MCV, Issue 498, August 1st 2008 by Stuart O'Brien

Fearne & Holly... the new faces of

Fearne & Holly... dream big sisters Fearne Cotton Fearne was spotted at the age of 15 by ITV’s ‘Disney Club’. This led to a three-year contract as co-presenter for GMTV’s live weekend youth series ‘Diggit’. Since ‘Diggit,’ Fearne has hosted a whole range of television programmes and live events such as ‘The Saturday Show’, ‘Top of the Pops’, ‘Prom in the Park’, ‘Live8’ ‘Children in Need’, ‘Concert For Diana’, Eurovision show ‘Making Your Mind Up’, and X-Factor spinoff ‘The X-tra Factor’. She has also launched her own prime time dating show with pal Holly Willoughby on ITV2, ‘Holly & Fearne Go Dating’.

Holly Willoughby Joining a friend for a casting led Holly to land her first job in television, as a presenter on Saturday morning show, ‘S Club TV’. In November 2006, her hard work in children’s television was recognised when she won the Children’s BAFTA award for Best Presenter. Holly has presented ‘The Game Stars Awards’, ‘Junior Eurovision’, ‘CD:UK’, ‘Ministry of Mayhem’, ‘Saturday Showdown’ and ‘Dancing on Ice’ - and has just signed up to replace Fearne presenting X-Factor spin-off ‘The X-tra Factor’.

08/08

29/08

Order from

0845 362 77 69

© 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Nintendo and the Nintendo DS logo,are trademarks of Nintendo.

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THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

Issue 498 Friday August 1 2008 £3.25

18 MCV Interview

Media Partner

Microsoft’s Don Mattrick and John Schappert discuss their E3 showcase

15 PS2 lives! The Retail Advisory Board gives its opinions on the PlayStation 2’s future

WITH THIS ISSUE...

23 Olympic Games

505 Games reveals its impressive PC line-up in this week’s Recommended Extra

We take a look at the titles set to capitalise on Beijing 2008

EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY INDIE EVERY WEEK

INCORPORATING

FIFA kicks off on Oct 3rd 2009 edition to feature over 250 improvements EA partnering with Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth by Christopher Dring WITH consumer anticipation for the game already sky high – and some hardline PES supporters even admitting that it could be a Pro Evo beater – EA has exclusively revealed to MCV that FIFA ‘09 is set for release on October 3rd. The latest in the ultrasuccessful FIFA series is scheduled for release on PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, DS and mobile platforms, and boasts considerable improvements over last year’s edition. “We’ve made over 250 improvements from last year and we wanted to give the team the time they needed to make the best FIFA game possible,” said senior product manager Trevor Uzice. “We’re continuing to build on the solid foundation from last year which saw us create the most successful FIFA both in terms of sales and quality.”

Game improvements include a 20-player online mode, more responsive first time shooting, improved goalkeeper AI, and an over-the-top arcade mode built specifically for the Wii. EA has also partnered with leading Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Portsmouth, Newcastle and Tottenham, in support of the title. “We are continuing to work with Arsenal on marketing initiatives and we are pleased to announce a three-year deal with Chelsea, which sees us become their exclusive games partner,” continued Uzice. “We are also working with several Premier League clubs on programmes which will allow us to build a closer relationship with fans around the country. Just as important to us is our commitment to the Football League and we will be working with all clubs from the Championship, Division 1 and Division 2.”

FOOTBALL CRAZY: FIFA 2009 will feature improved AI and more responsive passing

THE COMMENTATORS Last year’s FIFA offering was seen to be a giant leap forward for the EA franchise. And the ongoing battle for top-of-the-table victory between FIFA and Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series looks set to step up a gear, with the upcoming release of FIFA ‘09. Early previews and ‘hands on’ features from the specialist press have certainly shown the game in a positive light:“We’re mindful of overstating this but maybe, just maybe this is the year FIFA emerges as a legitimate alternative to Pro Evo, not only for casual fans, but hardcore gamers too. Truth is, the process has already begun.” Gamesradar.com “FIFA ‘09 is shaping up to be a solid and highly entertaining step forward for the series for next-gen and a potentially groundbreaking leap ahead on PC. Due to the quality of FIFA ‘08 and Euro 2008, FIFA ‘09 may not arrive with quite the fanfare and wow-factor of its two next-gen predecessors – which did so much to reinvigorate the ailing series – but there’s still more than enough potential here to carry on the recent tradition of quality content to back up the series’ monstrous sales.” Eurogamer.net

Ubisoft eyeing a merger of its own? French publisher admits it has spoken to various parties keen on doing an Activision-Blizzard-style merger by Tim Ingham AS THE business media’s eyes remain firmly fixed on Activision-Blizzard and EA’s acquisition battle with Take Two, Ubisoft has been holding its own secret meetings with suitors – discussing potential deals that could propel the French publisher into the same league as its two biggest rivals. However, the company’s executive director Alain Corre has told MCV that the firm is in

“no hurry” to emulate the industry-changing consolidation happening at the very top of the trade – as it can be “very damaging to a major global company”. Corre also admitted that the firm is monitoring the movements of EA and ‘Actiblizz’ “very closely”. Corre told MCV: “We have been meeting everybody all the time over the last few years to see if

there are any synergies [with a view to a merger]. We are very aware of what we have, our strengths and our DNA. As for a match, who knows? We are always talking to everybody. But for the present time, we are proving to be successful and so we’re in no hurry.” He added: “We are looking at ActivisionBlizzard and EA/Take Two very carefully. You have two big guns with

ambitions of between four and five billion dollars of revenue in a year. We have announced a €1 billion revenues target for this year, so there’s a big difference between us and them. “Our idea is to increase the speed of our growth organically, whilst looking at other opportunities for external growth within a certain limit. It’s sensible. We feel that mergers and integration is something that can be very damaging to a global company.”

PERSONNEL 26 RETAIL BIZ 27 NEW RELEASES 33 HIGH STREET 34 CHARTS 36

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[LEADER] SAYONARA SIERRA IT HAD TO happen eventually. Those close to the company have known for weeks, so the official confirmation that Activision Blizzard will be ‘realigning or divesting’ studios and projects came as no real surprise. But that doesn’t make it any less real for staff at Vivendi UK and across its worldwide empire, who are now facing major upheaval. Our interview with Activision Blizzard CFO Thomas Tippl a couple of weeks ago confirmed that jobs will be cut – and while the phrase ‘exterminate’ was unfortunate, I’m sure you’ll join MCV in hoping that the new publishing superpower does this ‘fairly and respectfully’, as promised. While it’s a shame that it seems we’ll be seeing the end of Sierra as we know it – save a few more appearances from Crash and Spyro – the rise of big business mentality can’t be stopped. And it may not be the end of the M&A activity. EA’s relentless pursuit of Take Two could still result in Riccitiello (finally) getting his way – or Strauss Zelnick could even opt for the alternative ‘business combination’ that he’s referenced several times.

“

While we may not see another acquisition on the scale of Activision Blizzard, many are asking: Who’s next?

”

Ubisoft’s long-rumoured interest in an ActivisionBlizzard-style merger is confirmed by exec director Alain Corre’s comments on this week’s cover – another big name to stick in the M&A melting pot. In conversation with several analysts this week, a number of further names cropped up. From the UK, Eidos’ continued re-structuring will put it in good shape for a deal; Codemasters seems determined to either float or get sold. But globally, the major trend is likely to be the combination of traditional and online companies. The template has been set by the Activision Blizzard deal, in that Activision’s boxed product and franchise-building expertise has joined forces with a strong online brand in Blizzard. There’s no doubt that traditional publishers have missed out when it comes to grasping the initiative online – it’s the kind of business model that can’t be done half-heartedly, so the best option is to buy in that knowledge. While we may not see an acquisition on the scale of Activision Blizzard’s $18.9 billion agreement again any time soon, there’s no doubt that it has caused many in the trade to play devil’s advocate and ask: Who’s next? While executives continue to kick the tyres of potential targets, I’m sure you’ll join us in raising a glass to friends and acquaintances moving on or being ‘realigned’ at Vivendi – I’m sure we’ll being seeing you again soon. neil.long@intentmedia.co.uk

Summer sales madness Major savings found at Blockbuster, Asda, Gamestation, Shopto, by Christopher Dring AS NEW releases begin to dry up, national retailers have been slashing prices on leading titles. Only last week Gamestation kicked off a major two-day online sale bonanza, which included Ubisoft’s Haze for £19.99 and a pre-owned Xbox 360 Pro for just £130. And sales are currently on-going at GAME, Shopto, Asda, Zavvi Woolworths and Toys R Us. “Our sale has finished now, but was a strong performer,” explained HMV’s games commercial manager Jonathan Hayes. “The sale benefited from the continued growth in the games market. With so many strong formats we were able to lead with great exclusive offers on Guitar Hero on PS3 and Football Manager on PC, whilst also giving a varied range of offers on DS, Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.” Shopto.net’s CEO Igor Cipolletta added: “We only kicked off our sale last week as we were waiting to have more

SALES FRENZY: With many UK retailers offering sales bonanzas this summer, consumers have been spoilt for choice for gaming bargains

products available, but the response has been fantastic. We had a very nice opening weekend, with lots of traffic and a 45 per cent sales increase.” One of the biggest sales of the summer could be found at Zavvi. Senior promotions and PR manager Stephen Lynn told

MCV that it has performed better than expected: “Our sale has been great and has exceeded our expectations by a long way,” he claimed. “Our buying team did an amazing job in getting the best deals and our staff were so passionate about the promo.”

‘UMD ain’t dead’, says Boulevard MOVIES ON PSP could undergo a major revival if retailers sell UMDs at the right price, says Boulevard Entertainment. The DVD specialist dipped its toe into the gaming world by moving into UMD movies in recent months, and has found success with cutprice catalogue and new release titles. “When we went out to retailers with the initial concept of selling this product at these prices their were eyebrows raised, particularly as the PSP market seems relatively stagnant,” said

Boulevard’s sales director Marc Goldberg. “But coming from a film perspective we saw the value in UMD over and above getting involved in Blu-Ray for

the time being. There are far more PSPs in the UK market than Blu-Ray capable machines, giving us a much bigger

audience where we can offer them quality product at affordable pricing. Since the success of the product in the market we have been commended by certain retailers for revitalising the PSP market.” The firm claims that the sales success is down to price, hailing its £5.99 range as a major success: “Major High Street game retailers, traditional entertainment retailers, online retailers have all enjoyed incremental success with the format and are delighted with the results,” added Goldberg. Boulevard: 0208 492 3307

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[PRE ORDERS]

grips UK retail Woolworths, GAME, HMV, Zavvi and Play PRICE CRASH MCV provides a run-down of some of the hottest offers to be found on the High Street...

No More Heroes (Wii): £19.99 Dark Sector (PlayStation 3): £14.98 Devil May Cry 4 (Xbox 360): £19.98

Koch barges its TOP 10 SOUL CALIBUR IV way into GMAs PS3 UBISOFT

Jongleurs comedy club, home of this year’s GMAs. The firm’s guests will be looked after, with food, drink and music all laid on. Koch was one of the original sponsors of last year’s inaugural event, and

KOCH MEDIA has become the latest big name to get behind the Games Media Awards, signing up as a Silver Sponsor, and laying on transport that includes a barge due to dock outside the venue.

2. SOUL CALIBUR IV 360 ..............................................UBISOFT

3. SBK-08: SUPERBIKE 360 ........................................BLACK BEAN

4. MADDEN NFL 09 Bioshock (Xbox 360): £12.99 The Golden Compass (PS2): £4.99 Iron Man (DS): £9.99

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (360): £19.99 Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3): £29.99 Top Spin 3 (360) £24.99

played a big part in making the evening such a success. Nominations for the GMAs, meanwhile, are drawing to a close, but there’s still time to suggest your favourites in any or all of the categories.

Koch will be organising a coach trip from Bath, home of Future Publishing, to London where it will meet up with a private barge which will cruise down the Thames direct to Camden Lock, right outside the

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

5. MADDEN NFL 09 PS3 ......................................................EA

6. FERRARI CHALLENGE WII ............................................SYSTEM 3

7. UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE PS3....................................................SONY

Buy One Get One Free on selected titles, including Halo 3, Need For Speed ProStreet, Red Steel and Iron Man.

Sega Superstars Tennis (Wii): £16.93 The Club (Xbox 360): £12.93 The Incredible Hulk (PS3): £28.93

Super Smash Bros: Brawl (Wii): £27.99 Alone in the Dark (Wii): £22.99 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PS3): £19.99

GMA CATEGORIES Games Magazine Games Website Specialist Games Writer (Print) Specialist Games Writer (Online) Mainstream Magazine Games Writer National Newspaper Games Writer Regional Games Columnist Rising Star – Sponsored by Rising Star Games Games Broadcast (TV/radio/online) Games Media Legend

8. SUMMER ATHLETICS 360......................................................DTP

9. RACE DRIVER: GRID DS ........................................CODEMASTERS

10. WIRELESS BUZZ! BUZZERS PS3 ..................................................SONY Week ending July 25th Source: SHOPTO.COM

All nominations to gma@intentmedia.co.uk

[MARKET VALUE]

Blaze plots more retro classics £24.3m PERIPHERALS specialist Blaze is set to release more devices in its retro range, following the success of its portable Mega Drive. The firm’s latest handheld features 20 built-in Mega Drive games, including classics like Sonic and Knuckles, Echo the Dolphin, Alex Kidd and Golden Axe, and the company hopes that the device will continue to perform in the run-up to Christmas. “The response from consumers and retailers alike has been great and interest is very high,” claimed Blaze’s marketing manager James Gill.

“We hope to gain traction in the market with these products in the run-up to Christmas, and we already have other products in development that will also be

released and will continue the retro theme.” Although the retro sector has been viewed in the past as a niche market, Gill feels that the success of Wii’s Virtual

OLD FAVOURITES: Blaze’s portable Mega Drive proved a hit with retro fans, and the firm has vowed to develop more retro

Console and Xbox Live Arcade shows that there is interest in classic titles: “We think the market for retro games is growing and has been strengthened by the support for classics on Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 digital platforms,” he continued. “Everybody loves reliving their youth, which makes these retro devices appealing to those old enough to have played the games first time round. They appeal to younger gamers too, who are keen to find out what these old classics are all about.” Blaze: 01302 325225

£29.1m

£26m

£24.3m

1,275,120 Units

1,183,865 Units

1,115,514 Units

Week Ending July 12th

Week Ending July 18th

Week Ending July 25th

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

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Jobs market defies credit crunch Drive to employ new recruits in the video games industry continues, despite the stormy economic climate by Christopher Dring RECRUITMENT AGENCIES have told MCV that the games industry is still recruiting heavily, despite growing economic concerns. As large companies in other industries are being forced to tighten their belts to cope with the credit crunch and potential recession, video game publishers and developers are still on the lookout for talented individuals to add to their business. “We are pleased to say we haven’t seen any downturn in any of our divisions to date,”

“

This has been our best year yet. The games and digital sectors are still going through considerable growth. Peter Tafler, Handle

said Handle Recruitment’s director Peter Tafler. “On the contrary, this has in fact been our best year yet. The games

STILL HIRING: Specialmove’s Matthew Hill (above left) and Handle Recruitment’s Peter Tafler (above right) told MCV that the video games recruitment sector has continued to perform well

”

and digital sectors are still going through considerable growth so we expect to be busy for some time to come.”

