MCV805 September 19th by Future PLC

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 805 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH 2014

THE HANDHELD 1989 - 2014 25 YEARS AFTER THE GAME BOY, WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR PORTABLE CONSOLES?

PAGE 06 HYRULE WARRIORS ZELDA COLLIDES WITH DYNASTY WARRIORS. WE ‘LINK’ UP WITH NINTENDO TO TALK ABOUT THE TITLE

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GAMES RETAIL 2020 WE REVEAL THE 12 THINGS WE DISCOVERED AT OUR NEWEST GAMES CONFERENCE

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CHEAT SHEET

THE EDITOR

THE WEEK IN VIDEO GAM

DESTINY BREAKS RECORD. BUT FOR HOW LONG?

t’s been a difficult few months for consumer games journalists. They’ve found themselves facing what feels like neverending accusations of corruption. YouTubers like Total Biscuit are proudly declaring that they hold ‘more power and influence then any games journalist’. And this week Destiny launched and broke all records for a new IP launch, all without the need of reviews. Activision scored huge levels of hype from the game without the need for the press; it did it via a well-timed summer beta. In fact, when MCV asked Activision UK MD Roy Stackhouse if he was excited to see reviews, he dismissed them. “I’m more excited, to be honest, about the consumers getting it,” he told us. “There’s something like 3m people on social media and Destiny fan sites that already feel like they’re part of this family. And when that translates into people actually playing the game, you will see this word of mouth. I think that is what will drive sales.” But critics do matter. Destiny’s reviews have been, on the whole, okay. It has a 76 on Metacritic. But it’s also scored a number of 6/10 scores from prominent websites. The consensus is that the game is lacking a certain something. And that will reflect what some of the gamers will be thinking, too. I actually feel a bit sorry for Destiny, and Watch Dogs and Titanfall before it. New IPs don’t normally launch with the level of expectation and hype that these games have had. New IPs

September 19th 2014

New IPs don’t normally launch with the level of expectation and hype that Destiny, Watch Dogs and Titanfall have. are rarely perfect; developers are trying new things, and some will work, while others won’t. It tends to be the sequel where they nail it. We saw that with Mass Eﬀect, Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed. Good ﬁrst games with masterful sequels. But the pressure was on Destiny (and Watch Dogs) to be astonishing from the outset. The number of midnight openings these games received, the number of units they sold... these are the things you would expect from the latest game in a long-running sequel. How many of these millions will feel disappointed by what they’ve brought? How many will line up to buy Destiny 2? I’ve always felt that new brands ought to be nurtured and grown over time. Call of Duty and GTA didn’t become the size they are today overnight. They weren’t launched with the level of unobtainable expectation that Watch Dogs or Destiny has been. Critics may not have impacted the launch of Destiny this year. But it will be interesting to see if the mixed reviews have in anyway damaged the franchise’s ‘10-year’ ambitions. Chris.Dring@intentmedia.co.uk

YouTube star Ali A will host a new eSports channel ahead of London event

Market Data The games market spikes by almost 300 per cent thanks to the record-breaking release of Destiny last week £30m

£15m

£27m 653,827 units

£7.26m 279,197

£0m

Week Ending August 30th

£7.6m 260,998 Week Ending September 7th

Week Ending September 14th

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CHEAT SHEET

MES

TOP ONLINE STORIES THIS WEEK

ENDEMOL TO LAUNCH ‘LEGENDS OF GAMING’ YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND LIVE LONDON EXPO

ntertainment giant Endemol will launch a video gamesdedicated YouTube channel this month. The ﬁrm’s ‘global premium channel network’ Endemol Beyond will launch Legends of Gaming, a UK eSports channel that will be fronted by YouTube star Ali A. The channel will see up-andcoming and established YouTube personalities battle it out across various games in diﬀerent genres to become the ‘ultimate gamer’. But what’s more, Endemol has teamed up with Upper Street Events - the team behind The Gadget Show Live – to host a massive new video games event in London next year, which includes an expo designed to attract 40,000 consumers.

DOWN Metro Redux plummets 11 spaces, from third to 14th, as its sales halve

Legends of Gaming Live will take place between September 3rd and September 6th 2015 at Alexandra Palace. “Legends of Gaming Live will be an extraordinary show, oﬀering the glitz and glamour of a huge consumer event alongside a dedicated trade and press day and allowing developers and publishers to create enormous excitement in the vital run-up to Christmas,” said Upper Street Events’ Katie Ventresca. “We’re not launching from a standing start: Endemol’s ambitious Legends of Gaming channel will galvanise both casual and hardcore audiences, oﬀering almost 12 months of continual promotion across multiple YouTuber subscription bases

UP Borderlands Collection sales explode by 1,000 per cent due to price cuts

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ahead of the live event. We’ve seen the incredible rise of in power and inﬂuence of both the YouTubers and their viewers – we’ll be bringing both together in a way in which the industry is demanding. “The event will have an unprecedented reach. The halls will be buzzing with fans and gamers. However, our partnership with Endemol will extend Legends of Gaming Live far beyond Alexandra Palace, London or even the UK. As an integrated part of the wider channel, the show will put our YouTubers, attendees and games on a global platform just as the industry enters its busiest period.” Rival event EGX is expected to move to Birmingham NEC next year.

UK RETAIL TOP 10

Our biggest stories for the week ending Sep 16th

1 EA’s Gibeau: iPhone 6 on par with nextgen consoles 2 Nvidia to launch GTX 900 series next month 3 Roberts: There’s ‘potential’ for Star Citizen on PS4 and Xbox One 4 GAME acquires GameStop’s Spanish stores 5 OPINION: Next-gen Grand Theft Auto V sends shivers down spines of November rivals

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

DESTINY

ACTIVISION

SPOSORED BY

BAYONETTA 2 INC BAYONETTA 1 (WII U)

NINTENDO

FIFA 15 (PS4)

Ubisoft

FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Edition (XO)

Activision Blizzard

FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Edition (PS4)

Sony

FIFA 15 (XO)

Microsoft

Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)

Nintendo

Super Smash Bros (3DS)

Nintendo

Forza Horizon 2 Day One Edition (XO)

Microsoft

Sony

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Inc Halo 5 Beta (XO) Microsoft

Xbox One + FIFA 15 Bundle (XO)

The Sims 4

Watch Dogs

Call of Duty: Ghosts

The Last of Us: Remastered

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition

NHL 15

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare

Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution

Bandai Namco

Microsoft

September 19th 2014

ARE HANDHELDS DEAD?

HANDHELD GAMING’S BATTLE TO HOLD ON The popularity of portable games consoles has declined drastically over the last five years as smartphones and tablets take control of the market. But does that mean we’ll never see another DS, Game Boy or Vita? Christopher Dring reports

alling any area of the games industry ‘dead’ is something that invariably comes back to haunt the person that said it. Nintendo in the early 2000s? Dead. PC gaming? Dead. Console gaming? Dying. All statements that were proven unequivocally wrong in the fullness of time. And yet when presented with the figures, it’s hard to see a way back from the handheld games console. Here are some startling facts for you. In the UK, the PSP (released in 2005) sold significantly more units in its first four months on sale than Vita has managed to sell in its entire lifetime so far. Last Christmas, Nintendo proudly announced UK sales of 2m for its 3DS family of products. By the same point in the DS’ lifecycle, that console had shifted over 5m units (GfK Chart-Track figures). According to research firm GameTrack, handheld consoles were the least played machines during Q2 this year (25m players across UK, France, Germany and Spain), putting it behind tablets (28m), consoles (47m), smartphones (44m) and PC (64m). And Kantar Worldpanel data found that since the launch of PS4 and Xbox One, handheld game sales have dropped 27 per cent. You can see why then, when MCV met up with PlayStation CEO Andrew House at Gamescom, we felt it was a legitimate question to ask whether the firm would ever release another portable console once Vita’s lifecycle has ended.

