Hoshi community, engaging an estimated nine million consumers.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Rising Star Games to cement its position as the Home of Japanese Games,” said managing director Martin Defries. “The Cool Japan promotion is well designed, brilliantly targeted and absolutely relevant.

“We’re delighted to be supporting this fantastic initiative, and we hope this is just the start of a long-term relationship between Rising Star Games and the Japan National Tourism Organisation.”

The organisation’s executive director Koichiro Yoshida added: “We launched the Cool Japan campaign to make

Rising Star Games has teamed up with the Japanese Government to help promote the country

people aware that Japan is much more than geisha, sumo, gardens, temples and Mount Fuji. One of Japan’s key charms is its dynamic blend of old and new. We are delighted to be working with Rising Star.

The company’s passion and expertise in Japanese gaming makes it a perfect partner for our Cool Japan campaign.”

The Muramasa competition will run throughout January and February. It marks the launch of the UK activity that forms part of the Japanese government’s Visit Japan Year 2010 campaign, which aims to attract ten million visitors to Japan by the end of the year.

Rising Star Games: 01582 433700

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NEWS

Sponsored by

Activision: Indies ‘a key pillar’ DJ Hero publisher teams up with Centresoft for £30,000 giveaway to UK retailers

by James Batchelor

Indie retailers that prominently display DJ Hero this Christmas stand to win cash

ACTIVISION and Centresoft have heralded the importance of independent retailers as they seek more participants for their Promote and Devote 2009 initiative.

The promotional event offers support to indies who prominently display Activision’s DJ Hero, with the publisher giving £30,000 to the sector.

Promote and Devote 2009 follows on from the success of the 2008 competition, which revolved around Guitar Hero: World Tour.

“

The Promote and Devote campaign gives us the opportunity to work in partnership with indies.

Roy Stackhouse, Activision

“The independents are a key strategic part of our business due to their unrivalled customer access and service being first rate evangelists for the Activision Blizzard business,” said

”

Activision’s senior director of sales Roy Stackhouse.

“As we move into 2010, they will continue to form a key pillar of how we go to market and interact with out customers.”

We Sing on celebrity Christmas gift lists SEVERAL A-LIST celebrities will be getting an extra Christmas present this year, courtesy of Nordic Games.

The fledgling publisher has teamed up with Premier PR’s celebrity seeding department to continue promoting its popular Wii karaoke title We Sing.

Copies have already been sent to Kylie Minogue, Katie Price, Leona Lewis and the members of Girls Aloud.

“It makes sense for celebrities to see how we use their material in our games,” said Nordic sales and marketing director Nik Blower. “And for their fans to know they are involved with We Sing.”

The full list of celebrities includes Pixie Lott, Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, Kimberly Walsh, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Alesha Dixon, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Natalie Imbruglia.

Nordic Games: +34 952 930 927

Centresoft’s commercial director Margaret Pearson added: “Independent retailers are incredibly important to our business and we are delighted to be working with Activision Blizzard on this great initiative.”

The scheme began on December 1st and will continue to January 15th.

Centresoft will provide pointof-sale materials for each entrant, and every indie outlet that takes part will be entitled to a prize of £300.

“Indies are historically key in demonstrating new products, such as the Hero franchise instore,” added Pearson.

“Together with their in-depth product knowledge and marketing support provided by Activision, this should be a very successful campaign.”

Stackhouse added: “The Promote and Devote campaign gives us the opportunity to work in partnership with the independent sector on our key brands at Christmas.

“In-store visibility is critical to the success of the Hero franchise and we have seen some of the best in-store and online displays at indies.”

Centresoft: 0121 625 3388

GameStreamer expands into Europe DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION specialist GameStreamer is to launch its services in Europe, after opening a data centre in the UK. The firm will now offer its white label game stores to European clients.

Its first Europe-based partner is VGChartz.com, which recently opened its own downloadable store.

GameStreamer’s new centre is hosted by Savvis in London.

“Video games are now the fastest growing segment of the entertainment market surpassing US movie box office revenues in 2008,” explained

GameStreamer co-founder and CEO Timothy Roberts.

“Consumers simply enjoy playing video games so bringing games content to websites like VGChartz can help them convert their traffic to revenue.

“As high speed bandwidth connects more consumers and more devices to the internet, digital distribution of games will continue to grow in demand.

Our relationship with Savvis gives us the Tier-1 network infrastructure we can depend on to enable our technology to deliver the best experience." www.gamestreamer.com

ACTIVISION: The publisher is working on a new entry in its True Crime series, which originally debuted on Xbox, GameCube and PS2.

2K GAMES: Spec Ops: The Line is in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It is due for release in Take-Two’s 2011 fiscal year, beginning November 1st 2010.

THQ: Following the success of the 2009 edition, UFC 2010 Undisputed will be released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP on May 28th next year.

DISNEY: Tron: Evolution will be released around Christmas 2010 and will not only tie-in with the upcoming Tron: Legacy movie, but also depict events that take place between the two films.

MTV GAMES: American punk rock band Green Day has been named as the latest act to get a bandspecific edition of Rock Band, with Green Day: Rock Band due for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in 2010.

SONY: Jonathon Blow’s acclaimed Xbox Live title Braid has been released on PSN. MICROSOFT: Forza Motorsport 3 sold more than one million copies in its first month of release. Fans have generated $18.7 billion on Storefront and racked up 6.6 million hours of playtime across 64 million sessions.

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

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EK E W E H T F O N IG A P CAM DARKSIDERS THQ unleashes a hellish campaign to ensure strong sales for its first major hit of 2010…

RELEASED: JANUARY 8

PRINT THQ has been targeting the core gaming and fantasy audiences for several months now, using several phases and creatives to peak consumer interest.

This has been supported by an extensive PR and community plan that has generated preview coverage across both print and online earlier this month.

The game has also graced the front covers of PLAY Gamer and 360 Gamer.

TV/MEDIA Darksiders is spearheading THQ’s recently announced multi–million pound sponsorship of Sky One’s Stargate Universe. The game has been advertised alongside the popular sci-fi

FORMATS: XBOX 360/PS3 PUBLISHER: THQ DEVELOPER: VIGIL GAMES PRICE: £49.99 DISTRIBUTOR: ADVANTAGE CONTACT: 0121 506 9585

show for the past month, engaging with its average audience of 900,000 viewers per episode.

The sponsorship spots will continue to run well into January, and will be extended to incorporate repeated episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis across Sky One, Two and Three, promoting the game to an even larger audience.

ONLINE The publisher has been running a multi-phased campaign for several months targeting the core gaming community online.

Key editorial drops, such as previews and trailers, with supporting media partners has maintained the momentum of online activity.

Crucially, THQ has secured a strategic partnership with IGN UK to post exclusive video features, interviews and a dedicated Darksiders section on the site.

There will also be an extensive community drive with exclusive events arranged for PSN and XCN community members throughout December. The

initiative aims to transform community members into brand ambassadors for Darksiders in the run up to the game’s launch day.

TRADE/POS A full range of POS will be available, allowing retailers to kit out their stores with standees, window vinyls, posters, cubes and more.

Distributor Xmas Opening Times Santa’s annual house call doesn’t mean a break from the daily business, so MCV provides a guide to the opening hours for the UK’s leading distributors to help you organise your Christmas deliveries...

December 14th–18th December 19th

December 21st

December 22nd

December 23rd

December 24th

December 25th

December 28th

December 29th–30th December 31st

January 1st

January 4th

9am – 1pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 5.30pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 5.30pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am –12pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 6pm

9am – 1pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 5.30pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am 5.30pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 6pm

8.30am – 5pm

8.30am – 5pm CLOSED

8.30am – 5pm 8.30am – 5pm

8.30am – 5pm

CLOSED

8.30am – 5pm

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

ADVANTAGE: www.advantagedistribution.co.uk (0121 506 9585)

9am – 6pm

ANTIGRAV: www.antigrav-media.co.uk (01932 454 929)

9am – 6pm

CENTRESOFT: www.centresoft.co.uk (0121 625 3388)

9am – 6pm

CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION: www.creativedistribution.co.uk (0208 664 3456)

8.30am – 5pm

8.30am – 5pm 8.30am – 5pm 8.30am – 5pm

DISCSTRIBUTION: www.discstribution.com (0845 430 8735)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

OPEN (online)

8.30am – 6pm

8.30am – 6pm 8.30am – 6pm 8.30am – 6pm

8.30am – 4pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

8.30am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

GEM: www.gem.co.uk (01279 822 800)

GLS GAMES: www.glsgames.com (01708 725 742)

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 1pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 6pm

9am – 5pm

9am – 5pm

9am – 5pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 1pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 1pm

CLOSED

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

9am – 6pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 6pm

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 1pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 1pm

CLOSED

9am – 5.30pm

8.30am – 5pm 8.30am – 5pm 8.30am – 5pm

8.30am – 5pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

9.30am – 4pm

9.30am – 4pm

CLOSED

8.30am – 5pm

8am – 6pm

8am – 6pm

8am – 1pm

CLOSED

CLOSED

8am – 6pm

8am – 1pm

CLOSED

8am – 6pm

IDEAL SOFTWARE: www.idealsoftware.net (01767 689 720)

9am – 5pm

9am – 5pm

INTERACTIVE IDEAS: www.interactiveideas.com (020 8805 1000)

9am – 5.30pm

9am – 5.30pm

KEYNE DISTRIBUTION: www.keynedistribution.co.uk (01908 821046)

9am – 6pm

KOCH: www.kochmedia.com (0870 027 0985)

9am – 5.30pm

MERONCOURT: www.meroncourt.co.uk (01462 680 060)

8.30am – 5pm

TRILOGY: www.trilogy-uk.com (0845 362 7769)

8am – 6pm

8am – 6pm

8am – 6pm

xx MCVxxx_v1:Layout 1

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gem_xmas_ad_Layout 1 09/12/2009 11:12 Page 1

Thank you for your continued support.

Gem Christmas Opening Times

Gem last orders for pre-Christmas deliveries are 4pm on December 23rd.

Gem re-opens on 4th January 2010.

24/7 online ordering available over Christmas at www.gem.co.uk

Trilogy Christmas Opening Times 24th December - 8am - 1pm 25th December - Closed 28th December - Closed 29th December - Normal Trading Hours 30th December - Normal Trading Hours 31st December 8am - 1pm 1st January 2010 - Closed 4th January 2010 - Normal Trading Hours

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MCV 18/12/09 13

GUEST EDITOR GRILLS NINTENDO, SONY AND MICROSOFT

Question Time One publisher boss. Three format-holder chiefs. Five questions. Find out what happened when Activision’s Andrew Brown quizzed Microsoft’s Neil Thompson, Sony’s Ray Maguire and Nintendo’s David Yarnton…

“From a value perspective, I still see boxed product through retail as playing the lead role in video games.”

Neil Thompson, Microsoft

“Games are still scratching the surface – the question is how we make them accessible to the broadest possible audience.”

Ray Maguire, Sony

“We still have a long way to go before we can claim that gaming is a mainstream recreational activity.”

David Yarnton, Nintendo

What are your thoughts on when you expect sales of digitally distributed games to overtake those of boxed product on your format?

Neil Thompson, Senior Regional Director, Northern Europe, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft: This depends on what your criteria and price point definition is – value or volume.