Specialmove’s head of recruitment Matthew Hill added: “The overall games market is extremely buoyant with particularly strong demand for experienced online and marketing staff. In addition, we are seeing good growth from a number of smaller companies which –

while young – have very experienced management. At Specialmove we are still seeing great demand for our clients.” Yet despite the industry’s current strength, Game Op’s operations director Steph Woods has warned that any recession could lead to tighter recruitment budgets:

“Inevitably an economic downturn will impact on our industry,” she explained. “We expect to see a decline in software sales, which will affect publisher profitability. Due to this many studios will be forced to re-examine their requirements and monitor their budgets more closely.”

FlatOut smashes into stores today EMPIRE has confirmed that destruction is very much on the agenda, with FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage hitting retail today (01/08). Already released on Xbox 360 but new to PC, the title is set to provide high-octane motorised anarchy. Sean Walsh, Empire’s product manager, told MCV: “The game has been extremely well received and we expect that to translate into a top chart position.” Walsh revealed that the title has even won an award alongside critical praise, ahead of release: “FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is racking up the

HIGHWAY CODE: Mirror, signal, manoeuvre are unlikely to feature highly when gamers get their hands on the game, released Friday

plaudits, as well as delivering a stunning racing experience. The collective response from the specialist and consumer media has been great. Total PC Gaming recently gave us 9/10 and PC Zone has given FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage the ‘PC Zone Recommended’ award.” The title supports Games For Windows Live with up to eightplayer simultaneous play and the famous Ragdoll physics from the series. Walsh confirmed the title will receive a host of marketing support to boost awareness of the destruction-loving racer: “The release of FlatOut Ultimate Carnage on PC has

been supported by a number of high-impact marketing activities. These include trade and consumer press advertising, specialist and consumer focused PR activity, cover mount and online distribution of three stunning HD trailers with footage captured live from the game, a PR media launch event with ongoing competitions in national and regional press and men’s consumer media. “We’ve also developed a dynamic flash-based website, offering screenshots, HD trailer downloads, press reviews and retail links,” he added. Empire: 020 8343 7337

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TRADE BULLETIN

Rockstar romps home with Develop awards Scottish firm leads Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Brighton, winning four prizes ROCKSTAR this week added another four accolades to its trophy cabinet, snapping up three individual awards – as well as winning the prestigious Grand Prix – at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards. Held during the Develop Conference in Brighton this week and hosted by comedian Glenn Wool, the awards honoured the teams behind the best games released over the past 12 months. Some 16 companies picked up prizes. As well as snapping up the coveted Grand Prix Award, Rockstar’s North studio picked

“

presented to Nintendo itself for giving studios the chance to publish their own games. Other UK independents picking up awards were Kuju Studios’ Doublesix, Ideaworks3D and Splash Damage. The Technology category saw an Epic Games win, alongside Natural Motion/Image Metrics for work on GTA IV, Richard Jacques Studios and the University of Abertay and Dare To Be Digital. “This year’s 16 different prize winners prove that

This year’s 16 different winners prove that despite international pressures, UK games studios are thriving. Michael French, Develop

up the prizes for Visual Arts and Audio for its work on Grand Theft Auto IV, whilst the firm was also named Best In-House Developer. The Wiiware distribution platform helped two award winners walk home with awards – Frontier Developments’ downloadable game LostWinds was named Best New IP, while the Publishing Hero accolade was

From Single Cell to Galactic God, evolve your creature in your own personal universe.

DEVELOP INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2008: THE WINNERS CREATIVITY Best New IP Lost Winds (Frontier Developments) Best Use of a Licence LEGO Indiana Jones (Traveller’s Tales)

Audio Accomplishment Rockstar North (Grand Theft Auto IV)

”

despite international pressures, games studios across the UK are thriving,” said Develop editor Michael French. “2008’s prizes were hotly-contested, reflecting the creative strength of developers across Europe. “Our congratulations to all the winners and the other finalists who continue to make games development the most exciting creative industry on the planet.”

Event Partner

PC-DVD, Mac

Visual Arts Rockstar North (Grand Theft Auto IV)

SPONSORS Platinum Partner

OUT 5th SEPTEMBER

Publishing Hero Award Partner

Gold Partner

Publishing Hero Nintendo

OUT 31st OCTOBER Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Experience the pure psychological terror of being stranded alone in deep space within a malfunctioning vessel infested with the things of nightmares.

TECHNOLOGY Tools Provider Epic Games Technical Innovation NaturalMotion/Image Metrics (GTA IV) Creative Outsourcing Richard Jacques Studios Games:Edu New Talent Award University of Abertay and Dare To Be Digital

STUDIOS Business Development Realtime Worlds Best Mobile Studio Ideaworks3D Best In-House Developer Rockstar North Best New UK/European Developer Doublesix

OUT 5th SEPTEMBER Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC-DVD

“Mercs 2 pats you on the back for making as much mess as possible” Games Master

Best Independent Developer Splash Damage Studio Category Partner Drinks Reception Partner

GRAND PRIX Rockstar Games

ea.com

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Star is rising for publisher Dazzling titles ahead for Rising Star Games, as it reveals details of its latest line-up, due for Q3 and Q4 by Jonathon Harker RISING STAR is set to hit retail with a stellar line-up for Q3/Q4, with titles including potential sleeper hit DS quiz based Bakushow, and a new edition in the popular Harvest Moon franchise. “We’ve got some great titles in the pipeline for release over the next 18 months,” Rising Star’s marketing manager Richard Barclay told MCV. “As ever, we’re releasing a varied selection of good quality product across different formats and genres.” That line-up includes turnbased R-Type Tactics on PSP, casual games Cradle of Rome and Colour Cross for the DS, plus a new title from the makers of No More Heroes, titled Flower, Sun and Rain, also on DS. Also coming up on the Nintendo handheld is strategy sim Dungeon Maker and the latest iteration of the

popular Harvest Moon series, Rune Factory – A Fantasy Harvest Moon. “This is a brilliant blend of the core Harvest Moon gameplay mixed with some great RPG elements and a great storyline which I’m certain will help expand the brand’s appeal,” enthused Barclay.

“ BARCLAY: Rising Star’s head of marketing revealed the firm’s Q3 and Q4 line-up which includes follow-ups to much- loved franchises

‘We won’t scrap Live Gold fees’ MICROSOFT revealed that it would be scrapping charges for Games for Windows Live at Gamefest 08 last week – but has confirmed to MCV that it won’t be doing the same for Xbox 360 service. The Games for Windows fees, introduced last year, are now being waived as part of a major revamp of the system in what Chris Satchell, CTO of Microsoft’s Entertainment devices division, described as a “way to improve Windows gaming.” However, the company confirmed that the fee scrapping will not be extended to Xbox Live Gold

memberships, which currently cost gamers £39.99 per year. A Microsoft spokesman explained to MCV: “For only a few pounds a month Xbox Live Gold members already get access to the best online gaming network in the industry, the ability to play and watch countless demos and trailers before the rest of the gaming community, and video chat and messaging. “With the new Xbox experience coming this Fall, we plan to give even more reasons why Xbox Live Gold is the best bargain in the industry." Microsoft: 0870 601 0100

to create their own questions, challenges and other game content with up to four players and with just one game card.” The DS title, which will be priced at £14.99, will be marketed through a series of advertorials in kids mainstream titles plus N-Revolution. Barclay promised backing for

We’re releasing a varied selection of good quality product across different formats and genres. Richard Barclay, Rising Star

The Marvelous Entertainment-owned publisher also pointed to upcoming release Bakushow as having plenty of potential to become the next DS long-term seller: “Bakushow could turn into a slow burner for us. It’s the first title for the DS which gives players the opportunity

”

the top titles with strong marketing support: “We’ll be supporting Super Swing Golf, Flower, Sun and Rain and Rune Factory with generous trade and consumer marketing spends, with three month marketing campaigns for each one.”

Rising Star: 01582 433700

New marketing head for DIS CELINE Bannino has been recruited as Disney Interactive Studios’ new European marketing director. Bannino joins the company following stints at Vivendi Net and Vivendi Games, where she managed the launch of Crash, Spyro and Simpsons video games. She has also worked at Lexmark, and recently served as a consultant and as a faculty professor at Nice Sophia and Toulon Business Management universities. Furthermore, Bannino has worked with the International Mobile Gaming Awards in order to develop and promote the mobile games industry. At Disney, Bannino will lead the marketing efforts

BANNINO: The experienced industry figure will head up European marketing for Disney Interactive, following time on top brands

throughout Europe and will drive pan-European advertising, promotions, public and vendor relations, along with creative services.

Bannino will report to vice president and general manager of Disney Interactive Studios, Thierry Braille. Disney: 0208 222 1413

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CDV signs Gamecock’s line-up, hires Mastertronic Deal brings ‘new and original’ releases to the market to launch CDV’s entry to the UK by Lisa Foster WITH A UK office now established, German publisher CDV has now announced a major deal with Gamecock to handle its upcoming releases, whilst Mastertronic has been hired to handle sales and finance functions. CDV announced last month that it had hired Britsoft vets David Walker and Matthew Walker to head up the UK office (MCV 18/7). Having now secured offices in Queen’s Park, London, the new outfit is now gearing up for its first releases – thanks to its new deals with Gamecock and Mastertronic. “The Gamecock products provide the bulk of our new releases this year and we’re very happy with the quality of the games they’re developing,” Matthew Walker told MCV.

HAIL TO THE CHIMP: One of the Gamecock titles heading to CDV

“Title such as Mushroom Men, Hail To The Chimp and Velvet Assassin will all provide gamers with new and original material, something that is generally lacking with most new releases these days.

“Our first product, however, is Stronghold Crusader Extreme, the next iteration in the multi-million selling Stronghold franchise, which will provide us with an excellent UK start.”

As the Walker duo put the finishing touches to the UK business, they have hired Mastertronic to handle sales in the short-term, as David Walker explained: “We have a portfolio of products to put to market this year, so this will be our key focus to start with. In order to ensure that we handle these successfully, we are out-sourcing the key functions while we set up the UK operation.” Mastertronic sales director James Cato added: “CDV have impressed us with their plans and have some great properties on the near horizon. At Mastertronic we have continued to build upon our portfolio of products, ensuring we can offer retail a full range of formats, genres and price points across both core and casual areans. We will do all we can to help CDV and their development in the UK.”

… And The Producers grab logistics THE MASTERTRONIC Group’s logistics arm The Producers has been hired by Gamecock and CDV to handle the firms’ primary distribution. A major signing for the

“

Gamecock Media Group has a strong release line-up for the rest of this year, including Stronghold Crusader Extreme, Hail To The Chimp, Dementium, Insecticide,

We’re delighted to have signed Gamecock. They’re a vibrant and enthusiastic company with great product. Gary Winter, The Producers

company, The Producers will handle all of Gamecock’s PAL territory distribution and cash collection, and act as its European distribution centre.

”

Velvet Assassin, Mushroom Men and Pirates Vs Ninjas. All of the titles are to be brought to market by CDV (see story above).

“We’re delighted to have signed Gamecock,” said The Producers’ operations director Gary Winter. “They’re a vibrant and enthusiastic company with great products and we’re very much looking forward to working with them.” Gamecock’s European MD Graeme Struthers added: “We chose The Producers as our European distribution partner as they demonstrated they were committed to giving us a level of service that was scaled to our needs. We are delighted to be working with The Producers.” The Producers: 0845 234 4242

[IN BRIEF] FUTURE: The UK media firm has extended its deal with Panini for another three editions of the games magazine for girls, Girl Gamer. Originally launched October 2007, Girl Gamer is an extension of Future’s Official Nintendo Magazine. WARNER BROS: The firm has revealed plans for an episodic downloadable game based on its upcoming highly anticipated Watchmen film. Releasing on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in 2009, the game is based on the film version of the DC comics cult favourite. KONAMI: The Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 tournament will start in the US at San Diego’s ComiCon. Open to the best Metal Gear Online players from Europe, the US, Japan and Greater Asia, the finals will be held this October at the Tokyo Game Show. PERFECT FIT: Perfect Fit Productions has taken over from Gamer-TV to provide media services for the trade, including game capture, documentaries, developer diaries and much more. SYSTEM 3: The publisher of Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will appear at this year’s British International Motor Show at the ExCeL centre, London. ACTIVISION: The publisher has revealed the Guitar Virtuoso Track Pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Buckethead, the pack is available from Xbox Live and the PS Store.

LATEST NEWS STRUTHERS: “The Producers are committed to giving us a high level of service”

STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

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NEWS

Koch Media Cherry picks kids titles New family-friendly range to arrive in time for Christmas Koch snaps up distributor Proein from Eidos by Jonathon Harker KOCH HAS unveiled a new brand set to bring familyfocused games to Nintendo Wii and DS later this year. Backing up family values and encouraging children to use their imagination, the Cherry Tree Lane brand will focus on

“

We will work diligently so that the Cherry Tree Lane brand becomes synonymous with strong, positive family values. Craig McNicol, Koch

girl gamers aged between six and 12, and will be out in time for Christmas. The Cherry Tree Lane launch range will include two titles aimed at fashion conscious preteens: Groovy Chick Nursery and Groovy Chick Fashion Shop; a title where gamers get to care for their own champion pony, Ellen Whitaker’s Horse

expect our hand-picked titles to stand out at retail due to unique positioning and strong licensed endorsements. We will work diligently so that the Cherry Tree Lane brand name becomes synonymous with strong, positive family values and high-quality gaming.” To back the launch of the Cherry Tree Lane brand, Koch will provide a full marketing package, including a big print and TV campaign that will see primetime ads, plus trade presentations and in-store marketing displays.