September 19th 2014

“I can’t talk about future hardware plans for a whole variety of reasons,” he said dismissively. SMART RIVALS The reason for this severe decline is not a secret. Smartphones and tablets have simply dominated the market, with their multi-functional capabilities and cheap games proving a major issue for Nintendo and Sony. Both companies are toying with the smartphone markets themselves. Nintendo is working on iOS and Android titles to support its ‘bigger’ 3DS and Wii U games, while The Pokémon Company (which is part-owned by Nintendo) is releasing a Pokémon Trading Card video game on tablets later this year. And next month Sony will release Run Sackboy! Run! a free-to-play game for Vita and smartphones. Yet Sony and Nintendo are not simply software houses. They are platform holders that curate content and command a loyal audience. It’s difficult to see how they can hold that same role on mobile platforms. Sony might be able to achieve some success on tablets via its streaming service PlayStation Now, but there’s no guarantee. In fact, PlayStation has already tried to be a third party ‘platform’ for Android devices via PlayStation Mobile. An initiative that has failed.

ARE HANDHELDS DEAD?

“It’s proved to be challenging to try and carve out a space within a pre-existing ecosystem, namely Android, and create a sense of curation and differentiation around that,” says House. “We noticed that a huge proportion of people developing on PS Mobile were principally doing it to get on Vita. That led us to realise that we should focus our efforts on people who are already achieving some degree of success in mobile, and whose next interest is developing for a different, more dedicated gaming device.” LONG LIVE THE PORTABLE House’s last observation there is an interesting one. He says that developers are looking to take their successful mobile games to

Handhelds provide experiences that can’t be found on mobile – ones geared towards players after quality. James Marsden, FuturLab

dedicated handhelds. But if tablets and smartphones are killing the traditional portable console, then why should creators be interesting in releasing games on them? We asked a few studios. “Both 3DS and Vita offer a unique focus on how gamers play on the move, providing an experience that is currently at odds with smartphone gaming, which is still dominated by more casual and free-to-play titles,” says Jason Perkins, the MD of developer Curve which has created a large number of Vita titles. “The App Store has some amazing games as well as some excellent ports, but it also has big issues with discoverability, cloning, microtransactions and the overall business model of waiting around to be featured or paying a premium for ‘user acquisition’.” James Marsden, founder of FuturLab, which has developed

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Velocity 2X for Vita agrees: “Vita and 3DS provide experiences that can’t be found on mobile; one geared toward highlyengaged players who are far more discerning about quality and value.” So the dedicated handheld audience is different to the smartphone one. Those people that bought a Game Boy to keep kids occupied on a long car journey have now moved over to smartphones. But dedicated gamers that want to play more ‘core’ titles on the commute, or even as a second screen in the home, are still interested. It’s backed-up by Kantar’s data. The firm has found that the primary reason for the decline for the first eight months of this year (compared with the same period in 2013) has been due to a drop in people buying handheld games for others, namely children. The number of people buying games for themselves remains robust. “18 months ago, the main question mark surrounding the Vita was how it would stack up against mobiles and tablets, and whether it had a real reason to be,” says Brjann Sigurgeirsson, CEO of Image and Form, which developed SteamWorld Dig for 3DS and Vita. “We were still amazed at the versatility of smartphones: all the things they could do, the range of games we could download at a very small cost. And on top of everything you could use it to call or text someone. It was natural for me, as a self-proclaimed advocate for versatility, to think that handhelds would have a really hard time. “But the gaming audience thought differently. With price cuts, feature upgrades and more diverse content, Nintendo and Sony have given their handhelds a second wind.”

PORTABLE HIGHS 1989/1990 – GAME BOY Arriving in Japan and the US in 1989 (and a year later in Europe), the Game Boy launched with Tetris and became one of the biggest selling consoles of all time, shifting just short of 120m units. 1996/1999 – POKÉMON The original Red and Blue game took Japan by storm in 1996, but didn’t launch over here until after the Game Boy Color. It remains one of the biggest handheld franchises, and the first games sold 24m units. 1998 – SNAKE Nokia included a game in its Nokia 6110 mobile phone. Snake was its name and it was played by millions.

2001 – GAME BOY ADVANCE Nintendo’s first major hardware revision for the Game Boy went on to sell 81.5m consoles.

2004/2005 – NINTENDO DS Sony had a handheld on the way with topend visuals and big-name games. Nintendo’s reaction? An under-powered dual screen machine. Critics dismissed it. But it was neckand-neck with PSP by the end of the year. 2004/2005 – PLAYSTATION PORTABLE Game Gear, NGage, Neo Geo. There are many examples of consoles that took on Nintendo and failed. But the PSP succeeded, becoming the fastest selling console ever when it arrived in the UK and selling 80m units worldwide. 2006 – BRAIN TRAINING This game launched alongside the DS Lite and the console’s sales dramatically outstripped the PSP. Brain Training sold almost 20m units and helped the DS become the UK’s bestselling console and shift 154m units globally. 2007 – IPHONE Apple launched a touch screen smartphone that would let consumers play games on it. But the NGage proved that people don’t want to game on their mobile phones...right?

NEW ROLES So there is still an audience for portable gaming. But is it large enough? 3DS has sold 50m consoles, and that’s certainly not a number to turn your nose up at. And according to Andrew House, Vita is a profitably business for Sony. Yet if these products are destined to be niche devices, is it really worth the investment and effort?

2009 – ANGRY BIRDS Wrong. A new icon in smartphone gaming is born.

September 19th 2014

ARE HANDHELDS DEAD?

In the future, handhelds might be a companion device for home consoles

Wii U will render a cross-buy benefit for 3DS users that want the game. Sony has the edge there right now, since the Vita and PS4 hardware are so similar.”

“Dedicated handhelds serve a particular market today, but a small one when compared to mobile,” says Mel Kirk, VP of publisher at Zen Studios, which has made games for handhelds and mobile. “Handhelds have become a core gamer product, for those who like tactile feedback, namely buttons and deeper experiences. Is there a future for these devices? It is looking less likely as we continue the trend towards touchscreens, lower financial overheads, not to mention the huge consumer base using mobiles and tablets. “As a person who grew up with a Game Boy and every handheld available, it’d be weird to have a world without a dedicated handheld market, so I hope Sony, Nintendo, or even Nvidia and its Shield devices can figure something out that will appeal to a large audience.” But other developers do believe there are things Nintendo and Sony can do to rescue the handheld. “It’s naive to think that mobile gaming won’t change the way we approach handhelds,” says Perkins.

September 19th 2014

“Typically handhelds like the PSP or the early days of the Vita were all about ‘console experiences in your hand’, with prices to match, but now we’re seeing indie titles and smaller games take more prominence. To survive, pure gaming devices will need to find a niche beyond simply ‘having buttons’, which is why we’re seeing handheld systems like the 2DS designed with a younger audience in mind who you might not trust with a £500 smartphone.” Sigurgeirsson continues: “Future handheld games will work across platforms with seamless integration between handhelds and ‘mother consoles’. “We’ve been discussing ‘companion apps’, but there may be incentives to create ‘companion games’ for handhelds that will support the main games that can be played on the mother console. “Cross-buy [which lets gamers buy one copy of a specific game and access it across multiple PlayStation platforms] will be standard. Getting a game for the

(Above left to right) PlayStation’s House, FuturLab’s Marsden, Zen Studio’s Kirk, Image and Form’s Sigurgeirsson and Curve’s Perkins

Future handheld games will work across platforms with seamless integration with ‘mother consoles’. Brjann Sigurgeirsson, Image and Form

THE FUTURE? Sigurgeirsson’s comment is an interesting one. If, as the data suggests, the gamers playing portable consoles are of the more ‘hardcore’ variety, having these devices sync up with the home console is a sensible concept. And let’s be honest, the ability to make a game for PS4 or Wii U and have them playable on Vita or 3DS, will be an attractive proposition to developers. It’s also not a difficult thing to imagine. Nintendo merged its handheld and home console R&D divisions last year, and there are already multiple games that can be played across all PlayStation products – Vita, PS3 and PS4. So perhaps there is still a role for the dedicated handheld console after all. It just might be different to the one it has played since the Game Boy arrived 25 years ago. Marsden concludes: “Two years ago you couldn’t look online without smashing your face against a ‘consoles are dead’ headline, and now the PS4 is breaking records. “Anyone that claims to know what’s coming is either delusional or their rent depends on it.”

