MCV Issue569 by Intent Media (now Newbay Media Europe)

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THE INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Friday January 8 2010 £3.25

‘It’s breathtaking...’ Official Xbox Magazine

Step back into the unforgettable world of Rapture in BioShock 2, the next installment in the franchise that has won more than 50 Game of the Year Awards and the BAFTA for Best Game. Developed by 2K Marin, 2K Australia and Digital Extremes, BioShock 2 provides players with the perfect blend of explosive ﬁrst person shooter combat, compelling storytelling and intense multiplayer to form one of 2010’s most highly anticipated titles. · Evolution of the Genetically Enhanced Shooter: Innovative advances bring new depth and dimension to each encounter. New elements, such as the ability to dual-wield weapons and Plasmids, allow players to create exciting combinations of punishment. · Return to Rapture: Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the story continues with an epic, more intense journey through one of the most captivating and terrifying ﬁctional worlds ever created. · You Are the Big Daddy: Take control of BioShock’s signature and iconic symbol with the original prototype Big Daddy, and experience the power and raw strength of Rapture’s most feared denizens as you battle powerful new enemies. · Continuation of the Award-Winning Narrative: New and unique storytelling devices serve as the vehicle for the continuation of one of gaming’s most acclaimed storylines. · Genetically Enhanced Multiplayer: Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new Weapons, Plasmids and Tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations, allowing players to develop a unique character that caters to their playing style. · Experience Rapture’s Civil War: In multiplayer mode players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and take direct part in the civil war that tore Rapture apart. · See Rapture Before the Fall: Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up for multiplayer.

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THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

Issue 569 Friday January 8 2010 £3.25

05 CBE for Cousens

12 Life through a Jens

New Year Honours praise Codemasters CEO, Collyer brothers and Paul Jackson

Senior EA Europe VP Jens Uwe Intat outlines the publisher’s plans for Q1

06 Forceful opinion

14 Reasons to be cheerful

LucasArts on why the High Street is still important, despite the rise of digital

A raft of industry faces help MCV pick the 50 upcoming highlights of 2010

07 Indie spirit

19 Retail Biz

Chips and Grainger outline plans to grow their businesses this year

Our round-up of the latest news and releases, with a special focus on MAG

EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY INDIE EVERY WEEK

INCORPORATING

Market down, but it’s a dip not a disaster UK’s year-on-year market value falls, but 2009 still boasted second-best software revenues of all time by Christopher Dring IT COULDN’T quite match 2008’s record-breaking figure – but 2009 was still the secondbiggest year for games sales in the UK industry’s history. According to MCV calculations based on the weekly data provided by GfKChartTrack/ELSPA, the UK games software market reached £1.732bn in 2009 – a 9.1 per cent fall, but slightly above the 2007 market value. Over 74.5 million units of software were sold through retail in 2009. However, the sales of hardware and peripherals are expected to have tailed off somewhat. The official ELSPA-

backed data is set to arrive later this month. “2008 was a spectacular year for games, with everything performing really well and the Wii at its peak,” ChartTrack’s senior market analyst Chris Poole explained to MCV. “2009 in comparison was more of an evolutionary year for the industry, with little in the way of new hardware, and there were fewer releases too. “But the industry still did really well considering the circumstances. It was still a good festive period.” The biggest software seller of 2009 was Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The game broke day one sales

While hardware sales are down, key releases meant £1.7bn in software revenues were generated in 2009

HISTORICAL SOFTWARE SALES (VALUE): 2006: £1.36bn

records when it launched in November, taking home £47 million in just 24 hours at UK retail. MCV estimates that the game has already grossed over £100m at UK retail – and

2007: £1.719bn

2008: £1.905bn

should soon pass the 3m units sold barrier as well. The popular FPS is already the third biggest selling title of all time in the UK, a feat it achieved in just eight weeks.

2009: £1.732bn

“The big winners were Modern Warfare 2 as well as FIFA 10,” added Poole. “We’re looking at Modern Warfare 2 becoming the biggest selling game in the UK ever.”

Now trade looks to happier New Year THE UK games industry is looking to bounce back from a difficult 2009 – with improved Government relations key. Leading industry figures have told MCV that they hope whoever wins the upcoming election will continue to work with the trade. “Whomever is leading the Government after the summer, I hope they recognise the culturally significant art-form that is video games and the economic benefit created by the UK games industry along with the transformational educational benefits of a properly broadband-

PUBLISHER BOSSES UPBEAT ON POTENTIAL END TO RECESSION

Harrison, Livingstone and Jacobson herald more Government focus

enabled country,” said industry veteran Phil Harrison. Eidos life president Ian Livingstone agreed: “I am looking forward to the election and a pledge from whoever forms the next government to fully support the games industry by way of implementing tax credits, addressing the skills

problem in Universities and installing a high speed fibre optic network nationwide.” Sports Interactive’s boss Miles Jacobson added: “With the work that ELSPA and TIGA are doing, the good that GamesAid and GameForGood have done, and MP’s beating the drum we’re making serious headway.”

The UK games industry was hit hard by the recession in 2009, and now leading execs are hopeful that the worst is behind them. “We hope that coming out of an often rocky and uncertain 2009, we as an industry can go into 2010 with the worst of the world’s economic woes behind us and with a firmer and clearer vision of how to grow our industry in the year ahead,” said Nintendo UK GM David Yarnton. Activision’s UK MD Andrew Brown agreed: “I’m looking forward to the end of the current economic recession and the return of the full range of consumers back into games.”