Life, and Baby Life, which will provide younger gamers with a taste of what it’s like to care for a child. Finally, the Let’s Play range of six titles will also be available at launch. Let’s Play Shops, Firemen, Schools, Pet Hospitals, Fashion Designer and Mums all give children the

”

chance to let their imagination run amok in the safety of the game’s controlled environment. With the exception of Ellen Whitaker’s Horse Life, which is also available on Wii, the range, available from Q4, is exclusive to DS and will be priced at £29.99. “We’re immensely excited to be launching the Cherry Tree

KOCH ACQUIRES PROEIN MCNICOL: Koch is planning print, TV and instore marketing for its new range of games

Lane range,” said Koch MD Craig McNicol. “There is a huge market for family-focused games, particularly for girls in the six to 12 age range, and we

Koch Media has extended its global reach by buying Eidos’ Spanish distribution division Proein, from SCi Entertainment. SCi will continue to use Proein to distribute its products in spain despite the buy-out. SCi CEO Phil Rogers said: “Selling the Proein business is in line with our declared strategy to have a lean and efficient approach to distribution to support our product focused, studio-led business model. “Proein has a history of building business with Eidos and other publishers, and we look forward to working with them as our distribution partner in the future.”

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK BEIJING 2008 & MARIO AND SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES As the world turns its attention to China for the sporting event of the year, Sega is set to kick-start a second wave of marketing support for its two Olympic titles, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Beijing 2008… POS: Carrier bags, display units and posters to be made available to retailers

BEIJING 2008

MARIO AND SONIC

Release Date: Out Now

AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Format: 360/PS3/PC

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Publisher: Sega

Format: Wii/DS

Developer: Eurocom

Publisher: Sega

Distribution: Centresoft

Contact: 0121 625 3388

TV The 2008 Olympics will run from August 8th – 24th, and Sega’s TV campaign will begin a little earlier on Monday August 4th. The campaign will consist of 20 and ten second TV spots designed to attract 18-35-year old males, and will be shown on Channel 4, Five, Sky One, E4, Sky Sports, ITV 2 and 4, Virgin, Dave, Setanta and more. Sega is also

sponsoring Sky Sports News’ Olympic reports, with ten second bumpers repeated six times a day covering the entire tournament. PRINT AND ONLINE Sega’s Beijing 2008 is set to receive coverage on Sky.com, The Sun Online and myfressport.com, with ads running from August 8th to 17th. This will be accompanied

by online homepage takeovers and national press advertisements. IN-STORE The in-store presence for both Mario and Sonic and Beijing 2008 will consist of window cling takeovers, new release bays, and gondola ends. Whilst available POS includes A2 posters, display units and double-sided carrier bags.

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NEWS ANALYSIS: E3 2008

GHOST TOWN: This year E3 seemed to be a shadow of its former self with a lack of crowds or any visual appeal. Sadly, the event failed to provide enough substance to make up for the lack of glitz

THE TROUBLE WITH E3 The LA event has had a tough couple of years. With criticism from some of the biggest names in the video games business, E3 is facing its most trying time ever. But was the 2008 Expo really that bad? And what is the future for the show? Jonathon Harker takes a closer look... RARELY has a trade show been subjected to the kind of bad press and comment that E3 has had to suffer this year. With publishers pulling out of the show and some of the biggest names in the business labelling it as ‘boring’, the event has had to shoulder a great deal of criticism. The last few years have resulted in ever more vocal questions over the relevance of the show – you’d be forgiven for thinking the show’s number is up. But was it really as bad as all that? And what is the way forward for E3 2009? ESA, the body behind E3, admits that change might be in the air for next year’s event: “As we do every year, we’re beginning the process of surveying exhibitors and attendees to determine potential changes,” said a spokesperson this week. “Once this is completed and shared with the ESA’s Board of Directors, we will make an announcement about the specifics of the 2009 E3 Media and Business Summit, which will occur.” Activision’s UK general manager Andrew Brown criticised this year’s E3

for its lack of relevance: “In a nutshell I didn’t attend, as UK retail did not go. The need is for a format that allows an efficient use of UK retail time and an environment which is conducive to sharing our new releases. We will be flexible in this respect and will be open to consider any solution which gives our customers what they need.” Sega of America’s Simon Jeffery was similarly damning in his assessment of E3 2008: “This year’s show had all the atmosphere of a large hospital corridor. “We are big supporters of ESA, but we’d like to see something that represents the fun, dynamic nature of the industry a little better – without going back to the insanity that was E3 of old.” Leonie Manshanden, Midway’s European marketing director, tells us: “E3 2008 definitely achieved the aims of a media and business show, which is good and we all recognise that. I don’t think it needs to be in Los Angeles, though. Something a little bit closer to everyone, a little bit of a smaller venue would be more preferable.”

“

I didn’t attend, as UK retail did not go. The need is for a format that allows an efficient use of UK retail time and an environment which is conducive to business. Andrew Brown, Activision

”

And the barrage of E3 2008 criticism continues with 1C’s international publishing director Darryl Still offering: “We went and it was a very strange experience. Like a ghost town, but we did have some excellent focused meetings at and around the event. “But as a $48 billion industry that is now bigger than movies or music, it was a pathetic attempt at a showcase. “They’ve made some horrible decisions and this year’s event was only a limited success as we’re all desperate to have something to hold onto.” But there was harsher criticism still, notably from EA’s John Riccitiello, who loudly proclaimed to the San Francisco Chronicle: “I hate E3 like this. Either we go back to the old E3 or we’ll have our own private events.” Peter Moore, president of EA Sports joined his boss and provided criticism of the show in his online blog. “Soulless and lacking an epicenter, the fragmented layout gave no indication whatsoever that we are the fastest growing entertainment medium in the world. While I am not sure I want to revert

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NEWS ANALYSIS: E3 2008

GLORY DAYS: The E3 of old always provided a bustling and exciting environment, something that this year’s event sorely lacked

back to the old days of excess and oneupmanship, I do know that this format isn’t working.” With key industry figures prepared to go on record criticising E3, the ESA clearly has got a great deal of work on its hands to address trade concerns. And with an ailing E3, attention is naturally drifting elsewhere for a premiere trade event. Europe’s Games Convention in Leipzig, taking place in August, has surely got a chance to stake its claim. But Activision’s Andrew Brown questions whether the German Convention is the answer and whether it can deliver what the UK industry needs: “For a number of my European colleagues Leipzig efficiently delivers an environment conducive to sharing new releases, but at present it hasn’t provided a solution for the UK,” he tells MCV. Midway’s Manshanden also suggests we could look to the continent: “Something like IDEF has much better timing, but it doesn’t have the combination of business and media,

though. We’d need to bring the media to something like that – which I think it could accommodate. “Leipzig is a great show, but is very consumer heavy and a little late – and next year, Germany’s trade show is going to be even later. We need to look at something new on the European side. I’d prefer an IDEF-type show to grow with all the media there. But I do think first parties need to commit and lead the way. Then all publishers will follow.” 1C’s Darryl Still agrees that tough questions need to faced up to: “Firstly, they need to decide if they are an industry showcase or not. If so, then they need to drop the xenophobia and understand we are a global industry, so stop making it so bleeding hard for global industry players who may not actually be American to come! If not, then focus themselves as a press event and we’ll all focus on Leipzig.” Is Leipzig already more important than E3 for Europe? Still thinks so: “Absolutely, but we do need to support the North American side of our publishing business.”

A BRIEF HISTORY OF E3 Not old enough to remember the early days of E3? Why not take a look at our abridged blaggers’ guide to the history of E3… The show originally began way back in 1995, in the days of Super NES and Sega Saturn. The Electronic Entertainment Expo formed as a purely video game alternative to CES saw high attendances right from the start, with approximately 50,000 walking through the doors. The show strayed to Atlanta for two years in 1997 and 1998, but found its way back to LA after the temporary dabble. 2006 officially saw the beginning of serious discussions on making drastic changes to the show, though in truth there had already been rumblings about the size of the event, which was making it hard to actually do business. In 2007 the show headed to Santa Monica and saw a dramatic cut in attendees, providing a very different type of trade show. With criticism of the show now at an all time high, the future remains uncertain, though the ESA has confirmed it will return in 2009…

And what about EA chief executive John Ricitiello’s suggestion that E3 should either change or revert to how it was? 1C’s Darryl Still is sceptical about the wisdom of a return to old ways: “I don’t support anything that takes thousands of pounds out of the industry and throws it into the pockets of exhibition companies and stand builders, so no, I don’t want to see it as it was in 2006.” The opinions of the industry will, as the ESA has stated, go a long way to changing the face of E3. But whether enough change can be achieved to silence the critics is another question. The ESA has been left with the unenviable task of balancing the excesses of old with more excitement and relevance than was seen at this year’s event. And, to be fair, that’s probably not a job that a lot of us would take on in a hurry. One thing is for sure though, E3 must change quickly to maintain its reputation of being the premier Western event for the video games industry, or it may find that the industry has gone elsewhere.

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MCV 01/08/08 15

COLUMN INCHES: The eight year-old PS2 may not be the headlining console anymore, but with Sony hoping for a ten year lifecycle, does the PS2 still deserve space on retailers’ shelves?

Is there still

life in the PS2? Has the PlayStation 2 still got a future at retail? Jonathon Harker asked the MCV Retail Advisory Board whether they thought there was still room for Sony’s heritage console...

Matthew Cushway,

Gerry Berkley,

Tesco

Woolworths

“PlayStation 2 still has a key part to play in the gaming market this year. It seems some people forget that for a large number of young families the outlay for a new console is a major decision and is simply not an option in the current economy. With the PlayStation 2 install base I believe that many younger-skewed games will again perform very well this year. Retailers who stick with the PS2 format for Christmas this year will reap the benefits.”

“I think at the right price point there are still younger consumers who are probably still quite satisfied with the PlayStation 2 experience. Their parents might not be able to afford to buy them a next-gen console as yet, so that’s another reason for the continued appeal of the PS2. At the end of its life we sold the PlayStation One at the right price and that sold well, and with budget priced software I think there’s still life left in Sony’s PlayStation 2.”

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Martin Baxter, HMV

“

We are sometimes blind to the fact that the cost of next-gen consoles keeps them out of reach for a large number of consumers. Martin Baxter, HMV

”

“Without doubt at this moment in time there is still life in PlayStation 2 as the games market will always need an entry point home console. We are sometimes blind to the fact that a lot of consumers do not have large amounts of disposable income and the cost of next-gen consoles is still out of a large number of consumers’ reach. It is essential that we support this end of the market as we are targeting the next-gen consumers of the future by bringing them into the market at a price they can afford. Looking at PS2 sales the value has dropped on software but the volumes are still relatively high which suggests the format is still active.” Don McCabe, CHIPS

“The PlayStation 2 is now a budget machine. You’re not really going to sell anything at a premium price and so there probably won’t be any more earth-shattering releases for it. It should be managed as a budget machine and it’s got a lot of life left in it. In a lot of countries around the world it’s still in the early stages of its lifecycle so if we can continue to keep the machine alive and officially drop the

price of the machine down to £69 or £79, then you’ve got a machine within a niche. All the other machines are £100-plus and if you’ve got a parent not wanting to spend more than a hundred then it’s either a PS2 or DS. So if it can occupy that territory then it has as future. It won’t be earth-shattering, but it will be nice and steady. The fact it is early on in its cycle in some territories aroud the world will help it stay around for a while to come. Summing up, I think the PS2 can last another two years, or even three, if it is managed correctly by Sony.”

very independent distribution channels. And it is only now that we see the damage which has been done – with no competition to official distribution it allows publishers and format holders alike to water down their retrospective offering and pave their way for a more attractive digital route to market. For the consumer this is obviously a raw deal because as their older consoles wear out and with no backwards compatibility available they will be forced to pay yet again for their retro classics via DRM.” Stephen Staley,

Steve O’Brien,

Gameseek

Action Replay

“I’m not quite sure whether Sony is actively pricing the PS2 console out of the market or have no choice but to bolster its own bottom line by keeping the machine at such a high price in its lifespan. But right now, like the housing market, it’s holding a price tag which doesn’t set consumers alight. It would appear that publishers, along with the format holder, are in no way supporting it with anywhere near the same vigour which they did with the PSOne and even then Sony complained that retail pulled out of supporting their console too early. I believe certain official distribution used retail at the back end of PS2 to damage the business models of those

“I think there is definitely still life left in the PlayStation 2 – simply because there is a huge installed user base among consumers already. However, I can’t help but think Sony wants to move on and away from the PlayStation 2 as soon as it can. Having said that, if Nintendo’s recent success with the DS and Wii has proved one thing, it’s that the system with the best graphics processor does not necessarily always sell the best. If the PlayStation 2 had innovative software and hardware launched for it, I’m sure it would still do well. I think the PlayStation 2 has the potential to sell well for another three years as long as it gets supported with the latest software.”

PS2 APPEAL: Sony figures state the PS2 has sold over a whopping 120 million units worldwide, with more than a eye wateringly billion units of PS2 software shifted around the globe

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THE MCV INTERVIEW

The X-Men In the aftermath of Microsoft’s E3 media briefing, Don Mattrick and John Schappert, the two men pushing Xbox 360’s business forward, were in jubilant mood. Neil Long speaks to the two high-fiving Microsoft execs… IT HAS become a tradition at E3 to be confronted with whooping during the platform holder press conferences – but perhaps the same level of excitement is a little unexpected in the follow-up interviews with the trade’s most powerful men. Nevertheless, the sight of Don Mattrick and John Shappert literally high-fiving during our chat suggested that they were more than a little pleased with the reaction to Microsoft’s E3 media briefing. Before we’ve even really started, Mattrick is keen to emphasise his belief that not only did Microsoft’s conference go down well, but Sony and Nintendo’s efforts left something to be desired. “I think that we got more than 12 months’ work done, and others went on an extended vacation,” he told MCV. “Hopefully they got some good vacation

“

to grow at a faster rate and that good things await us.” So he’s pleased, to say the least. But while Microsoft perhaps had the games and the glamour of Welsh songbird Duffy’s appearance, a major chunk of the presentation was dedicated to Live, and the comprehensive overhaul that Microsoft is calling ‘the new Xbox experience’. LIVE, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

While the phrase may not have stuck, Mattrick’s enthusiasm remains – especially when it comes to talking about the success of Live. “The growth to over 12 million members is pretty amazing. Others talked about it, but we shared that consumers have spent over a billion in this space. Breaking that billion dollar threshold is a big event for any company

Our goal is for the message to come across that Xbox brings more entertainment to your TV than any other device. John Schappert, Microsoft

photos, because they sure weren’t showing up at work. I think that the feedback we’ve had has been very positive. What I’ve heard is that Microsoft has had a year of real productivity since the last E3 compared to our competitors, so that’s been encouraging. Of course I’m going to be biased, but so far what I’ve heard is that Sony and Nintendo have disappointed. And Microsoft has been leading, innovating and driving a very comprehensive global programme. “We’re building momentum and we’re on a scale that no other consumer electronics company or entertainment company has been able to achieve in nine years. It’s been a very good show and I’m very pleased. “There’s nothing at this show that makes me believe that we’re not going

“People want to personlise their Gamertag and so when we look to the future and think about building a brand new Xbox experience, Avatars is a logical extension of that innovation. I think it’s another avenue of selfexpression and there are a lot of opportunities here for consumers.” Movie and TV content deals were a similarly high-profile element of Microsoft’s E3 showcase – but are people really using these services? Shappert says that of all Xbox Live’s paid downloads, a third of those are from the video marketplace – the system is in its infancy, clearly, and Shappert says that there’s a long way to go to shift perceptions of 360 from

”

and any industry. There’s not many companies anywhere that can say that.” Microsoft clearly values its online platform almost as much as its ‘traditional’ retail business – hence the presence of Live boss John Shappert in so much of Microsoft’s E3 press coverage. But talking about the platform holder’s new Avatar’s system, there’s inevitably an elephant on the room – is the system just a straight-up rip-off of Nintendo’s Miis? MII TOO FEATURES?