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MARKETING

[INFO] Released: September 26th Publisher: EA Developer: EA Canada

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

THIS WEEK: FIFA 15

THE CAMPAIGN To push the latest in its blockbuster FIFA franchise, EA is employing an intensive multichannel campaign. Video content has long been a big part of the campaign, and videos providing some insight into the upcoming sports title have been appearing regularly on the title’s YouTube channel. These have been showing oﬀ new aspects of the game, such as new celebrations and improved agility and control gameplay features. The publisher has also been making the most of its licensing agreement with football organisation FIFA by showing oﬀ behind the scenes video content of player head scans. This is in addition to interviews with football stars about what they

IN THEIR OWN WORDS are most looking forwards to in FIFA 15. Over on social media, individual football clubs such as Liverpool FC and Manchester City have been tweeting links to trailers for the game. Ads are also appearing on TV. The ‘Feel the Game’ TV creative features famous players including Lionel Messi ‘feeling’ their gameplay in FIFA 15 thanks to the title’s improved emotional systems. Online, FIFA 15 is being promoted with a ‘fluid search’ engine optimisation campaign. EA is also teaming up with Microsoft to oﬀer consumers Xbox One bundles with FIFA 15, and the game will also be appearing in ads for the console.

MARKETING NEWS SEGA | The Football Manager publisher has teamed up with Vue Cinemas to show a documentary focusing on the cultural impact and success of the football management simulation series. An Alternative Reality: The Football Manager Documentary will debut on October 7th, and is to be shown in at least 26 Vue cinemas across the UK. “The documentary isn’t our story – it’s the story of the people who escape to the alternative reality of

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JAMES SALMON Product Manager, EA Sports

FIFA 15 is a truly 365 daya-year franchise. As well as the traditional package good, FIFA Ultimate Team oﬀers retailers the opportunity to continue to drive sales of digital wallet top-ups by aligning with key FUT promotions such as Team of The Week and Team of The Year. Having all 20 Barclays Premier League stadiums and head scans of over 200 Barclays Premier League players gives the game true authenticity and looks visually brilliant. Additionally, improvements in gameplay features such as agility and control feel like a big step forward. I’m also pleased to see friendly seasons introduced in FUT; although this will no-doubt conclusively prove I’m the worst FIFA player in EA’s Guildford oﬃce.

Sega and Vue Cinemas are to release a documentary examining the success of the Football Manager series

being a football manager, and the effect this has had on their lives,” explained Sports Interactive studio director Miles Jacobson. “It’s also the story of how a computer game made by football fans has become a part of the world it set out to replicate. “But the documentary is not just for people who play – it’s also for people who’ve ever wondered why others spend so much time escaping into this world.”

September 19th 2014

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

EXERTIS GEM’S UK GENERAL MANAGER DEPARTS Industry vet starts own company O Hurley joins Testronic O Starbucks marketing man moves to EA EXERTIS GEM | UK GM DARREN HOUGHTON has left the distribution giant after 13 years. Houghton has started his own company called Houghton 5 Consultancy, which is aiming to grow businesses in the UK. “I’ve had some amazing experiences and have progressed so much both personally and professionally that maybe it was about time that I looked to do something new,” Houghton said. “I really want to find an opportunity that excites me and something that I can get stuck into again, from either a consultancy perspective by helping companies on certain

strategy,” said Testronic director of marketing STUART RICE. “I have no doubt that Ann will prove to be an invaluable asset to the sales and marketing team and I look forward to growing our client base with her over the coming months.”

business development projects, to supporting brands looking to break into the UK, or possibly jumping back into a full time role.” TESTRONIC | ANN HURLEY has joined the QA and localisation firm as head of games business development. Hurley comes to Testronic with 25 years of experience, having worked for the likes of Infogrammes and Eidos. Most recently she held the role of business development director at Culture Translate. “It’s fantastic having such an experienced sales person on board here at Testronic to complement the marketing

EA | Former Starbucks marketing man CHRIS BRUZZO has joined EA as chief marketing officer. At the coffee giant Bruzzo was in charge of digital and loyalty programmes. Prior to that he held a role at retail giant Amazon. “Chris is a proven brand visionary who has held

leadership positions at two of the most dynamic brands in the world – most recently driving the digital transformation at Starbucks and, prior to that, as an executive at Amazon,” said EA CEO ANDREW WILSON. “He was the architect of the Starbucks digital experience, building award-winning loyalty and personalisation programs. Chris also led the growth of record-setting Facebook and Twitter programs, and the My Starbucks Idea online community program. He has tremendous passion for building deeper connections for brands with their customers, and I know Chris will lead us to connect with all of you in new and inspiring ways.”

AROUND THE INDUSTRY MOJANG | The Minecraft studio has been bought by Microsoft. The deal is worth $2.5bn, and will result in the the departure of Mojang’s three founders, Markus Persson, Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser. “Change is scary, and this is a big change for all of us. It’s going to be good though. Everything is going to be OK,” a Mojang statement said. “Please remember that the future of Minecraft and you – the community – are extremely important to everyone involved. If you take one thing away from this post, let it be that. ZENIMAX ONLINE STUDIOS | The Elder Scrolls Online developer has been hit with a number of layoffs. According to Bethesda VP of PR and marketing Pete

September 19th 2014

Hines, this is due to a lack of requirement for customer service staff six months after the game was released on PC. POPCAP | John Vechey is leaving casual games firm PopCap after 15 years of service, its parent company EA has announced. He has left to work for environmental non-profit organization Grist.org 2K GAMES | Video games writer Walt Williams has announced he’s left 2K Games after nine years. In his time at the firm he has worked on the likes of Spec Ops: The Line, The Darkness II, Bioshock 2 and upcoming title Evolve. On Twitter the writer noted that he’s leaving triple-A titles, in order to “try something new”.

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EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS WE ARE PLAYING... I’ve been playing Hyrule Warriors. It’s actually pretty good. If you like hitting lots of things with a sword. Christopher Dring, Editor

I’m persevering with Dark Souls. Currently ﬁghting a giant wolf wielding a massive sword. How very video game. Alex Calvin, Staﬀ Writer

Chris.Dring@intentmedia.co.uk

Alex Calvin@intentmedia.co.uk

There’s been a lot of Minecraft this week, loads of Desert Golf, a spot of Car Mechanic Simulator 2014 and, yes, Dark Souls II. Ben Parﬁtt, Associate Editor

What else but Destiny? It’s fun as ever to shoot aliens, but the space gibberish spouted by cyber-Dinklage is a letdown. Matt Jarvis, Staﬀ Writer

Ben.Parﬁtt@intentmedia.co.uk

Matt.Jarvis@intentmedia.co.uk

Publisher: Michael French Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk

Head of Operations: Stuart Moody Stuart.Moody@intentmedia.co.uk

Group Sales Manager: Alex.Boucher Alex.Boucher@intentmedia.co.uk

Circulation: Lianne Davey Lianne.Davey@intentmedia.co.uk

Account Manager: Conor Tallon Conor.Tallon@intentmedia.co.uk

Finance Manager: Michael Canham Michael.Canham@intentmedia.co.uk

Production Manager: Alice Sanz Alice.Sanz@intentmedia.co.uk

Head of Design and Production: Kelly Sambridge Kelly.Sambridge@intentmedia.co.uk

Designer: Sam Richwood Sam.Richwood@intentmedia.co.uk Special Projects: Lisa Carter Lisa.Carter@intentmedia.co.uk

Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England SG14 1JA Intent Media specialises in tradededicated print and digital publishing for entertainment and leisure markets. As well as MCV, Intent publishes Develop, PCR, ToyNews, Music Week, MI Pro, Audio Pro International and BikeBiz. It also has two onlineonly brands: Mobile Entertainment, dedicated to the growing mass market smartphone sector, and Licensing.biz, for everyone in the global licensing industry. It also runs a number of events including the MCV Industry Excellence Awards, the London Games Conference and the Games Media Awards.