I expect digital distribution of game content to explode in the next three years as more publishers encompass the value of Xbox Live and its ability to deliver ongoing value to customers through digital enhancements that prolong the life of games.

However, from a value perspective, I still see boxed product through retail as playing the lead role during that time horizon.

Ray Maguire, UK Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment UK: We create and deliver entertainment content that appeals to, and is consumed, by an ever-growing and changing audience.

This content ranges from snackable mini games on the PSP and PS3, sold through the PlayStation Store,

through to blockbuster Blu-ray releases such as Uncharted 2 or Heavy Rain.

It’s worth considering that the Digital Britain Report only suggests all UK households have access to a 2Mbps minimum broadband line by 2012. So whilst it may be convenient and straightforward to download relatively small files, it’s unrealistic to expect the vast majority of consumers to access and store the 25 or 50 gigabytes of data that make up a Blu-ray release.

Therefore, whilst the popularity of and demand for bite-size content will continue to grow, there’ll still be a need for a storage medium that’s both convenient and accessible to the majority, not the minority, for some time to come.

David Yarnton, UK General Manager, Nintendo: I don’t think that digitally distributed product will overtake our boxed product for a long time. Right now, the majority of consumers are not ready for this and those that are, are a very narrow band.

Consumers have taken up downloading content in

some areas but we still see retail being a vital and valued partner for some considerable time to come.

Will the games industry eventually live in ‘the cloud’, or do you think companies like yourself will continue to manufacture ever-improving boxes for the foreseeable future?

Ray Maguire: Whilst the remote storage and access of files is becoming increasingly common, when it comes to delivering an entertainment experience on par with the quality consumers have come to expect and that they demand, dedicated games consoles remain the only systems powerful enough to do this.

Neil Thompson: I’m convinced the cloud will play a central role in the games industry of the future and already is today through services such as Xbox Live.

How you connect to the cloud and the services it can deliver across multiple devices is the exciting new world we are now entering.

Our strategy is certainly to enable people to connect to their key entertainment content through innovative

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GUEST EDITOR GRILLS NINTENDO, SONY AND MICROSOFT

services that span across multiple devices.

David Yarnton: Whilst we can give people unique and ever-surprising experiences, we will continue to innovate in the way that we provide both hardware and content to them. At the moment our consoles, physical hardware and software provide the means for developers to do that.

Facebook on DS, Twitter on Xbox 360, movies on the PlayStation Store… In your own unique ways, you’ve all embraced social media and add-on content through your hardware in 2009.

Why do you think there’s been so much momentum in that area this year and how do you see it developing in 2010?

Ray Maguire: Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are now an integral part of people’s lifestyles and entertainment demands, so their integration into both hardware and software is an obvious and natural transition. Communities play an important role in helping to shape and define the PlayStation experience online, which is why it’s important to support and engage with the consumers who use these sites on a daily basis.

Neil Thompson: Consumers are increasingly demanding more from their entertainment services.

Offering them a wide range of entertainment experiences that enable them to connect to their friends is essential if you are to be relevant in the next year and beyond. Xbox is at the forefront of that with great Zune Movie Full HD Streaming service, Live TV with Sky, Last.fm or Facebook and Twitter.

The challenge all companies have in this space is driving innovation at the pace of change the market is asking for. Software innovation will be the magic ingredient that will enable companies such as ours to keep meeting this consumer challenge and keep formats fresh and exciting.

David Yarnton: Content and the user experience

when using our platforms is always important and the DS and Wii can offer a lot more to people than they often expect. Many of these additional functions are often made available, but sometimes in a complicated way. So when we can make them free, simple and safe we will release it to our customers.

John Riccitiello reportedly estimates that we live in a world of a billion gamers. Does that mean you’re only just scratching the surface – or that we live in a ‘post-gaming age’, in which the idea of ‘a gamer’ has been completely redefined?

Neil Thompson: Even defining gaming is becoming ever more challenging. It is sometimes better, I believe, to think about interactive entertainment that spans all ages, all genres and multiple types of experiences. In my opinion, when our industry is placed in this context we have only just begun.

There is a world of opportunity where ‘interactive entertainment’ can play a role in our lives that is much more expansive than the way it is defined today. For developers, publishers, devices manufacturers and services providers – including retailers – this offers us all a massive opportunity in the short and long term as long as we’re willing to innovate and constantly redefine who we are and what we are here to deliver.

Ray Maguire: Play is an integral part of our DNA from birth, and forms the very fabric of our ability to learn, engage with, and enjoy the world around us. When you take this inherent instinct into consideration, then we really are just scratching the surface right now – and the question becomes how we make the fruits of our industry enjoyable for, and accessible to, the broadest possible audience.

David Yarnton: We still have a long way to go before we can claim that gaming is a mainstream recreational activity. We definitely think we are only just scratching the surface – and our tactic of expanding the user base

and bringing new people to gaming has expanded the market for everyone. We still have a long way to go and it will take many more years before we can consider what we have achieved as being ‘the full potential’.

Make a bold prediction about what you think the industry might be like in 2019 – and the role your formats will play in that.

David Yarnton: By then I will have less hair, but there will be a lot of people in the industry now who will have retired or be close to it. That means there will also be a lot of our customers who are all in the same position having also grown up with video games. What does this mean? It hopefully means that these people, their children and grandchildren will accept video games as a mainstream form of entertainment just like movies, TV, music and books are now. The industry will be in a stronger position as our products are used across all levels and ages of society and beyond what we can imagine now.

Neil Thompson: The connected ‘gaming’ world will be of a size that will make it the biggest country in the world; People will seamlessly access their 3D interactive content through a multiple of devices using natural user interfaces; My Gamerscore will still be in three figures; Wales will have won the 6 Nations another seven times; And I still won’t have completed Halo on legendary…

Ray Maguire: The Daily Mail runs a competition offering readers the chance to win Grand Theft Auto VI, signed by the game’s ambassador, Keith Vaz; The Government announces a pledge that all UK households will have a minimum of 8Mbps broadband connection, whilst Sky and Virgin Media unveil their one-terabyte-per-second services; Stuart Dinsey launches an aggressive takeover of Simon Cowell’s media empire, and The X Factor gets a subtle branding makeover, with the letters MCV.

xx MCVxxx_v1 copy:Layout 1

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A big thank you to all our retail partners for their support in 2009 and in the MCV Retail Survey.

The elite range

Contact your Venom Account Manager now to find out more: 01763 284181 Email: joe.hurry@venomuk.com, dan.miles@venomuk.com or david.davies@venomuk.com Xbox速, Xbox 360TM, Xbox Live速 and Xbox速 logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and/or other countries and are used under licence from Microsoft.The names of actual products and companies mentioned herin may be the trademarks oftheir repective owners. This product is manufactured and distributed by Venom Limited.

www.venomuk.com

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NOUGHTIES RETROSPECTIVE: 2007

2007 FLASHBACK

Moving through another year of our historical journey, Tim Ingham gives a nod to the 12 months that gave us PS3, Xbox Elite – and a whole lot of consolidation…

[THE BIG STORY]

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER AFTER THE disappointment and the backbiting, the PlayStation 3 finally arrived in the UK in March 2007 (1) – delivering on Sony’s pledge to put £100 million in retail’s tills in opening weekend (2).

But its arrival wasn’t without problems. Sony’s instore theatre for the console was a little more spectacular than retail were used to. So what did they do? Moan of course – about space concerns. The departure of SCE UK commercial director Kevin Jowett just five weeks from launch didn’t help matters, either (3).

Other grumbles met Sony’s decision to launch with one, super-expensive 60GB model, which retailed for a monster price of £425. Many High Street retailers saw the lack of a cheaper SKU as an error – not least as Microsoft had led with a dual-model approach. (4).

However, Sony was soon up and running with an eye-catching £6 million ad campaign (5).

Interest in the machine was also given an unexpected boost at the Game Developers Confernce three weeks before UK launch – as Phil Harrison unveiled pseudogameworld and potential Live-beater Home (6).

4 1

5

2

6 3

[2007: THE KEY GAME RELEASES] The Orange Box Electronic Arts/Valve Boasting five games in one, Valve’s The Orange Box sold very well and included the award-winning Portal.

BioShock 2K The spiritual successor to System Shock was a big hit for 360 and PC. It sold millions and has a Metacritic of 96.

Colin McRae: DiRT Codemasters DiRT was the first of Codemasters’ next-gen racers, sold half a million in a week and a sequel arrived this year.

Halo 3 Microsoft The highly anticipated shooter became the world’s biggest entertainment launch of all time and remained so until GTA IV.

COD4: Modern Warfare Activision Blizzard The FPS reinvigorated the long-running series and paved the way for this year’s recordbreaking sequel.

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NOUGHTIES RETROSPECTIVE: 2007

[ACQUIRED AND EMOTIONAL] IT WASN’T JUST Warner Bros that splashed the cash in 2007 (see below).

In the UK market a shock deal in May completely changed the face of the British High Street overnight.

GAME snapped up arch rival Gamestation for £74 million (1) – bringing with it the promise of a price war ceasefire.

Yeah, as if that was ever going to happen…

In August – after spotting the potential of toy giant Hasbro’s IP (perhaps through MCV?) – EA struck a licensing deal with the firm that gave the publisher exclusive rights to property such as Monopoly, Scrabble and Nerf.

But EA wasn’t done there. In October, it shook the industry with a double swoop for Pandemic and Bioware – a spending spree that carried a receipt of $800 million.

All other deals were dwarfed by the year’s real heart-inmouth takeover, however, which arrived just in time for Christmas in December (2): French multimedia colossus Vivendi snapped up Activision in a deal worth an astonishing $18.9 billion. However, it was Activision that took the business lead once the deal was done, being rebranded as all new super-label Activision Blizzard.

Vivendi the games publisher died soon after, alongside with its Sierra sub-brand.

[TIME FOR A BREAK?]

2007 WAS THE year that the games industry got organised – and got demanding.

The likes of Eidos, EA and ELSPA added their names to those requesting financial help for UK studios from the Government. Then Culture Minister Margaret Hodge told us to ‘forget tax breaks’. The industry didn’t, of course, and there were grumbles last week when Chancellor Alistair Darling omitted any help for video games from his Pre-Budget Report.

[XBOX FIGHTS BACK] WITH ALL THE hype, excitement and press coverage surrounding PS3’s launch, Microsoft knew it needed something to steal the limelight. And Xbox Elite’s launch certainly did the trick. It launched on August 29th at £249.99 – almost a full £200 cheaper than Sony’s new baby – and carried a 120GB hard-drive, double the size of PS3’s.

2

1

[WELCOME BACK WARNER…]

WARNER BROS MADE a shock return to the European market as a fully-fledged publisher in the second half of 2007. Although its initial release slate wasn’t exactly dynamite (Jumper, anyone?), it did a lot of work behind the scenes to become the behemoth we know and love today. First, there was the appointment of industry veteran Chris Meredith as sales and distribution boss in September, and then there was the big one: Buying out Traveller’s Tales – and the LEGO game franchise – for a gargantuan (and estimated) £100 million.