“It’d be remiss to say that we don’t enjoy playing on the other systems and we have a lot of respect for the work that Miyamoto-san and Nintendo do, but I think it’s a logical extension of our Gamercard, Gamertag and Achievements,” says Schappert.

JOHN SHAPPERT, CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT – LIVE, SOFTWARE AND SERVICES, ENTERAINMENT & DEVICES DIVISION, MICROSOFT

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MCV 01/08/08 19

hardcore games machine to allemcompassing entertainment device. “We have a bigger story than maybe people thought and there’s a lot more we can do. That’s the challenge we have to pick up and run with,” he says. “It’s our goal for that message to come across, that Xbox brings more entertainment to your television than any other device. If you want to watch a TV show, if you want to watch a movie, play an arcade game, play a retail game or join a party – people can do that. That’s our goal – turn it on, there’s always something on there for you.” XBOX TURNS SET-TOP BOX

It’ll be interesting to see how far Microsoft take their vision of owning entertainment in the living room. But Shappert is keen to stress that the majority of potential Xbox owners are gamers already. “We would like nothing more than have everyone pick up an Xbox for these services on Live and turn them into gamers. We’ve sold 20 million hardware units to date and we’re very proud of that, but there’s a lot more to sell and there are a lot of people who enjoyed other consoles last generation who have not upgraded yet. “Maybe they’re still sitting on the sidelines because of content choices. They want different games that are not being offered yet, or maybe they haven’t upgraded yet because of price. Hopefully they’ll say it’s now time to get an Xbox 360 because it’s a great, approachable machine.” TALK IS CHEAP

DON MATTRICK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS, ENTERTAINMENT & DEVICES DIVISION, MICROSOFT

Mattrick and Schappert’s confidence and enthusiasm is certainly infectious – there was a brief moment when your correspondent considered high-fiving the two Microsoft execs to conclude the interview, instead of the usual handshake. For the sake of losing that all-important air of professionalism, we resisted. Mattrick’s assertion that his rivals had been on ‘an extended holiday’ for the last year – a planned soundbite used within several interviews, it has transpired – ensured that Microsoft truly owned the post–E3 media scrum thanks to its headline-friendly bravado. But talking is the easy part; actually pushing on to own the under-the-TV entertainment space will certainly be a lot more difficult.

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PERSONNEL

Kalypso Media snaps up Atari veteran Four new recruits for Splash Damage High profile trio join Black Bean Engel signs up with Vidis KALYPSO Atari UK’s sales director ANDREW JOHNSON has left the publisher to join Kalypso Media as the company’s commercial director. Prior to Atari, Johnson has worked at both GT Interactive and BBC Multimedia. “This is a really exciting time to join Kalypso,” said Johnson. “I see this as a good opportunity to strengthen my own abilities and I am confident I can maintain the momentum of Kalypso’s expansion, following their success with Sins Of A Solar Empire.”

JOHNSON: “I see this as a great opportunity for me, and I am confident I can maintain the momentum of Kalypso’s expansion”

Managing director SIMON HELLWIG added: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew Johnson to our team as commercial director, and we

are looking forward to working with him to further expand and enhance our reputation throughout the UK and Europe.”

SPLASH DAMAGE The independent developer has made four big appointments. OLIVIER LEONARDI, who has worked on Prince of Persia, is the developer’s new art director, CHRIS SWEETMEN of Burnout Paradise fame has signed up as audio director, TIM APPLEBY has joined as lead character artist and CHRIS DAWSON is hired as producer. “I couldn’t be more excited about this influx of amazing talent to Splash Damage, especially as we start developing for multiple platforms,” said the studio’s owner PAUL WEDGWOOD.

BLACK BEAN ROB GROSS, FABRIZIO VAGLIASINDIAND and ALBERTO BELLI have joined Black Bean. Gross has been hired as head of international sales, Vagliasindiand is the new international marketing boss, whilst Belli has joined as head of public relations. VIDIS The German supplier has hired JULIA ENGEL to its PR and marketing team. She joins the firm following a stint at Mediatainment Publishing, where she worked as house manager and chief editor on trade magazines.

Our client is a publisher of some of the world's most popular online games. Currently, they are looking to recruit a passionate Senior Producer to work across a variety of internal teams based in Brighton UK. Preferably, you will have experience with online gaming, although it is not essential. As Senior Producer you will work alongside the Creative Director, Art Director and Technical Director to establish project schedules and milestones whilst monitoring development progress.

There are a number of skills you'll require for this role: Project Management Organise key aspects of game development including technical specifications, playable demos, screenshots artwork and videos so they are delivered to the required standard, on time

Natural at building Relationships Demonstrate flexibility of approach when working with people across the development team to get the best results and performance from each individual

Reporting Provide regular updates and briefings to the Internal Development Director and Director of Product

Managing & Developing People Develop the capability and skills of all members of the Production team in line with their individual needs and aspirations and the needs of the business This company are offering a very healthy salary as they are seeking the best possible candidates for the role, with Datascope's help! Please get in touch for the full job spec.

Other Vacancies:

Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool Mallorca Cambridge

Producer Senior Producer Outsource Manager Lead QA QA Technician

£DOE £HIGH £DOE £DOE £DOE

Check out www.datascope.co.uk for all of our other Producer Vacancies. contact: sarah@datascope.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7580 6018 +1 312 940 5184

www.Datascope.co.uk www.DatascopeUSA.com

PR PROFESSIONAL NEEDED Leading games agency Barrington Harvey is looking for an experienced PR professional to fit within its developing team. Successful candidates will have at least two years’ experience in PR, with agency background being particularly desirable. A passion for games and an ability to manage high profile accounts are essential, as well as creative thinking, structured working, excellent communication skills – both written and verbal – and an ability to get things done. Contract and full-time applicants considered. lucy.wilkie@bhpr.co.uk 01462 456780

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WITH THIS ISSUE... MCV switches on the old desktop for Recommended Extra this week, with five new PC titles on the way from 505 Games and 1C…

THIS WEEK... HELLBOY P30 The red-skinned wonder is making its way to consoles...

SPACE SIEGE P31 MCV takes a closer look at Sega’s latest PC blaster...

TABLE FOOTBALL P32 The football season is nearly upon us! Time to dust off those tables...

New Releases........................p33 Indie Charts...........................p34 From The Frontline...............p34

THE MUMMY RETURNS

Price Check............................p35

MCV glances over Vivendi’s new movie tiein, due August 8th. Pages 28-29

Margin Makers.......................p35

Retail Promotions.................p35 ChartTrack Top 40................p36

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It’s summertime, and as well as the inevitable endless rainfall, British Wimbledon disasters and lack of transfer activity from Arsenal there’s also another certainty – Hollywood blockbusters. Ben Parfitt tucks into some butter popcorn…

WWW.MCVUK.COM

WHILST IT IS becoming increasingly common for developers to take a more liberal approach with their film licences, producing a game either loosely based on the brand or instead offering a companion narrative, Vivendi has gone back to basics with its upcoming The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor by producing a title that directly mirrors the happenings in the upcoming movie of the same name. As product manager Gary Chantler explains: “The third instalment of The Mummy franchise will centre on the adventures of the popular characters Rick and Evy O’Donnell and their now grown son Alex, played by Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello and Luke Ford respectively. In addition, the film will introduce Jet Li as an all new and formidable type of mummy. “The game will feature hand-to-hand and weapons-based combat, magic, puzzle solving and hieroglyphic decoding and the action will take place

in London and the more exotic locales of China, India and Egypt. “The team has worked hard to make sure the player feels as though they are part of the experience. “For instance, with the Wii version, you can use the Wiimote and Nunchuck to open ancient doors and solve set puzzle sequences. It’s a good use of the

“

boundaries that can or cannot be explored by the developers. Chantler, however, adds that the challenges of such development are procedural as much as creative: “Launching a movie-licensed title is always challenging in terms of the extra approval processes you have to go through. As long as you get on the ball

The development team has worked hard to make sure the player feels as though they are part of the experience. Gary Chantler, Vivendi

console’s unique controls and one that really brings the player into the filmic experience.” Working with a licence is something of a double-edged sword, as we all know, providing on the one hand a rich base of reference and design to work from, but conversely constraining the

”

early on in the product’s lifecycle, you can open up many more opportunities rather than a now-traditional last minute rush to market.” Interestingly, Vivendi has chosen to limit this latest movie tie-in to Nintendo’s formats and Sony’s reliable PS2, opting not to develop for Xbox 360

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MUM KNOWS BEST: The Mummy has turned itself into a successful franchise of films – and hopefully for Vivendi, games too

OH, MUMMY!

or PS3. “The game is streeting on the PS2 and DS this August 8th with a Wii version coming out on September 5th,” Chantler confirms. “No other platforms are currently planned. The Wii, DS and PS2 fit perfectly with our target audience so it made sense for us to focus on making the best game we can on these platforms.” In conjunction with movie producer NBC Universal, Vivendi will be spreading the word of its console outing beginning this month. “We have targeted specialist and national newspaper advertising happening between August and September as well as an online campaign running for the same period,” Chantler tells MCV. “To support our media campaign we have teamed up with NBC Universal to run cross-promotions across national newspapers and cinema chains. The PR team has been hard at work securing some great coverage for the title across

specialist and lifestyle publications.” It’s sometimes hard to understand why publishers miss out on the chance to get a licensed game out in conjunction with a big movie hit. Whilst Sega was on the ball with the recent releases of Iron Man and The Hulk, where’s the Batman: Dark Knight or Hancock game? At the time of going to press, both THQ’s Wall E and Activision’s Kung Fu Panda are riding high in the ChartTrack top ten, with Iron Man and The Bourne Conspiracy also lurking in Top 40. Keep your eyes open for The Mummy joining them very shortly. RELEASED: AUGUST 8TH (PS2/DS), SEPTEMBER 5TH (WII) FORMATS: PS2, DS, WII PUBLISHER: VIVENDI DEVELOPER: EUROCOM/A2M PRICE: £24.99 (PS2/DS), £29.99 WII DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

Considering how The Mummy movie franchise has grown into the massive success that it is today, it’s surprising to learn of the amount of time the project took to get off the ground. It was originally green-lighted as a low-budget horror outing that could be turned into a series, with Hellraiser legend Clive Barker on board as the film’s director. When that went sour, Night of the Living Dead creator George A. Romero was involved for a while, but his dark vision for the film was eventually deemed to be too much at odds with the more accessible plans of the producers. Nightmare on Elm Street’s Wes Craven also turned down an offer to work on the project. The casting of main lead Brendan Fraser also came

as a surprise, with his acting work up to that point mainly comprising of family-friendly comedies. The lead role had previously been offered to Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, all of whom turned it down. However, all those who had passed on the idea had egg on their faces when upon its release in 1999 The Mummy proved a huge commercial success, and has to date made over £200 million worldwide. It went on to produce a successful sequel, The Mummy Returns, and a spin-off movie starring WWE’s The Rock, entitled The Scorpion King. The series’ third full outing, dubbed Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, is released this month.

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If you’re looking for a change from Superman’s steel-chinned exploits or the Dark Knight’s gloomy Gotham, then Mignola’s distinctly refreshing Hellboy could be just the ticket. Ben Parfitt files down his horns…

HOLLYWOOD might be gripped with Bat-fever at the moment, but the Caped Crusader will shortly be joined on the big screen by a superhero of an altogether different nature. He’s a demon, but don’t judge him – Hellboy’s actually a very nice chap. An honorary human, according to the United Nations. And a Christian to boot. Arriving shortly before the movie, which is called Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Konami’s offering has enjoyed collaborative input from the movie’s acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro, but the publisher has refused to ignore the character’s rich comic heritage. “With the talent we have had available to us, it was vital to produce something true to the Mignola originals, but also make use of the movie elements too,” Konami product manager Martine Saunders tells MCV. “Thus, we have a game that has all the action and dark humour of the series, voiced by the likes of Ron Perlman and other cast members. It’s true to the series’ mythology, but very much its own beast as well.” When you look at Hellboy’s combination of quirky characters and

action, it’s clear to see why Konami feels that the brand is suitable for the video game treatment. Saunders explains: “With its cast of oddball characters and undead adversaries, the two are a perfect fit. Developer Krome has produced an action title that makes full use of the monsters and creatures associated with the Hellboy universe, with the main character’s strength also used in a number of inventive ways.” SUPER MARKETING

So rich is the licence, that Konami is hugely positive that the age-old complications of working with a licence simply aren’t an issue for its new game. “Provided the character is a strong one, there are no disadvantages to working with a licence. We have been given a long leash to produce a game based on the strongest attributes of the character and series, and the results are as high as we expected. “The game will enjoy a strong retail presence, and we are currently talking to Universal about co-promotions. We have had pods with the game at a number of events, and expect this to continue through to launch and beyond.”