US Correspondent Erik Johnson Erik.Johnson@intentmedia.co.uk

© Intent Media 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of MCV are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems.

Please address all enquiries to: Intent Media, MCV, Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, SG14 1JA. Printed By: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA

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September 19th 2014

DATA ANALYSIS Source Games and Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track

DATA & RESEARCH Watch Dogs is deposed as the fastest selling new IP in history this week THIS week’s No.1 should come as little surprise to anyone. The blockbuster new IP from ACTIVISION BLIZZARD shoots straight to the top spot. Not only this, it is now the biggest new IP launch ever. That record was last broken earlier this year by Watch Dogs. Destiny beats the week one sales of UBISOFT’s tech-tinged title by 7.5 per cent. 83 per cent of Destiny’s sales this week were for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; 46 per cent of that ﬁgured was for PS4, while 36 were for Xbox One. The lead here for PlayStation 4 will be due to the black and white console bundles which

were on oﬀer, as well as a higher install base for that console. Activision marketing the game as a PS4 title also helped, with exclusive DLC and early access to the game’s beta pushing pre-orders. Roughly one in ﬁve UK PlayStation 4 owners bought Destiny. Meanwhile in the Steam charts, two editions of Skyrim are in the Top Ten this week. This is due to a sale on BETHESDA titles over the weekend. Kingdoms of Amalur also charts, due to a promotion. Over on Xbox Live, the Xbox 360 edition of new MICROSOFT property Minecraft retakes the top spot, knocking Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD down to seventh.

TOP 10 STEAM CHARTS

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 02 01 03 RE NEW RE RE NEW NEW

SKYRIM: LEGENDARY EDITION PUBLISHER: BETHESDA DEVELOPER: BETHESDA

TITLE PUBLISHER Counter-Strike: GO Valve Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition Microsoft DayZ Bohemia Interactive Skyrim Bethesda Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (P) Warner Bros Kingdoms of Amalur: Collection 38 Studios/EA Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Bandai Namco Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth 2K Games The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (P) Nicalis Inc

TOP 40 UK RETAIL 01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

LW 01 02 06 04 07 NEW 08 09 NEW 10 12 05 03 13 15 NEW 11 17 19 14 16 18 RE 20 26 23 24 RE 28 22 27 25 30 33 32 RE RE 39 21

DESTINY ACTIVISION FORMATS: PS4, XO, PS3, 360

TITLE THE SIMS 4 WATCH DOGS CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION NHL 15 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION NARUTO ULTIMATE NINJA STORM REV GRAND THEFT AUTO V THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME DIABLO III ROS ULTIMATE EVIL EDN METRO REDUX TITANFALL TOMODACHI LIFE INFAMOUS: FIRST LIGHT MADDEN NFL 15 TERRARIA SNIPER ELITE 3 WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG THE BORDERLANDS COLLECTION BATTLEFIELD 4 SKATE 3 FROZEN: OLAF’S QUEST MARIO KART 8 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM: LE RAYMAN LEGENDS FIFA 14 LEGO THE HOBBIT THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 DISNEY INFINITY SKYLANDERS: SWAP FORCE NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS TOMB RAIDER: DEFINITIVE EDITION MARIO KART 7 RESIDENT EVIL 6 FORZA MOTORSPORT 5

Week ending September 13th

September 19th 2014

DEVELOPER: BUNGIE FORMAT PUBLISHER PC EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard PS4 Sony 360 Microsoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360 EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360 EA PS3 Sony PS3, 360 Bandai Namco PS3, 360 Rockstar PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Deep Silver XO, 360, PC EA 3DS Nintendo PS4 Sony PS4, XO, PS3, 360 EA PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS3, 360 2K Games PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA PS3, 360 EA 3DS, DS GPS/Avanquest Wii U Nintendo PS3, 360, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Vita, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PSP, PC, PS2 EA PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS Disney PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA PS4, XO Square Enix 3DS Nintendo PS3, 360, PC Capcom XO Activision

Week ending September 13th

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DATA ANALYSIS Source

TOP 10 IPAD PAID CHARTS

TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL FORMAT DESTINY ACTIVISON BLIZZARD

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

FORMAT: PS4

LW NEW NEW NEW 01 02 03 06 04 13 07 NEW NEW 19 08 NEW 11 24 16 18

DEVELOPER: BUNGIE

TITLE DESTINY DESTINY DESTINY THE SIMS 4 THE LAST OF US REMASTERED MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION WATCH DOGS MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS TOMODACHI LIFE INFAMOUS: FIRST LIGHT NHL 15 WATCH DOGS GRAND THEFT AUTO V NARUTO ULTIMATE NINJA STORM REV TITANFALL WATCH DOGS PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS

FORMAT XO 360 PS3 PC PS4 360 PS4 360 PS4 3DS PS4 PS4 360 360 PS3 XO PS3 360 XO

PUBLISHER Activison Blizzard Activison Blizzard Activison Blizzard EA Sony Microsoft Ubisoft Sony Activison Blizzard Nintendo Sony EA Ubisoft Rockstar Bandai Namco EA Ubisoft EA Activison Blizzard

Week ending September 13th

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Football Manager Handheld 2014 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Tipping Point LEGO The Lord of the Rings Terraria Flightradar24 Pro The Chase Jake’s Treasure Trek Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Week ending September 7th

TOP 10 IPHONE PAID CHARTS

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

7 MINUTE WORKOUT CHALLENGE DEVELOPER: FITNESS GUIDE

TITLE Football Manager Handheld 2014 Fantasy Premier League 2014/15 Minecraft– Pocket Edition Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Heads Up! Tipping Point Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock Flightradar24 Pro The Oﬃcial DSVA Theory Test

TOP 10 XBOX LIVE (UK) MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

DEVELOPER: MOJANG

LW 03 04 NEW 06 08 01 10 07 RE

TITLE APOCZ TERRARIA: XBOX 360 EDITION MAGIC 2015 CASTLEMINER Z WHITE NOISE ONLINE TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER HD AVATAR WARFARE THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON TWO TRIALS EVOLUTION

PUBLISHER Sick Kreations 505 Games Wizards of the Coast DigitalDNA Milkstone Studios RoboModo Raoghard Telltale Ubisoft

PRESENTS

DEVELOPER Sega Premier League Mojang Disney Warner Bros Barnstorm Games Northcube AB Flightradar24 AB TSO

Week ending September 7th

TOP 10 GOOGLE PLAY CHARTS

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Football Manager Handheld Edition Theory Test UK 2014 Flightradar24 Pro Fantasy Premier League Terraria The Chase Tipping Point The Room Poweramp Full

PUBLISHER Sega Focus Multimedia Flightradar24 AB All Apped Up 505 Games Barnstorm Games Barnstorm Games Fireproof Games Max MP

Week ending September 14th

5 SECOND FACTS

DEVELOPER Sega Disney Barnstorm Games Warner Bros 505 Games Flightradar24 AB Barnstorm Games Disney Ubisoft

Correct as of September 15th

Read and remember these stats so you can sound clever at the next Monday morning meeting...

$500m

$2.5bn

550

Activison says it has sold $500m worth of Destiny units into stores worldwide in its ﬁrst 24 hours

Facepunch Studio’s Garry’s Mod has sold 6m copies. The game launched in 2004, but 3m of its sales have been in the last year

Mojang conﬁrmed its acquisition by Microsoft for the price of $2.5bn – $0.5bn more than Facebook paid for Oculus

Phones 4u has entered administration, immediately closing all 550 of its stores and ceasing trading

PDP design & manufacture the Energizer branded charging Doc for PlayStation 4 europesales@pdp.com

www.pdp.com www.mcvuk.com

September 19th 2014

GAMES RETAIL 2020

THE 12 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM GAMES RETAIL 2020 Earlier this week MCV held its first ever Games Retail 2020 conference at BAFTA – a daylong event looking at the future of selling video games. Here are the 12 things we discovered

Boxed games really are not going anywhere In a talk filled with data, Chart-Track director Dorian Bloch said that the UK physical games market is still very much alive and growing. In fact, he predicted the UK boxed market will be worth £1.758bn next year, and that will rise again to £1.978bn in 2016. In total, Bloch says that from the launch of Wii U in 2012 to the end of 2016, the UK boxed games market will be worth £5.8bn. “These are just conservative figures,” he added. “I am not factoring in things like Oculus Rift and the launch of Virtual Reality.”