For more on the UK trade’s hopes for 2010, turn to page 14

PERSONNEL 18 RETAIL BIZ 19 NEW RELEASES 25 HIGH STREET 26 CHARTS 28

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NEWS

[LEADER] GOOD START TO 2010 The by-all-accounts-brilliant Bayonetta and Darksiders hit retail shelves today. The first major releases of the year – in its first working week. Not bad. Then, next week, Army of Two: The 40th Day arrives. Resident Evil Archives hits just a week after. Mass Effect 2 seven days later, and MAG another week on. Then a little over seven days later there’s BioShock 2, with Dante’s Inferno close behind. Then there’s Splinter Cell: Conviction. Then Heavy Rain. Then Final Fantasy XIII, then… You get the point. We’ve talked before about ‘the Q1 logjam’, but today the industry is at ground zero. Can this more generous spread of titles – or what some say is too many new releases – address the traditional Q1 imbalance where no games come out? Who knows – the success of the above games depends on their quality, marketing support and share at retail. And perhaps it doesn’t matter. The UK software market for bricks and mortar sales enjoyed its second-biggest year ever for sales in 2009 – and that’s despite there being less publishers on the market, the recession, and the Call of Duty giant eating a chunk of the Q4 revenues. Even in a fallow year, the industry can hold its own. If the UK market can survive that, it can survive anything.

BUT HARD WORK STILL TO COME But while strong software sales are good news for publishers, retail relies on the whole package – that includes hardware sales. And for 2009, early estimates (we go to press before any official data is released) show that console sales did slow considerably last year. Nintendo had already forewarned that industry champ the Wii would take a sales dip. But in the UK the DSi also didn’t pick up the slack for DS Lite either (admittedly it was only on the market for nine months of the year), nor did the PSPgo transform the PSP category. 360 mostly held its own, and it was only the PS3 that stayed on track year-on-year. Now I wouldn’t say for one second this is taking the format-holders by surprise. Consoles are still selling, it’s just that last year sales weren’t at the same pace as in 2008. But historically it’s at this point that talk of new replacement devices pick up speed – and that doesn’t seem to be the case in 2010. So does it pose a problem for the games industry that there are no major new consoles on the horizon? Does a slow down in the hardware cycle – or at least a longer turn around between formats – create a raft of new opportunities for the games industry? Online services are stable, new interface innovations are looming, and the addressable audience grows by the week. An MCV investigation might have an answer to some of those questions next week – but it might not be until the end of 2010 that we get the real results to this latest industry experiment. Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk

Retailer reluctance is forcing consumers to shop online for new PC titles, says 1C

‘Retail to blame for PC market decline’ 1C predicts PC games market will be completely digital by 2011 by Christopher Dring 1C’S INTERNATIONAL publishing director Darryl Still has accused retail of failing to support boxed PC games. The industry veteran says that by refusing to stock certain games and moving PC titles to the back of the store, retail is forcing publishers to head

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“There is still demand, but retail is forcing PC games out. Digital is fantastic, and we’re very pleased with it. But it is not us as the developers and publishers driving products to digital – it is because the options for the PC at retail are so limited. “You just have to head into a games store and look for their PC titles, and you’ll see there is

The industry should be embracing PC more enthusiastically. The margins are better.

towards digital distribution. And that PC games software will be sold entirely through digital channels by next year. “In the PC market at the moment the growth in digital is phenomenal,” said Still. “If PC games manage to get listed at retail, then they’re rarely getting any exposure because they’re appearing at the back of the store.

Darryl Still, 1C

”

no focus, listings or promotions for them. “It is extra strange because there is a much better margin on PC games,” he continued. “The industry should be embracing PC more enthusiastically. “Digital proves there is a consumer waiting for it. But these consumers are now more than happy to click the download button.

“Q1 2011 is my estimate as to when PC games will be sold completely via digital. I have seen the predictions that by 2013 more than 50 per cent of our revenues will be earned digitally. But if the PC games market has to wait until 2013 then we are all in trouble.” Despite this, Still admits there are still some challenges in the digital market – partly caused by the sheer number of digital platforms out there, with publishers having to try and pick the right ones carefully. “I feel like I am at the front of an express change, and every week we’re adding an extra carriage at the back, which is a digital distributor. We have contracts with 25 of them at the moment, and of that amount six or seven are producing decent revenue numbers. “And this year I know more carriages will be added on and others will be coming off the rails. The issue is we don’t know which ones will succeed and which ones won’t.” 1C: +7 (495) 688-89-29

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CBE for Cousens as New Year Honours toast games TOP 10

[PRE ORDERS] DARKSIDERS PS3 THQ

Former EA/ELSPA man Jackson and Sports Interactive founders also commended by Michael French INDUSTRY VETERANS scored key commendations in The Queen’s 2010 New Year Honours list. Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens, former EA and ELSPA boss Paul Jackson and Sports Interactive founders Oliver and Paul Collyer were

eventually becoming CEO. Cousens has also been involved in a number of trade body and charity initiatives over the years. Jackson, meanwhile, has been given an OBE. He is best known for a lengthy tenure at EA where he eventually served as VP for North Europe. He left in 2006 to

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

3. FINAL FANTASY XIII PS3 ................................SQUARE ENIX

4. DARKSIDERS 360 ............................................THQ

5. MASS EFFECT 2 360 ..............................................EA

Cousens, Jackson and the Collyer brothers were all praised for their services to the games industry.

6. HEAVY RAIN PS3 ..........................................SONY

7. GOD OF WAR III all praised for their services to the games industry. Cousens has been granted a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) title, The current CEO of Codemasters, Cousens has worked in the industry for over 25 years, starting as founder of publisher Quicksilva. He set up Activision’s first UK base in 1986 and then served as senior management of Acclaim from 1991 to 2004,

become ELSPA director. Earlier this year he became CEO of specialist software firm RailSimulator. Elsewhere, the two brothers who founded London-based Sports Interactive have been given MBEs. Oliver and Paul Collyer founded Sports Interactive in 1992. The studio is highly regarded for creating the hugely successful Championship Manager and Football Manager franchises.

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

8. SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION 360 ......................................UBISOFT

9. DANTE’S INFERNO PS3 ..............................................EA

10. BAYONETTA PS3 ..........................................SEGA Week ending January 4th Source: SHOPTO.COM Rod Cousens (main) has been given a CBE. Left to right: Paul Jackson gets an OBE while Paul and Oliver Collyer get MBEs

Turn to page 27 for more pre-order charts from leading online retailers

UK SOFTWARE SALES MONITOR Your weekly guide to the UK games software market… UK software sales fell 30 per cent last week, as post-Christmas consumer spending slows down. Value for the week dropped to £60.1m, while unit sales fell 23 per cent. This week’s performance was driven by the New Year sales and the continued success of Modern Warfare 2, which continues to hold the top position in the charts. Ubisoft’s Just Dance also performed well, with sales of the game increasing 10 per cent last week. Looking forward, Q1 is traditionally the quiet period for games. However, a plethora of big releases should ensure the next three months will be a robust time for the industry. The first big releases hit this week, with the launch of Sega’s Bayonetta and THQ’s Darksiders.

[WEEKLY MARKET VALUE]

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

100

Week Ending January 2nd 2010

£60.1m

COD:MW2 has been top of the charts for eight weeks – the longest No.1 streak since NFS: Underground 2 in ‘05

£81.9m

£85.6m

£60.1m

3,677,697 Units

3,810,137 Units

2,921,913 Units

0 Week Ending December 18th Week Ending December 25th

Week Ending January 2nd

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LucasArts planning to Unleash more hits for the High Street Publisher successfully mixing both new online offers with established bricks and mortar big-budget releases by Michael French DESPITE HUGE success for its 2009 digital strategy LucasArts says retail releases are still a key part of its business. Last year the publisher revived many of its classic older IPs, with both new and old Monkey Island titles launched for iPhone, Xbox Live Arcade, PC and WiiWare.

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recently announced and promises to be the next massive Star Wars experience on consoles,” said global publishing VP Mary Bihr. In fact, said Bihr, LucasArts has seen strong sales of back catalogue titles – despite the year-on-year decrease in global games spending. She said: “We, similar to many other publishers, have

The Force Unleashed 2 will be a huge game for us. It will be the next massive action packed Star Wars experience. Mary Bihr, LucasArts

Embracing digital has only widened its business, however, with the firm telling MCV that the boxed content it releases through Activision in Europe goes from strength-to-strength. “We’ve had a great 2009 and look forward to 2010, especially with The Force Unleashed 2 which we

The first Star Wars: The Force Unleashed arrived in 2008 and has already clocked up over six million copies sold to date, and was re-released with new added content in November. “As for recent releases, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues has already been a huge success for us. TT Games did a fantastic job making this the most immersive LEGO game to date. We’re very pleased by its performance across Europe.” Now Bihr says LucasArts is focusing all its efforts on the release of The Force Unleashed 2 later this year. “This will be a huge game for us. Our internal development team is hard at work making it the next massive action packed Star Wars experience. We have a lot more going on that I can’t talk about now, but it continues to be an exciting time here at LucasArts.”

LucasArts’ global publishing VP Mary Bihr tips Force Unleashed 2 (below) for big things this year

”

been challenged by the current economic climate. We’ve seen a slowdown in sales velocity across some titles, but a commensurate increase in others, sometimes with games that have been on the shelves for two, three, even four years. There’s still strong demand for these licensed games.”

LucasArts: 020 3060 1000

Wood joins Premier PR

New senior team for CVG

PREMIER PR has named Ali Wood as its new accounts manager – as the Londonbased agency expands its newly-opened games division. Wood boasts over 10 years of experience as a journalist in the games industry. She leaves her most recent position as editor of Future’s PC Zone. Premier’s head of games Simon Byron added: “Ali was top of my wishlist of new additions, and I’m thrilled she’s chosen to join our rapidlyexpanding division. “With experience across trade, specialist and

FUTURE HAS restructured the senior management team for its website CVG, recruiting veteran writers John Houlihan and Tim Ingham. Former MCV associate editor Ingham takes up the role of editor. As well as spending three years on the industry-leading trade magazine and website he has written for The Independent, Evening Standard and Metro. Houlihan returns to CVG – after having left his position as editor in 2006 – to become its first editor-in-chief. He has previously worked for the

Wood joins Premier PR after a stint as editor of PC Zone

mainstream journalism, Ali brings real credibility to the team. She’s going to be a real asset as we look to expand throughout 2010.” Premier PR: 0207 292 8330

Houlihan (left) rejoins CVG as editor-in-chief, with Ingham as editor

BBC, GameSpot UK, CricInfo and Times Online. Meanwhile former editor Gavin Ogden becomes CVG’s first international correspondent, filing news from New Zealand. “With major investment planned throughout the year, it

was crucial to have an experienced and dynamic senior team on CVG,” said Mark Cantwell, associate publisher. “There is plenty to look forward to from the site in 2010.” Future: 01225 442 244

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Chips plans New Year bounce-back Struggling indie chain confident ahead of Q1 release onslaught ‘We’re still here,’ stresses MD McCabe by Christopher Dring SPECIALIST CHAIN Chips is optimistic that the busy Q1 release slate will boost the firm, despite the fact that financial pressures forced it to enter a Company Voluntary Arrangement last month. Chipsworld entered the CVA after running up significant debts with HMRC, although

“

“The CVA is a really useful tool, which some UK companies seem to ignore. Businesses that go into Chapter 11 in the US often come out the other end. “Last year many companies took some big knocks. And it is about how you react. We are still here and we are still battling, and I intend to be here next year as well.”

Last year many companies took big knocks. We are still here and I intend to be here next year as well. Don McCabe, Chips

this only impacts the 11 company-owned stores. The firm’s 18 franchised outlets and website remain unaffected. “We were hoping to avoid the CVA, but we had to go into it in the end. It means we are having to prepare ourselves and trim a few things down,” explained Chips’ joint MD Don McCabe.

”

Chips is now looking ahead to a busy Q1 sales period, with major new releases including Vancouver 2010, Splinter Cell: Conviction and BioShock 2 hitting shelves following a successful Christmas sales period for the firm. “We had a good Christmas. It was a bit late coming, but about three days before Christmas there was a real

McCabe (inset) says Chips was lifted by the seasonal rush – and expects good things during this Q1

“I expect Q1 to be constant in terms of sales. Bayonetta, Darksiders, Army of Two, Vancouver 2010 and BioShock 2, are looking great. I’m particularly looking forward to Aliens vs Predator.

rush,” added McCabe. “This continued after Christmas, with Nintendo products selling really well before New Year. I’m now looking forward to a few big game launches.

“What is great about these games is the core gaming element. These titles are proper gamers games, which might not interest the supermarkets quite so much.” CHIPS: 0870 0130 028

…while Grainger readies for busy 2010 Ambitious indie sets out aggressive three-year plan to grow base in the North and reach more punters GRAINGER GAMES HAS told MCV that it will kick off a heavy-duty expansion plan in the coming months. The retailer hopes to build on the successes of last year, which included the rebranding of its existing stores and the extension of its distribution and head office facility. Grainger also established seven new stores, including its successful Hull branch. “2010 promises to be even more special for us as we continue our expansion plans into new territories, and it marks the first year of our three year expansion programme,”

said owner and managing director Stephen Bowyer. “We have a feeling that 2010 will move Grainger Games further forward in the minds of our customers and in the wider market. We feel the future is very bright indeed.” The first phase will be the creation of new stores, following on from the successful openings last year. Buying director Chris Harwood told MCV these plans are already in motion. “Our three year plan of store openings is set and we have already identified 2010’s target towns,” he said.

Plans are already in place to open new Grainger Games stores soon, said owner Bowyer (far left) and buyer Harwood (left)

“We have learned from our new Hull store that Grainger’s brand, value-led customer

proposition and customerfocused service approach are what our customers want.

“The feedback from customers to the changes we made to the look and feel of our stores has been amazing, which is really encouraging.” Bowyer also said the company is actively seeking new partnerships with a variety of firms that will offer the indie chain new opportunities across a range of business channels. “We are in discussion with some very interesting businesses that feel they can add value to improve our overall proposition,” he said. “It’s a great place to be at the moment – it’s all very exciting.” Grainger: 01912 181829

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Sponsored by

Xbox push for new Ben 10 title D3P ramps up heavy investment in Vilgax Attacks marketing for franchise’s 360 debut by James Batchelor D3PUBLISHER is targeting Xbox 360 owners with the marketing campaign for its next Ben 10 video game. Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks will be the first title in the successful franchise to be released on Microsoft’s console when it debuts on February 5th, 2010.

“

market,” said marketing and PR exec Marlene Fitzsimmons. “With an attractive price point and an aggressive marketing campaign to capture family gamers, now is the obvious time to bring Ben 10 to the platform. “We’re heavily investing PR and marketing methods in this area to ensure we tap into the new Xbox family market, in

Microsoft invested heavily in expanding the 360 audience so now is the right time to bring Ben 10 to the platform.

Marlene Fitzsimmons, Namco Bandai

Namco Bandai Partners will distribute the game for D3P and is preparing a marketing campaign that will engage with this new audience, hoping to build on Microsoft’s successful gambits to broaden the console’s demographic. “Microsoft has heavily invested in expanding the audience of the Xbox 360 to include the growing family

”

addition to marketing to the core audience on the other consoles.” The game’s launch on Xbox 360 – alongside versions for Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP – will coincide with the February half-term and the start of a brand new Ben 10 animated series on Cartoon Network, as well as the premiere of Alien Force on GMTV.

ACTIVISION: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was identified as the ‘most pirated game of 2009’ according to recent web reports. More than 4.1 million downloads were for the PC version, while 970,000 were for the Xbox 360 version.

The latest Ben 10 title marks the franchise’s first next-gen outing

D3P and Namco Bandai will be taking full advantage of the partnership between the publisher and Cartoon Network that has driven the success of previous Ben 10 titles. “With continued support from Cartoon Network, we’re aiming for a strong synchronised interactive marketing and PR campaign at

launch to work alongside the new episodes running on Cartoon Network,” Fitzsimmons added. “The franchise is still the hottest boys property, so we’re expecting the same great results we continue to see from previous Ben 10 games.” Namco Bandai Partners: 020 8222 9700

A4T scores licensing UK spells success deal with EA Sports for Nordic Games ACCESSORIES BRANDED by EA Sports Active and other EA Sports games will soon be available from A4T. The peripherals firm has signed produce a range of console and iPod kit based on the publisher’s flagship label. “We have steadily been increasing our focus on the licensed side of our business over the last couple of years and now believe that we have struck the ideal partnership with the world’s leading interactive entertainment software

company," said A4T MD Andrew Shephard. A4T sales and marketing director Bill Stirling added: “Our new relationship with EA really does open up some amazing opportunities for a range of realistic products that complement some of EA’s best known sport titles, whilst adding a bit more fun and realism along the way.” A4T will distribute the items into the UK and Ireland, Iberia, Nordic, Australasia and emerging markets. A4T: 01204 369 220

THQ: The publisher has secured an eight-year exclusivity deal to create more WWE-branded games. The company also reached a settlement with the US wrestling organisation over a long-running lawsuit that surrounded a joint toy and game licensing venture with Jakks Pacific.

NORDIC GAMES says the UK was a major part of its first year success in 2009. The company released games across a number of territories last year. Speaking to MCV, the firm’s sales and marketing director Nik Blower revealed that the publisher’s key titles recorded their best performances at UK retail, outselling neighbouring European markets. “It varies from title to title and from PS2 to Wii, but We Sing was strongest in the UK – although only just,” said Blower. “On the other hand, Kart Racer and Dance Party Wii were by far the strongest

CAPCOM: Dead Rising 2, Lost Planet 2, Super Street Fighter IV and Monster Hunter Tri have all been pushed back to Capcom’s next fiscal year. They will be released after April 1st so as to avoid the crowded Q1 season, the publisher said. MICROSOFT: A job advert has revealed that the platform holder is looking to bring Xbox Live enabled games to Windows Mobile. Meanwhile, Gears Of War has been added to the Xbox 360 service’s range of Games on Demand titles. DISNEY: The entertainment giant is now even bigger: its $4.3bn buyout of SpiderMan-owner Marvel has been approved by stockholders. Previously, the two have said their respective games businesses will not be impacted in the short-term.

We Sing sold well during Q4, says Nordic sales boss Blower

in the UK. We are also naturally successful in the Nordics, especially on PS2. “We sold out of We Sing at launch, we sold out our second shipment and now are doing our best to keep up with demand.” Nordic Games: +34 952 930 927

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EK E W E H T F O N IG A P CAM BAYONETTA Sega unleashes an extensive campaign to support its first major release of the year…

RELEASED: JANUARY 8 FORMATS: 360, PS3 PUBLISHER: SEGA DEVELOPER: PLATINUM GAMES PRICE: £49.99 DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

OUTDOOR Bayonetta has been showcased at a number of key consumers events. The game was shown to an audience of 15,000 core gamers across both the London and Leeds venues of last year’s Eurogamer Expo. It was also demonstrated to 35,000 anime and gaming fans during October’s MCM Expo at the Excel Centre. PRINT Single page ads will appear in a range of leading Future Publishing publications, such as Official Xbox Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, PSM3, Xbox World, Edge, GamesMaster and SFX. These advertisements will all feature a range of quotes and accolades from the glowing early reviews the

game has been receiving across the board. TV/CINEMA Sega has arranged a dual phase TV campaign, with the first stage focusing on ads designed to promote the release of the Xbox Live and PSN demo. This will be followed by a two-week campaign around

the game’s debut, with ads running across a range of carefully-targeted terrestrial and satellite channels. A 30-second spot has also been airing before several showings of James Cameron’s Avatar at key cinemas. ONLINE The publisher has also take a two-stage approach to

online marketing, once again focusing on the demo’s release before building up to the game’s launch date. Ads will appear across Eurogamer, Gamespot and IGN, with activity ranging from homepage and channel takeovers to launch zones. Sega estimates the online ads will achieve in excess of 10 millon impressions.

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MCV INTERVIEW JENS UWE INTAT, SENIOR VP, EUROPE, ELECTRONIC ARTS

Battlefield Europe 2009 For the overall market we were a little bit disappointed. When we were putting our plans together for last year we were expecting growth of around five per cent, but what we saw across Europe was the market decreasing by about 10 per cent. At the same time, at EA, we’re actually very happy because in that shrinking sector we increased our share and got back to the position of market leader, which is a nice place to be, and where we used to be. We lost it to Nintendo last year, but we gained it back.

2009 IN DETAIL

EA SPORTS ACTIVE We’ve done particularly well on Wii with a completely new type of game. I know Wii Fit is out now, but when we started development there was nothing like it out there, so that was a nice, innovative piece of work.

THE SIMS 3 We launched in June, which can be a quiet time of year. But it actually started selling faster than The Sims 2, which we launched in peak season. That was pleasing and it really starting pushing our market share

NEED FOR SPEED SHIFT We’re really turning the corner in terms of product quality. It’s back on track after years of deterioration and we’re Getting Need For Speed back into the space where it belongs as a renowned driving experience.

FIFA We continue to beat the heck out of Pro Evo and across Europe we’re taking 75 per cent of the football space. FIFA was neck and neck with Modern Warfare 2 to be the best-selling game across Europe.

DRAGON AGE We’re very pleased with this straight away but, importantly, there’s a lot of PDLC to come. So, whilst we delivered a rich game in the first place, we will keep it going for a long time with additional content.

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MCV INTERVIEW JENS UWE INTAT, SENIOR VP, EUROPE, ELECTRONIC ARTS

Electronic Arts, like much of the games market, had a challenging 2009. But, ultimately, it grew its European market share enough to reclaim the territory top spot. Dave Roberts talks to senior VP of Europe Jens Uwe Intat about a successful year in difficult times – and how to do it all again in 2010… 2010 (WELL, Q1) IN DETAIL

2010

INTAT: “I suspect we will end up with a similar business model to the one we see in movies and TV.”

THE PACKAGED goods market might decrease a little this year, but after the price reductions, particularly on Xbox and PlayStation, I think more people may have bought hardware at Christmas than we expected, so perhaps we will see a better market than we thought. It might remain stable, or there might be only a very slight decrease, less than last year.

use our strongest IP on all platforms and in all areas. So, with Playfish, leveraging FIFA, The Sims and Need for Speed will put us into a much stronger space in the social networking area. It’s too early to say exactly which brands they’ll be using, but the first Playfish product utilising an EA IP should emerge next year. The exact plans are now being finalised.

OUR AIM is to do less games and do them better. I think in the past maybe people have rushed into too many projects at the same time and have probably been spoiled by the overall industry growth, because it meant that if you didn’t have proper portfolio management, the punishment wasn’t particularly harsh. But in a more mature market

THE NEW controllers from Sony and Microsoft will allow two things. They will allow new game experiences for existing players. But they will also allow what Nintendo has achieved to some extent, and that is to get new people into gaming – people for whom a traditional controller is not the most natural way to play, for people who

(and I don’t just mean older, I mean more professional), portfolio management becomes more important and it’s something we’re working on. And that’s across the whole organisation, not just development. You also have to focus your publishing resources – both people and money. You can achieve much more if you leverage fewer, bigger franchises. I can’t tell you exactly how many less games we’ll release in 2010, but it will be less. ANOTHER ongoing trend is polarisation, and our plan is to

are much more comfortable using something more intuitive. I think they will expand the audience even further than Wii and the Wii Remote Controller. Our studios are working with the first parties to create some interesting games for those controllers. We can expand the audience for an existing game, but it’s also a good time to come up with brand new ideas and way to play. We’re working on the specifics of our plans, but we will have games available that work with both controllers at launch.

WE HAVE four products that I’d pick out, three sequels and one completely original title. Army of Two: The 40th Day (PS3, Xbox 360, PSP) is launching next week (January 15th). That’s followed at the end of the month by Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC) then, in February, Dante’s Inferno (PS3, Xbox 360, PSP) which is the first in a trilogy. In March we will launch Battlefield: Bad Company 2,

which is our first strong attack on Call of Duty. The shooter space is one we don’t want to give up. It’s an important genre and we were the number one. So we are certainly working on how we can get that crown back and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an important product in that context. The franchise is strong, with a good product record. If any of our studios can take on Modern Warfare then it’s DICE.

AND BEYOND... I DON’T PLAN to retire for another 20 years or so and I’m pretty sure boxed product will remain important for that time. Traditional bricks and mortar stores will continue to have a role to play for a number of reasons. Firstly, because some people just like them. But also, with the increasing amount of data that our games will have, there will also be a benefit to having a physical medium to transport at least the start of a game. We will, of course, see more and more digital distribution, sometimes for full games, but even more so for additional content. But in many cases I still think a physical product is the start of that journey and that will continue for a very long time. I even think it will take many years before digital distribution becomes more prominent that physical media. ONE OF THE overarching trends we’re already seeing is segmentation. We are seeing more and more ways to play. It used to be that maybe people had a PlayStation under the television and they played with it for hours. And maybe they had a handheld. But there are so many different ways and places to

play and so many different types of game. People will have consoles, and PCs and handhelds, and phones and there will be blockbusters and there will be bite-sized games. That sort of complexity will continue to increase. I THINK in the long term I expect a model similar to the movie/television model. You will still get high tech blockbuster experiences for which people are still happy to pay a decent amount of money. That’s the equivalent of people going to see a big new movie at the cinema, possibly in 3D, which is one of the things the theatres are introducing to keep their edge. Then people will use that content and watch that content via Pay TV. Then you end up with people seeing it on free TV, funded by advertising. I suspect we will have a similar type of business. You will have blockbuster games, you will have people that will pay small amounts of money now and again and you will have casual games that are just advertising financed. The industry itself, though, will continue to grow, in terms of consumers and in terms of revenue.

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2010 HIGHLIGHTS LEAVING THE RECESSION BEHIND

THE LAUNCH OF PROJECT NATAL The global economic recession made life difficult for the games industry in 2009. But the UK’s leading execs are optimistic we can leave these economic woes behind and enjoy a prosperous 2010. “We hope that coming out of an often rocky and uncertain 2009, we as an industry can go into 2010 with the worst of the world’s economic woes behind us and with a firmer and clearer vision of how to grow our industry in the year ahead,”

says Nintendo’s UK general manager David Yarnton. Activision’s UK managing director Andrew Brown agrees: “I’m looking forward to the end of the current economic recession and the return of the full range of consumers back into games.” And it’s also the top wish for Rising Star’s managing director Martin Defries: “I’m looking forward to an economic recovery, please God! And being offered Corporate Hospitality at the World Cup 2010. Anyone?”

The 360’s controller-less device is due before the end of the year. What we can expect in terms of software is unknown, but Microsoft’s creative director Peter Molyneux cryptically tells us: “I’m most looking forward to the end of 2010 as it represents the biggest year ever for both myself and the industry. If we get to the end of the year pulling off half of what’s on the cards it will be a landmark year for games.”

THE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CHART Right about now, ChartTrack will have stated to add digital sales to its PC charts, something that excites Direct2Drive’s marketing director Rich Keen. “Hopefully between publishers, digital distributors, ELSPA and ChartTrack we can agree on and move forward with an official chart that will end the speculation around the decline of the UK PC software market,” he says.

CONSOLES CHANGING HOW WE WATCH, PLAY AND LISTEN Gamers can now use their consoles for far more than just playing games, and European vice president for Xbox Chris Lewis expects that to continue this year. “2010 might be the year of the ‘big bang’ for consoles – when the world gets to grip with how our industry will fundamentally change the way we experience and share entertainment,” he states.

50 things to look forward IMPROVED BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY Downloading games is commonplace today – something which should grow even further with improved broadband penetration in the UK. Last year’s Digital Britain report stated that everyone in the UK should have access to 2Mbps broadband by 2012. So we can expect some big improvements this year, which is one of things industry veteran Phil Harrison is optimistic about. “Whomever is leading the Government after the summer, I hope they recognise the culturally significant art-form that is video games and the economic benefit created by the UK games industry along with the transformational educational benefits of a properly broadband-enabled country,” says Harrison.

PEGI BECOMING LAW “I look forward to the next step of child protection with the introduction of PEGI as the single UK classification system,” says EA’s UK VP Keith Ramsdale (above). ERA director general Kim Bayley (left) adds: “I look forward to the new regulations on games ratings passing into law so we can put this divisive issue behind us and get on with serving the customer responsibly.” And ELSPA’s director general Michael Rawlinson continues: “It’s been two and a half years of hard work since Tanya Byron was first commissioned in September 2007 to write her report, so I hope we can get the Digital Economy Bill passed by parliament before Gordon goes to the country in a General Election.”

THE RETURN OF BIOSHOCK The follow-up to 2K’s 2007 smash hit is one of this year’s big prospects. “I’m looking forward to scaring myself senseless with BioShock 2 and Silent Hill,” says The Hut’s product marketing manager Sarah Jasper. “I’m a big horror fan.”

MCV AWARDS 2010 This year’s awards will be bigger and better than ever, with new categories Supermarket of the Year, Peripherals & Accessories Brand of the Year and Best Game Creative.

SONY GETS MOTION SENSITIVE It doesn’t even have a name yet – let alone any software attached to it. But Sony’s new PS3 motion controller arrives next year to go headto-head with Nintendo’s Wii. SCEE president Andrew House says: “I’m looking forward to the PS3 motion controller. There’ll be brand new game experiences and great new ways to enjoy traditional genres.”

BEST BUY IS COMING They were due in 2009 before economic conditions forced them to slow their plans down. Now, we can expect Best Buy stores to start appearing throughout the UK from the spring – with a full games team already in place.

MASS EFFECT 2 AND NEW MEDAL OF HONOR EA has some impressive looking games due in 2010, such as Dead Space 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and APB. And that’s not to mention Mass Effect 2 and the new modern day Medal of Honor. “With Mass Effect 2, Bioware is delivering a living, breathing, evocative world that any action or sci-fi fan will want to lose themselves in,” says EA UK marketing director Stuart Lang. “I’d also nominate the rebirth of Medal of Honor and the beginnings of another heavyweight IP war for consumers and the industry to become embroiled in.”

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2010 HIGHLIGHTS E3 AT FULL THROTTLE

GAMESCOM 2010 The world’s biggest trade show moved to Cologne last year and was a big success, with 245,000 attendees from some 31 countries. On top of that, Sony revealed its new PS3 Slim and Microsoft announced Fable III. Expect more big things from this year’s event when it kicks off on Wednesday, August 18th.

THE WORLD CUP KICKS OFF

THE Z-WORD E3 was back to its headlinegrabbing best in 2009, and expectations are high for this year’s event on June 15th. “After years of wilderness for the UK trade, at last we are back to having a show that is supported by the British trade if not actually in Britain,” comments Koch MD Craig McNicol.

Sainsbury’s games manager Gurdeep Hunjan adds: “E3 was fantastic this year. So I’m already looking forward to the next one.” And DSGi’s games category manager Peter Willis agrees: “Last year showcased all that was great about games. I’m looking forward to a continued return to form for E3 this year.”

THE ARRIVAL OF THE DSI XL The fourth iteration of the UK’s biggest selling games console will hit shelves this

quarter complete with a bigger screen so the whole family can gather around.

You can’t knock a good zombie game, and in 2010 we’ve got Dead Rising 2, Resident Evil PSP and Crackdown 2.

TAX CREDITS FOR GAMES? UK games developers are amongst the best in the world, churning out classics such as LittleBigPlanet and Batman: Arkham Asylum. However, publishers are increasingly looking to Canada for their development needs, as the country offers tax relief to studios. Is it time for the UK Government to offer similar support? Eidos life president Ian Livingstone thinks so: “I am looking forward to the election and a pledge from whoever forms the next Government to support the games industry by way of implementing tax credits, addressing the skills problem in Universities, installing a high speed fibre optic network nationwide and stepping up the war on piracy.”

to in 2010… TWO NEW METAL GEAR SOLID GAMES THE NOT-SO FINAL FANTASY It’s a big year for the RPG series. Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII arrives on March 9th, and could well be the biggest game in the series since VII. And we may even see Final Fantasy XIV before the year’s up.

PRISON BREAK: THE CONSPIRACY The popular US TV drama may have finished, but Koch is set to bring it back to our screens with a new video game tie-in. Much of the TV show’s cast have supplied voices to the game.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for Sony’s PSP will launch in May. It follows the events of Metal Gear Solid 3 and is directed by Hideo Kojima himself. Meanwhile, Konami is also working on Xbox 360, PC and PS3 title Metal Gear Solid: Rising. It was announced at E3 last year, although it is uncertain if it will arrive before the end of 2010.

FABLE III COMETH 2008’s Fable II was excellent and was a huge hit at retail, so expectations for its sequel – which is set to utilise Microsoft’s Project Natal – is understandably high. It’s currently scheduled for a Christmas release.

We can expect at least one World Cup tie-in to emerge, and many of us will be ditching E3 to visit South Africa this summer. “My knowledge of football is limited, and my silky skills on the pitch have not been seen for many a year,” says D3P boss Adam Roberts. “But I do enjoy England’s quadrennial visits to the World Cup quarter finals.” Play.com games buyer Keith Sharpe adds: “The World Cup and E3 being on at the same time? It doesn’t get much better than that.”

2009 boasted the biggest entertainment launch of all time, the return of E3 and the Government backing of the PEGI rating system. MCV provides 50 reasons why 2010 will be even better…

THE GENERAL ELECTION It is far from decided who will be leading the UK Government after the General Election this summer – with both Labour and the Conservatives pledging support to the video games industry. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to win the election, so we can have a Government that takes the games industry seriously and champions it,” hopes shadow minister for culture Ed Vaizey.

BETTER TRADE CONDITIONS Aggressive price cutting is forcing indies to buy stock from supermarkets over wholesale. Is it time to change how we distribute games? “I look forward to the return of open and competitive trade distribution that provides similar competition to what we see at retail,” says Game Guide editor Chris Ratcliff. “We cannot continue having so many titles routinely sold at retail cheaper than they can be bought through the trade. It is not sustainable.”

STAR WARS STRIKES BACK “As we get closer to Natal and Sony’s motion controller, I look forward to seeing what publishers develop with this new tech,” says LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez. “At LucasArts, we’re hard at work on The Force Unleashed 2. I can’t wait to unveil all the great work the team is doing. We also have some unannounced products in the works and are building upon our beloved heritage titles. You’ll definitely hear more from us in the next few months. It’s an exciting time to be here at LucasArts.”

A CORE-GAMING FOCUS Forget casual gaming. There’s a plethora of hardcore games coming this year, including titles

from Nintendo such as Sin and Punishment 2, Golden Sun 2 and Metroid: Other M. Future’s publishing director James Binns says: “I am

looking forward to bigger, better epic games that target tightly-focussed, core gamer audiences. Games that Future readers love.”

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2010 HIGHLIGHTS

AN EXPLOSION IN DLC

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION SNEAKS IN The next entry in Ubisoft’s prestigious Splinter Cell series was announced in 2006. And now, just four years and a radical overhaul later, Sam Fisher is back. The game launches on Xbox 360 on February 26th.

GRAN TURISMO 5 REACHES THE FINISHING LINE It’s been nearly four years since Sony’s GT5 was first revealed (A Prologue version was released two years ago), but now the prestigious racing franchise is finally ready to go on PS3. The inclusion of the Top Gear test track should make this a must-buy on its own.

THE GROWTH IN 3D 3D is back on our cinema screens, and developers are starting to implement 3D into our games too. Expect even more in the 3D space during the year. SCE UK’s managing director Ray Maguire says: “I’m looking forward to a stronger pound and 3D. The first gives us a chance of making some money and the second gives me a good excuse to spend it.”

Downloadable content is fast becoming the norm in games, with publishers using it as a great deterrent to consumers who like to trade their games in. Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens states: “I’m looking forward to DLC providing a giant step for gamekind.”

HALO REACH This Halo prequel is Bungie’s first full game since Halo 3. It is due in the Autumn on Xbox 360.

MICKEY MOUSE IS BACK The legendary Disney mascot is set to star in his own game for the first time in years, and Epic Mickey looks set to be a Wii classic. “What am I looking forward to? Anything new from Take That and seeing everyone’s reaction to Warren Spector’s interpretation of Mickey Mouse,” comments Disney’s head of marketing for UK and Ireland Keely Brenner. “Epic Mickey is looking amazing, and it’s going to be fun putting this to market.”

BETTER DIALOGUE WITH CONSUMERS THE CLOUD COMPUTING PHENOMENON VIDEO GAMES AT THE CINEMA

This could the year streaming video games becomes a reality, with the likes of OnLive, PlayCast and Gaikai ready to go. Could services like these be the future of video games?

Movies based on video games are rarely any good, but there’s a couple of new flicks to look out for in 2010. Not least the fourth Resident Evil movie, Afterlife, and the promising Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time starring Jake Gyllenhaal

EMERGING MARKETS Certain emerging markets are starting to become far more established, and firms such as Sony and Microsoft are reaping the benefits. Expect a rise in publishers looking to crack these new territories – such as the Middle East – this year.

WII VITALITY SENSOR POKEMON HEART GOLD AND SOUL SILVER The original Gold and Silver games on the Game Boy Color remain two of the best titles in the Pokémon cannon. Now Nintendo has given them the DS treatment in Heart Gold and Soul Silver. Both games were released in Japan last year, selling two million units in six weeks.

Many mocked the Vitality Sensor when it was revealed last year. But then, many mocked the DS and Wii Remote when they were announced, too. We should learn a great deal more about Nintendo’s new device at E3 this year.

Publishers are starting to use a variety of social techniques to speak to their consumers, and Sega’s UK MD John Clark expects that to be a big thing in 2010. “For the last couple of years consumer loyalty programs and TV, print and online advertising have been the subject of much discussion,” he explains. “This year we have to identify who the active consumer is for our content; what they’re consuming, when they’re consuming and how they’re consuming it. And then communicate with them in the most effective way. “Today our games are not all in boxes, the formats don’t just deal with boxes, neither do the retailers and neither does the consumer. “We have to take our business from being transaction based to being relationship based.”

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2010 HIGHLIGHTS GOVERNMENT TAKING GAMES SERIOUSLY

THE RETURN OF ZAVVI It has been missing from the High Street for over a year, but now new-owners The Hut are in discussions about bringing the chain back this Christmas.

DEVELOP CONFERENCE 2010 Europe’s leading development conference returns to Brighton for three days on Tuesday July 13th. Meanwhile, the Develop Awards will take place on July 14th.

During 2009 several MPs began to notice the UK games industry’s contribution to charity and the economy, so perhaps in 2010 games will finally get the recognition they deserve. At least Sports Interactive’s studio head Miles Jacobson hopes so: “I’m looking forward to the games industry starting to be taken more seriously by the Government and the wider media,” he says. “With the work that ELSPA and TIGA are doing, the good that GamesAid and GAMEForGood have done, and MPs like Tom Watson beating the drum to all who will listen, we’re making serious headway.”

ALAN WAKE AND HEAVY RAIN 2010 could be the year storytelling in games steps up a notch. In Sony’s corner is Quantic Dream’s interactive drama Heavy Rain, which is due on PS3 next month. Meanwhile Microsoft will unleash its thriller Alan Wake on Xbox 360 in May.

ROCKSTAR’S NEW GAMES There may not be any new Grand Theft Auto games coming this year (or so we think) but Rockstar has plenty of new games for us to look forward to. Not least the return of Max Payne, the highly promising Red Dead: Redemption, and the new PS3exclusive Agent.

CODEMASTERS GOES SEQUEL CRAZY THE LAUNCH OF SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 The original Galaxy was a critical hit for Nintendo and was adored by the firm’s hardcore fanbase. This sequel is designed to take that even further, and will be tougher than the original.

ANOTHER CALL OF DUTY

BIG YEAR FOR BETHESDA

The next iteration in Activision’s Call of Duty series will be developed by Treyarch. This could mean a return to the WWII setting, but after the phenomenal success of 2008’s World At War, that’s no bad thing.

Bethesda’s publishing pedigree is set to improve this year, with some top new games on the release schedule. These include Brink, Fallout: New Vegas and RAGE, while speculation is rife over a new Elder Scrolls.

MORE MUSIC Sales of music games may be slowing, but you can still expect plenty to arrive this year. Look out for sequels to Guitar Hero, SingStar, Lips, DJ Hero and Band Hero, and that’s not to mention the recently-announced Green Day: Rock Band.

The UK’s biggest publisher Codemasters had a great end to 2009, and are planning some big releases for 2010. Not least new iterations in its successful Operation Flashpoint, Colin McCrae and Ashes franchises. Meanwhile, F1 2010 races onto Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

RETAILER’S LAUNCHING INTO THE DIGITAL SPACE Every retailer is getting in on the digital download space now. Play.com, The Hut Group, Amazon, GAME and HMV will all ramp up their digital efforts this year.

MMOS TO BENEFIT RETAIL There’s no shortage of new MMOs set for retail this year, including APB, Star Trek Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Meanwhile, retail should brace itself for the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm later in the year.

THE BIGGEST EVER Q1? BioShock 2, Vancouver 2010, APB, Darksiders, Final Fantasy XIII, MAG, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Mass Effect 2, Aliens Vs. Predator, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, Heavy Rain, God of War III and Nintendo DSi XL are all due for release this quarter. Could this be the most lucrative first quarter in the industry’s history?

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