RELEASED: AUGUST 15 FORMATS: 360, PS3, PSP PUBLISHER: KONAMI

COMIC MADNESS: Oddball characters and bizarre enemies are all part of Hellboy’s comic book charm

DEVELOPER: KROME STUDIOS PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: OPEN CONTACT: 020 8987 5730

And there’s a good chance too that the game will appeal to a wider audience than just the fans. With no Dark Knight game in sight and the release schedules performing their now annual summer vanishing act, you’d expect there to be plenty of gamers out there looking for a next-gen superhero

GO TO HELL Most people will be familiar with Hellboy thanks to his 2004 cinematic outing, which was handled by Guillermo del Toro, who had previously directed Blade II and Pan’s Labyrinth and is currently hard at work on the upcoming film adaptation of Tolkien’s The Hobbit. However, Hellboy originally started life in a Mignola Comic-Con graphic novel in 1993. He’s a demon, who was bought to earth by the Nazis in 1944 in a church in East Bromwich. Having been raised by a Christian professor, Hellboy fights for the good of

mankind, working for the United States Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence. He was also declared an ‘honorary human’ by the United Nations in 1952. Aside from his red skin, Hellboy is instantly recognisable primarily due to the two white stumps on his head – these are found where his horns would be growing were he not to regularly file them down. Alongside his superhuman strength and accelerated healing, he’s also got ‘The Right Hand of Doom’ – which is huge and made of stone. And handy in fights, of course.

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Some people value their humanity. But Ben Parfitt would happily give up every trace of his inherent manliness for a bionic arm, laser-vision and a back that doesn’t give up every six months… THAT’S THE crux of Space Siege – the toss up between preserving humanity and embracing the technologies necessary to defend it from an allpowerful alien aggressor. The title certainly enjoys a strong heritage, as Sega product manager Ben Payne explains: “Space Siege is a totally new game from Chris Taylor. Obviously he and Gas Powered Games are known for their success on Dungeon Siege and more recently Supreme Commander.” The title sees humanity fleeing Earth in the midst of a colossal alien assault. As a member of one of only five remaining human vessels, the player faces a dilemma – do you preserve the little that is left of humanity as you face off against the frankly quite rude alien attackers, or do you embrace a wealth of cybernetic upgrades to give yourself an advantage in battle, but risk losing the essence of what you are fighting for in the first place? The route chosen by the player dictates how the story unfolds – though whether the player favours the luddite or the tech-head approach, the same

depth of gameplay options remain. Gamers are able to lay traps or ambushes, or alternatively stick it to the (alien) man with weapon-based battles that cunningly incorporate a handy cover system, providing for some pleasingly tactical encounters. EPIC SCI-FI COMBAT

In typical action role playing game fashion, character progression is paramount to the gameplay, with characters able to level up and specialise in specific disciplines. There’s also the chance to take control of powerful robot bodyguard HR-V. Encasing this all is what is described as a ‘chilling’ and ‘epic’ sci-fi story. Also important, of course, are the expansive online options on hand. Payne adds: “Up to four players can join an online co-operative mode in a specially-designed version of the Armstrong ship from the single-player campaign, offering a completely different experience of the game specifically tailored for multiplayer cooperative play.”

Of the game’s marketing, Payne outlines Sega’s approach: “The PR for this title has been up and running for some time in the specialist press, with a cover on PC Zone already. The game was playable at E3 and previews are due to hit online and in print press. Marketing will be mainly PR-based, with an online campaign being targeted at fans of this genre. Retail-wise we’ll be using targeted mailers, as well as in-store activity for awareness ahead of launch.” Though there’s still no word on a console version, the possibility has been hinted at – though it definitely won’t arrive in time to spruce up the typically bare summer release schedule. PC gamers, on the other hand, have less than a month to wait until Gas Powered’s latest hits retail shelves. RELEASED: AUGUST 22 FORMATS: PC PUBLISHER: SEGA DEVELOPER: GAS POWERED GAMES PRICE: £29.99 DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

SIEGE MENTALITY: Sega’s sci-ﬁ epic features plenty of space- based action, with players taking on ugly, violent alien types

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Football’s great, but all that running about and getting muddy is a bit of a pain. If only someone would invent a way of playing it down the pub. Ben Parfitt indulges in some half-time refreshment… PERHAPS it’s a side-effect of the British obsession with drinking away our spare time at the local public house, but the desire to extend the pub-game experience into the living room is a common one. Darts and pool have both been big hits in the video games market, so the arrival of 505 Game’s Table Football is a very logical one. Logical, too, is 505’s decision to tailor this game to Nintendo’s social gaming revolution, also known as the Wii. That’s not simply because the Wii owner is statistically more likely to be familiar with the social experience of ‘foosball’, but also because Wii’s controller lends itself perfectly to recreating the wrist-contorting actions of the table-top version of The Beautiful Game. “Table Football is the perfect social game for Nintendo’s Wii, which uses the motion sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote to make players feel like

“

that should serve it well at retail. It is easy to picture the video game sitting side-by-side next to the likes of Ubisoft’s Sports Party or THQ’s Big Beach Sports, but at the same time it would also look natural housed on the same shelf as titles such as Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 or Oxygen’s PDC World Championship Darts. PLAYING TOGETHER

“More and more Wiis are now finding their way into the living room and we want families to gather round and play the game together,” Fielder adds. “It’s the perfect party game and Wii is the perfect party console – so the two fit together extremely well. Also, the Wii is the only console with the motion sensing technology, which helps players to actually feel like they’re playing table football. We couldn’t have created this action-packed gameplay on any other machine.”

We couldn’t have created this action-packed gameplay on anything other than Nintendo’s Wii console. Juliette Fielder, 505

they’re playing a realistic table football game,” 505 Games’ UK product manager Juliette Fielder explains to MCV. “Whether they’re gunning for goal or desperately spinning the players to defend a last-minute shot, it’s fantastic fun. We’ve also teamed up with the International Table Soccer Federation – yes, there is such an organisation – to provide a host of official tables in which to play on. What’s more, players are invited to draft their own rules to suit the game or use the official table football rules that are supplied.” Table Football neatly spans the gap between the new generation of Nintendo-centric titles that are topping the software charts and more traditional competitive software titles – something RELEASED: AUGUST 8 FORMATS: WII PUBLISHER: 505 GAMES DEVELOPER: DEL PRICE: £19.99 DISTRIBUTOR: ADVANTAGE CONTACT: 0121 506 9590

TABLE TOP ACTION: Table Football contains a variety of official tables to play on, and the Wii Remote is used to accurately represent the controls of the real thing

”

Despite the game’s beer-fuelled heritage, Fielder believes that, much like any other communal past-time, Table Football can find a wide-reaching audience: “Although it’s a bit of a cliché to say that Wii games appeal to a variety of ages, I think it’s clear that with Table Football, we’ve got a concept that’s familiar to so many different audiences and age groups. “Of course, families will enjoy taking to the pitch for a quick match but we also think that casual gamers will love the experience, younger children can challenge their dads to a kick-about too and we’re also ticking all the right boxes for the typical 16-34 year-old gamer. Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a game that’s played after a few pints down the pub – it’s certainly got that competitive element to it.” Table Football kicks off at retail next week, and at just £19.99 is sure to shoot into the hands of football fans throughout the country, especially those eager for the new season to begin.

BRUSHING UP ON ‘FOOSBALL’ Table football actually dates back as far as the 1880s, having first emerged in either Germany or France depending on who it is you speak to. The first patents for production ‘foosball’ tables originate from the 1930s. The sport was first played competitively in the 1950s, and rose in popularity to the extent that discussions began on establishing an international governing body. Though

a lot of effort was put into this during the 1990s, it wasn’t until 2002 that international bodies reached an agreement to form the International Table Soccer Federation. The ITSF, which was a partner in the production of 505’s Table Football, has a mission to develop, promote and run major international foosball tournaments. They also keep full player rankings data.

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Codemasters’ DS racer

speeds into retail TITLE

Nintendo’s popular handheld gets two gems this August, with Codemasters’ Race Driver: GRID screeching into retail alongside D3P’s own DS actionshooter Bangai O’Spirits...

FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

PC PC PC DS PC Wii / DS DS PC DS DS Wii Wii PC / PS2 / DS

Sim Football Driving Imagine Action Racing Action Action Racing Action Sport Sport Sport

Just Flight Mastertronic Mastertronic Ubisoft Mastertronic Zoo Digital Eidos Mastertronic Codemasters Zoo Digital Rising Star Games 505 Games Eidos

0845 234 4250 0845 234 4242 0845 234 4242 0845 456 6400 0845 234 4242 01279 822 822 0121 625 3388 0845 234 4242 01279 822 822 01279 822 822 01582 433700 0121 506 9590 0121 625 3388

Open Open Open Trilogy Open Gem Centresoft Open Gem Trilogy Mastertronic Advantage Centresoft

Wii PS3 / PS2 / Wii / DS / PSP PC Wii PC / PS2 DS PS2 / PC DS DS

First Person Shooter Sport Flight Sim Racing Sport Compilation FPS Action Sport

Ubisoft EA Just Flight Xplosiv Zoo Digital Midas Midas Eidos Eidos

0845 456 6400 0121 625 3388 08452 342471 020 8343 7337 01279 822 822 01279 858 000 01279 858 000 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388

Trilogy Centresoft Gem Open Gem Open Open Centresoft Centresoft

Racing

South Peak

020 8309 3934

Pinnacle

DS Wii PS2 PC DS PS2 PC PC

Shooter Action Puzzle Action Girls Arcade Action RPG

D3Publisher Zoo Digital Phoenix Eidos Ghostlight Phoenix Eidos Sega

01223 322015 01279 822 822 0031 40 3681005 0121 625 3388 01279 858 000 0031 40 3681005 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388

Open Open Open Centresoft Open Open Centresoft Centresoft

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

Quiz Test Animalz Action Girls Girls Sports Adventure Puzzle Sim Imagine Girls Puzzle Shooter Sports Action/Adventure Action

Rising Star Games Atari Ubisoft Zoo Digital Ubisoft Ubisoft Ghostlight 505 Games Deep Silver Eidos Ubisoft Ubisoft Ubisoft Deep Silver Atari Ubisoft Vivendi

01582 433700 0121 506 9590 0845 456 6400 01279 822 822 0845 456 6400 0845 456 6400 01279 858 000 0121 506 9590 08700 270 985 0121 625 3388 0845 456 6400 0845 456 6400 0845 456 6400 08700 270 985 0121 506 9590 0845 456 6400 0121 625 3388

Mastertronic Advantage Trilogy Gem Trilogy Trilogy Open Advantage Koch Centresoft Trilogy Trilogy Trilogy Koch Advantage Trilogy Centresoft

AUGUST 8th C-130 Hercules Championship Manager 2007 Colin McRae DIRT Imagine Girl Band Jade Empire: Special Edition Jeep Thrills Mr. Slime Overlord Race Driver: GRID Shining Stars Supercade Super Swing Golf Table Football Tom Stockdale's Riding Stables

AUGUST 15th Brothers in Arms Double Time Madden NFL 09 Mosquito Off Road Premier Manager ‘09 Road to Vegas Skyscraper Think Woodley's Summer Sports

AUGUST 22nd Things on Wheels Advantage Bangai'O Spirits Calvin Tucker's Redneck Jamboree Jello Legend: Hand of God Mary King's Riding School Roller Coaster Funfare So Blonde Space Seige

AUGUST 29th Bakushow Driving Theory Training Fashion Dogz Garfield's Fun Fest Imagine Figure Skater Imagine Teacher International Athletics Legend of Sayuki Mahjong My Pet Hotel 2 My Secret World By Imagine Personal Yoga Training Puzzler Collection S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky Smash Court Tennis Soul Calibur Legends The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

MUSTSTOCK ..................... RACE DRIVER: GRID Released: August 8th Formats: DS Publisher: Codemasters Distributor: Gem Contact: 01279 822822

The well received Race Driver: GRID finally races onto the Nintendo handheld this month, boasting what Codemasters call the most powerful track editor on a handheld console. In fact, the little racer is promising to redefine portable racing.

MUSTSTOCK ...................... BANGAI O’ SPIRITS Released: August 22nd Formats: DS Publisher: D3P Distributor: Open Contact: 01223 322015

Also on the DS this month, D3P’s Bangai O’Spirits is a reimagining of the ‘90s classic shooter. With over 160 levels, Spirits gives portable fans the chance to make their own levels and then swap them with chums. D3P promises it will be a blast.

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INDIE CHARTS - ALL FORMATS THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

TITLE/FORMAT

PUBLISHER

SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL FORMAT: WII

DEVELOPER: SORA PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

NEW

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 360

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY PS3

UNREAL TOURNAMENT III 360

GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR DS

EA ACTIVISION EA MIDWAY

BEIJING 2008 360

SEGA

BEIJING 2008 WII

SEGA

BEIJING 2008 PS3

SEGA

FAMILY SKI WII

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF PATRIOTS PS3

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: EXPLORERS OF TIME DS

NINTENDO NINTENDO

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: EXPLORERS OF DARKNESS DS

WALL E DS

GEARS OF WAR 360

WII PLAY WII

THE BOURNE CONSPIRACY 360

WORLD OF WARCRAFT PC

NINTENDO KONAMI

THQ MICROSOFT NINTENDO VIVENDI BLIZZARD

GUITAR HERO: LEGENDS OF ROCK WII

INCREDIBLE HULK PS2

SEGA

NEW

WALL E WII

THQ

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.

ACTIVISION

ROCKING its way to the top of the Indie Top 20 this week is Activision’s latest Guitar Hero SKU, On Tour. Guitar Hero’s maiden portable outing was only prevented from reaching the peak by the immovable forces that are Super Smash Bros Brawl and Battlefield: Bad Company. Both Nintendo’s fighter and EA’s blaster have enjoyed four weeks in the top three, although the impending release of Soul Calibur IV could change all that in the weeks to come. Guitar Hero aside, little else has changed in the Indie Charts as the slower summer months set in. Beijing 2008, Big Beach

“Both Smash Bros and Battleﬁeld have enjoyed four weeks in the top three, but the impending Soul Calibur IV could change all that” Sports and Unreal Tournament III make up the rest of the Top Ten, with Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots dropping five places into tenth spot. Speaking of falling titles, last week’s fourth-placed Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII has disappeared out of the charts altogether, indicating that the title may have been subject to special in-store offers last week. Similarly last week’s ninth and tenth placed Kung Fu Panda SKUs have also disappeared from the charts. Yet it’s been a good week for Pikachu and company, as Nintendo’s duel Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles continue to crawl up the Indie Charts, this week making it to eleventh and twelfth positions. chris.dring@intentmedia.co.uk

week MCV sat down with Jeff Chahal from Close FROM THE FRONTLINE This Encounters in Bedford, a store with many competitors... What gaming products have been selling well for you lately? It’s been the Nintendo products mainly – Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii when we get them in. Interestingly it has been the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4 that haven’t been meeting our expectations; even the manager of Gamestation was telling us it hasn’t sold as well as they thought it would. You’ve got a GAME, Gamestation, Computer Exchange and Woolworths on your street. How do you feel about this competition? It’s strange. We’re not really competition to these guys because we don’t have the quantity of stock and we sell comics – which does well for us.