And the big really are getting bigger It may be good news for the boxed market, but for smaller retailers and smaller games, the boxed sector is becoming less viable. Bloch revealed that last year the Top 10 boxed Video Games accounted for 36 per cent of all games sold, the highest figure yet. This year that number already sits at 31 per cent, and that’s before the likes of FIFA, Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and GTA have launched. By comparison, in 2008 only 18 per cent of sales came from the Top Ten best-selling games. In addition, during 2013, 82 per cent of game sales came from the Top Six retailers (which includes GAME and Amazon). This year that figure is currently even higher, with 83 per cent of all games sold coming from the six biggest stores. Back in 2008, that number was just 74 per cent. It’s bad news for any store that isn’t amongst those six super-retailers.

September 19th 2014

Chart-Track revealed the true state of games retail this week

Foreshadowing our cover story this week, Juniper’s Hunyadi said that handheld gaming has struggled to attract new players, and will account for less than two per cent of the market by 2019.

PC will reign supreme PC was a dominant topic at Games Retail 2020. Eva Hunyadi of research firm Juniper Research said that, come 2019, PC will be the most lucrative platform, ahead of smartphones and consoles. Green Man Gaming’s Darren Cairns then delivered a strong speech on why PC gaming is the future of the games industry. He stated that PC gaming hardware will be worth $23bn by 2017, and that, according to DFC, the global PC games market will hit $26bn by the end of the year. He also estimated that there are over 711m PC gamers in the world. “The transition from physical to digital elongates the product life cycle and you can sell to a large global audience with a large catalogue,” said Cairns.

New consoles may arrive sooner than we think One final prediction from Juniper was that we may see a new Xbox or PlayStation as early as 2019. Hunyadi said that platform holders will have to be more reactive to challenges from cheaper boxes such as Amazon’s Fire TV.

Minecraft books are ridiculously popular Book publisher Egmont revealed that its best-selling Minecraft book has now sold 1m in the UK. The firm said it is official Minecraft titles that are proving most popular, with the bestselling unofficial book – Minecraft

But handhelds are doomed For all the joy of PC, it was bleak news for the portable.

for Dummies – only selling 20,000 units. “Book and magazine publishers have been slow off the mark with merchandise,” admitted Egmont’s Emma Cairn-Smith. “It was just Moshi for a while, and we thought that was it, but then it was Skylanders and Minecraft. If you look at where kids are choosing to spend their time, they are moving away from the TV. They’ve moved to tablets and to other gaming devices. So we have moved our publishing attention to that whole genre. “Parents like it. Getting them off the screen and into books is seen as a good thing.”

Gamer clothing is cool, and people will even pre-order it Video game clothing firm Insert Coin took part in the same merchandise discussion, and stated that gamer clothing has become ‘cool’. “Wearing gaming clothing no longer has [negative] stigma attached to it,” said owner and creative director Jon Rhodes. He added that gamers will even pre-order gaming clobber, and stated that players are willing to spend on games merchandise throughout the year – not just at Christmas. “People want these things irrespective of the time,” he said. “We can sell a beanie in the summer. They see a character in a game wear it and they want it.”

29 per cent of gamers like to buy from a physical shop For all the talk about the rise in digital, 29 per cent of IGN’s audience still prefer to buy games from a brick and mortar shop.

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GAMES RETAIL 2020

The firm’s Adam Hopkinson and Chris Shepperson asked 1,612 users where they like to buy their games. 29 per cent opt for in-store and 39 per cent prefer online, while 32 per cent have no preference. In terms of the most popular destinations, for the High Street it was GAME (with 71 per cent of the ‘shop’ vote) and for online it was Amazon (with 52 per cent of the ‘online’ vote).

68 per cent of people who click ‘buy now’ online do not end up buying the product And that is even worse on mobile, with 97 per cent of people who click ‘buy now’ not actually acquiring the product. Powa CEO Dan Wagner revealed these stats as he showcased the firm’s PowaTag technology, which lets users acquire content via an app, without the need to put in card and address details every time. Gamers can even do it in the real world: they can see a QR code on an advert, scan it with their app and it’s already bought and on its way to their homes. “Out of the 100 people that hit that ‘buy now’ button, only 32 people

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11.

actually end up buying the product,” he said. “It’s four pages of pain. Four pages of drudgery. We have to enter our name, address, billing address, payment details, check points... people say the reason people dropout is because of pre-purchase anxiety or they see the shipping charges. But that’s not true – it’s because they can’t fill in the forms.”

10.

Twitter can be the ultimate sales assistant Twitter’s Samir Bhana took to the stage to discuss the role the social network can play in selling games. He told attendees that Twitter is huge on mobile; it has 15m UK users and 80 per cent of them use mobile. He added that 61 per cent of all Twitter users unlock their phones primarily to play games. He revealed Twitter’s ‘card’ system, which lets retailers obtain more clicks. Some cards even let publishers sell apps directly via Twitter. He then gave a sneak peak of the ‘buy’ button that is currently being tested at the firm. The ‘buy’ button will let users buy games directly through the social network without even leaving the site.

Book and magazine publishers have been slow off the mark with merchandise. Emma Cairn-Smith, Egmont

Peer-to-peer recommendation is the best way to discover content The discovery issue in the world of digital games is not going away, agreed a panel dedicated to the sale of digital titles. GamesGrabr boss Tony Pearce believes the bestway to get games out there is to encourage others to recommend games to one another, and that retail should facilitate more ways to encourage this, pointing to the influence YouTubers have on game sales. “User recommendations are crucial in digital discovery,” he said.

12.

PC pricing is an issue that can be solved One of the big challenges of the PC remains cheap games and ‘the race to the bottom’ on price, admitted Green Man Gaming’s Darren Cairns. But there is a way of lowering the price in a positive way, said Sega’s James Schall. Schall told attendees that the firm cut the price of Rome: Total War to just 99c in the US before the arrival of Rome II; “People thought we would harm sales of Rome II. But the opposite happened; the conversion rate was fantastic.”

September 19th 2014

THE BIG GAME HYRULE WARRIORS

HYRULE WARRIORS

THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR The next Zelda game on the schedule is just a little bit different. But why is it missing The Legend of Zelda prefix? And is it just Dynasty Warriors with a Zelda skin? Alex Calvin speaks to Nintendo UK marketing manager Chandra Nair to find out more Release Date: September 19th Formats: Wii U Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Omega Force/Team Ninja

yrule Warriors came as something of a surprise when it was announced in a Nintendo Direct last December. Prior to that video, many of us had our fingers crossed for a Wii U Zelda title, but this wasn’t quite what we were expecting. What was announced was a crossover title, combining elements from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series with components from Koei Tecmo’s Warriors IP. “Hyrule Warriors is an unadulterated love letter to the millions of The Legend of Zelda fans who are yearning for a slightly different take on their

September 19th 2014

favourite franchise,” says Nintendo UK marketing manager Chandra Nair. “Combining Dynasty Warriors-style action gameplay with the Legend of Zelda universe might have once seemed like the most unlikely pairing but actually the end result is so well integrated you’ll wonder why it wasn’t done sooner. He continues: “For Warriors fans the draw is obvious; yet more hack and slash action but this time set in one of the most beloved video game universes of all time. For Zelda fans this game is akin to slowly opening their very own glowing chest of trinkets and treasures.”