[2007: UK’S BEST-SELLING GAMES] Title

Publisher

Format

1 FIFA 08

EA

2 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training

Nintendo

3 COD4: Modern Warfare

Activision

4 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Konami

5 More Brain Training

Nintendo

DS

6 Halo 3

Microsoft

360

7 The Simpsons Game

EA

8 Wii Play

Nintendo

9 Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft

10 WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008 THQ

[SOURCE]

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

PS2, Wii, PS3, 360, PC, DS Wii 360, PS3, PC 360, PS3, PS2 (c) ELSPA, Compiled by ChartTrack

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NOUGHTIES RETROSPECTIVE: 2008

2008 FLASHBACK

It was the most prosperous year in the history of gaming – but for much of UK retail, it proved to be a nightmare. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to 2008…

[THE BIG STORY]

THE HIGH STREET PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS… THE SIGNS WEREN’T good from the start. MCV raised the alarm on the power held by Woolworths-owned distributor EUK in August 2008 (1). The trade at large was worried that should anything bad happen to

the firm – a supplier to Zavvi, WH Smith, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Asda – 25 per cent of the market could be placed in danger.

Two months later, something bad happened (2). Following

Woolworths’ announcement that it was £400m in debt, publishers’ relations with EUK faltered. Credit was cut off as the biggest labels began to panic that their games wouldn’t reach retailers.

The news got worse before it got better. Woolworths went into administration on November 26th, taking EUK with it (3). Publishers had to frantically set up direct distribution deals with EUK’s

former retail partners – but then, on Christmas Eve, the final nail in the coffin: Zavvi, a former client of EUKs, also hit the skids. It was the last sorry chapter in a Christmas to forget for the industry.

1 2

3

[2008: THE KEY GAME RELEASES] Dead Space Electronic Arts This new horror IP sold a million units at launch. A DVD and comic was also released, and a new franchise was born.

Fallout 3 Bethesda The classic IP returned in 2008. The critics loved it and five million units were shipped in just two months.

LittleBigPlanet Sony It didn’t perhaps quite sell as quickly as it should, but this title was a critical darling thanks to its innovative community features.

Wii Fit Nintendo The Nintendo phenomenon single-handedly created the fitness genre and became the epitome of evergreen hits.

Rock Band Electronic Arts/Harmonix Guitar Hero got a true rival in 2008 with Rock Band. Its sequel – also out in 2008 – helped establish the brand.

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NOUGHTIES RETROSPECTIVE: 2008

[GTA INSPIRES A RECORD YEAR]

[BYRON… AND ON… AND ON]

AS SOME OF the High Street’s biggest names experienced an annus horribilis, their publishing counterparts had a golden year – with the UK industry generating a huge £4bn at tills in 12 months. The star of the show was Rockstar’s GTA IV, which smashed all sales records when it was released in April and inspired a glut of interest in next generation hardware.

However, Rockstar parent Take-Two didn’t have the easiest time in 2008. In what was dubbed ‘the most hostile bid in games history’, EA’s John Riccitiello went on a mission to buy the publisher. In the end, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick’s pleas to his investors to ignore him won out, and EA missed out on publishing GTA V, VI and VII…

[THE SHOW MUST GO ON] A SAGA THAT began with the banning of Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 in June 2007 came to a close in April 2008, with the publication of the Government’s Byron Review. Fears that the report – which considered the best ways to protect children from violent materials – would lead to censorship of the industry were thankfully calmed by Dr. Byron’s well-reasoned conclusions, despite some unhelpful rhetoric from the Prime Minister.

When the dust had settled, the Review set the scene for a public spat between the BBFC and PEGI on who should be granted statutory rights to classify UK video games.

PEGI won out in the end as part of the Government’s Digital Britain report earlier this year.

[APPLE MAKES ITS MOVE]

INTEREST IN TRADE shows took off in a big way in 2008.

First, publishers announced they had moved to back a new show called Gamescom in Cologne, ditching traditional European event Games Convention in Leipzig. By October both German trade shows were at war, with Gamescom shifting dates to go head-to-head with its adversary. In the end, Leipzig changed its focus on to online gaming and everyone was (sort of) happy.

Meanwhile, over in the US, not many people were happy with the new ‘businesslike’ E3. Although the fanboy foolishness of years gone by had disappeared, the lack of razzmatazz upset some of games’ biggest names. EA’s John Riccitiello (him again!) said he “hated” the new format, whilst Sega’s Simon Jeffery memorably told MCV it had “all the atmosphere of a hospital corridor”.

[TRADE TURNS ON R4]

IT HAPPENED SURPRISINGLY slowly, but the ads for Apple’s iPod and iPhone took a noticeable turn towards interactive entertainment in 2008 – and MCV and the industry spotted it. But it took the firm until November to tell MCV that it saw DS and PSP as competitors – calling itself ‘the future of gaming’ whilst it was at it. All bluster, naturally. No-one plays games on iPhone these days, right…?

[2008: UK’S BEST-SELLING GAMES] Title

Publisher EA

2 Mario Kart Wii

Nintendo

Wii

3 GTA IV

Rockstar

360, PS3, PC

4 Mario & Sonic: Olympic Games

SEGA

5 Wii Fit

Nintendo

6 Call of Duty: World at War

Activision

7 Wii Play

Nintendo

8 Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training Nintendo THE ‘OFFICIAL’ INDUSTRY may have hit new heights in 2008, but the dark world of piracy also experienced something of a boom, as the R4 card reached the mainstream. The device allows consumers to play pirated games on DS, and was roundly criticised by the industry – who successfully put pressure on rogue retailers to stop selling the cartridge through the pages of MCV.

Format

1 FIFA 09

9 Lego Indiana Jones 10 Carnival: Fun Fair Games

[SOURCE]

PS3, 360, PC, Wii, PSP

Wii wii 360, PC, PS3, Wii, DS Wii DS

Activision

Wii, PS3, PC, 360, DS

2K Games

Wii (c) ELSPA, Compiled by ChartTrack

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NOUGHTIES RETROSPECTIVE: 2009

2009 FLASHBACK

Our look back over the last decade comes to a close, set against a backdrop of economic turmoil – and the biggest entertainment launch of all time...

[THE BIG STORY]

RECESSION LOOMS LARGE OVER TRADE THE COMBINATION of the UK’s economic slowdown and a weak pound made 2009 one of the most fractious years in the industry’s history. Retail’s caution in bracing itself for a difficult year proved wise – as GAME and fellow High Street chains suffered a drop in group sales (1). However, worse was in store for the likes of Pinnacle, Trilogy, Oxygen Games and Empire, which all went under in the year. Elsewhere, Ubisoft, Sega and THQ cancelled their individual publisher events (2) as E3 began to offer better return on investment.

Nintendo and Activision fought a weak pound by hiking up prices for their two key products, Wii (3) and Modern Warfare 2 (4) – much to the chagrin of retail. Fellow publishers also began moving games releases previously destined for Q4 into 2010 (5) – giving cash-strapped consumers more time to get their money together.

5

1

3

2

4

[2009: THE KEY GAME RELEASES] Batman: Arkham Asylum Eidos The lack of a movie game for The Dark Knight in 2008 was a blow to fans. This title more than made up for it.

Assassin’s Creed II Ubisoft It couldn’t quite match Modern Warfare II in terms of immediate sales, but Ubi’s flagship title was still a smash hit.

New Super Mario Bros Wii Nintendo Mario and Luigi returned in a multiplayer smash hit for all the family – albeit it without an online mode.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Sony The PS3 had been looking for a true classic to define it since launch – and Naughty Dog supplied it this year.

The Beatles: Rock Band EA Some speculate that the licensing costs alone make The Beatles: Rock Band the most expensive game ever made.

gasd2010_ad_Layout 1 04/12/2009 11:01 Page 1

Entertainment Industry’s Annual

Charity Golf and Spa Day in association with Gem for Games Aid

The Grove Golf Club, Chandlers Cross, Herts 27th

May 2010

To book acommodtation at a special discounted rate, contact the hotel at 01923 296010 Discount Prices: Standard Room - £220.00 Superior Room Single Occupancy £240.00 Quote ‘Charity Golf And Spa Day’ when booking.

The 2010 Annual Charity Golf and Spa Event will be held at the prestigious Grove course which is widely regarded as one of the finest golf courses in Europe and recently hosted the World Golf Championships and American Express Championship 2006. It's time to test your skills here for charity and see how you compare to Tiger.

The event will consist of 18 holes of golf with buggies provided, followed by a 3 course awards dinner in the impressive Grove Hotel. We have also arranged for exclusive use of the Grove’s Sequoia Spa’s indoor pool and fitness facilities, including at least one hour of treatments, for non-golf playing partners, friends or colleagues we negotiated reduced rates in the hotel if you are too “tired” to go home at the end of the night please quote ‘Charity Golf and Spa Day’ when booking accomodation.

TICKET PRICES: If you are interested in sponsoring or participating, contact Richard Stickler on 01279 822832 or at richards@gem.co.uk

Golf Day (4-Ball)* £1200

www.golfandspaday.com

www.gamesaid.org

Spa Day (per person)* £250

*Includes evening meal at the Award Dinner

Awards Dinner: £150

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24 MCV 18/12/09

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NOUGHTIES RETROSPECTIVE: 2009

[GOOD AS NEW] IN HARDWARE TERMS, there were plenty of fresh SKUs rolled out and new add-ons announced during 2009. The biggest news of the year in this respect was the unveiling of Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s Motion Controller at E3 in June (1). MCV would later send the industry into a tailspin with exclusive revelations about Natal’s launch date and price (2). Meanwhile Sony itself shook the trade in October with the launch of PSPgo – the first digital-only console from ‘the big three’ (3). Nintendo wasn’t undone in the new hardware stakes either, launching DSi in April (4) and bringing its ‘extra sensitive’ Wii add-on MotionPlus to market in June (5), which worked with games such as Sega’s Virtua Tennis, Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort and EA’s Grandslam Tennis.

1

3

[WHAT WAR’S GOOD FOR ]

4

5

2

[ACTING OUR AGE] IT WAS always going to be big, but 1.7 million big? As predicted by MCV, Modern Warfare 2 (1) smashed entertainment sales records in its opening week. The title sold 1.76 million copies in the UK in its first five days on sale – just over the number we called a month before release (2). It grossed an incredible £67.4 million in that time. To put the game’s achievement in full perspective, consider that GTAIV – the industry’s previous fastest-selling release – sold 926,000 units in its opening week and took £39.9 million at retail.

1

2

1

2 ELSPA lobbying for the PEGI age classification system paid off this year. The Government announced that PEGI was to become statutory in June, as part of its Digital Britain report. As PEGI symbols began appearing on boxes (1), ELSPA promised the system was tough enough to protect children from adult content (2).

[CHUBBY CHECKERS] THE GOVERNMENT outraged the industry in March with its ‘Risk an early death’ ad (1). Created in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Cancer Research, the ad was support of antiobesity drive Change4Life.

However, MCV soon discovered that funding for the campaign came from junk food and TV companies – perhaps explaining why video games were picked on so unfairly (2). However, by October the industry had a representative involved – as Nintendo became an official partner of Change4Life (3).

1

2

3

gasd2010_ad_Layout 1 04/12/2009 11:01 Page 2

Entertainment Industry’s Annual

Charity Golf and Spa Day in association with Gem for Games Aid

The Grove Golf Club, Chandlers Cross, Herts 27th

May 2010

To book acommodtation at a special discounted rate, contact the hotel at 01923 296010 Discount Prices: Standard Room - £220.00 Superior Room Single Occupancy £240.00 Quote ‘Charity Golf And Spa Day’ when booking.

The 2010 Annual Charity Golf and Spa Event will be held at the prestigious Grove course which is widely regarded as one of the finest golf courses in Europe and recently hosted the World Golf Championships and American Express Championship 2006. It's time to test your skills here for charity and see how you compare to Tiger.

The event will consist of 18 holes of golf with buggies provided, followed by a 3 course awards dinner in the impressive Grove Hotel. We have also arranged for exclusive use of the Grove’s Sequoia Spa’s indoor pool and fitness facilities, including at least one hour of treatments, for non-golf playing partners, friends or colleagues we negotiated reduced rates in the hotel if you are too “tired” to go home at the end of the night please quote ‘Charity Golf and Spa Day’ when booking accomodation.

TICKET PRICES: If you are interested in sponsoring or participating, contact Richard Stickler on 01279 822832 or at richards@gem.co.uk

Golf Day (4-Ball)* £1200

www.golfandspaday.com

www.gamesaid.org

Spa Day (per person)* £250

*Includes evening meal at the Award Dinner

Awards Dinner: £150

26 MCV568_final:46 MCV515

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Sponsored by 26 MCV 18/12/09

WWW.MCVUK.COM

PERSONNEL

Howes heads up GAME’s digital push Former Metaboli director joins leading UK retailer Lightning Fish hires Steve Dietz NBP snaps up Silver GAME The UK games retail giant has hired PAUL HOWES to help orchestrate its new ventures into the digital distribution sector.

Howes previously served at game download specialists Metaboli as business director for Northern Europe, a position he held for almost four years.

Before this, he worked as UK general manager for Mindscape and UK sales and business development director for Infogrames.

In his new role as head of digital services, he will help to expand GAME’s downloadable games presence.

Digitial guru Howes to grow GAME’s downloads business

The company currently operates a digital download service for PC titles, operated

by Metaboli.

He has been initially employed on a contract basis.

LIGHTNING FISH The UKbased development studio has named STEVE DIETZ as their art director.

Dietz has a over 16 years of experience spanning such genres as racing and sports.

He previously held a similar role at Midway’s Newcastle studio where he was involved with Wheelman and LA Rush.

“I’m delighted to be working with the Lightning Fish team, and to be adding further visual flair to their products,” he said.

“I also relish the opportunity to work on genre-leading titles on such formats Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 and Natal.”

Dietz brings his wealth of experience to Lightning Fish

CEO SIMON PRYTHERCH added: “I am pleased to welcome Steve on board. His experience and eye for creative detail will be pivotal to the success of games currently in development and those planned for the future.”

NAMCO BANDAI PETE SILVER has joined Namco Bandai Partners as the publisher’s new national accounts manager.

He leaves his previous position at D3Publisher after two and a half years.

He will be responsible for a number of Namco’s key UK accounts.

PROMOTE YOUR JOB TO OVER 300,000 READERS PER MONTH MCV print and online offer: • Quarter page Recruitment advert • Exclusive Job of the Week on MCVuk.com • Full Job listing on Jobs Board • Promoted via Email Newsflashes

ONLY £750

OPM Response Ltd Tel: +44(0)1206 21 44 21 www.opmjobs.com

Contact Rob Baker for more information T: 01992 535647 E: Rob.Baker@intentmedia.co.uk

gasd2010_ad_Layout 1 04/12/2009 11:01 Page 3

Entertainment Industry’s Annual

Charity Golf and Spa Day in association with Gem for Games Aid

AWARDS DINNER

The Grove Golf Club, Chandlers Cross, Herts 27th May 2010 The 2010 Annual Charity Golf and Spa event will be held at the prestigious Grove course, widely regarded as one of the finest Golf courses in Europe, having recently hosted the World Golf Championships and the 2006 American Express Championship. Test your Golf skills or relax in the Spa - all in the name of charity!

Evening Awards Dinner.

The event finishes with an evening awards dinner providing the perfect opportunity to tell stories from the day, congratulate the winners and join key industry figures for a beer or two whilst supporting the Games Aid cause.

If you are interested in sponsoring or participating, contact Richard Stickler on 01279 822832 or at richards@gem.co.uk

TICKET PRICES £150.00

(PER PERSON)

To book acommodtation at a special discounted rate, contact the hotel at 01923 296010 Discount Prices: Standard Room - £220.00 Superior Room Single Occupancy £240.00 Quote ‘Charity Golf And Spa Day’ when booking.

So there is no excuse – come along in the evening and show your support for Games Aid!

www.gamesaid.org

www.golfandspaday.com

Ads-GS_MCV:230x315mm 15/10/09 10:48 Page1

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RETAILBIZ RECOMMENDED GAMES PRICE CHECK CHARTS NEW RELEASES

WINTER WONDERLAND Sega brings the thrills of the upcoming Olympic event to P30 the High Street

CROSSWORD COLLECTION P32 An extensive and addictive collection of crosswords from Nintendo NEW RELEASES P33 MCV provides a comprehensive list of all upcoming releases in the UK HIGH STREET P34 This week, we catch up with an indie, check prices and show off our deal of the week CHARTS P36 The full rundown of this week’s GfKChartTrack charts – including single formats

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RETAILBIZ: VANCOUVER 2010 30 MCV 18/12/09

Sega readies its second batch of digital winter Olympics, harnessing the power of powerful console hardware to deliver a more immersive experience…

WWW.MCVUK.COM

by James Batchelor IT’S GOT THE licence, it’s got the legacy and it’s got the longest name for a game in recent memory.

However, with Sega behind the helm, Vancouver 2010: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games is set to be a hit when it arrives in January.

Sports and video games have had a particularly lucrative relationship over the past year, with Ashes Cricket 2009 benefiting from its real world counterpart, and this year’s Wimbledon driving sales of both EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis and Virtua Tennis 2009.

More recently, Sega has worked to recreate the success of the original multi-million selling Mario & Sonic At

“

The Olympic Games. Both this year’s Olympic Winter Games and its 2007 predecessor have been performing well in the charts for the last two months, so the public is clearly eager for more chances to bag those elusive gold medals – albeit virtual ones.

The winter games are gathering popularity, as extreme sports are more accessible than ever before.

Jo Fawell, Sega It’s easy to forget that Sega also saw similar Olympic-themed success in 2008 without the need for iconic gaming characters and a casual tone.

Beijing 2008 proved that the more hardcore sports games fans were also craving for the challenge that only the

Olympics can provide, giving even the Mario & Sonic edition a run for its money. Now the publisher is set to build upon this with Vancouver 2010.

“Our previous next generation Olympic-licensed title has performed really well – in fact, it is the most successful official Olympic video game to date,” says Sega’s UK marketing manager Jo Fawell.

“The developer Eurocom has again produced a great game, and this time the dangerous nature of the winter Olympic events themselves adds to the adrenaline of the experience.”

As can be expected, Vancouver 2010 recreates all of the events set to take place during the upcoming winter Olympics. From bobsleighing and luge to ski jumps and slalom, players will be

”

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RETAILBIZ: VANCOUVER 2010 WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 18/12/09 31

Sega’s upcoming title will allow players to try their hand at every winter Olympic event, and all from a first-person perspective

OLYMPIC BID

able to recreate all 14 of the snowy athletic antics they see on their screens.

Thanks to the power of the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, these are all rendered in a stunning realistic graphical style, making it feel much more serious than the more cutesy Nintendo/Sega editions.

Crucially, the realism is enhanced by the addition of a first-person view. No matter what the event, players have the option to view the competition through the eyes of their chosen athlete, making sports such as the ski jump much more exciting and immersive.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Single players can work through each of the disciplines and try to perfect their art in order to be awarded the highly sought after gold medals.

If they require a fresh challenge or wish to practise their skills, there are

also a range of more light-hearted scenarios, such as Smashing The Snowmen and Speed Bands.

Should their efforts in each premium event result in a new world record, they can go online and upload this time to the leaderboards, comparing their performance with that of other players around the world.

There is even an online head-to-head competition mode, allowing them to try and best a global rival directly.

Alternatively, up to four players can enjoy each of the game’s events in the traditional splitscreen multiplayer mode.

Sega is confident Vancouver 2010 can live up to the success of its predecessors, both the bestselling Wii and DS titles and its Beijing counterparts.

The publisher prides itself on having the most comprehensive Olympic gaming experience available, and

RELEASED: JANUARY FORMATS: XBOX 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER: SEGA DEVELOPER: EUROCOM PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

believes it has all of the necessary qualities for a chart-topper, which will be supported by an extensive campaign (see Olympic Bid).

“The game looks amazing,” adds Fawell. “The first-person view puts you directly into the action and really immerses you into the gameplay.

“Vancouver 2010 will also be fully online or four-player splitscreen so you can compete in fourteen of the adrenaline-filled events. There is also a new range of challenge modes included within the game.”

“The majority of our marketing will be timed alongside the Olympic Games,” marketing manager Jo Fawell explains.

“The winter games are gathering popularity as extreme sports are more accessible and prevalent than ever before.

Consumers can embrace the spirit of the Olympics and feel the rush of bringing home gold.”

Key to the publisher’s efforts will be a highly targeted TV campaign, comprised of 30 and 20-second ads running alongside coverage of the Games.

The TV spots will also be timed to run with programming aimed at 16 to 34 year-olds across channels such as Sky 1, Dave, E4, ITV2, Comedy Central and Eurosport.

This will be supported by a heavyweight online campaign with site takeovers and rich media creatives on dedicated sports sites such as Eurosport, Sky Sports, Talk Sport and MSN. Finally, advertorials and single page ads will appear in national press, specialist sporting publications and men’s lifestyle magazines as part of a dedicated three-month specialist and lifestyle PR campaign.

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RETAILBIZ: NINTENDO PRESENTS CROSSWORD COLLECTION 32 MCV 18/12/09

WWW.MCVUK.COM

The accessible nature of Crossword Collection has been modelled on previous DS hits such as Brain Training to capture a much wider audience

In its latest offering to the Brain Training audience, Nintendo combines crosswords and the DS – perfect for gaming on the go in manageable chunks…

by James Batchelor

limited to just completing one puzzle at a time on longer journeys, as you have over 1,000 puzzles available.

“You don’t have to worry about making corrections to mistakes, because you can quickly and easily update anything you have entered. For me, this is a key feature as many times I have ruined my crossword in the paper with a rushed answer.”

stylus, and the handwriting recognition software makes sure the correct letter THERE’S ALREADY an eclectic array appears on screen. of games covering all sorts of genres on “Beyond the huge number of puzzles the Nintendo DS. All tastes are catered that offers more than any other single for. But sometimes simple is best. And title, we have tried to ensure that it has Nintendo Presents: Crossword Collection the most user-friendly experience represents a return to basics – albeit one available,” explains Honeywell. with a few twists, turns and flourishes.

“We have taken our experience from Crosswords are one of the most titles like Dr. Kawashima's Brain commonplace means of Training: How Old Is Your entertainment in our dayBrain? and 100 Classic Beyond the huge number of to-day lives, adorning Book Collection to offer puzzles, we’ve tried to ensure newspapers and magazines class-leading handwriting that it has the most userand distracting many a recognition technology in friendly experience available. commuter during the daily this title, which will James Honeywell, Nintendo rush hour. In addition to represent the most intuitive the casual gamers at home, gameplay available.”

Nintendo will be targeting this audience At the heart of the game are over When the going gets too tough, by highlighting the merits of virtual 1,000 puzzles covering all possible players can fall back on various hints crosswords over printed ones. levels of difficulty. and tips to get them going again.

“Playing crosswords on the DS offers There is plenty to get stuck into here Importantly, the title has been lots of benefits over more traditional for puzzlers of all ages and abilities. tailored specifically to suit the UK forms,” says senior product manager Should they ever want a different market, using words from British James Honeywell. “No longer are you challenge, there are also two separate English rather than the American modes with plenty of anagrams and English vernacular – so there’s no RELEASED: DECEMBER 18 word searches. excuse for poor spelling.

FORMATS: DS The crosswords are completed by Adding to the game’s accessibility, PUBLISHER: NINTENDO holding the DS vertically, like an open there are three skill levels. As well as DEVELOPER: NINTENDO book. The clues appear on one screen, Easy and Medium, there is a much PRICE: £19.99 the crossword itself on the other. more challenging setting, which starts DISTRIBUTOR: KOCH Players fill in the puzzle by writing players with space for a four-letter word CONTACT: 0870 027 0985 straight onto the screen using their beginning with H and ending in D.

“

”

PUZZLING PROMOTIONS The marketing for the game will focus on the message that Nintendo Presents: Crossword Collection is the newest addition to the ever growing range of Nintendo DS titles targeted at the Brain Training audience, offering great value, intuitive gameplay and a new exciting way to experience crossword puzzles.

The marketing for Nintendo Presents: Crossword Collection centres around a TV campaign which starts on Christmas Eve and will run for three weeks.

Launching in the UK and Ireland on December 18th, Nintendo is hoping for a unique share of voice over the Christmas period, targeting existing Nintendo DS owners, taking advantage of last minute gift purchases and offering more reasons for non-users to experience Nintendo DS for the first time.

Released this week, Nintendo presents: Crossword Collection arrives just in time for Christmas – and without being caught up in the flood of last month’s blockbuster. Honeywell is confident that the game will be in plenty of stockings on the big day, before going on to perform well in 2010.

“Christmas gifting just represents the first opportunity for this title, but there is no reason why sales would be limited to this period,” he says.

“Crosswords can be enjoyed at any time, so we hope that this title will exhibit a long tail of sales in the future.”

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RETAILBIZ: NEW RELEASES WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 18/12/09 33

Check out MCVUK.COM/RELEASE-DATES for more

Sci-fi shooters flank January Popular BioWare RPG Mass Effect returns while Capcom’s newest IP, Dark Void, brings jetpack-fuelled action to retailers in January, leading the way for a wave of big hits, including Final Fantasy, BioShock, Splinter Cell, Dante’s Inferno and more...

TITLE

FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

PS3 / XBOX 360 PS3 / XBOX 360

Action Action

Sega THQ

0121 625 3388 0121 506 9585

Centresoft Advantage

PC PC / PS3 / XBOX 360 PSP / DS / Wii / PS2 PC / PS3 / XBOX 360 Wii

FPS Action Action/Adventure Action Casual

City Interactive EA D3Publisher Capcom Zushi

0845 362 7769 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388 01279 822 800

Trilogy Centresoft Centresoft Centresoft Gem

Wii DS Wii

Simulation Puzzle/RPG Survival Horror

City Interactive Ubisoft Capcom

0845 362 7769 0845 362 7769 0121 625 3388

Trilogy Trilogy Centresoft

DS / PC / Wii / PS3 PC PC XBOX 360 / PC

Action/Adventure Strategy FPS RPG/Action

Ubisoft Zushi Zushi EA

0845 362 7769 01279 822 800 01279 822 800 0121 625 3388

Trilogy Gem Gem Centresoft

XBOX 360 / PS2 / Wii / DS / PSP DS / Wii PSP Wii PSP / DS / PC DS PSP / DS / PS3 / XBOX 360 PC PC PC DS / Wii PC DS / PC

Action/Adventure Action RPG RPG/Action Strategy Casual Racing Casual Casual MMORPG Action/Adventure Casual Casual

D3Publisher Zushi Koei Square Enix Slitherine Zushi THQ S.A.D S.A.D Atari Disney Interactive S.A.D S.A.D

0121 506 9585 01279 822 800 01462 476 130 020 7324 5200 0870 027 0985 01279 822 800 0121 506 9585 01582 436043 01582 436043 0121 506 9585 0121 625 3388 01582 436043 01582 436043

Advantage Gem Open Open Koch Gem Advantage PlayV PlayV Advantage Centresoft PlayV PlayV

PC / PS3 / XBOX 360

FPS

2K Games

01279 822 800

Gem

PSP DS PSP / PS3 / XBOX 360 XBOX 360 / PC DS DS PS3

Adventure Action Action Racing Music RPG RPG

Zushi Sega EA Zushi Disney Interactive Sega Square Enix

01279 822800 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388 01279 822 800 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388 01462 476 130

Gem Centresoft Centresoft Gem Centresoft Centresoft Open

DS PS3 / XBOX 360 Wii PC / PS3 / XBOX 360 Wii

Adventure Action Mini-games RTS Simulation

City Interactive Koei D3Publisher Slitherine Zushi

0845 362 7769 01462 476 130 0121 506 9585 0870 027 0985 01279 822 800

Trilogy Open Advantage Koch Gem

PC PC / XBOX 360

RPG FPS

Deep Silver Ubisoft

0870 027 0985 0845 362 7769

Koch Trilogy

JANUARY 8th Bayonetta Darksiders

JANUARY 15th Alcatraz Army Of Two: The 40th Day Astroboy 2009 Dark Void Love is... in Bloom

JANUARY 22nd Combat Wings: The Great Battles Of World War II Might And Magic: Clash Of Heroes Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero

JANUARY 29th Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard BC Kings Exodus From The Earth Mass Effect 2

FEBRUARY 5th Ben 10: Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks Chicken Blaster Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers History Engineering an Empire Egypt Jig-a-Pix: Love is... a Puzzle MX vs AV Reflex Mystery Cookbook Natalie Brooks Star Trek Online The Princess And The Frog The Treasures Of Mystery Island Titanic Mystery

FEBRUARY 9th BioShock 2

FEBRUARY 12th Adventures To Go Bleach: The Third Phantom Dante's Inferno Indianapolis 500 Evolution Jonas Phantasy Star Zero Star Ocean: The Last Hope International

FEBRUARY 19th Art Of Murder Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Family Party: Winter Fun History Great Battles: Medieval Reel Fishing: Anglers Dream

FEBRUARY 26th Sacred 2: Gold Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction

MUSTSTOCK .............................MASS EFFECT 2 Released: January 29 Format: Xbox 360, PC Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: Centresoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

The follow up to BioWare’s acclaimed 2007 sci-fi epic, Mass Effect 2 continues the fight against the Reapers. Once again, the developer’s expertise with narrative will draw new gamers into this universe, while the ability to use their previous character will appeal to fans.

MUSTSTOCK ...................................DARK VOID Released: January 15 Format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Publisher: Capcom Distributor: Centresoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

Capcom provides shooter fans with an adventure that seamlessly merges gunfights and flight. Players soar through the skies with a jetpack, gunning down their enemies from behind cover. It’s an IP so promising, Brad Pitt is hoping to make a movie from it.

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RETAILBIZ: HIGH STREET 34 MCV 18/12/09

WWW.MCVUK.COM

Sponsored by

POLL HAVE CUTS TO Q4 MARKETING BUDGETS IMPACTED THIS YEAR'S SEASONAL SALES?

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

88%

Zelda: Spirit Tracks DS, Nintendo

77%

73%

71%

70%

LEGO Indy 2, PS2, Activision

Touchmaster 3, DS, Warner Bros

The Saboteur, 360, EA

F1 2009, PSP, Codemasters

33%

67%

No

Yes

*Metacritic scores correct at the time of going to press

After our recent report that the UK games trade has significantly reduced its Q4 marketing spend this year, we asked the industry at large if this would be reflected in the seasonal sales It turns out more than two thirds of participants in the latest MCV Online Survey

believe that games will continue to sell just as strongly, despite a 30 per cent cut in advertising budgets. And if we look at the success of Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed II and NSMBWii, they could be right.

Take part in MCV’s next poll at www.mcvuk.com

MARGIN MAKER INDIE CHARTS - ALL FORMATS 1

2

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

1

3

4

TITLE/FORMAT

5

PUBLISHER

ASSASSIN’S CREED II FORMAT: 360

DEVELOPER: UBISOFT MONTREAL PUBLISHER: UBISOFT

2

3

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2 360

3

4

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII Wii

4

6

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2 PS3

5

5

LEFT 4 DEAD 2 360

6

6

ASSASSIN’S CREED II PS3

7

RE

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD NINTENDO ACTIVISION BLIZZARD EA

A4T’s LittleBigPlanet Starter Pack is officially licensed by Sony, and makes the perfect gift for anyone with or looking to buy the new handheld edition of LittleBigPlanet. The protective slip case not only boasts official Sackboy and sticker artwork, it also bears a sack-like finish not entirely unlike the pint-sized icon.

The pack also features a matching wrist strap – to prevent young gamers from dropping their PSP – and a set of customisation stickers. These are based on the stickers that can be found in-game, as well as the irrepressible Sackboy character, and can be used to decorate the PSP, or whatever else gamers want to use them on.

A4T: 01204 369 220

DEAL OF THE WEEK

UBISOFT

WII FIT PLUS BALANCE BOARD Wii

8

RE

FIFA 10 360

9

RE

WII FIT PLUS SOLUS WII

10

9

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2 PC

Gamers who buy the Assassin’s Creed II PS3 Slim bundle at HMV for £284.99 will not only get a 250Gb version of the console and Ubisoft’s latest hit, they will also receive a free copy of EA’s FIFA 10.

NINTENDO EA NINTENDO ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

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.

Introducing the new

Exclusively Distributed by

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To order CALL NOW on

0870 027 8700

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MCV 18/12/09 35 Sponsored by

PRICE CHECK [PRE ORDERS] James Cameron’s Avatar 360, Ubisoft

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FROM THE FRONTLINE

“I don’t know how independents are going to be able to survive – it’s only pre-owned that keeps us afloat.”

This week, we speak to Simon Sharp of Bude’s GamePad… How has business been for you in 2009?

Difficult, to be quite honest with you. It’s just really hard to compete now. I have people all the time asking me to price match with other retailers, but because of the price margins I can’t compete.

It’s cheaper to buy stock from the competition than it is from distributors.

What do you want to see change in 2010?

Better prices from the big official distributors, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think it’s all because of greedy publishers with these false recommended retail prices. I don’t know how independents are going to be able to survive – it’s only pre-owned that keeps us afloat.

[PRE ORDERS]

TOP 10 BAYONETTA: CLIMAX EDITION 360 SEGA 2. MAG: MASSIVE ACTION GAME

PS3 ......................................................................SONY

3. MASS EFFECT 2

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

4. GRAN TURISMO 5

PS3 ......................................................................SONY

How have your Christmas sales been?

Slow. This whole year has been totally slow. We actually think the recession has been this year, rather than last year like everyone else believes.

It’s because of the prices, and the supermarkets have made it worst. They’ve really upped their game this year, especially near me. My local Morrisons was selling Modern Warfare 2 for £26, and I’m selling for £45 – but it costs £43 from the distributors. I’ve had so many people returning sealed games because they get a better deal over there. It’s seriously affected our sales.

5. BIOSHOCK 2: SPECIAL EDITION

360 ................................................................2K GAMES

6. FINAL FANTASY XIII

PS3 ............................................................SQUARE ENIX

7. BAYONETTA: CLIMAX EDITION

PS3 ......................................................................SEGA

8. STAR TREK ONLINE

PC ..........................................................NAMCO BANDAI

9. BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2

PC ............................................................................EA

10. WORLD OF WARCRAFT: CATACLYSM

PC ..................................................ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Week ending December 11th Source: PLAY.CO.UK

36,37 MCV568_final:54-55 MCV553

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS 36 MCV 18/12/09

WWW.MCVUK.COM

Check out RETAILBIZ at WWW.MCVUK.COM

OFFICIALUKCHARTS NINTENDO DS THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[1] [FULL PRICE]

TITLE

ZELDA: SPIRIT TRACKS

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PROFESSOR LAYTON: PANDORA’S BOX DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING MARIO & SONIC: WINTER OLYMPICS COOKING MAMA 3 PROFESSOR LAYTON: CURIOUS VILLAGE NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. MARIO KART DS CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE LEGO INDIANA JONES 2

1 3 2 6 4 9 8 7 5

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

PLAYSTATION 2 THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

NINTENDO NINTENDO SEGA 505 GAMES

2

5

WII SPORTS RESORT Wii

NINTENDO

3

3

ASSASSIN’S CREED II 360, PS3

4

6

WII FIT PLUS Wii

5

2

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

6

4

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII Wii

DISNEY LUCASARTS

PUBLISHER

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010 KONAMI COD: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD SINGSTAR MOTOWN SONY WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2010 THQ TRANSFORMERS: FALLEN ACTIVISION BLIZZARD GUITAR HERO 5 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD DISNEY SING IT: POP HITS DISNEY HARRY POTTER: HALF-BLOOD PRINCE EA BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE D3P

[3]

DEVELOPER: EA CANADA PUBLISHER: EA

[4]

PUBLISHER

[5]

1

LITTLEBIGPLANET

2 3 4 5

2 3 4 5

FIFA 10 GRAN TURISMO ASSASSIN’S CREED: BLOODLINES FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010

6 7 8 9 10

6 8 7 10 9

TITLE

DEVELOPER: SCE CAMBRIDGE STUDIOS PUBLISHER: SONY

PUBLISHER NINTENDO UBISOFT NINTENDO EA NINTENDO

7

7

MARIO & SONIC: WINTER OLYPMICS Wii

8

30

JUST DANCE Wii

9

9

FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 360

10

10

MARIO KART WII Wii

LEGO INDIANA JONES 2 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC, DS, PSP LUCASARTS

SEGA UBISOFT MICROSOFT NINTENDO

11

8

12

NEW

13

14

LEFT 4 DEAD 2 360, PC

14

11

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

15

12

PROFESSOR LAYTON: PANDORA’S BOX DS NINTENDO

16

16

F1 2009 Wii, PSP

17

15

WWE SMACKDOWN 2010 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PS2, PSP

18

13

NEED FOR SPEED: SHIFT 360, PS3, PSP, PC

ZELDA: SPIRIT TRACKS DS

NINTENDO EA WARNER BROS

CODEMASTERS

19

18

PURE 360, PS3, PC

19

DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING DS

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

1

THQ EA

20

PC CD-ROM

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

DEVELOPER: INFINITY WARD PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION

NINTENDO

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

FORMAT: 360, PS3, PC

LAST WEEK

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

1

NINTENDO

1

PSP

[2]

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2

THIS WEEK

FIFA 10

2 4 5 3 6 8 9 10 7

TOP 40ALL

PUBLISHER

1

[ENTERTAINMENT - ALL PRICES]

DISNEY NINTENDO

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

PUBLISHER

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010 DEVELOPER: SPORTS INTERACTIVE PUBLISHER: SEGA

EA

2

3

THE SIMS 3

SONY

3

2

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2

UBISOFT

4

4

THE SIMS 3: WORLD ADVENTURES

EA

SEGA

5

6

LEFT 4 DEAD 2

EA

GTA: CHINATOWN WARS ROCKSTAR FIFA 09 EA LEGO INDIANA JONES 2 LUCASARTS PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010 KONAMI STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT: SQUADRON LUCASARTS

6

5

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS

7

13

WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR II

8

7

EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR

9

9

BORDERLANDS

10

10

WOW: WRATH OF LICH KING

EA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

EA THQ SEGA 2K GAMES ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

36,37 MCV568_final:54-55 MCV553

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 18/12/09 37

MODERN WARFARE 2 stands its ground at the

Ubisoft’s Just Dance, which leapt from No.30 to

despite a further 11 per cent decline in sales. The

No.8 after a 274 per cent.

game only needs to hold out for one more week

highest new entry this week, although it fails to

success of its forebear in 2007.

make the Top 10 and settles for twelfth place.

James Cameron’s Avatar is the only other new

L FORMATS

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

Highest New Entry

17

PES 2010 360, PS3, PC

KONAMI

22

26

RABBIDS GO HOME Wii, DS

23

25

GTA: EPISODES FROM LIBERTY CITY 360

UBISOFT ROCKSTAR

24

22

DJ HERO 360, PS3, Wii, PS2

25

28

WII PLAY Wii

26

27

LEGO STAR WARS: SAGA 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC, DS, PSP LUCASARTS

27

31

TEKKEN 6 360, PS3

28

21

PEPPA PIG: THE GAME Wii, DS

29

NEW

AVATAR: THE GAME 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC, DS, PSP

30

35

COD 4: MODERN WARFARE 360, PS3, PC, Wii ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

31

20

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM 360, PS3, PC

EIDOS

32

32

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010 PC

SEGA

33

RE

SINGSTAR TAKE THAT PS3, PS2

SONY

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

NAMCO BANDAI P2 GAMES/UBISOFT UBISOFT

34

24

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS 360, PS3, PC

40

GUITAR HERO 5 360, PS3, Wii, PS2

36

33

COOKING MAMA 3 DS

37

29

PROFESSOR LAYTON: CURIOUS VILLAGE DS

NINTENDO

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. DS

NINTENDO

38

RE

39

34

UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES PS3

40

23

BORDERLANDS 360, PS3, PC

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

EA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD 505 GAMES

SONY 2K GAMES

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

PUBLISHER

1

ASSASSIN’S CREED II

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

COD: MODERN WARFARE II FIFA 10 NEED FOR SPEED: SHIFT UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2010 TEKKEN 6 BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010 LEGO INDIANA JONES 2

1 3 4 5 7 9 6 8 10

DEVELOPER: UBISOFT MONTREAL PUBLISHER: UBISOFT

TITLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

WOW: BATTLE CHEST

PUBLISHER

DEVELOPER: UBISOFT MONTREAL PUBLISHER: UBISOFT ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

CIVILIZATION IV COMPLETE

2K GAMES

BEJEWLED TWIST WORLD OF WARCRAFT

FOCUS ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

MYSTERY IN LONDON: JACK THE RIPPER SNIPER: ART OF VICTORY

FOCUS

CITY INTERACTIVE

HIDDEN EXPEDITION: AMAZON

FOCUS

MIDNIGHT MYSTERIES: EDGAR

GSP/AVANQUEST

LEGO INDIANA JONES 2

WII THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD EA EA SONY THQ NAMCO BANDAI EIDOS KONAMI LUCASARTS

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

LUCASARTS

PUBLISHER

1

WII SPORTS RESORT

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII NINTENDO MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SEGA MARIO KART WII NINTENDO F1 2009 CODEMASTERS RABBIDS GO HOME UBISOFT MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA LEGO INDIANA JONES 2 LUCASARTS TOY STORY MANIA! DISNEY COD 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

1 3 4 5 6 10 7 11 13

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

XBOX 360

[BUDGET PRICE]

ASSASSIN’S CREED

3 5 4 6 9 13 10 7 2

James.Batchelor@intentmedia.co.uk

NINTENDO

35

PC CD-ROM

title, in at No.29.

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

1

COD: MODERN WARFARE 2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ASSASSIN’S CREED II FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 FIFA 10 LEFT 4 DEAD 2 GTA: EPISODES FROM LIBERTY CITY HALO 3: ODST WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2010 LIPS: NUMBER ONE HITS NEED FOR SPEED: SHIFT

2 4 3 5 6 11 7 16 9

(c) ELSPA, Compiled by ChartTrack

Sports Resort, which saw a 17 per cent surge in sales and climbs to second place.

PS3

WEEK ENDING 12/12/09

The Legend Of Zelda: Spirits Tracks is the

to become Christmas No.1 and recreate the Nintendo could put a stop to that with Wii

21

The most impressive boost can be seen from

top of the chart for a fifth consecutive week,

PUBLISHER

DEVELOPER: INFINITY WARD PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION BLIZZARD UBISOFT MICROSOFT EA EA ROCKSTAR MICROSOFT THQ MICROSOFT EA

[SOURCE]

[ANALYSIS]

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION 38 MCV 18/12/09

WWW.MCVUK.COM

International Distribution Guide AUSTRALIA

ESTONIA

ITALY

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

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

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

SERBIA

AUSTRIA

FINLAND

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

Koch Media GmbH...............................Rottenmann

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

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

Kumodraska 45

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

11000 Belgrade, Serbia

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

Play Art Multimedia Handels GmbH....Rankweil

BELGIUM

FRANCE

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

COMPUTERLAND DOO

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

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

Horelec S.A. ...........................................Bruxelles

NETHERLANDS

CLD Distribution S.A. .........................Fernelmont

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

mail:games@computerland.rs website:www.computerland.rs

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

BENELUX

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

SINGAPORE

INNELEC MULTIMEDIA

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

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

45 rue Delizy,

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

93692 PANTIN Cedex, France Email purchase: f_alglave@innelec.com

GAMEWORLD

Email export sales: g_armspach@innelec.com

Cornusbaan 1, 2908 KB Capelle A/D IJssel

Tel: 00.33.1.48.10.55.55

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

EBS Benelux

SOUTH AFRICA Midigital ..............................................Johannesburg

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

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

NORWAY

SPAIN

Pan Vision Norway.....................................Trollasen

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

GERMANY

MPX.no .......................................................Sandefjord

Distribuciones Videográficas Digitales ....MADRID

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

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

Lamee Software S.L. .....................................Madrid

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

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

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

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

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

Lorentzweg 1 3752 LH Bunschoten-Spakenburg

NEW ZEALAND

GREECE

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

PLANETA DEAGOSTINI INTERACTIVE Diagonal, 662-664, 3ª planta D, 08034,

The Netherlands

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

Barcelona, Spain,

Phone: +31 (0)33 201 21 00

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

Tel: +34 93 492 08 89

Fax: +31 (0)33 201 21 01

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

distributioninteractive@planetadeagostini.es

E-mail: info@ebs-benelux.com

www.planetadeagostini.net

TECHLAND Sp. z o.o.

Website: www.ebs-benelux.com

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

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

ICELAND Sena ................................................................Reykavik

ul. Jana Szczyrki 12,

DistribucionesVideográficas Digitales ....Madrid

54-426 Wroclaw, Poland

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

E-mail: business@techland.pl

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

Web: www.techland.pl

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

Phone: +48 71 354 46 10 Fax: +48 71 354 46 10

GOODTONES GREAT GAMES LTD

INDIA

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

PORTUGAL

1 Alkaiou Street / Office 1 /

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

Engomi / Nicosia 2404 / Cyprus tel. +357 22 666612

RUSSIA

www.greatgames.com.cy

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

DENMARK

GAME OUTLET EUROPE AB

Soft Club..........................................................Moscow

PO Box 5083

Vellod...................................................................Mitishi

S-650 05 Karlstad, Sweden Phone: +46 54 854750 Fax: +46 54 854759

GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION APS

E-mail: info@gameoutlet.se

Gateway Distribution ApS

Website: www.gameoutlet.se

+44 1279 408 665 (UK) +45 7026 0870 (DK) dt@gatewaydistribution.dk

ISRAEL

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

www.gatewaydistribution.dk

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

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

TO ADVERTISE IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION GUIDE

38,39 MCV568_FINAL:Layout 1

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION 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...

MCV 18/12/09 39

INTERNATIONAL NEWS AUSTRALIA

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

TURKEY ARAL Import..................................................Istanbul Nortec Eurasia...............................................Istanbul

UNITED STATES

BASCO, INC. VIDEO GAMES DISTRIBUTOR Tel: 1-917-627-3000 Fax: 1-718-228-4401 Email: sales@bascodistribution.com Web: www.bascodistribution.com

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

UAE

HIGH-PROFILE 2010 release Aliens vs Predator has become the latest in a long line of titles to fall foul of the famously strict Australian Classification Board, and will not be released in the region next year.

In a statement, the Office of Film and Literature Classification stated that “the game contains first-person perspective, close-up depictions of human characters being subjected to various types of violence, including explicit dismemberment and decapitation as well as locational damage such as stabbing through the chest, mouth, throat, or eyes”.

The report also took exception to the Predator’s predilection to collecting ‘trophies’ from its human victims and the fact that “bloodied eye sockets” are left when eyes are either stabbed or gouged.

However, the Australian arm of Sega has not ruled out a possible appeal, stating: “We will continue to investigate all options available to us, including the possibility of appeal.”

Sega Europe and the game’s developer Rebellion have said they will not tone down the violence in an effort to appease famously strict ratings boards.

which is due to hit shelves next year.

JAPAN

PES 2010 was the best selling game throughout November in Japan, shifting 322,000 units throughout the period.

Furthermore, it had to beat off the advances of fighting franchise Tekken 6 (159,000), RPG title Persona 3 Portable (174,000) and new release Bayonetta (187,000) to claim its monthly crown.

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

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

After the decision to ban Sega’s Aliens vs. Predator from sale in the territory, God of War creator David Jaffe has slammed the country’s ratings structure.

“There’s a government board and if they say it’s too offensive, in that case there’s no fight to fight – it is what it is,” he told IGN at the Game Connect conference in Melbourne.

“There’s not much you can do if you’re making games aimed at a mature audience. We never like to cut it, but what are you going to do?

You’re dealing with governments.

“There’s absolutely an inconsistency in the consciousness about games.

The reality is people still see these things as kids’ toys. It’s utter BS.” The comments come ahead of the inevitably gruesome God of War III,

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS WII shifted an incredible 936,734 units in its first week.

This tumbles the previous Wii week-one record set by Super Smash Bros Brawl, which shifted 816k in its first seven days.

New Super Mario Bros Wii is only the fourth Wii title to top 500,000 in its first week in the territory, after Brawl, Mario Kart Wii and Monster Hunter 3.

It also narrowly bests the weekone sales enjoyed by predecessor New Super Mario Bros on DS, which managed 900,000 in the same timeframe.

The game managed to shift 422,000 units in its first day alone, outperforming Super Mario Galaxy’s day one sales of 256,000.

CHINA

ONLINE GAMING is expected to have an audience of 230 million gamers in China by 2012.

According to the latest report from Beijing-based research firm Analysis International, the sector will generate revenues of YUAN 73.1 billion ($10.7 million) in the next three years. China currently boasts 69 million online gamers.

Industry revenues are expected to reach YUAN 26 billion ($3.8 billion) this year, with the nation’s internet penetration predicted to grow by 41.2 percent over the next three years.

Current internet penetration stands at just 27 per cent.

PLEASE CONTACT ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

40-45 MCV568_FINAL:Layout 1

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR

DIRECTORY

DISTRIBUTION

KEY CONTACTS

DISC REPAIR ELM-DIGITALIA UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0845 6436021 TDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01202 489 500 DISTRIBUTION Creative Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8664 3456 Curveball Leisure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01792 652562 Discstribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0845 430 8735 Gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01279 822800 GLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01708 725742 Ideal Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01767 689 720 Keyne Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01908 821047 Logic3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471 000 Meroncourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01462 680060 The Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 7774 672891 GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR Total Console Repair Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 087 19 18 17 21

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

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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 GAMING ACCESSORIES

...bringing you all the right lines

GAMING ACCESSORIES Pinpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01606 558 428 LOCALISATION Partnertrans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01753 247731 Testronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01753 653 722 Universally Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01480 210621 STORE FITTINGS AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01924 507217 Retail Entertainment Displays . . . . . . . 01733 239001

Nyko DSi Zoom Case

Enigma Multi-Console Power Kit

GameDr Premier Laser Lens Cleaner General enquiries:

01606 558 428

or email: enquires@pinpointce.co.uk Road One, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 3QG www.pinpointce.co.uk Part of the Pinpoint Group

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

DISTRIBUTION

"Looking for a new reliable supplier? Look no further!"

Trading for over 8 years, with over 20 years of industry knowledge within the company Software and hardware distributor All top platform new releases in stock Flexible next day delivery to the UK and most European destinations Over 500 different products in stock at all times Terms of trading will be 30 days on insured Customers Shipping is by Customers account, or on our UPS - Fedex or DHL account.

The fastest growing independent distributor in the United Kingdom

Tel: +00441908 821047 Fax: +00441908 821048 Email: carl@keynedistribution.co.uk web: www.keynedistribution.co.uk Unit C105, MKTWO Business Centre, 1-6 Barton Road, Water Eaton Ind Est, Milton Keynes, MK2 3HU

KEYNE DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . 01908 821047 . . . . . . carl@keynedistribution.co.uk

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

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK DISTRIBUTION

EDITORIAL PLANNER Some of the special issues coming up in MCV, the only trade publication that covers all sectors of the market...

FRIDAY JANUARY 8th 2010

50 THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2010 Let’s face it, 2009 wasn’t the easiest year, but with so many major blockbusters planned for 2010 – and in the first quarter as well – there is still plenty to look forward to. To prove it, MCV’s first issue of the year will list 50 things – from key releases to important events – that you should be anticipating in the New Year.

FRIDAY JANUARY 15th 2010

RECRUITMENT SPECIAL AND GAMES SALARY GUIDE As the job market picks up after the Christmas and New Year lull, employees often think about changing careers. MCV’s recruitment special takes a look at the sector and dispells the money myths with our in-depth games salary guide.

GENRE FOCUS: MMO The massively multiplayer online genre has got a big year ahead of it in 2010, with an array of new games including Star Trek Online, Final Fantasy XIV, The Old Republic, APB, The Secret World, DC Universe Online and Free Realms all set for release. MCV takes a look at the history of the MMO and what we can expect from its future.

FRIDAY JANUARY 22nd 2010

TERRITORY REPORT: TURKEY Turkey is a little-known emerging market for the games industry, but a promising one with plenty of opportunities for growth. In MCV's latest territory report, we talk to the leading figures in the Turkish games industry, study the sales charts and find out how the country is looking to become a future video game superpower.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5th 2010

IN-GAME ADVERTISING Certain companies have been talking up the value of in-game advertising for years, but is the sector ever really going to take off? In MCV’s detailed analysis, we will investigate the sector, speak to the leading players in the market and discuss where the revenue stream is expected to flow in the future.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19th 2010

GAMES MEDIA FOCUS MCV analyses the latest statistics from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, looking at the highs and lows for the games media’s biggest players.

We speak to leading figures from the industry about any major developments, the challenges the sector faces, and their predictions for the rest of 2010.

FRIDAY FEBURARY 26th 2010

EASTERN EUROPE TERRITORY REPORT Home to some of the smaller markets in our continent, the Easter European nations are no less important. In the latest of our Territory Reports, we speak to the major players in this region about how the games industry is driven and maintained, while also looking at the key problems these companies face.

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT: LOGIC 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471000 . . . . . . . . . . . www.uksales@logic3.com

CHRIS.DRING@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR DISTRIBUTION

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 nDreams...........................................................01252 375754 Realtime Worlds ...............................+44 (0) 1382 202 821 Razorback ...........................................www.razorback.co.uk Stainless Games.......................jobs@stainlessgames.com TOOLS Blitz Games Studios ......................+44 (0) 1926 880 000 bluegfx ..............................................+44 (0) 1483 467 200 Crytek ........................................................+49 69219 77660

CURVEBALL LEISURE . . . . . . 01792 652526 . . . . . . . simonbrown@googlemail.com DISTRIBUTION

SERVICES amBX UK Ltd. ...............................................www.ambx.com Ian Livingstone..................................+44 (0) 1483 421 491 Imagination Studios..............................+46 (0) 18-106930 Onteca................................................+44 (0) 151 709 0028 Partnertrans.......................................+44 (0) 1753 247 731 TC Associates.................................+44 (0) 7768 883 808 Testology .......................................................07919 523 036 Universally Speaking .......................+44 (0) 1480 210 621 Xaitment............................................+49 6897 - 600 80-0 COURSES 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 katie.rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk.

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The Producers offer a full supply chain management service covering manufacturing, warehousing, fulfilment and distribution Save money - Pay in £ not € - Flexible Inventory

Contact Rob Gross on: +44 (0)7774 672891 – rob.gross@theproducers.co.uk

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

THE PRODUCERS . . . . . . . . . . (0) 7774 672891 . . . . . . . . . . . www.theproducers.co.uk

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK STORE FITTINGS

DISC REPAIR

RETAIL ENTERTAINMENT DISPLAYS . . 01733 239001 . . . . . . . www.reddisplays.com STORE FITTINGS

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DISTRIBUTION

Insider’s | Guide

GLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01708 725742. . . . . . . . . wholesale@glsgames.com GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR

This week, we speak to Pinpoint’s product development manager Tom Armstrong…

What products does Pinpoint CE provide?

Pinpoint Consumer Electronics has been around since early 2000. We provide the latest cutting edge technology, value added and care/maintenance products – all designed to enhance the gamers’ experience.

We have three major brands – Nyko, Enigma and SkipDr – and partner with many other companies to bring the correct products to market.

Tell us something we didn’t know about Pinpoint.

We have Mike Skinner from the Streets working for us.

Actually that’s not true but he is called Mike Skinner and he was in The Damned for a while and worked on a live album with them.

What are your hopes for Christmas and Q4?

We have very high hopes for Q4. The year so far has been challenging but successful. We anticipate our new lines will continue to sell well and we shall continue to support our partners to maximise sales and retail presence.

TOTAL CONSOLE REPAIR . . . . . . 087 19 18 17 21. . . . . www.totalconsolerepair.co.uk DISTRIBUTION

What is the best thing about your job?

Wondering which godawful shirt our Mike Skinner will wear into the office next. Sorry, I misread the question – that’s actually the worst part of my job. Best part would be working in the most vibrant, exciting industry going. Most entertainment industries only get major changes every ten years or so – we get them all the time.

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

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK LOCALISATION

DIARY DATES ‘09 From the MCV Awards to our Games Developer Conference, here are all the essential industry dates to put in your diary…

FEBRUARY CASUAL CONNECT EUROPE Wednesday, February 10th – Friday, February 12th Hamburg Congress Centre, Germany europe.casualconnect.org

PARTNERTRANS . . . . . . . . . . . . 01753 247731 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.partnertrans.com LOCALISATION

Quality Matters At Testronic Labs, we help you produce great quality games.

For us, quality means a game that exceeds the expectations of the players, a game that works on every platform and reads right in every language, a game that’s just right for its audience.

We’re here to make it better.

Testing on all major console, PC and iPhone platforms Functionality testing Translation and localisation Localisation testing PC compatibility Compliance testing MMO performance testing Usability / focus group testing New Player Experience (NPE) testing

For further information, please contact sales-tl@testroniclabs.com www.testroniclabs.com

DICE SUMMIT 2010 Wednesday, February 17th – Friday, February 19th Red Rock Casino, Las Vegas, US www.dicesummit.org MIDLANDS MCM EXPO 2010 Saturday, February 20th – Sunday, February 21st Telford International Centre www.mcmexpo.org

MARCH GDC 2010 Tuesday, March 9th – Saturday, March 13th Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, US www.gdconf.com/conference/ai.html

JUNE

The biggest night in the UK games industry’s calendar returns to The Brewery in 2010, and will once again feature awards split across three main categories; Retail, PR and Marketing, and People and Industry.

A whopping 650 representatives from all corners of the UK games trade will be attending this essential games industry event that gives credit to the industry’s most deserving execs.

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

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

JULY

LOCALISATION

DEVELOP CONFERENCE 2010 July 13th - July 15th Brighton, UK www.develop-conference.com DEVELOP INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2010 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

UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING . . . . . . . 01480 210621 . . . . . . . . . . . www.usspeaking.com

MCV INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2010 Thursday, April 22nd The Brewery, London kathryn.humphrey@ intentmedia.co.uk

GDC 2010 Tuesday, March 9th – Saturday, March 13th Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, US www.gdconf.com The biggest developer event in the world brings together the development community to connect, share techniques and showcase the hottest upcoming technology.

2010’s GDC will no doubt follow convention with a heaving line-up of talks by industry luminaries, networking opportunities thanks to the packed roster of sponsored parties and a massive expo floor that covers both the Moscone North and West halls.

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MAILBOX

Sponsor a good cause at

Christmas

I KNOW THIS is a really bad time to be asking for sponsorship, but hey it’s also a time for giving as Cliff would say right about now.

I’m running the London Marathon next year with my wife Vicky and we are hoping to raise some money for a great cause on route – the Make-AWish Foundation. These guys help seriously ill children live out their dreams when life is really tough.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation UK is a charity that Electronic Arts continues to

work with. They are the leading charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting lifethreatening illnesses.

“

needs to raise £5 million during 2009 to continue granting these magical wishes. It can only do this by relying on the generous donations it receives

We are running the London Marathon for Make-A-Wish. If you could spare a quid or two – it would be wonderful.

This year over 1,000 children will turn to Make-AWish for their dreams to be made a reality. The charity

Dan Holman, EA

”

from the public and the fundraising efforts of those that are competing in the events such as the London Marathon.

EA’s Dan Holman has been in training for some serious running – all in the name of the Make-A-Wish Foundation…

If you would like to make a donation then please visit my website at: www.justgiving.com/DanHolman While you all tuck into the turkey over the coming weeks, spare a thought for Vicky and I pounding the streets. If you can spare a quid or two it would be wonderful – as it really is going towards a good cause.

Dan Holman EA Ireland, Marketing Director

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MCVUK.COM

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Tune in to the best in the business

Tables and sponsorships - booking now Kathryn.Humphrey@intentmedia.co.uk or call 01992 535646

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in September got the Brand Licensing 2010 srtronic’s Garry William ste thumbs up from Ma and Bob The Builder.

October’s Games Media Awards were another great success, with the likes of Indigo Pearl’s James Beaven (left) and Sega’s Stefan McGarry getting into the swing of things.

Off The

Record Best of 2009

August brought with it – and a Gamescom in Cologne serious how of tion tra ons dem about EA’s Peter Moore gets ive. his own EA Sports Act

ks Future’s Golden Joystic of provided its usual mix , erm, victory, merriment and on hit the obs Jac es Mil g. zin boo ’s Adam bottle (above) as D3P his own Roberts was flanked by golden girls (below).

g Not content with showin V MC at ls skil y silk his off s and Xbox’s GamesFive tournament, PlayV’s to Luiz Ferreira also got Old at ll tba foo y pla Trafford this year.

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MCV 18/12/09 49

RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

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

LISA MORGAN, GAME

DUNCAN CROSS, ASDA e Officially the best pictur t sen n bee r eve MCV has tion for a corporate distribu feature: Ideal Software’s nt Paul Williams, resplende . fish e ssiv with ma

MARTYN GIBBS, GAMESTATION

the its own on-site pub at Codemasters opened an beg y Edd h Ric u start of the year. PR gur ‘Masters Arms. pouring the pints at The

DON MCCABE, CHIPS

TIM ELLIS, HMV

KEITH SHARPE, PLAY.COM

SARAH JASPER, THE HUT

JON BIGGS, MORRISONS

into the fancy dress at Warner Bros got stuck nce in September. The fere con ual GAME’s ann was snapped with hin publisher’s Rose Bua lls. an Towns and David Twe Gamestation’s Jonath

AZEEM SADIQ, COMET

GRAHAM CHAMBERS, AMAZON As interest surrounding Codemasters’ Ashes Cri cket 2009 grew, ELSPA’s And y Payne and Mike Raw linson got their wickets sticky with Shane Warne in Aug ust. n and GAME’s Nintendo’s David Yarnto the camera at for d gge mu Martyn Gibbs il.

Apr the MCV Awards in

Sega’s Fast Forward event in September saw retailers such as Amazon’s Brian Foote and Tesco’s Mark Burgess (above) belt out the hits, while the publisher’s Ben Payne wigged out (below).

PETER WILLIS, DSGI

IGOR CIPOLLETTA, SHOPTO

ANTHONY STOCKER, ARGOS

STEPHEN STALEY, GAMESEEK

JOANNA HUNT, TESCO

GURDEEP HUNJAN, SAINSBURY’S

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OFF THE RECORD and many others were Microsoft’s Andy Irving Atari/Namco Bandai’s h encouraged to pose wit ce ot the ers girls at the entran glamorous Ghostbust 9.

200 s MCV Award

In days gone by, it was the drunken antics that we’d all remember from the MCV Awards. But now top trade execs are willing to do very silly things sober – all in aid of the official Awards Video. 2009 saw the likes of Ubisoft’s Murray Pannell, Nintendo’s David Yarnton, EA’s Keith Ramsdale and Disney’s Keely Brenner get their groove on in a superb effort.

cho Rod Cousens and Codemasters head hon to grips with pinball got ll OXM’s Mike Channe nt in January. eve machines at System 3’s

The annual industry ce cricket match took pla ing tur fea r, me sum in the the likes of Kuju’s Ian Baverstock and Eidos’ Ian Livingstone.

Sega’s John Clark let out some frustration on the golf course at Gem’s charitable industry Golf & Spa day in May.

at – this time The Ashes Another cricket event h wit up m tea sey Din art Lords – saw MCV’s Stu ELSPA’s Andy , ries Def rtin Ma r’s Rising Sta David Yarnton.

Payne and Nintendo’s

EDITORIAL: 01992 535646

Managing Editor: Lisa Foster Lisa.Foster@intentmedia.co.uk

Advertising Manager: Lesley Blumson Lesley.Blumson@intentmedia.co.uk

Please address all enquiries to:

Editor-In-Chief: Michael French Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk

Advertising Executive: Rob Baker Rob.Baker@intentmedia.co.uk

Associate Editor: Tim Ingham Tim.Ingham@intentmedia.co.uk

Art Director: Stuart Moody Stuart.Moody@intentmedia.co.uk

MCV, Intent Media, Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA.

Deputy Editor: Christopher Dring Chris.Dring@intentmedia.co.uk

Design: Adam Butler Adam.Butler@intentmedia.co.uk

Staff Writer: James Batchelor James.Batchelor@intentmedia.co.uk

Production Manager: Suzanne Powles Suzanne.Powles@intentmedia.co.uk

Retail Editor: Ben Parfitt Ben.Parfitt@intentmedia.co.uk

Business Development: Dave Roberts Dave.Roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

US Editor: Colin Campbell Colin.Campbell@intentmedia.co.uk

Contributing Editor: Samantha Loveday Samantha.Loveday@intentmedia.co.uk

Contributors: Ed Fear, Andrew Wooden, Will Freeman, Rob Crossley

Circulation & Marketing: Hannah Short Hannah.Short@intentmedia.co.uk

ADVERTISING: 01992 535647

FAX: 01992 535648 Finance Director: Hilary Cole Finance Manager: Michael Canham Michael.Canham@intentmedia.co.uk

Managing Director/Publisher: Stuart Dinsey Stuart.Dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk Telephone: 01992 535688

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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 2008, MCV had an average weekly net circulation of 8,833. 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.

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

ISSN: 1469-4832 Copyright 2008

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

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Lifestyle print campaign featuring advertorials and single

page adverts in national press and specialist sporting and menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifestyle magazines.

Highly targeted television campaign featuring 30â&#x20AC;? and 20â&#x20AC;? spots timed alongside the Olympic Winter Games.

The channel mix focuses on 16-34 year old programming, advertising within channels such as Sky 1, Dave, E4, ITV2, Comedy Central and Eurosport.

Heavyweight online campaign with homepage takeovers and rich media creative featuring on dedicated sporting sites such as Eurosport, Sky Sports, talkSPORT and MSN.

Dedicated three month specialist and lifestyle PR campaign.

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“An evening of

C7D<1 1;8BC4A8=6 competition is surely welcome.”

X360 MAGAZINE

XBOX 360 ACHIEVEMENTS

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Developed by

Published by

Available on:

TM IOC. Copyright © 2010 International Olympic Committee (“IOC”). This video game is the property of the IOC and may not be copied, republished, stored in a retrieval system or otherwise reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means whatsoever, without prior written consent of the IOC. © SEGA. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All brands or product names listed are trademarks or registered trademarks and are property of their respective holders.

“2”, “PlayStation” and “PS3” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

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