When we first arrived, Gamestation saw us as a threat but they don’t now, and the Gamestation manager comes over to us for lunch! Computer Exchange arrived last year, and they have set themselves up against us. They’re just across the road and are constantly trying to pinch customers. It’s laughable really because they’re competing with someone that could work with them. We’ve tried but they don’t want to be friends. Finally, is business up, down or about the same this year? It’s almost been pound-for-pound identical. Which is good as some people have been down. We have a lot of regular customers, which helps a lot.

TO TAKE PART PLEASE CONTACT: CHRIS.DRING@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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Check out RETAILBIZ at WWW.MCVUK.COM

PRICE CHECK DERBY

Secret Agent Clank

Unreal Tournament III

Guitar Hero: On Tour

Big Beach Sports

Sports Island

PSP, Sony

Midway, 360

DS, Activision

Wii, THQ

Wii, Konami

£24.99

£39.99

£37.99

£34.99

£17.99

N/A

£29.99

N/A

£19.99

N/A

£34.71

£29.71

£17.71

N/A

£17.99

£34.99

£29.99

£12.99

£24.99

£23.93

£32.93

£29.93

£14.93

£24.93

£19.99

£34.99

£29.99

£19.99

£24.99

£23.99

£34.99

£32.99

£17.99

£24.99

IN STORE

ONLINE

MCV travelled to Derby this week in search of two Wii sports titles, alongside Activision’s latest Guitar Hero, Unreal Tournament III on Xbox 360 and Secret Agent Clank. Games were noticeably absent on the High Street, with Toys R Us and WH Smiths failing to stock four of the titles featured. Secret Agent Clank and Sports

Island also proved particularly hard to find, and only Blockbuster had all five games in stock. The cheapest High Street store was Tesco, which offered the best prices for Guitar Hero On Tour, Midway’s Unreal Tournament 3 and THQ’s Big Beach Sports. The online outlets managed to show up their High Street rivals this week,

with all four websites stocking the five games featured. Online retailer of the week was Play.com, which was the cheapest overall. The store was selling Sony’s Secret Agent Clank for a mere £17.99, and it was also offering surprise hit Big Beach Sports for just £12.99, which was the biggest bargain of the week.

Sponsored by

RETAIL PROMOTIONS

MARGIN MAKERS

The Guitar Hero On Tour DS bundle, complete with silver DS and guitar pick stylus, is on sale at SimplyGames.com for £99.99, £30 below the RRP.

Here’s something for the independents out there. Impact Innovations is offering indies the chance to purchase its latest range of Sonic merchandise, which has a total SRP of £200, for £80.84. The offer involves a carton of 12 Sonic, Tails or Knuckles plush toys, and 16 matching beanies. The retail price for each plush is £9.99 and £4.99 for the beanies. Impact’s commercial director Angus Boyd said: “We wanted to give the indies an offer to match the multiples and support the industry in this difficult time”.

Gamers picking up the Guitar Hero On Tour DS bundle from Gamestation can get either 42 All-Time Classics or Sega Superstars Tennis with it for free. Reward Card members will receive 1300 reward points (worth £3.25) when buying the Guitar Hero: On Tour DS bundle from GAME.

TM and © Nintendo 2008

Impact: 0845 600 1676.

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS 36 MCV 01/08/08

WWW.MCVUK.COM

Check out RETAILBIZ at WWW.MCVUK.COM

OFFICIALUKCHARTS NINTENDO DS THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[1] [FULL PRICE]

TITLE

GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING WALL E MARIO & SONIC: OLYMPIC GAMES MORE BRAIN TRAINING COOKING MAMA 2 TOUCHMASTER

2 3 4 14 6 16 8 7 13

DEVELOPER: VICARIOUS VISIONS PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3 2 4 5 6 7 8 10 RE

FORMAT: Wii

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

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

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: DARKNESS NINTENDO

MARIO KART WII Wii

NINTENDO

LEGO INDIANA JONES MARIO KART DS

GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR DS

ACTIVISION

LEGO: INDIANA JONES DS, PC, PS3, Wii, 360, PSP

LUCASARTS

WII PLAY Wii

LUCASARTS NINTENDO

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

KUNG FU PANDA LEGO INDIANA JONES GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK THE INCREDIBLE HULK CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: CASPIAN GUITAR HERO: AEROSMITH ALONE IN THE DARK THE SIMS 2: CASTAWAY TT SUPERBIKES: ROAD RACING

[2]

WII FIT

MIDWAY

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

NINTENDO

505 GAMES

PSP

THQ SEGA

LAST WEEK

WALL E

2 3 4 7 5 6 9 10 8

NINTENDO

THIS WEEK

PLAYSTATION 2 THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

TOP 40ALL

PUBLISHER

[ENTERTAINMENT - FULL PRICE]

PUBLISHER

[3]

DEVELOPER: HEAVY IRON PUBLISHER: THQ

PUBLISHER

MARIO & SONIC: OLYMPIC GAMES Wii, DS

SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL Wii

NINTENDO

DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING DS

NINTENDO

BIG BEACH SPORTS Wii

GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS PS2, PS3, Wii, 360

ACTIVISION

KUNG FU PANDA DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, 360

ACTIVISION

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY PS3, 360

SPORTS PARTY Wii

ACTIVISION

BEIJING 2008 PC, 360, PS3, Wii

SEGA

CARNIVAL: FUN FAIR GAMES Wii

LUCASARTS

DISNEY

MGS4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS PS3

ACTIVISION

FIFA 08 DS, PSP, PC, PS2, 360, Wii, PS3

ATARI EA

[4]

JESTER

CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII DEVELOPER: SQUARE ENIX PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX WALL E THQ LEGO INDIANA JONES LUCASARTS GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS SONY SECRET AGENT CLANK SONY MEDAL OF HONOR: HEROES 2 EA UEFA EURO 2008 EA NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA HEROES 2 ATARI STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT: RENEGADE LUCASARTS MX VS ATV UNTAMED THQ

[5]

SEGA

THQ

EA UBISOFT SEGA TAKE TWO KONAMI EA

TOP SPIN 3 360, PS3, Wii

2K SPORTS

COD4: MODERN WARFARE 360, PS3, PC, DS

ACTIVISION

PC CD-ROM PUBLISHER

THQ

NINTENDO

ACTIVISION

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

TITLE

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

PUBLISHER

THE SIMS 2: DOUBLE DELUXE

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE SIMS 2: FREETIME WOW: BATTLE CHEST COD4: MODERN WARFARE THE SIMS 2: BON VOYAGE SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE CIVILIZATION IV COMPLETE MASS EFFECT ASSASSIN’S CREED RACE DRIVER: GRID

2 3 6 7 15 4 5 8 18

DEVELOPER: EA PUBLISHER: EA EA BLIZZARD ACTIVISION EA KALYPSO MEDIA TAKE 2 EA UBISOFT CODEMASTERS

36,37 MCV498_final:46-47 MCV405

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 01/08/08 37

WII FIT, still benefiting from a high profile

price and budget charts with no less than

TV ad campaign, has returned to the top of the charts once again, while THQ’s WALL.E

seven individual entries.

remains in second place. LEGO: Indiana

at number one in the PS3 chart, while

Elsewhere, Konami’s MGS4 remains fixed

Jones, having spent the last eight weeks

Sega’s Beijing 2008 is up for bronze and

swinging between one and three, has been

silver in the PS3 and 360 charts

knocked down to fifth place.

respectively, ahead of the Olympics

EA’s Sims 2 is clearly very much in

opening ceremony next week.

demand this week, dominating the PC full

L FORMATS Highest New Entry

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

Highest Top 40 Climber

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV 360, PS3

ROCKSTAR

MORE BRAIN TRAINING DS

NINTENDO

COOKING MAMA 2 DS

PRO EVO SOCCER 2008 DS, PC, PS3, PS2, PSP, 360, Wii

THE SIMPSONS GAME DS, PS2, Wii, 360, PS3, PSP

TOUCHMASTER DS

RACE DRIVER: GRID 360, PS3, DS, PC

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

505 GAMES KONAMI

GUITAR HERO: AEROSMITH PS2, PS3, 360, Wii

ACTIVISION

MARIO KART DS DS

NINTENDO

COOKING GUIDE: WHAT TO EAT? DS

NINTENDO

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS DS

NINTENDO

POKÉMON DUNGEON: TIME DS

NINTENDO

ALONE IN THE DARK 360, Wii, PS2, PC

ATARI

SEGA

UNREAL TOURNAMENT III PC, PS3, 360

MIDWAY

IMAGINE: BABIES DS

UBISOFT

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008 PC, PSP, 360, Mac

SEGA

NEED FOR SPEED: PROSTREET DS, PC, 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii EA

PUBLISHER

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THE SIMS 2: IKEA HOME STUFF WORLD OF WARCRAFT WOW: BURNING CRUSADE THE SIMS 2: KITCHEN AND BATH ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON 3 THE SIMS 2: SEASONS THE SIMS 2: TEEN STYLE STUFF S.T.A.L.K.E.R. CHERNOBYL BEJEWLED 2

2 3 4 5 9 10 11 8 12

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE BEIJING 2008 BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY BUZZ! QUIZ TV GRAND THEFT AUTO IV GRAN TURISMO 5: PROLOGUE TOP SPIN 3 HAZE RACE DRIVER: GRID

4 2 3 7 8 11 5 6 9

DEVELOPER: KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS PUBLISHER: KONAMI ACTIVISION SEGA EA SONY ROCKSTAR SONY 2K SPORTS UBISOFT CODEMASTERS

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

DEVELOPER: SPORTS INTERACTIVE PUBLISHER: SEGA EA BLIZZARD BLIZZARD EA ATARI EA EA THQ POPCAP

PUBLISHER

WII FIT

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MARIO KART WII WII PLAY SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL BIG BEACH SPORTS SPORTS PARTY CARNIVAL: FUN FAIR GAMES MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES WALL E GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK

4 2 3 5 6 7 8 14 9

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

XBOX 360

[BUDGET PRICE]

TITLE

MGS4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

NINTENDO

SEGA SUPERSTAR TENNIS DS, PS2, PS3, Wii, 360

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

PUBLISHER

WII

SEGA

PC CD-ROM

TITLE

MIDWAY CODEMASTERS

POKÉMON DUNGEON: DARKNESS DS

[FULL PRICE]

Jonathon Harker

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO THQ UBISOFT TAKE TWO SEGA THQ ACTIVISION

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BEIJING 2008 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV UNREAL TOURNAMENT III ALONE IN THE DARK GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK TOP SPIN 3 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE HALO 3 RACE DRIVER: GRID

2 3 4 6 9 5 12 10 7

PS3

WEEK ENDING 26/07/08

PUBLISHER

DEVELOPER: DIGITAL ILLUSIONS PUBLISHER: EA SEGA ROCKSTAR MIDWAY ATARI ACTIVISION 2K SPORTS ACTIVISION MICROSOFT CODEMASTERS

[SOURCE]

[ANALYSIS]

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR

DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS

CREATIVE & PROMOTIONAL SERVICES Wrapstar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)7778 204970 DISTRIBUTION Creative Distribution . . . . 020 8664 3456 Gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01279 822800 Ideal Software . . . . . . . . . . . 01767 689 720 Logic3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471 000 Meroncourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01462 680060 Music Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 234 4112 TDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01202 489500 GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR Total Console Repair Ltd. . 01202 486 800

LOCALISATION Absolute Quality . . . . . . . . . 0141 220 5600 Partnertrans . . . . . . . . +49 (0)2104 172660 Testronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01753 653 722 Universally Speaking. . . . . . . 01480 210621 STORE FITTINGS AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01924 507 217 Red Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01733 239001 DISC REPAIR Scratch Busters . . . . . . . . . . 01707 251 300 TDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01202 489 500 Perfect Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8778 5164 RTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01895 252 191

Gem Creative Get your message out Gem Creative offer retail specific design and production support including trade & consumer advertising campaigns, Point of Sale, marketing collateral, repackaging, bundling and concept solutions.

Contact Neil Handa Gem Distribution Ltd St George House Parkway Harlow Business Park Harlow Essex CM19 5QF 01279 822822 www.gem.co.uk POS

Packaging

Publishing

One integrated solution Flyers

Brochures

Trade PR

Media Buying

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

WRAPSTAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 7778 204970 . . . . . . . . www.wrapstar-skins.com

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

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

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

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

EDITORIAL PLANNER MCV is the only trade publication that covers all sectors of the market – reaching every corner of retail across Europe... FRIDAY AUGUST 15th

LEIPZIG SHOW ISSUE

3,000 extra circulation!

The entire industry will be at this year’s Games Convention in Leipzig, with a bigger focus than ever on the trade-only element. MCV will have its own booth plus distribution throughout key areas – including the new Marketplace business area and the hugely popular Business Centre.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4th

TEN YEARS OF MCV... YES REALLY! Your favourite industry publication is ten – and to celebrate, we’ve got a whole issue full of special features looking back at the last decade of glorious MCV exclusives, Off The Record antics and, thankfully, explosive industry growth. Put a date in your diary for this landmark issue.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26th

PC HOME SOFTWARE FOCUS MCV examines the full range of PC home software available on the market and the essential upcoming titles. We talk to the major players including analysts, publishers and retailers to discover their views on why the PC software market mustn’t be ignored.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 17th

GAMES MEDIA AWARDS: WINNERS The Games Media Awards take place on Thursday October 16th in Camden. They will celebrate the great and the good of the specialist, mainstream, print and digital media. MCV will announce the winners the following day – with further reports, reactions and pictures from the event the following week.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 31st

30 UNDER 30 MCV provides the definitive round-up of the hottest up-and-coming talent that’s currently working within the video games industry. It includes promising young marketing managers, PR executives, journalists, retailers, games buyers, consultants and much, much more. Will you make it onto this year’s list?

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

JONATHON.HARKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR

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 7 Seas Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@7seastech.com Atomic Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1642 871 100 Blitz Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1926 880 000 Broadsword Interactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01970 626299 Fuse Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . careers@fusegames.com NC Soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 872000 Razorback Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 208 686 7332 Oxygen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 1993 446 437 Realtime Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1382 202 821 Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1865 792 201 Stainless Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jobs@stainlessgames.com Strawdog Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1332 258 862 Venom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jobs@venomgames.co.uk TOOLS bluegfx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1483 467 200 Epic Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +1-919-870-1516 Fork Particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 (1) 925 417 1785 Natural Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)1865 250575 SERVICES 3D Creation Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 151 703 0111 Absolute Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44(0)141 220 5600 Air Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 207 794 0660 Datascope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 20 7580 6018 Enzyme Testing Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +1 (450) 229 9999 High Score Productions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1295 738 337 Universally Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1480 210 621 Philips amBX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ambx.com SpecialMove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@specialmove.com Testronic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1753 653 722 Think Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 7712 885 934 Tsunami Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1483 410 100 COURSES Goldsmiths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)20 70785052 Liverpol JMU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 151 231 2267 Sheffield Hallam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 114 225 5138 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. All subscription requests should go to mcv.subscriptions@c-cms.com

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

MUSIC EXPRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 234 4112. . . . . . . . . . . . www.music-express.co.uk

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK We’ll make sure your disc repair is up to scratch With TDR, you’ve a tried and tested way to increase your disc repair business and generate extra turnover and profit as a result.

Insider’s | Guide

Call or visit our website to find out more.

TDR OneStep just £1295

Disc-Go-Devil Devilishly good and only £666

01202 489 500

www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

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

This week MCV speaks with Infinite’s Jason Evans about the firm’s field marketing solutions…

TOTAL CONSOLE REPAIR. . . . . . 01202 486800 . . . . www.totalconsolerepair.co.uk

Tell us a little about Infinite? Infinite Field Marketing Solutions is an award-winning technology-focused training and field marketing company. We specialise in providing exceptional services to retail with in-store training, demos, merchandising and compliance, data collection, auditing, mystery shopping and more.

ten technology field experts who are specialists in this sector. It allows companies to benefit from the provision of field marketing without the long-term contracts. It is a ‘pick up and put down service’ and can be utilised around small or large campaigns. For further information, go to www.bestcst.co.uk.

Are you looking to expand? Yes, we are looking to grow as we believe our services are well suited to the games industry. We provide flexible, innovative and cost-effective solutions that drive sales, ROI and boost clients’ value to retailers.

Any amusing office stories to share with MCV readers? Around the office we have short reminders that even the best get it wrong: “640K ought to be enough for anybody,” Bill Gates, 1981. “There is no real need for sales people. Customers will be attracted to good products without assistance,” Ken Olson, addressing a convention of DEC sales people.

Tell us something we didn’t know about Infinite? The Client Support Team is a dedicated in-house function of

ABSOLUTE QUALITY . . . . . . +44 (0)141 220 5600 . . . . . www.absolutequality.co.uk

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR

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

SCRATCHBUSTERS . . . . . . . . . 01992 535701 . . . . . . . . . . . www.scratchbusters.co.uk

AMA DISPLAYS . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1924 507217 . . . . . . . . . www.ama-displays.co.uk

PERFECTPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8778 5164 . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.perfectplay.co.uk

HIGH PERFORMANCE OPTICAL DISC REPAIR SYSTEMS Eco Senior Fully Automatic Repair System

Eco Smart

Entry Level Repair System

Call 01895 252191 for Introductory Offers Eco Master

50 disc Automatic Repair System

RED DISPLAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 017533 239001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.reddisplays.com

www.rtico.com RTI-inbox@rtiuk.co.uk

High Speed Optical Disc Inspection System

RTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01895 252191 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rtico.com

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK SUPPORT YOUR PRINT ADVERTISING WITH AN

ONLINE PRESENCE £450 PER MONTH SITE WIDE BUTTON Size: 300x100 pixels File type: Animated Flash swf or animated gif

£550 PER MONTH TOP 4 BUTTON PLUS EMAIL NEWSFLASH Size: 140x120 pixels File type: Static jpeg or animated gif

DIARY DATES ‘08 From the Develop Awards to the MCV pub quiz, we provide all the year’s essential industry dates to stick in your diary… MOBILE CONTENT 2008 Friday, August 8th DMC, Seoul, Korea www.mobilecontent.co.kr M FESTIVAL Friday, August 8th-11th Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire www.mfestival.com

For further online advertising information please contact

Lesley.Blumson@intentmedia.co.uk or call 01992 535647

MCVUK.COM March ‘08 Page Views 471,735 Sessions served 304,870 Unique Visitors 215,754

Feb ‘08 404,964 242,537 163,712

www.mcvuk.com MCV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01992 535647 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.mcvuk.com

EDINBURGH INTERACTIVE FESTIVAL 2008 Sunday, August 10th-12th Conference Centre, Edinburgh www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com GC DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE Monday, August 18th-20th Leipzig, Germany www.gcdu.eu CANADIAN NATIONAL GAMING EXPO Friday, August 22nd-24th Metro Toronto Convention Centre www.gameexpo.ca E FOR ALL EXPO Thursday, August 28th–30th Los Angeles, US www.eforallexpo.com MCV/XBOX 360 PUB QUIZ Wednesday, September 3rd AKA Bar, Holborn, London dave.roberts@intentmedia.co.uk GAMES CONVENTION ASIA Thursday, September 18th-20th Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore www.gc-asia.sg

GAMES MEDIA AWARDS Wednesday October 15th Soho Revue Bar, London gma@intentmedia.co.uk

PARTNERTRANS . . . . . . . . . +49 (0)2104 172660. . . . . . . . . . . www.partnertrans.com

LEIPZIG GAMES CONVENTION Wednesday, August 20th-24th Leipzig, Germany www.gc-germany.com Europe’s own games event is now into its seventh year at Leipzig. It promises to bring together the entire video game industry, from trade visitors, media and, crucially, the gamers themselves. The GC, the biggest games fair in Europe, has now been offically recognised as an international benchmark event. Boasting exhibitors from 26 countries, including the USA, France, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden and Russia, over 500 companies will be exhibiting at the event. Also, according to the organisers, more than 250 world, European and German premieres will take place at the Leipzig event this year. The first day of the convention will be exclusively open to the media and industry execs ahead of the public on the 21st. It’s a good job that the industry does get the chance to get in early, as GC ‘08 is headed for record attendance. Also of note this year, getting to the Convention is going to be easier than before, with more flight connections promised and larger planes being used for flights.

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION 44 MCV 01/08/08

WWW.MCVUK.COM

International Distribution Guide AUSTRALIA

CYPRUS

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

Gibareio.............................................................Nicosia Goodtones Great Games Ltd .....................Nicosia

Nortec Multimedia.........................................Athens Zegetron S.A....................................................Athens

DENMARK

HUNGARY

Pan Vision Norway.....................................Trollasen MPX.no .......................................................Sandefjord Platekompaniet....................................................Oslo Massemedia AS...........................................Notteroy Pan Vision Norway..............................................Oslo

an/teec..........................................................Budapest Amextec Kft.................................................Budapest

POLAND

AFA INTERACTIVE 66 Hughes Street, Mile End, South Australia 5031 Tel: +61 8823 41355

NORWAY

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

ENTERTAINMENT TRADING APS ATARI AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 32 Bowden Street, Alexandria, NSW, 2120. Tel: +61 (0)2 8303 6833 Fax: +61 (0)2 8303 6890 Web: www.atari.com.au

Stenholm 1, 9400 Norresundby, Denmark Phone: +45 70277640 Fax: +45 70277650 email: sales@entertainment-trading.com Web www.entertainment-trading.com

PORTUGAL COMGAME 576 LTD 1042 Budapest, Arpad UT 112, Hungary Tel: +36 1 369 2686 Fax: +36 1 272 0109 Email: bzsolt@576.hu Web: www.576.hu

ESTONIA Andrico ..............................................................Tallinn

QVS Australia email: paulelliot@qvsoftware.com.au Web: www.qvsoftware.com.au Tel: 61 2 9748 2555

FINLAND

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

GERMANY

Asia Pacific HQ - Level 8/606 St.Kilda Rd, Melbourne, Vic, Australia, 3004 Web: asiapac-sales@thq.com Tel: +6139573.9203 Red Ant...................................Baulkham Hills, NSW

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

BELGIUM

DTP ENTERTAINMENT AG Goldbekplatz 3-5, 22303 Hamburg, Germany Tel: +49 (0)40 66 99 10 0 Fax: +49 (0)40 66 99 10 10 email: s.lass@dtp-entertainment.com Web: www.dtp-entertainment.com

Horelec S.A. ...........................................Bruxelles CLD Distribution S.A. .........................Fernelmont

BENELUX Contact Data......................................................Breda

Groß Electronic .......................................Rohrnbach Otto Group ...................................................Hamburg Playcom Software Vertriebs .......................Erfurt Vitrex Multimedia Großhandel.....................Erfurt

GREECE ATARI BENELUX

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

Flight Forum 883, 5657 DV Eindhoven, Holland Tel: 0031 4023 93554 Web: sgoudsmit@atari.com

GAMEWORLD

MILESTONE INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE LIMITED Pramukh Plaza, 2nd Floor, Cardinal Gracious Road, Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai 400 099, INDIA. Tel: +91 22 28203319 Fax: +91 22 28203334 email: distribution@milestoneinteractive.com website: www.milestoneinteractive.com

Hitzona.............................................................Moscow Noviy Disk .......................................................Moscow Soft Club..........................................................Moscow Vellod...................................................................Mitishi

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

SOUTH AFRICA Midigital ..............................................Johannesburg Nu Metro Interactive ......................Johannesburg

ISRAEL

SPAIN

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

Ardistel. S.L..................................................Zaragoza Distribuciones Videográficas Digitales ....MADRID

ITALY Cidiverte Spa ...............................................Gallarate Coop Italia..........................................Sesto F.NO (FI) Digital Bros spa................................................Milano Leader Spa.................................Gazzada Schianno Newave Italia...................................................Firenze Promovideo SRL ...........................................Senago

FRIENDWARE Marques de Monteagudo 18, 28028 Madrid, Spain email: juan.bustamante@friendware.es

NETHERLANDS LEXICON ENTERTAINMENT HELLAS

Cornusbaan 1, 2908 KB Capelle A/D IJssel Tel: +31 10 298 3838 Web: rishi@gameworld.nl

RUSSIA

INDIA

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

THQ AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & ASIA.

v.2 PLAY. LDA Studio Office Marquês de Pombal – Avenida de Loulé nº 123 1069-152 - Lisbon, Portugal Tel. 00351 21 31 46 51 0 Fax 00351 21 31 61 12 5

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

FRANCE

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

Ioanninon 69 & Theodosiou 1, Chalandri, Athens, Greece Web: Spyros@lexiconentertainment.com email: hellasdistribution@ lexiconentertainment.comdenmark

Gameworld BV............................Capelle A/D Ijssel Micromedia BV...........................................Nijmegen Favour Games..................................................Tilburg Rigu Sound B.V................2153 GB Nieuw Vennep

NEW ZEALAND Gamewizz..........................................................Albany

PLANETA DEAGOSTINI INTERACTIVE Diagonal, 662-664, 3ª planta D, 08034, Barcelona, Spain, Tel: +34 93 492 08 89 Web: distributioninteractive@ planetadeagostini.es

TO ADVERTISE IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION GUIDE

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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 01/08/08 45

INTERNATIONAL NEWS INDIA

VIRGIN PLAY Paseo de la Castellana 9 – 11, 28046 Madrid, Spain Tel: +34 91 789 35 50 Web: www.virginplay.es

DistribucionesVideográficas Digitales ....Madrid Distribuye Palmera................................Las Palmas JC Distribuciones .............................................Getxo Shine Star, S.A...........................................Barcelona

AUSTRIA

SWEDEN

Milestone Interactive will be bringing classic titles like Resident Evil and Street Fighter to India following a deal with Capcom to be their distribution partner for the region. The partnership makes Milestone the first ever official distributor to bring the legendary Japanese developer and publishers titles to India. “Capcom has been at the forefront of the interactive entertainment industry for 25 years and the opportunity to become its official distributor in India is a great addition to Milestone Interactive’s portfolio,” said Jaymant Sharma, CEO of Milestone Interactive. The deal will give India’s gamers access to the impressive Capcom back catalogue, including popular titles like Dead Rising, Lost Planet Extreme Condition, MotoGP 08, Street Fighter 4 and Resident Evil.

Austria based JoWooD Distribution has teamed up with Tivola Publishing to bring film-tie Inkheart to Nintendo’s popular DS. Based on the Brendan Fraser movie, the title will release alongside the cinema opening in Q4. Inkheart will get a full powered PR and marketing campaign, and the DVD release of the film will see a special bundle offer prepared by Tivola and JoWooD. Inkheart, for the unitiated, is a trilogy of novels written by Cornelia Funke. Already published in 23 languages, the Inkheart series has seen audio books, tabletop games and now an impending video game. In more JoWooD news, the firm announced it will be handling distribution for Music Monstars for the DS in North and South America, Portugal, Spain and India. Published by Tivola, Music Monstars will release in September this year and gives gamers the chance to play along to some rousing pop tunes using the DS touchpen to play with pianos, drumsets and e-Guitars. Including songs like Queen’s I Want To Break Free, Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Europes quintessential classic The Final Countdown, Music Monstars continues in the ever growing music video game tradition.

GAME OUTLET EUROPE AB BOX 5083, S-650 05, Karlstad, Sweden Tel: +46 54 854750 email: order@gameoutlet.se SIBA AB ...............................................Gothenburg Panvision................................................Stockholm Bergsala AB .......................................Kungsbacka

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

TURKEY

EUROPE

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

Following a behaviour study, JupiterResearch has discovered that viewing online video is now the most popular online media activity. 28 per cent of Europeans now regularly watch online video, more than double the rate in 2006 and growing by 50 per cent over the last 12 months.

UNITED STATES BASCO, INC.

FRANCE

118-21 Queens Boulevard, Suite 509, Forest Hills, NY 11375 Tel: +001 917 627 3000 Fax: 1-718-228-4401 email: sales@bascogames.com Web: www.bascogames.com

DREAMGEAR, LLC 20001 S. Western Ave. Torrance, CA 90501 Phone: 310-222-5522 x 111 Fax: 310-222-5577 Contact: Moris Mirzadeh Email: moris@dreamgear.net

UAE Red Entertainment Distribution ..............Dubai Pluto General Trading .................................Dubai NXT Global LLC.............................................Dubai

GERMANY

Wrapster has entered the French market for the first time with an array of designs for Wii Nunchuk and Remote 4 pack, plus designs for DS Lite and PSP slim. French consumers will be able to get hold of Wrapster products through no less than France’s third largest supermarket chain, Casino. With the help of Entrade, a whopping 117 Casino stores will stock the skins. “Wrapstar’s entry into the third largest mass retailer in France is truly exciting, particularly as the chain has more than 100 stores,” said a thrilled Max Haddow, Wrapster managing director. “It is yet another market that is responding well to Wrapstar’s product and style. We look forward to expanding even further in the coming months.” Wrapstar’s global reach now extends to territories as far flung as Australia, boosting the firms international credentials.

The third Game&Game World Championship 2008 online preliminary round is set to kick off soon. Sponsored by KT and Korea Software Promotion Agency, the online preliminaries begin at the end of July in Germany and six other countries. Four games have been picked for the preliminaries, including ShotOnline, Atlantica, Silk Road Online and Navyfield. "This year's GNGWC will begin with regional preliminary in Germany. I wish that gamers who love Korean online games from different countries would be able to communicate and build friendship through GNGWC," said Kwon Taekmin, director of SW Promotion Agency's Digital Contents department.

PLEASE CONTACT ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

Expanding the Creative Culture of Games 10th - 12th August 2008

www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com

Media Partners

mary-margaret n e t w o r k Find. Grow. Work. Play.

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MCV FORUM

JOIN THE DEBATE AT MCVUK.COM/FORUM

What’s your most wanted game? We asked our band of merry MCV contributors for their most hotly-anticipated forthcoming games – and here’s what they said. To join up, mail us on letters@intentmedia.co.uk or head online to MCVUK.com/forum... Ed Barton, Analyst, Screen Digest

“So everyone is going to go on about your LittleBig Call of Resistance, Motorstorm Training Hero Band 9, but that is simply insane. The biggest gaming event this year will hit the US in August when stat gods Nippon Ichi unleash the next major iteration of the greatest games franchise ever: Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice. This is old school, hardcore, turn-based, strategic RPG godliness in the form of a Blu-Ray disc. The writing and characters will be excellent if Nippon Ichi maintain their high standards and, being a Disgaea title, will also offer you thousands of hours of additional gameplay. There are a lot of great games yet to come out this year and I feel quite sorry for them given how rudely they will be shoved aside by the Disgaea sales juggernaut*. The only downside is that Disgaea games have been proven to actually repel the opposite sex from the player, so be warned. Having shoved my deep passion for this odd game to one side, I am also looking forward to Wipeout HD. I loved the Wipeouts on the PSP and do not expect to be disappointed by Studio Liverpool, despite their having stratospherically high standards to maintain. I like Guitar Hero a lot so World Tour and Rock Band will join the party this Christmas. I heard a rumour that Queens of the Stone Age’s Song for the Dead will be on World Tour, which is worth the price of admission alone, as is the Pixies’ magisterial Doolittle on Rock Band. I also saw video of Wario Land Shake It! last night and if you like beautiful hand drawn 2D graphics, check it out. As an old school Nintendo fan this is likely to be obligatory as well. * This sentence is a joke. Don’t email me about how Call of Duty 33: Return of the Chelsea Pensioners is going to massacre it in sales. I know already (but I can dream)”

Debbie O’Neill, Games Buyer, Comet

“How to decide! My most anticipated games are Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Prince of Persia, Saints Row 2 and Sonic Unleashed. My personal favourite though has to be Samba De Amigo on the Nintendo Wii format!”

Jason Anderson, Vice President, Client services, IDG Consulting

“I’ve been a PC gamer for a very long time, and have been waiting for Spore ever since playing the original SimCity on a Commodore 64. Over time, though, I’ve come to appreciate all varieties of games, the same way that a sommelier understands the wines of the world; Rock Band 2 will be a tremendous holiday hit in my house as will Gears of War 2, Fable 2, LittleBigPlanet, and Fallout 3. I easily logged over 120 hours on Oblivion and was a huge fan of the original Fallout, and look forward to seeing the two coming together. It’s not exactly a game, but I’m also pleased to see Cooking Guide for DS leaving Japan for other markets. It’s a testament to the versatility of the DS platform (and its expanded audience) that an interactive cookbook can be such an effective product. Oh, and Final Fantasy XIII, if it makes it in time. I still have my concerns on its release date.”

Marco Minoli, Marketing Director, Slitherine

“It’s Tomb Raider: Underworld 100 per cent for me. And not just because I’m a huge fan of the series as it defined my life as a gamer and as a member of this crazy industry. It’s because this game always has huge expectations at every level and this year even more so. It could easily be the best action adventure game ever created; it could be this year’s Assassin’s Creed and could sell millions of copies. Easily. But it could also bomb and not live up to any of these expectations, ruin the faith of Eidos and disappoint the players and the industry at the same time. We are now coming to a real turning point, not only for the franchise, but for the future of the company. I do hope Lara Croft pulls off a miracle again.”

Ben Payne, Product Manager, Sega

“I’m going to be really obvious and say Sonic Unleashed. I showed the game to independent retail a couple of weeks ago, and I needed new eyeballs. The fastest thing you’ll ever play, terrific. The Werehog’s awesome too.”

Nathan Adcock, Programming Consultant, OPM Response

“Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is the one for me. The first game was so good and they’re adding a multiplayer element which could make this one of the best games ever.”

Rick Porter, Editor, GamesTM

“Despite lacking glamour and holding few new announcements, this year’s E3 successfully showcased an excellent line-up for the remainder of 2008. Gears Of War 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Rock Band 2 all look excellent, and the potential of LittleBigPlanet has also secured my interest. The title I’m most looking forward to, however, is Fallout 3. I’ve managed to spend 15 minutes with it so far and in that time I managed to steal a sheriff outfit and rob a mutant gnome collector of his party hat. I’m truly anticipating the copious number of attire-pilfering hours the title holds for me.”

SIGN UP TODAY Got something to get off your chest? Want somewhere to discuss topics with other people in the games trade? Do you need a hotline to the MCV team? While anyone can comment on news stories over at our site MCVUK.COM, the MCV Forum gives you the opportunity to take part in industry-only discussions without having to worry about the internet fanboys. It’s easy to sign up to – head to MCVUK.COM and click on the forum tab (www.mcvuk.com/forum). If you’ve not already got a password, click on the ‘Register Now’ button and the site will guide you through the simple process of signing up. All you have to do is provide a few bits and pieces of information, then we’ll approve your application and you’re ready to get involved, or just spy on what other people are talking about. The MCV Forum, part of MCV’s Retail.biz section, gives you the chance to discuss all the latest news and issues affecting the industry with colleagues and rivals alike, plus there’s the chance to let off some games-related steam.

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OFF THE RECORD This week’s shenanigans take in saints, sinners, geeks and journos – and if you’re looking at buying a games shop, Steve O’Brien’s your man. Think you can do better? Send your pictures into offtherecord@intentmedia.co.uk...

ANY Self pro unusua amusin the sto there h on eBa over th momen be best

THQ: NO GIRLS ALLOWED This week’s porn-and-violence themed offerings from THQ have left Off The Record feeling all girly and inadequate. First of all, there’s the signing of porn star Tera Patrick as the face of its forthcoming Saints Row 2, in the process increasing its popularity with connoisseurs of the adult art form tenfold. Then there’s its new UFC title, which (left to right) Eurogamer’s James Hills and Johnny Minkley joined Future Publishing’s Joel Snape to demonstrate by all looking scary at a recent press event in Las Vegas. Please don’t hurt us. We’re lovers, not fighters.

RAMRAIDER’S BIG GAMES JOURNA-LIST Those keeping an eye on games journalism blog put together by the mysterious ‘Ramraider’ will have noticed the climax of his ‘Top 50 least hideous games journalists’ countdown. If you can’t be arsed to plough through the full listing online to see if you’re in there, we’ve got the whole list to the right, and a top five females countdown below. Head over to Rammy’s blog for more games journo controversy – he’s probably slagging us off right now...

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6= 6= 8. 9= 9= 11. 12. 13. 14= 14=

Tom Bramwell Dave Perry Steve Hogart Kieron Gillen Ben Furfie Gary Cutlack Gareth Williams Johnny Minkley Tony Mott James Ashton-Tyler Andy Kelly John Houlihan Will Porter Paul Presley Keith Andrew

14= John Walker 14= Jamie Sefton 14= Dave Woods 14= Darran Jones 20. Ed Zitron 21. Adam Hartley 22= Jon Hicks 22= Alex Verrey 24= David McCarthy 24= Ben Parfitt 26= Quintin Smith 26= Daniel Emery 26= Andy Robinson 29= Jon Blyth 29= Dominik Diamond

31. Paul Rose 32= Steve Boxer 32= Martin Korda 34. Craig Gilmore 35. Jim Rossignol 36= Samuel Roberts 36= Kristian Reed 36= Craig Pearson 39= Lee Skitrell 39= Adam Oxford 41. Daniel Griliopolous 42= Simon Byron 42= Lee Kirton 44= Ste Curran 44= Ross Atherton

46. Martin Mathers 47. Ben Croshaw 48= Rik Henderson 48= Adam Doree 50. Stuart Campbell

TOP 5 FEMALES: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Suzy Wallace Lisa Foster Ellie Gibson Margaret Robertson Rhianna Pratchett

MCV relies on the cream of UK retail talent to keep it informed of the latest goings on in the trade... Gerry Berkley

Juliana Foley

Tim Ellis

Matthew Cushway

Martyn Gibbs

Duncan Cross

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“I don't want to be spending 14 hours on the game and then eight hours on the set. It's not going to work out.”

NAME OF THE GAME

Mark Wahlberg tells People Magazine why he won’t be playing the Max Payne game, despite being cast as the eponymous central character in the movie

QUOTES OF THE WEEK ANYONE WANT A GAMESHOP? elf proclaimed ‘king of the indies’ Steve O’Brien has taken the nusual move of selling his Manchester-based Game Shop on eBay, musingly listed as ‘pick up only’. According to the eBay listing, he store has a turnover of £500,000, but as we went to press, here had been a bid of one pound so far. “I think selling my store n eBay is representative of the cavalier way I’ve run my business ver the past 20 years,” O’Brien told MCV. “The industry at the moment is throwing up several new challenges, so I feel it would e best for me to concentrate on my other store, Action Replay.”

RICK PORTER EDITOR, GAMESTM “We typically figured out who the market leader was going to be before the start of the cycle and bet with our development resources on that platform. We made the wrong call there.” EA CEO John Ricitiello tells the San Jose Mercury News that EA should have backed Wii early on

BLAGGERS BEWARE MCV has learned from key sources that some of the big names in the industry may be turning to ringers to increase their chances of success in this week’s MCV and Xbox 360 Games5s. Teams are reminded that anoyone found fielding any professional players will be removed from the tournament and suitably ridiculed in Off The Record. You have been warned...

BRUM DOES US PROUD Congrats to all from Birmingham Salvo, the UK team that entered the recent Championship Gaming Series in LA and romped home as winners. Having beaten excitingly-named teams including Mexico City Furia, Carolina Core and San Francisco Optx, our boys scooped the top prize after coming close in 2007 before getting knocked out in the semis. Well done chaps!

Gian Luzio

Don McCabe

Graham Chambers

“Porn movies are structured in exactly the same way, the action is not the same, but it’s the same structure. Most games are done like that.” David Cage, founder of French studio Quantic Dream slams Uncharted for having a plot like a porno movie

"Making these 'traditional' games is what I am best at.”

Lisa Morgan

I've gone so very far on so many occasions that it’s tough to pick the furthest. So I won’t. Who in the industry would you give a Medal of Honor? Sega’s Stefan McGarry. At E3, it looked like I may have stolen his Who gig ticket and he was still decent enough not to beat me with a sock-covered pool ball. We all went together in the end, when extra tickets were sorted, but the fact that he would have been cool with me going in his place earns him much respect in my book. There’s a chance he may love me. Have you ever been in a Rock Band? I used to be in a band. We had a single released and everything. It got to number 97 in the charts the same week that Darius hit the number one with his ‘self-written’ shit pile Colour Blind. If I was at your house, what would Wii Play?

Bomberman. Not the Live version, though. Probably Generations. Who would you like to put in a Stranglehold?

Shigeru Miyamoto tells The Telegraph that he’s better at making ‘core’ games

Rene Wright

What’s the furthest you've ever gone in the Call of Duty?

Anthony Stocker

Leo Tan from Capcom. He still claims he won a dance-off we once had, despite him ending up in casualty. My dancing days are now over and I need that victory.

Stephen Lynn

Debbie O’Neill

Stephen Staley

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OFF THE RECORD

COMPETITION g you the chance to 505 and 1C are offerin mes featured in this win a copy of all five ga tra: Cryostasis: Sleep here Recommended Ex r, Hummer 4x4, Death of Reason, Men of Wa d The Tomorrow War. Track Resurrection an of bagging the lot, To be in with a shout question: answer the following

THE SHIP AT THE HEART OF THE STORY IN CRYOSTASIS IS CALLED: A. THE NORTH WIND B. THE LIGHT DRIZZLE C: THE BLACK PIG Email your answers to

EDITORIAL: 01992 535646

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

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

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

1c@intentmedia.co.uk

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

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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 2007, MCV had an average weekly net circulation of 9,086. MCV’s circulation is 100 per cent named and zero per cent duplicated.

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SAXON HOUSE, 6A ST. ANDREW STREET, HERTFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND SG14 1JA Intent Media specialises in trade titles for entertainment and leisure markets. As well as MCV, Intent publishes PC Retail for retailers and suppliers to the computer trade, Develop Magazine for games programmers, producers and artists, ToyNews for all sectors of the toy industry and Mobile Entertainment.

Intent has also recently launched BikeBiz and MI Pro. www.intentmedia.co.uk

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

“The game of the year” - PC Zone

“Mouthwatering” - News of the World

Coming Autumn 2008 www.farcrygame.com

© 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Far Cry, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. the Playstation family symbol, “playstation” and “ps3” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Returning this Christmas © 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Based on Prince of Persia® created by Jordan Mechner. Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Prince of Persia is a trademark of Jordan Mechner in the U.S. and/or other countries used under license by Ubisoft Entertainment Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. the Playstation family symbol, “playstation” and “ps3” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo and the Nintendo DS logo,are trademarks of Nintendo.

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NEWS

“

This has been our best year yet. The games and digital sectors are still going through considerable growth. Peter Tafler, Handle

said Handle Recruitment’s director Peter Tafler. “On the contrary, this has in fact been our best year yet. The games

STILL HIRING: Specialmove’s Matthew Hill (above left) and Handle Recruitment’s Peter Tafler (above right) told MCV that the video games recruitment sector has continued to perform well

”

and digital sectors are still going through considerable growth so we expect to be busy for some time to come.”

HIGHWAY CODE: Mirror, signal, manoeuvre are unlikely to feature highly when gamers get their hands on the game, released Friday