Hyrule Warriors is a love letter to the millions of Zelda fans yearning for a diﬀerent take on their favourite franchise. Chandra Nair, Nintendo UK

As Nair says, Hyrule Warriors features a variety of characters, music and weapons from the popular series. “Not only is it yet another opportunity to whip out the Master Sword; it’s also a chance to do things that you often dreamed of but never thought possible. You can now play as 13 characters plucked from key moments in the franchise’s epic timeline. Whether it’s the simultaneously sinister and cheeky, Wolf Link-riding Midna from Twilight Princess, the dance-master Goron leader Darunia from Ocarina of Time or Fi from Skyward Sword, each character brings

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HYRULE WARRIORS THE BIG GAME

a completely different set of moves, summons and nuances to the impending melee. “It’s not just the character line-up and boss encounters though. It’s the music, the audio cues, the subtle (and not so subtle) references to magical Hylian moments gone by, the heart-achingly familiar locales and the playful but delicate nature with which the development team have handled every valued asset. Franchise head-honcho Eiji Aonuma’s involvement is obvious in every drop.” IT’S IN THE NAME Indeed, Hyrule Warriors has much in common with the Zelda games such as

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characters, items and parts of the world. But one thing it is lacking is The Legend of Zelda prefix. “We’ve been very careful not to mislead people with Hyrule Warriors. The Legend of Zelda is a very powerful set of words that brings with it a certain set of expectations and presumptions,” Nair explains. “Hyrule Warriors is not a traditional Legend of Zelda game we all know and love. “It’s a Warriors game, set in the Legend of Zelda universe, developed in partnership with the Warriors teams and overseen by Mr Zelda himself, Eiji Aonuma. The name reflects that and it’s always been something we’re very conscious of.”

We’ve been careful not to mislead people. The Legend of Zelda is a very powerful set of words that brings with it expectations. Chandra Nair, Nintendo UK

The Warriors series, while having sold millions of copies around the world, is certainly not as popular in the West as Zelda is. Is this something that Nintendo is perhaps concerned about in marketing the game? “There’s no doubt that the Warriors franchise is more established in Eastern territories and that’s mainly down to the fact that many games in the series have been roughly based on the Records Of The Three Kingdoms texts,” Nair says. “It’s all about context though. The Warriors genre is a blank canvas in many ways and as long as the subject matter is relevant to you I

September 19th 2014

THE BIG GAME HYRULE WARRIORS

PLAYING WITH FRIENDS

Nair says that Hyrule Warriors will help sell Wii

think any action fan can take pleasure from it. And The Legend of Zelda brand is relevant to a huge number of people.” Nair also insists that Hyrule Warriors is more than just a Zelda skin applied to the regular Warriors games. “This is a Nintendo game and it’s being overseen by Aonuma himself,” says Nair. “Those facts should instill confidence that this won’t just be a re-skinned game. The Legend of Zelda is at the very core of this game and it permeates the experience on every level.”

platform holder’s #TheTimeisNow campaign to push the console. Is this seemingly niche crossover title really going to be system seller for the Wii U? “Based on anecdotal evidence: to an extent, yes,” explains Nair. “Hyrule Warriors is part of a push for the Wii U right now. Along with Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad’s Treasure Trackers, Super Smash Bros, and all the great games that have already come out on Wii U, many people are now realising that there are many great reasons to own a Wii U.” He concludes: “There are horses for courses and Hyrule Warriors is absolutely one of our stable providers. It gives people yet another reason to join the party.”

The Warriors genre is a blank canvas and as long as the subject matter is relevant people can take pleasure from it. Chandra Nair, Nintendo UK

THE TIME IS NOW Going into the end of the year, Hyrule Warriors is part of a strong line-up for Nintendo’s troubled Wii U, and part of the

September 19th 2014

HYRULE WARRIORS is bursting with content, but one thing the game is lacking is online multiplayer. The title comes with an exclusively offline multiplayer co-operative component whereby players can use the Wii U GamePad or the Wii Remote or Wii U Pro controller to team up. But why has Nintendo opted to go for offline-only multiplayer modes? And why does it place value in local multiplayer? “Nintendo has always been about local multiplayer,” marketing manager Chandra Nair says. “It’s the big smile-inducer, for us. In recent years Nintendo has also become very good at the online experience too but local multiplayer is where the real connection between people lies. There’s nothing quite like sitting with other people in a room playing Mario Kart 8. Hyrule Warriors is the same. It’s full of moments that really need to be shared. Imagine two Legend of Zelda fans sitting together, enjoying together, sharing together.”

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INTERVIEW NORDIC GAMES

PUBLISHING BIG IP FOR LESS Nordic Games Group has bought a slew of THQ IP, the publisher’s name as well as the Scandavian branch of GAME. Alex Calvin speaks to the company’s boss Lars Wingefors

t’s been a good few years for Nordic Games Group. In 2012 it purchased the Scandanavian branch of troubled retail brand GAME, and it started 2013 by buying a slew of highprofile IP from now-defunct publisher THQ. This included some big IP, such as Darksiders, Red Faction and the MX vs ATV racing franchise. The firm has has adopted a smaller and lower key approach for these games. Rather than having a handful of billion dollar franchises, Nordic has a slew of smaller properties. “Darksiders is a top product. THQ spent $50m making Darksiders 2,” says Nordic Game Group owner Lars Wingefors. “We can produce a product of the same quality but for a lower cost. $50m is ridiculous, I can’t afford that. “Many of our IPs will only generate $50k a year, but it’s still money. Sure, it’s amounts that EA and the big guys wouldn’t care about, but now we have hundreds of IPs, and in a few years we’ll have a few hundred more. It will add up to something much bigger.” RACING EXCITEMENT And Wingefors is confident with the franchises he owns. According to him, anticipation is high for the upcoming MX vs ATV Supercross. “I know how big demand is for motocross games – they have been the most highly-prized preowned games,” he says. “When an IP has demand, there’s a fanbase. Now we’re bringing back the guys who made all the MX games, they are making a great game and

September 19th 2014

Nordic didn’t stop with just buying some of THQ’s IP – it also bought its name. “The THQ deal was the best I ever made,” Wingefors says. “I spent $5m from my own bank account. It was a lot of money for me, but we got the money back very quickly.”

MX vs ATV is just one of the many THQ IPs now owned by Nordic Games

consumers are excited for it. Retail is picking it up. We started a Facebook page for the game at the start of the summer, and we already have 100,000 fans who really care about the game. “I’m really surprised by the community of MX. I would say it’s the strongest of the IP we own, the most active community out there. “It’s something we can turn into an annual release. It was a very nice business for THQ. They sold one or two million copies each year. I’m happy if we could just sell a few hundred thousand.”

SELLING GAMES Wingefors and the Nordic Game Group also own the Scandinavian branch of GAME, having bought the company for only £1. But the strategy that Wingefors has employed to help the firm survive has been rather different to the digital and event focused approach taken by GAME UK CEO Martyn Gibbs. “I have increased physical products in store,” says Wingefors. “I think you should do things that are relevant to brick and mortar stores. We increased the back catalogue of physical games. When I took over GAME we had 1,500 titles. We now have six or seven thousand titles per store. “GAME in the UK is much better at selling digital content than we are. It’s much better at doing exclusive content deals with big publishers.” He concludes: “In the long term, GAME would be better owned by GAME UK or GameStop. “We probably need international owners who have the synergies. I have no idea whether either are interested in buying it.”

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DEVOLVER DIGITAL INDIE INTERVIEW

DEVOLVE OR DIE Devolver Digital is a brand on the rise, publishing an abundance of popular indie titles and even appearing on PlayStation’s E3 stage. Alex Calvin catches up with one sixth of the publisher, Graeme Struthers

here were so many announcements during PlayStation’s E3 2014 media briefing that it’s hard to remember them all. One that was unexpected – but perhaps not entirely unsurprising – was a sizzle reel trailer for a number of indie games by publisher Devolver Digital. Sony has been very active within the indie sphere, and it was a big deal for Devolver to appear on its stage at such a high profile event. But at that particular point in time, the team at Devolver was not in the room. Instead, they were in a car park across the road of the E3 showfloor. “We were across the street in the parking lot when it happened,” Devolver’s code enforcement officer Graeme Struthers tells MCV. “That’s what we could afford. We can’t afford to be inside at E3; it’s too expensive. “I had so many friends in the UK tweeting me, not even necessarily people who are involved in games, who just couldn’t believe it happened. We were still a little bit stunned it actually did happen. It just took things to another level. There was a massive hype balloon around E3 and we were lucky enough to get some of the helium.“ RISING STARS Devolver is certainly a brand on the rise. The company is only five years old and is staffed by a mere six people, but it has already been behind multiple blockbuster indie hits, such as Hotline Miami and Luftrausers. And until recently, Struthers and the other UK-based employee Andrew

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overheads, didn’t incur costs and then hope that we were going to be successful. We needed to be absolutely certain, so we were very, very conservative.“ INDIE FUTURE Obviously Devolver has benefitted from the recent indie boom – and Struthers says there’s more to come. “If you imagine in the future with PS4, there might only be hundreds of games,” he states. “There are fewer and fewer active publishers; your Activisions, EAs and Ubisofts aren’t releasing dozens of games – they are doing fewer, better, bigger and more immersive games. I wonder if perhaps the indie movement is a reaction to that. “Those platforms want to see more games being released, so that’s important. Small nimble teams making indie games fit that opportunity really well. “It’s great that both Sony and Microsoft have embraced that. That’s to their credit. They’ve made it easier for indie games to get out there.“ Video games aren’t all that Devolver handles. It opened a film division, Devolver Digital Films, which has been producing and publishing movies from the indie scene. Will we eventually see a Hotline Miami film? “Films and games are entirely different,” says Struthers. “What we do have in common are small, under-funded groups of people. “Six people can’t make these films. We’re good at what we are doing, and I don’t think we’ll be deviating from that.”

Parsons held second jobs to pay the rent. “We had our fifth birthday in June, but the first three years we were all doing other things,” Struthers says. “We weren’t earning any money from Devolver. We were trying to get off the ground. Last year myself and Andrew were earning enough to effectively go full time.” Naturally, Struthers places this success firmly on the video games that Devolver has produced – and the firm’s considered approach. “All of our games have helped us grow,” he says. “We have to be absolutely certain that when we sign a project that we actually have the money to commit to it, and everything that comes with funding a game, such as taking them to shows and QA and localisation. “We had to be certain that that money is available. We were super cautious making sure we didn’t overdo our

September 19th 2014

MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE MCV chats with Ben Stevenson-Hall, assistant manager of the Cambridge branch of Forbidden Planet, about which video game properties have proved most successful for the merchandise specialist What do you expect to be big this year? We’ve got some Assassin’s Creed: Unity stuff coming in, and we’re going to try with some Destiny stuff. We got bits and bobs coming in, but with actual merchandise, the publishers need to look at the success of the game before committing to making figures. The problem is there’s normally a long time, about six to eight months, before you actually start to see a decent selection.

What video game merchandise do you stock, and what brands are most successful? The ﬁrst thing that comes to mind is Minecraft. Minecraft is huge for us. Ever since we started getting it in, it’s been continuously in demand. And that’s in no way abating. The four construction books they put out are just ridiculous in terms of sales. With video games merchandise it largely depends on the IP; Valve and Assassin’s Creed stuﬀ are things we

give a dedicated space to because they are continuously popular.

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Why have those particular brands been so successful? It might have a lot to do with the engagement of the narrative and the detail in the characters and story. Assassin’s Creed and the universe Valve has built around Portal and Half-Life are very storyrich and Minecraft is emergent gameplay – people creating their own stories.

Video game merchandising is very new and the publishers and manufacturers are still testing the water. Ben Stevenson-Hall, Forbidden Planet

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September 19th 2014

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MARKETPLACE

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But I understand, because they don’t want to take the risk.

and manufacturers are still testing the water.

Do you hold any events in store? We don’t do midnight launches, because we don’t sell the game and the stuﬀ comes in over weeks. It doesn’t all come in at once. So it’s impossible to have a single release point or event for it. I’m not against the idea, and it could be a lot of fun, but at this point video game merchandising is very new and the publishers

Which product categories are most popular? Apparel continuously sees interest; Adventure Time hats and T-shirts are two of our biggest merchandise areas at the moment. Statues always do well. Pop vinyl is a huge thing for us at the moment, too. They’ve got the licence for everything and they’re putting out vinyls for everything.

INCOMING TITLE

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV? Contact Alex.Calvin@intentmedia.co.uk or call 01992 515 303

There’s something for everyone out this week, with kids game Disney Inﬁnity, PC strategy title Wasteland 2 and two simulators hitting shelves FORMAT

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Excalibur

01869 338 833

Contact Sales

September 19th Construction Simulator Hyrule Warriors

Wii U

Action

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

Meridian – New World

Strategy

Merge Games

01215 069 590

Advantage

Wasteland 2

Strategy

Deep Silver

01256 385 200

Koch Media

Disney Inﬁnity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)

PS4/XO/Wii U/PS3/360/PC Kids

Disney Interactive

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call

3DS

Rhythm

Square Enix

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Train Simulator 2015

Simulation

Dovetail Games

01869 338 833

Contact Sales

September 26th Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star

PS3

RPG

Koei Tecmo

01462 476 130

Open

Fairy Fencer F

PS3

RPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

Fantasy Life

3DS

RPG

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

FIFA 14

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Sports

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Violetta: Rhythm & Music

Wii/3DS/DS

Strategy

Bandai Namco

01215 069 590

Advantage

Simulation

Excalibur

01869 338 833

Contact Sales

October 3rd European Ship Simulator Forza Horizon 2

Racing

Microsoft

01279 822 800

Exertis Gem

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Action

Warner Bros

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

Natural Doctrine

PS4/PS3/Vita

JRPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2

Wii U/PS3/360/3DS

Action

Bandai Namco

01215 069 590

Advantage

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Adventure

Focus Home

01889 570 156

Open

Super Smash Bros

3DS

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

October 7th Alien Isolation

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Survival horor

Sega

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

NBA Live 15

PS4/XO

Sports

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

MX vs ATV Supercross

PS3/360

Racing

Nordic Games

01256 391 209

Open

www.mcvuk.com

September 19th 2014

DISNEY INFINITY

DISNEY INFINITY Disney’s hit toys-tolife franchise returns on September 19th with the might of the Marvel universe behind it. Matthew Jarvis checks out the latest accessories for the game

GAMES retail is about to head to Infinity and beyond. September 19th marks the UK release of the next title in the Disney’s toys-to-life brand, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition). The original Disney Infinity has sold over three million Starter Packs since its release in midAugust last year and broke into the Top Ten best-selling games of 2013 for North America, according to the NPD Group.

The original Disney Inﬁnity has sold over three million Starter Pack units.

Disney has invested more than $100 million into the development of Infinity, which allows players to place themed figurines on the Infinity Base and transfer the characters and skills into the game. The concept lends itself to the advantage of retailers; with many precious figures to protect based on highly recognisable brands, while Infinity accessories and merchandise present an ideal opportunity for retailers looking

TURTLE BEACH DISNEY INFINITY MARVEL HEADSET This headset can provide players with a more immersive experience while playing Disney Inﬁnity 2.0 on PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and PC. The product comes with an adjustable, around-the-ear design for comfort during long periods of play.

SRP: £59.99 Distributor: Turtle Beach Contact: 0191 230 6650

POWER DISC CAPSULE

TECH ZONE

POWER DISC PORTFOLIO

This case can hold up to 22 Power Discs, and provides easy access via a slide-out tray.

Store and protect up to six Inﬁnity Figures, 36 Power Discs and the Inﬁnity Reader with this zipped case.

A collector’s dream, this portfolio holds 40 Power Discs and includes perforated cards to show which discs are still available.

SRP: £9.99 Distributor: Exertis Gem Contact: 01279 822 822

SRP: £14.99 Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

SRP: £9.99 Distributor: Exertis Gem Contact: 01279 822 822

September 19th 2014

www.mcvuk.com

DISNEY INFINITY

DIRECTORY

MCV DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS Sony DADC ............................................ +44 (0) 207 462 6200

CREATIVE Fink ................................................................. info@ﬁnkcreative.com

GAMING ACCESSORIES DISC REPAIR

L3I............................................................................+ (0)1923 471 020

Total Disc Repair ..................................+44 (0) 1202 489500

Venom ............................................................... +44 (0)1763 284181

DISTRIBUTION Click Entertainment ............................ +44 (0) 203 137 3781 Creative Distribution ......................+44 (0) 20 8664 3456 RATES

Curveball Leisure ................................... +44 (0) 1792 652521

£70 per two column box (100mm x 75mm). To run weekly for a minimum of 1 year. Please phone for other size and/or position requirements.

Enarxis Dynamic Media ............................. +302 1090 11900

DISC REPAIR

TOTAL DISC REPAIR

Tel: +44 (0) 1202 489500

September 19th 2014

Web: www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

www.mcvuk.com

DIRECTORY

ENQUIRIES CONOR TALLON Tel: 01992 535647 Conor.Tallon@intentmedia.co.uk

FINK

CREATIVE

DISTRIBUTION

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT

Artworking Mastertronic Brand Identity Ukie Localisation Rising Star Games Advertising BBFC Website Design Deep Silver Exhibition Bethesda Illustration Appynation Digital Media IntentMedia Charity GamesAid Banners & Takeovers Konami Packaging Design Just Flight Email: info@ﬁnkcreative.com CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 (0) 208 6643456 ENARXIS DYNAMIC MEDIA

Tel: +44 (0)203 137 3781

Web: www.ﬁnkcreative.com DISTRIBUTION

email: sales@click-entertainment.com

CURVEBALL LEISURE

Web: www.creativedistribution.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1792 652521

DISTRIBUTION

SONY DADC

DISTRIBUTION

Web: www.curveball-leisure.com DISTRIBUTION

Empowering your creative business

Tel: +44 207 462 6200 games@sonydadc.com

www.sonydadc.com Tel: +302 1090 11900

www.mcvuk.com

Web: www.enarxis.eu

Tel: +44 (0) 207 462 6200

Web: www.sonydadc.com

September 19th 2014

DIRECTORY

GAMING ACCESSORIES

L3I

GAMING ACCESSORIES

VENOM

New officially licensed product coming soon Rechargeable Battery Pack

SERIOUS ABOUT GAMING SERIOUS ABOUT ACCESSORIES

Tel: + (0)1923 471 020

Web: www.logic3.com

Fully recharges the DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller for up to 20 hours of gameplay. Sleek, contemporary design fits securely to the DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller.

ADVERTISE WITH US

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN OUR DIRECTORY?

Web: www.venomuk.com Phone: +44 (0)1763 284181 Email: darren.scott@venomuk.com sam.phipps@venomuk.com tom.hodge@venomuk.com

CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535647 OR EMAIL HIM AT CONOR.TALLON@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 September 19th 2014

Venom UK Gaming @VenomGamingUK

w w w. ve n o m u k . co m

Web: www.venomuk.com www.mcvuk.com

INSIDER’S GUIDE

INSIDER’S GUIDE I FIGHT BEARS

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: Development Location: London Founding Date: June 19th 2012

Develop is the only dedicated publication for the UK and European games development community. It reaches over 8,500 subscribers every month.

Contact: T: @nicollhunt W: www.iﬁghtbears.co.uk E: nicoll@iﬁghtbears.co.uk

MCV talks to nature battler Nicoll Hunt about his one-man development studio I Fight Bears

FOR GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT ALEX BOUCHER ALEX.BOUCHER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

Tell us about your company. I Fight Bears is an ultra-sexy micro-development studio based in North London. Founded in 2012 by Nicoll Hunt, I Fight Bears focuses on delivering original, oﬀbeat games for a wide variety of platforms.

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT: Epic Games .................................................. www.epicgames.com/careers

What is your biggest success to date? Last year’s Fist of Awesome has been a huge success. The time-travelling lumberjack-‘emup launched last year on iOS, Android and Ouya to rapturous response from the press and public alike. Fist of Awesome is one of very few games to be praised on Gay Star News for its LGBT-friendly storyline. What projects do you currently have in the works? Nicoll recently made Accelerunner with Alan Zucconi of 0rbitalis and Still Time fame. A hyper-realistic sports party game, Accelerunner will be playable at a number of high profile games events over the next few months. I Fight Bears’ official game number two is in development but remains a closely guarded secret. What are the biggest challenges you face? I Fight Bears has an official employee count of one. Although this keeps the salary pot at a manageable level, it does mean that Nicoll is usually running around doing three or four

Nicoll Hunt, I Fight Bears

diﬀerent people’s jobs at the same time. This even extends to answering journalists’ questions in the third person. How did you choose your company name? Before Nicoll became a heavilybearded indie game dev superstar, he was a gigging solo musician in Dundee. After discovering you could get more free beer if he were in a band, Nicoll called himself I Fight Bears and alluded to venue owners that he was in fact four separate people.

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR COMPANY IN INSIDER’S GUIDE?

To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and now every week in MCV) contact alex.boucher@intentmedia.co.uk

PLEASE CONTACT

WWW.DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET www.mcvuk.com

Nicoll is usually running around doing three or four diﬀerent people’s jobs at the same time.

MATTHEW.JARVIS@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK OR CALL 01992 515 303

September 19th 2014

FACTFILE MEXICO Sponsored by

Wholesaler and distributor of video games, consoles and accessories

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: MEXICO Population: 118,395,054 Capital City: Mexico City Currency: Peso (Mex$) GDP (Per Capita): $10,767 KEY RETAILERS Camelot Games, Gamer’s Paradise, Gamerush, Mixup, Sanborns, Blockbuster Mexico, Coppel, JJGames, JVL Gaming

TOP DEVELOPERS Kaxan Games, Larva Game Studios, Anemona Studio, Artefacto, Neggi Studio

KEY DISTRIBUTORS Gamexpress

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION Activision, EA, Microsoft, Sony, Square Enix, Ubisoft

AS one of the fastest growing video game markets in the world, Mexico is seeing increased investment from firms hoping to break into a largely untapped territory. Newzoo estimates that there are 16 million active gamers in Mexico. Gamers’ preferences and spending behaviour are similar to those in nearby North America; approximately 57 per cent of gamers pay money for titles. During 2012, games revenue for developers of video game systems and titles reached Mex$ 14,194 million (£0.67m). The revenue accounts for almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the Central and South American games market, with Brazil contributing 34 per cent and Argentina making up 14 per cent. On average, Mexican gamers spend 10 per cent more money on digital games than the rest of Central and South America.

The region’s entire digital games market is expected to pass the £0.62bn revenue mark by the end of 2014. According to Government institute ProMexico, the Mexican video game industry registered an average annual increase of 18.7 per cent between 2004 and 2010. This growth means that the market approximately doubles in size every four years, making the territory a popular destination for expanding firms. “Time and money spent on games in Mexico is much more in line with Western countries than other so-called ‘emerging’ markets, such as Brazil and Russia,” stated Peter Warman, CEO and co-founder of research firm Newzoo. “Together with the fast-rising internet penetration, Mexico will certainly show strong growth. Good news for the local Mexican games industry as well as Western and Asian companies seeking expansion.”

The Mexican digital games market is expected to pass the $1 billion revenue mark by the end of 2014.

September 19th 2014

www.mcvuk.com

MEXICO FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... IRELAND A development studio has launched the nation’s biggest-budget game to date, following an investment of €3.5 million DIGIT Game Studios has recently released the most expensive game in Ireland’s history. The game development studio is the ﬁrm behind Kings of the Realm, an online fantasy strategy game for iOS and Android. Publishing the title is Kabam, backed by global retail site Alibaba and tech giants Intel and Google. The latter ﬁrm featured the game as one of its three top picks on the Android Play Store, alongside mobile juggernauts Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga. Investment for the title was raised via venture capital funding, generating over €3.5 million

www.mcvuk.com

(£2.82m). Kabam was recently named as one of the 20 fastest-growing companies in the US by ﬁnance analyst Deloitte. Richard Barnwell, CEO of Digit, outlined the company’s plan to compete

against fellow fantasy mobile game Game of War, which currently generates $1 million (£0.62m) a day in revenue.

September 19th 2014

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION