MCV808 October 10th by Future PLC

Xbox.com/Forza

NO;

Xbox.com/Forza

)<ūP3ŭI Ŝ M2Ţ Q%ŮW-űI P-ű

3 T)ũ Ų3 V 0ş The next evolution of the best-in-class Forza graphics engine delivers full day and night cycles with spectacular weather, lighting, and visual effects.

E'ůM3ũ 4ŜG /ŠH

H 6ŤZ-ũ K

Smash through fences onto back country dirt trails, plough through fields and forests, and discover new shortcuts on your thrilling, high-speed adventures. Take risks and earn rewards for showing off your driving skills and style.

N9Ũ T ŝI8Ų I)ũ W3 ŧS ŜR( S 2 ŧM 2Š T0Ŝ] Ť R7ůE2ůP=

Join or create your own Car Club of up to 1000 members to expand your network of friends and rule the leaderboards. In solo play, Drivatar™ technology fills your world with your friends even when they aren’t online with you.

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 808 FRIDAY OCTOBER 10TH 2014

THE HORROR TELLTALE GAMES TALKS EXCLUSIVELY TO MCV ABOUT THE RETAIL LAUNCH OF THE WALKING DEAD SEASON TWO

PAGE 18

UK GAMES RETAIL SPEAKS OUT TESCO, AMAZON, SHOPTO, XBOX, XBITE & GAMES CENTRE DISCUSS... Q WINNING OVER THE NEXT WAVE OF PS4 AND XBOX ONE GAMERS Q WHETHER SELLING DIGITAL CODES REALLY MAKES SENSE Q THE FUTURE OF XBOX 360 AND PS3 Q GROWING GAMER DEMAND FOR MERCHANDISE

PAGE 14 UBISOFT’S GAMER CHARM OFFENSIVE EURO BOSS ALAIN CORRE ON THE FIRM’S MAJOR EFFORT TO WIN OVER ITS CRITICS

PAGE 06

FREE THINKERS CAN FREE-TO-PLAY OVERCOME ITS NEGATIVE IMAGE? WE ASK THE INDUSTRY

PAGE 31

CHEAT SHEET

THE EDITOR

THE WEEK IN VIDEO GAM LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE 2014: LOOK WHO’S TALKING?

NICHE PUBLISHERS, RETAIL NEEDS YOU

ut of all the interesting facts that emerged from Games Retail 2020 last month, one of the more worrying (depending where you were standing) was the news that the top six games retailers were accounting for more than 80 per cent of all physical games sold. Over a third of these sales come from just ten games. You can understand why one indie retailer in our roundtable this week (p.14) asks ‘what does that mean for the rest of us?’ Retailers that aren’t Amazon, GAME or Tesco have found themselves having to diversity. Some are selling merchandise and one is even selling bikes. But there’s an opportunity here for small publishers because these largely indie stores are looking to sell niche products – something that the big boys won’t give much attention to because they’re too busy with FIFA or Assassin’s Creed. Smaller publishers have been quick to abandon retail and go down the digitalonly route. It’s certainly more proﬁtable. But if you’re one of these publishers or developers, and you think there may be market for your games in a box, then consider pushing it out there. You’ll ﬁnd there are a few stores willing to stock it, and perhaps even stick it front of house, too. THE NEXT-GEN’S SECOND WAVE BEGINS During September alone some 200,000 PS4s and Xbox Ones were sold at UK retail.

October 10th 2014

FACEBOOK, Buzzfeed, Twitch, PlayStation, Ubisoft, IGN and more will be sharing their expertise at next month’s London Games Conference. The event will discuss the marketing challenge: driving reach, engagement and conversation. London Games Conference returns on Wednesday November 19th - with a clutch of high profile brands involved. This year’s event - the sixth outing for this influential summit for games publishers, marketers, developers and retailers - also has a new daytime format, with a morning start but still with plenty of networking opportunities plus useful insight that can help your business. LGC 2014 will focus on getting games in front of the right audiences. There are more games fighting for attention than

Smaller indie stores are looking to sell niche products – something the big boys won’t give much attention to. After a slow spring and summer, with just a handful of new games, the second wave of next-gen gamers are arriving in their droves. And Activision’s Destiny and EA’s FIFA 15 have had a lot to do with that. Big games selling consoles in big numbers. I’ve written before about how some of the over-hyped triple-A next-gen games have not quite lived up to expectations. Yet while the blockbusters may not be quite stirring critics and gamers into pouring sycophantic reviews over social media, fortunately some of the ‘B-Team’ products released over the past few days are showing signs of true next-gen quality. Forza Horizon 2, Alien Isolation and Middleearth: Shadow of Mordor have all launched within days of each other with decent review scores and gamer buzz. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not going to sell 200,000 PS4s and Xbox Ones. But hopefully they’ll get these new console owners excited enough to encourage their friends to join the nextgen ‘revolution’. cdring@nbmedia.com

ever before. There are new, more complex distribution and marketing channels. Conference Chairman James Binns returns, and he will gather some of the smartest people from across industry to discuss the key issues around getting audiences to discover, pay for and love games. Speeches will include: BUZZFEED PRESENTS: More than just good - Creating Shareable Content Will Hayward, BuzzFeed’s vice president of Europe, will talk on the history of the business and their unique approach to content. Buzzfeed has been a leader in native advertising and commercial content. Using real life examples from the games market he will share insights into engagement and reach.

Market Data Of course the market fell post-FIFA, but it remains a solid sales week for retailers thanks to some big releases £60m

£30m

£0m

£56m 1,328,359 units £28.5m 761,269 units

£10m 326,220 units Week Ending September 21st

Week Ending September 27th

Week Ending October 4th

www.mcvuk.com

CHEAT SHEET

MES

TOP ONLINE STORIES THIS WEEK Our biggest stories for the week ending October 7th

LGC speakers (Left to right) Gamer Network’s Rupert Loman, Curse’s Nathan Lindberg, Facebook’s Rick Kelly, Parker Consulting’s Nick Parker, Sony Xdev Studios Europe’s Sara Wellock, Ubisoft’s Jacqui Lennon and Buzzfeed’s Will Hayward

EGX 2014 Feedback: See how games and fans connected at the UK’s biggest gaming event Rupert Loman, CEO of Gamer Network will take the stage sharing the experience learnt from building EGX into Europe’s premier live gaming event. Loman will share detailed data about the beneﬁts of live engagement with gamers. He’ll show changing trends in UK gamers, mapping direct feedback against Metacritic scores, examining changes year-on-year and detailing console ownership expectations. Post-release customer engagement: Jacqui Lennon, Ubisoft EMEA consumer experience manager will

DOWN The week after FIFA’s launch the market is down 49 per cent in terms of value

UP Minecraft: PlayStation Edition rises three places thanks to the PS4 launch

www.mcvuk.com

From like to love. The hunt for the C word. Commitment. Sara May Wellock, lead community manager at Sony Xdev Studios Europe on building communities that play, create and share. To ﬁnd out more about sponsorship, contact aboucher@nbmedia.com or ctallon@nbmedia.com - or call on 01992 535 647.

talk about working with Respondez to deliver brilliant customer service. Marketing investment across mobile, PC and console: How much are people investing and what works? Nick Parker, CEO and Founder Parker Consulting will share marketing investment levels and the results they are delivering. Speaking to global game communities with local sentiment Nathan Lindberg, Curse Gaming’s vice president, global sales on how to further relationships with the global gaming community with a focus on UK market needs.

FIFA 15

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

2 Opinion: Why have publishers remained silent over #GamerGate? 3 FIFA 15 ﬁnally drops PS2 after 13 years; there’s no Wii U version either 4 Games Media’s conﬁdence crisis

2014

5 There is potential for Dark Souls II on PS4 and Xbox One

UK RETAIL TOP 10

1 Xbox One sales push past PS4 in UK after FIFA 14 and price cut sales spike

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

SPONSORED BY

THE EVIL WITHIN + FIGHTING CHANCE DLC (PS4) BETHESDA

Warner Bros

DriveClub + Special RUF RT12 R Pack (PS4)

Sony Sony

Forza Horizon 2

Microsoft

DriveClub Steel Book Edition + Special RUF Pack (PS4)

Super Smash Bros

Nintendo

Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)

Rockstar

Activision Blizzard

NBA 2K15 + Kevin Durant MVP Bonus Pack (PS4)

2K Games

Sony

Bayonetta 2 + Bayonetta (Wii U)

Nintendo Bethesda

Destiny

Minecraft: PlayStation Edition

Disney

The Evil Within + Fighting Chance DLC (XO)

Microsoft

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (PS4)

Activision Blizzard

Sleeping Dogs Deﬁnitive Edition (PS4)

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Xbox 360)

Disney Inﬁnity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes

Minecraft: Xbox Edition

Call of Duty: Ghosts

The Sims 4

Konami Square Enix 2K Games

October 10th 2014

INTERVIEW ALAIN CORRE, UBISOFT

INSIDE UBISOFT’S GAMER CHARM OFFENSIVE As Ubisoft continues to grow every year, the publisher has found itself under intense scrutiny and increased criticism. How is it reacting? Christopher Dring speaks to the firm’s EMEA boss Alain Corre

he last time we spoke to Ubisoft we discussed how the firm has come in for a fair bit of flack in recent months. Whether it was for its support (or lack of) for PC gamers, or the fact Watch Dogs didn’t quite change the world like everyone thought it would, or the absence of a female playable character in Assassin’s Creed Unity – gamers and journalists have had plenty to criticise the publisher for over the course of the last six months. At the time we wrote that although such criticisms (some fair, some not so much) may hurt, they come with the territory that Ubisoft now finds itself. It’s no longer the incumbent, the European up-start trying to give the big, bad EA and Activision bloody noses. It’s well and truly amongst them thanks to the likes of Just Dance, Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, plus the swathe of impressivelooking new IP that have managed to raise expectations to unobtainable heights. When you get big, you become a target and gamers expect you to deliver more. And if for one second you fail to do so, they’ll let you know. It’s a sign of Ubisoft’s progress. But that doesn’t mean the Rayman creator should start patting itself on the back on a job well done. If gamers are unhappy then the onus is on Ubisoft to fix that and prove that it’s not another corporate giant chasing bigger profits, but a games business that genuinely cares what its fans think.

October 10th 2014

And Euro boss Alain Corre would not have that any other way. He tells MCV that the firm has thrown its doors wide open to gamers. This includes rewarding them via its Uplay service, and even inviting fans to E3 and Gamescom.

We’re involving fans in development. Their input is key for us to be able to create games they want play.

GAMER HELP “We ensure we have teams who are 100 per cent dedicated to talking to our communities,” he says. “We’ve made a strong push on social networks over the past couple of years – we have over 45m fans across our brands on Facebook, over 3m followers on Twitter and we’re in the Top 10 largest brand channels on YouTube. We’re also present on local social networks, including Weibo in China and VKontakte in Russia. Other outlets like Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest are important as they provide channels via which we can pursue different types of audiences. “Finally, we’re involving our fans in the development process itself. For example, our user research labs test games throughout the creative process, optimising and improving games based on their feedback. Betas are also becoming more important and accessible – one of the most recent examples is that of The Crew, for which the PC closed beta registered a record number of subscriptions for Ubisoft just after it was announced at E3. Their input is key for us to be able to create the type of games they want to play.”

Alain Corre, Ubisoft

LIVE REACTIONS Getting gamers involved in the development process is hardly a new concept. Most studios do it, either via focus testing, Kickstarter, betas or Early Access. Yet Ubisoft has gone one step further by letting fans passively provide their input. Take last year’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Players effectively took on the role of a games tester, and after each ‘mission’ they were invited to rate the experience. It was part of the game, but it also gave Ubisoft valuable feedback on what levels worked, what didn’t and how to improve things with any additional content. With the arrival of Watch Dogs, that idea has become more subtle and personal. That title responds to how individual gamers play. For instance, if they continually accept a certain type of side-mission or challenge, then Ubisoft will increase the number of these that appear. If they keep declining them, the publisher will reduce them. “This is one of the benefits to online or connected games,” says Corre. “We no longer launch a title and then move on to the next one. Almost every game has a postlaunch, live operations team, such as the Ghost Recon Phantoms team in Singapore. “We’re also integrating more ways for players to give feedback, whether it be in-game level rating, feedback like in Assassin’s Creed, or on our forums. And then we build other games like Rocksmith that adapt the level of difficulty

www.mcvuk.com

ALAIN CORRE, UBISOFT INTERVIEW

Ubisoft says it will continue to create diverse characters in its games

according to a player’s ability. It is becoming a component of everything we do. We’ll continue to research new ways to make the gaming experience more personal and relevant for every player.” DELAY CULTURE Today’s consumer can be an unforgiving sort. Even if you fix a game post-release, if the launch didn’t go to plan fans won’t easily forget. Ubisoft has talked in the past about better planning its products to allow time for polishing. But it’s clearly not been easy. The Division, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed and most recently The Crew have all suffered delays over the last nine months alone. “Watch Dog’s delay wasn’t easy for us, but very quickly after their initial disappointment the fans expressed confidence that it meant they would get an even better game,” recalls Corre. “We’re very grateful for their patience. At the end of the day, By being transparent with our fans, and explaining the situation honestly, we were able to show them that it was the right thing to do. The success of Watch Dogs

www.mcvuk.com

is proof that this strategy was the right one.” FEEDBACK FEARS E3 2014 was shaping up nicely for the team at Ubisoft. On the back of Watch Dogs’ blockbuster launch, the firm arrived in Los Angeles confident and delivered another impressive press conference. But that mood quickly changed when a Ubisoft developer stated it would have required too much work to put a playable female character in Assassin’s Creed Unity. It was a surprising statement from Ubisoft because the firm has historically been relatively diverse with its character choices, and the firm found itself under fire from all corners – despite its best efforts to clarify the comments. We visited Ubisoft quite late on during the E3 show and during the whole situation, and it was clear that the firm’s various employees was hurting from the backlash. They were quick to remind me how diverse they have been in the past, and insisted they will be again. And in fact, only a few weeks later, the company revealed Elise, an admittedly non-playable but

PC gaming grew from 11 per cent of our business in 2012/13 to 15 per cent in 2013/14. That’s an indication of our progress. Alain Corre, Ubisoft

nevertheless important female character for Unity. Corre denies this was a direct response to the criticism, but the backlash is something Ubisoft took to heart. “Elise was always an important part of Arno’s story, and part of the original concept for the game,” continues Corre. “That said, we heard the feedback about playable female characters, and we will continue to showcase diverse characters in our upcoming titles. Ubisoft’s games are developed by a multicultural team of various faiths and beliefs and we hope this attention to diversity is reflected in the settings of our games and our characters.” Corre is also keen to address the regular criticism that it doesn’t do enough for PC gamers, and vows that Ubisoft will improve. “As a percentage of our business, PC grew last year, from 11 per cent in 2012/13 to 15 per cent in 2013/14. That’s an indication of the progress we’re making,” he insists. “Also, we’ve listened to feedback from players and continue to adapt accordingly; for instance, we switched to a simple, one-time activation for our PC games – a standard practice in the industry. We’re also doing our best to bring our games to PC at the same time as the console versions. Assassin’s Creed Unity and Far Cry 4 for example will be released simultaneously on console and PC, and this will continue to be the goal for all our major titles. Finally, we also are committed to improving the optimisation of our games for each platform on which they’re released, and that includes for PC.” Ubisoft now has a vast and varied audience, it has blockbuster core console experiences, freeto-play online offerings, casual dancing games... even a kids TV show. And with so many people to please, it will sometimes get it wrong. It will make some enemies. But Corre and the Ubisoft team is clearly investing millions to reduce that. Trying to show its legions of fans that, as it gets bigger, it is determined to remain close to the people that have got them this far.

October 10th 2014

MARKETING

[INFO] Released: October 17th Publisher: PQube Distributor: CentreSoft

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

Developer: Milestone

THIS WEEK: MXGP

PQUBE is bringing its oﬃcial motocross title MXGP to next-gen. Released earlier this year on PS3, Xbox 360, Vita and PC, MXGP for PS4 will be supported by a burst of TV advertising around the October 17th launch of the game. In addition to its eﬀorts on TV, PQube is also driving pre-orders with a sustained campaign until launch via social media. This will be followed by a second wave of postlaunch social media advertising. MXGP will be advertised across a range of racing game media, with PQube utilising specialist publications to deliver its online advertising from launch though the busy Christmas period. Leading UK motocross press outlets such as Dirt Bike Rider and MX Vice, who have a track record of delivering PQube’s message to the target demographic, will be running campaigns focused around the PS4 version of MXGP.

Contact: 0121 625 3388

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

GERAINT EVANS Head of Marketing, PQube

MARKETING NEWS NINTENDO | The Wii U and 3DS platform holder is to promote its best-known characters as part of a collaboration with a popular kids’ foodstuff. Nintendo UK has teamed up with international yoghurt brand Yoplait to place characters including Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser on the side of the company’s Petits Filous Frubes. Mario, Luigi, Toadette, Baby Peach, Waluigi and Wario will feature individually on vanilla flavour Frubes.

October 10th 2014

MXGP was a huge success for us earlier this year. It’s a racing title that delivers a very intense, very diﬀerent kind of racing experience from your usual track and road driving simulations. MXGP requires racing fans to consider more than just hitting the apex at the right speed – instead asking players to think about the track in three dimensions, taking into account elevation of the jumps, or the banks of a turn, or condition of the track. Milestone demonstrated this year that there’s a market for the right kind of Motocross racer, and gamers appreciate a racing game that sets itself apart from the competition. MXGP performed excellently for us this year and we’re very pleased to be able to deliver the next-gen version fans demanded so quickly,

with such a huge range of improvements. MXGP has quickly established itself as the best Motocross game in years, and boasts a level of depth unseen in other representations of the sport. The PS4 version of MXGP is the most full featured yet. The track deformation and physics have been completely overhauled – the track gets churned up with each lap, meaning no two races are the same. There are now four more tracks in MXGP on PS4, taking the total to 18, the rider and bike models have been completely remade to take advantage of the PS4’s extra power and, perhaps most importantly, there are now twice as many riders on the track at any given time, seriously upping the intensity and aggression of the races.

Nintendo has teamed up with food ﬁrm Yoplait to place its characters on the ﬁrm’s kids’ snack Frubes

Meanwhile, Bowser Jr, Peach, Baby Luigi, Baby Mario, Super Star, Koopa Troopa, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Goomba and Boo will appear on the strawberry flavour products. In addition to this, consumers who buy Super Mario-branded Frubes will also be given the chance to win prizes ranging from Nintendo 2DS consoles to goody bags. The promotion is now active in stores across the UK, and will run until April 30th, 2015.

www.mcvuk.com

MARKETING

BRAND PROFILE ASSASSIN’S CREED Ubisoft’s senior brand manager Ombeline Marcus discusses the legacy of the historical action series ASSASSIN’S Creed ﬁrst launched in 2007. The ﬁrst game told the story of Altair, an Assassin in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. Players took to the beautiful graphics and charismatic hero and straight away the game shot to the top of the UK All-Formats Charts and became the second fastest-

www.mcvuk.com

release exclusively on Xbox One, PS4 and PC, and Assassin’s Creed Rogue for PS3 and Xbox 360. Unity takes players to the cobblestoned streets of Paris during the French Revolution. As the nation tears itself apart, they will play as a young man named Arno, who embarks upon an extraordinary journey to expose the true powers behind the Revolution. This pursuit will throw players into the middle of a ruthless struggle for the fate of a nation, and transform them into a true master Assassin.

selling new IP on an individual format since 2002. Over the years, the franchise has established itself as one of the biggest in the market, generating over a quarter of a billion pounds and achieving ﬁve All-Format No.1 positions including one for last year’s entry, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. On November 14th, Assassin’s Creed will be coming back even stronger, with two brand new games: the highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Unity, which will

Rogue will take players back to North America, this time during the French-Indian War. For the ﬁrst time ever, the players will experience the Assassin’s Creed universe from the perspective of a Templar. Here, they will follow the story of Shay Patrick Cormac, a young assassin who turns against the Brotherhood after a mission goes tragically wrong. As he joins the Templars, he makes it his sole purpose to wipe out the Assassins in North America.

October 10th 2014

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

GREEN MAN GAMING NAMES PUBLISHING BOSS Rowe to lead Green Man Loaded O Britt new chair at GamesAid O Bandai PR Walsh moves to Apple GREEN MAN GAMING | The online retailer has hired GARY ROWE to head up its new publishing arm Green Man Loaded. Rowe, a veteran of Codemasters and Sega, will serve as EVP of publishing. “I’m thrilled to be leading this exciting new venture” said Rowe. “We already have some impressive projects lined up, and can offer specialist services from an experienced team that are usually only associated with triple-A publishers. “We will be distributing via the GMG network, as well as publishing across all leading distribution channels.”

GAMESAID | STUART DINSEY has stepped down as chair of industry charity GamesAid. He is being replaced by Pokémon Company’s PR manager EMILY BRITT. Dinsey is also stepping down as a trustee for the charity, having served his three-year term. Devolver’s GRAEME STRUTHERS, Warner Bros’ CAT CHANNON and Sega’s DAVID WALKER are similarly stepping down as trustees for the same reason. “I am honoured to step into the big shoes left by Stuart,” said Britt. “What GamesAid does is unique and awesome. It’s the most fun and rewarding work any of us do.”

Green Man Gaming CEO and founder Paul Sulyok added: “Since launching Green Man Gaming in 2010, many of my conversations with developers have been about overcoming the difficult route to market. I know how to sell games, and I’ve become increasingly aware of the gap between successfully making and then selling a game. “Green Man Loaded has been founded to meet the demands of developers and bridge this gap. “I’m 100 per cent confident that Gary will create and deliver what will become the best publishing team in the business; helping to bring a huge range of quality titles to a new audience.”

BANDAI NAMCO | UK PR executive JOSEPH WALSH is departing the publisher at the end of the month. He will be joining tech giant Apple in the role of business specialist. He has worked in his role at Bandai Namco since 2011. “Although I’m sad to be leaving Bandai Namco and will be leaving behind a great team, I’m equally as excited to be joining Apple,” Walsh told MCV. “This isn’t the end of me in the games industry, however, as I hope to remain involved in some capacity – whether that be in games journalism or simply by attending community events.”

AROUND THE INDUSTRY SOLID AUDIOWORKS | Former members of Rockstar North have started new game and movie audio production company Solid Audioworks. Craig Conner and Will Morton worked on the likes of Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire. “Over the last twenty years we have helped shape some of the highest-rated, most technically-demanding and best-selling games in history and we aim to continue that success with Solid Audioworks.” said Craig Conner, former Rockstar North music director. Former dialogue supervisor and senior sound designer Will Morton added: “We’re thrilled to be able to bring our wealth of knowledge and experience in music and sound production to a variety of exciting new games.”

October 10th 2014

FUTURE | The publisher has announced that it plans to combine TotalFilm.com, SFX. co.uk and GamesRadar.com into one website. This will take place with the new-look portal launching in November. GamesRadar.com will host all of Future’s film and sci-fi related content. “This move demonstrates Future’s online strategy at its most joined-up,” said Declan Gough, head of content and marketing for film, games and music. “We have the finest film, TV and sci-fi content in the world thanks to Total Film and SFX, and this year we’ll be combining that with the games know-how of our leading games website. “Our readers and advertisers will soon see the benefits of being part of a huge combined audience.”

www.mcvuk.com

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS 2014

WE ARE PLAYING...

Wednesday, October 15th I was oﬀ last week and binged on Metroid Fusion. I deﬁnitely did not throw my 3DS across the room when it got hard. Christopher Dring, Editor

TRADE TICKETS ON SALE NOW Contact ctallon@nbmedia.com or call 01992 535 647

Now that my Vita has mysteriously come back to life I’m playing the Japanese weirdness that is Danganronpa 2. Alex Calvin, Staﬀ Writer

cdring@nbmedia.com

FINALISTS CED ANNOUN TURN TO PAGE 08

acalvin@nbmedia.com

Toyed with Bloodborne’s Alpha, wrestled with FIFA 15 but most importantly ﬁnished Dark Souls 2’s Ivory King DLC Ben Parﬁtt, Associate Editor

I’ve been slashing my way through Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. I WILL kill you eventually, Horhog Troll Born. Matt Jarvis, Staﬀ Writer

bparﬁtt@nbmedia.com

mjarvis@nbmedia.com

GAMER’S CHOICE PARTNER

RISING STAR PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNER

O S O SO S

Publisher: Michael French mfrench@nbmedia.com

Head of Operations: Stuart Moody smoody@nbmedia.com

Group Sales Manager: Alex.Boucher aboucher@nbmedia.com

Circulation: Lianne Davey ldavey@nbmedia.com

Account Manager: Conor Tallon ctallon@nbmedia.com

Finance Manager: Michael Canham mcanham@nbmedia.com

Production Manager: Alice Sanz asanz@nbmedia.com

Head of Design and Production: Kelly Sambridge ksambridge@nbmedia.com

Designer: Sam Richwood srichwood@nbmedia.com

Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England SG14 1JA Newbay Media specialises in tradededicated print and digital publishing for entertainment and leisure markets. As well as MCV, Newbay 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 ejohnson@nbmedia.com

Special Projects: Lisa Carter lcarter@nbmedia.com

EVENT PARTNERS

S CO

© Newbay 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: Newbay Media, MCV, Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, SG14 1JA. Printed By: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA

AFTER PARTY SPONSOR

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

MCV is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association. For the 12 months ending December 2009, MCV had an average weekly net circulation of 8,045. MCV’s circulation is 100 per cent named and zero per cent duplicated.

THE RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD MCV takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on the biggest issues in the industry. The current members are...

Charlotte Knight GAME

Steve Moore Simply Games

Jon Hayes Tesco

Ketu Patel Amazon

Sarah Jasper The Hut

Phil Moore Grainger Games

David Firth Shop Direct

Don McCabe CHIPS

Gurdeep Hunjan Sainsbury’s

Steve Thomas Xbite

Simon Urquhart Microsoft

Robert Lindsay Games Centre

Igor Cipolletta ShopTo

Dermot Stapleton Get Games

Niall Lawlor GameStop

Phil Browes HMV

Stephen Staley Robert Hennessy Gameseek John Lewis

Paul Sulyok Green Man

James Cooke Argos

Craig Watson Dixons Retail

Editorial: 01992 515303 | Advertising: 01992 535647 | Fax: 01992 535648 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS United Kingdom £150 l Europe £175 l Rest of the World £250 To order your subscription via Visa, Mastercard, Switch or AMEX or to make changes to your subscription details, contact mcv.subscriptions@c-cms.com or call 01580 883848.

www.mcvuk.com

October 10th 2014

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

DATA & RESEARCH Shadow of Mordor storms into UK retail – but it’s not enough to relegate FIFA 15 LORD of the Rings spin-off title Middleearth: Shadow of Mordor launched into UK retail last week. WARNER BROS’ title saw the biggest release to date for a game based on Tolkien’s fantasy world, landing at No.2 in the AllFormats chart. More than half (56 per cent) of the sales were on PS4, with two-fifths opting for Xbox One and only three per cent playing on PC. However, these figues don’t include digital sales – the game topped the PC Steam charts globally. Despite Mordor’s strong debut, EA football juggernaut FIFA 15 remained steadfast at the top of the ranks for a second week running.

It wasn’t just Mordor that presented a newcomer challenge to FIFA – MICROSOFT’s open-world racing title Forza Horizon 2 also saw its release. The Xboxexclusive game is parked at No.3. The third new entry in the Top Five was NINTENDO’s all-star fighting sequel Super Smash Bros for 3DS, which debuted at No.4. The influx of new releases meant that ACTIVISION’s recordbreaking shooter Destiny saw sales fall by 30 per cent, dropping it to fifth place. Meanwhile Watch Dogs by UBISOFT drops out of the Top Ten for the first time, at number 11.

TOP 10 STEAM CHARTS

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 02 10 01 03 RE RE 09 NEW NEW

MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR PUBLISHER: WARNER BROS DEVELOPER: MONOLITH

TITLE PUBLISHER Valve Complete Pack Valve Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (P) 2K Games Life is Feudal: Your Own Bitbox Counter-Strike: Global Oﬀensive Valve Civilization: Beyond Earth (P) 2K Games Borderlands 2: GOTY 2K Games DayZ Bohemia Interactive Starpoint Gemini 2 Iceberg Interactive Payday 2: Hotline Miami 505 Games

TOP 40 UK RETAIL 01

FIFA 15 EA FORMATS: PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC

TW 02 03 04

LW NEW NEW NEW

TITLE MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR FORZA HORIZON 2 SUPER SMASH BROS

FORMAT PS4, XO, PC XO 3DS

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

02 09 03 04 05 07 06 12 10 14 11 16 15 17 08 19 23 26 27 20 22 18 NEW 26 24 25 21 28 31 29 40 37 35 32 33 34

DESTINY MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS THE SIMS 4 WATCH DOGS THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE GRAND THEFT AUTO V THE LAST OF US REMASTERED TOMODACHI LIFE LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES TERRARIA FANTASY LIFE FROZEN: OLAF’S QUEST BATTLEFIELD 4 HYRULE WARRIORS WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG SNIPER ELITE III DIABLO III: ROS – ULTIMATE EVIL EDN CRIMES & PUNISHMENTS: SHERLOCK HOLMES MARIO KART 8 METRO REDUX SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE TITANFALL SKATE 3 RAYMAN LEGENDS INFAMOUS: FIRST LIGHT EA SPORTS UFC NEED FOR SPEED RIVALS JUST DANCE 2014 MADDEN NFL 15 LEGO THE HOBBIT RESIDENT EVIL 6

PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision PS4, PS3 Sony PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Vita, PC Disney 360 Microsoft PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Activision PC EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA PS3, 360 Rockstar PS4 Sony 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge 3DS Nintendo 3DS, DS GSP/Avanquest PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA Wii U Nintendo PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Blizzard PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Focus Home Interactive Wii U Nintendo PS4, XO, PC Deep Silver PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Wii Activision XO, 360, PC EA PS3, 360 EA PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Vita Ubisoft PS4 Sony PS4, XO EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360 EA PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS3, 360, PC Capcom

Week ending October 4th

October 10th 2014 2014

DEVELOPER: EA PUBLISHER Warner Bros Microsoft Nintendo

Week ending October 4th

www.mcvuk.com

DATA ANALYSIS Source

TOP 10 IPAD PAID CHARTS

TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL FORMAT

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

LW 01 04 NEW 03 NEW 06 NEW NEW 05 06 NEW 07 08 12 09 11 13 14 17

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

FIFA 15 EA FORMAT: 360

DEVELOPER: EA

TITLE FIFA 15 FIFA 15 MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR FIFA 15 FORZA HORIZON 2 SUPER SMASH BROS MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR FORZA HORIZON 2 DESTINY DESTINY MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION DESTINY MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION THE SIMS 4 DESTINY DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 THE LAST OF US REMASTERED TOMODACHI LIFE

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

PUBLISHER EA EA Warner Bros EA Microsoft Nintendo Warner Bros Microsoft Activision Activision Sony Activision Microsoft Sony EA Activision Disney Sony Nintendo

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Five Nights at Freddy’s Goat Simulator Flightradar24 Pro The Chase Terraria Pumped BMX 2 Notability Photon Flash Player for iPad Swype – Keyboard

PUBLISHER Scott Cawthon Coﬀee Stain Studios Flightradar24 AB Barnstorm Games 505 Games Yeah Us! Ginger Labs Appsverse Inc Nuance Communications

Week ending September 28th

TOP 10 IPHONE PAID CHARTS

Week ending October 4th

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

PUMPED BMX 2 DEVELOPER: YEAH US!

TITLE Swype – Keyboard 7 Minute Workout Challenge Minecraft – Pocket Edition Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock Goat Simulator Fantasy Premier League 2015/15 Heads Up! The Oﬃcial DVSA Theory Test Afterlight

PUBLISHER Nuance Communications Fitness Guide Inc Mojang Northcube AB Coﬀee Stain Studios Premier League Warner Bros TSO Afterlight Collective

TOP 10 XBOX LIVE (UK) 01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW RE RE RE 02 01 03 04 06 07

Week ending September 28th

TOP 10 GOOGLE PLAY CHARTS

ASSASSIN’S CREED LIBERATION HD

UBISOFT TITLE FAR CRY CLASSIC BEYOND GOOD & EVIL HD HD BATTLEFIELD 1943 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION SLENDER: THE ARRIVAL TERRARIA: XBOX 360 EDITION APOCZ CASTLEMINER Z AVATAR WARFARE

PUBLISHER Ubisoft Ubisoft EA Microsoft Midnight City 505 Games Sick Kreation DigitalDNA DigitalDNA

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Theory Test UK 2014 Goat Simulator Flightradar24 Pro The Chase The Room Poweramp Full Version Nova Launcher Prime Football Manager Handheld Edition AllCast Premium

PUBLISHER Focus Multimedia Coﬀee Stain Studios Flightradar24 AB Barnstorm Games Fireproof Games Max MP TeslaCoil Software Sega ClockworkMod

Week ending October 4th

PRESENTS

5 SECOND FACTS $750

Zombie survival game State 2K is to release a of Decay has now sold two statue based on the Goliath million copies on PC and monster from upcoming Xbox 360 shooter Evolve. It costs $750 and weighs 16kg

www.mcvuk.com

Correct as of October 6th

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

20%

130

The success rate of video games funded on Kickstarter is down 20 per cent yearon-year, according to consultancy ﬁrm ICO Partners

Angry Birds developer Rovio is to ‘simplify’ its organisation by cutting 16 per cent of its workforce – or 130 jobs

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

www.pdp.com October 10th 2014

RETAIL ROUNDTABLE Sponsored by

TALKING SHOP Tesco, Amazon, Games Centre, Go2Games, Xbox, Xbite and ShopTo discuss merchandise, the next wave of Xbox One and PS4 consumers and the rise of digital MCV: What are the biggest challenges you face going into Q4? James Rowson, ShopTo: There’s more of a divide between the big and the small today. At the [Games Retail 2020] conference, Dorian Bloch [Chart-Track director] put up figures that scares any small privately-owned independent business with the news that six retailers are 83 per cent of the total market, and that ten games account for 36 per cent of the business. There are people who go after the mass market and the big volumes, and for anyone left in-between it’s diversify or die. As a hardcore independent specialist we’ve really seen two splits. GAME is looking after exclusive products such as DLC, added value and differentiating through that way, there’s definitely a price-fight going on elsewhere and we were in the middle looking to see which strategy should we tag onto. The reality is we need to find other products, other markets other channels and making sure our business is alive next year. It’s only going to get worse. EA used to have 50 or 60 releases a year, now it only has 10... FIFA alone is going to account for over 50 per cent of EA’s business. After all the hype and excitement last year with the two new consoles and a fantastic launch period and support from the hardware manufactures, now we’re back to reality. It’s a quick way down. MCV: So what are you looking to stock differently? Frazer Locke, Amazon: Today there are a couple of areas touched upon which are growing

October 10th 2014

know about the assets and what the plan is. If we could all increase the basket spend per customer, we’d all be fine. But the products just aren’t available to do that. It’s a frustrating and oldfashioned approach. MCV: As we go in Q4, both Microsoft and Sony have spoken to us about the second generation of consumer, those that have held off. What do you think it’ll take to persuade them to upgrade? Robert Lindsay, Games Centre: The day one adopters picked up [the consoles] because they would have got them anyway. There’s since been this gap where there’s not been enough products. But it’s about volume, because you will get to a tipping point where your friends buy the machines, and so you need to get one in order to not be isolated from the group. It’s a chain effect.

in the market segment. Such as digital and games related merchandise – both exciting areas which help support the wider proposition. Q4 has always been seen as the crazy time but it’s been crazy all year to be frank. We’ve moved to a time where there’s a lot of focus on new release, whilst maintaining a catalogue of other products and helping to build a better communication channel with customers. So you build a basket, you build retention and high margin areas such as gamesrelated merchandise and hopefully digital sales as well. I imagine you’ll see a different Q4 in terms of the games offer this year.

The more games coming, the more people will tip over to the new systems because of games like FIFA 15 and GTA V. Pav Bhardwaj, Xbox

Steve Thomas, Xbite: Do you not feel the merchandise business model is a bit backwards? I’m used to pre-orders being a big part of our business. What can we offer? We can offer them a video game. Then what? I’ve got the customer willing to buy and I could have 20 add-on products, but they don’t release them until after the game. These companies

Pav Bhardwaj, Xbox. You’re right, there’s a tipping point and I think the more games that are coming out, the more people will tip over to the Gen 8 experience because you’ve got games such as FIFA 15, Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty and Minecraft. All of these games are huge for the community as they can play their friends online and that ultimate experience of multiplayer. If the whole community is on Xbox 360 or PS3, you have no incentive to move across. This Christmas is going to be that tipping point for a lot of people. They’ve held out, they’ve waited for all the big updates to come, all the pricing changes, and now it’s here.

www.mcvuk.com

RETAIL ROUNDTABLE

People need a huge amount of incentive to move from the old consoles

Thomas: If you go back twelve months – and remember I’m new to the industry – did you think that the transition would be so quick? Jon Hayes, Tesco: The difference this time is that the competition between the two consoles has sped things up. And, of course, the UK is such an important market for both Microsoft and Sony. There has also been offers to encourage the transition to new consoles. This could be seen with Titanfall launching earlier on Xbox One than Xbox 360. Locke: The previous generation machines were very good as well, which has slowed things down. If you think about previous transitions, the gap between what the machines could do was vast. What Xbox One can do versus Xbox 360 is great if you’re a gamer, but from a massmarket perspective is it enough to command a £350 price point? So there’s still some convincing to do. But it’s happening. There was a great Xbox ad at the weekend that

www.mcvuk.com

just reeled off lots of little clips of all the titles available on Xbox One. Microsoft held up their hands that they’d missed a trick at launch talking about games. But actually now there’s a lot of momentum for the portfolio that’s coming, which is great. We’re seeing that in pre-orders.

Microsoft missed a trick talking about games. But now there’s a lot of momentum. We’re seeing that in the pre-orders.

Bhardwaj: The core gamers have already bought it into Gen 8 and now you’ve got slightly broader core gamers who are buying the consoles because it’s all about the games. Again it goes back to community around what your mates are playing. Going back to your point Frazer, the industry did such a good job of selling the previous consoles and all the games and digital content for them, people have made a huge investment in those machines. It’s about giving them enough incentive to get them to move across. That’s going to be a challenge this Christmas.

Frazer Locke, Amazon UK

Rowson: There aren’t many products that come out and last

six or seven years. You think about Apple, which has to give you a new piece of hardware every year. There’s been a few reasons really for the speed for it, mostly just massive pent up demand from the hardcore gamers point of view. The big issue is exemplified by the fact Microsoft didn’t release a first-party title apart from Kinect Sports Rivals for seven months after the initial launch, so to follow up a massive global launch with nothing from the first party scene was a bit unique. Likewise most of Sony’s products are next year apart from DriveClub. It’s really stretching it out now. But that’s ok, because people are now looking at a life cycle being six or seven years rather than in the old days, which was get everything out as quickly as possible. There’s lots of comments about the Nintendo formats and how well they did. But it literally saturated so quickly that it also stopped quickly. Both Xbox and PlayStation are focused clearly on gaming and there’s enough people out there to be buying the consoles. It’s going to

October 10th 2014

RETAIL ROUNDTABLE Sponsored by

even PS2, certain retailers lowered the price and got longevity through a new band of customers. Back then it was £100 per console, £20 per game. This hasn’t quite happened this time. There are people who want to move into the new consoles, but £350 is too much, but even £200 is still a bit rich. We did really well with the old consoles at the end of the PS2’s tail. There’s still a lot of people who would buy Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 if the price was right.

Xbox One’s uses as a media device will help it sell, says Constantinides

be a really exceptional Christmas in terms of competition. Which way it’s going to pan out? I’m not sure right now. Craig Constantinides, Go2Games: The media box element for Microsoft is important. My dad has an Xbox One because it’s addressing the fact that a lot of people aren’t just into gaming. My dad had a Sony box to make his TV smart, a DVD player, and this and that. Xbox One does it all, and I’m not even sure he realises it yet. Bhardwaj : All the entertainment stuff is great but it’s almost an add-on to the gaming experience. You have to make the gaming

October 10th 2014

experience amazing and then customers may start using that device to watch Netflix etc, but it’s the gaming experience that’s core of what the customer wants to do. That’s what we’re trying to focus on this Christmas.

There are people who want the new consoles, but £350 is too much, and even £200 for the old machines is a bit rich.

MCV: Is there much left in the Xbox 360 and PS3 market? Hayes: There is still a massive install base on Xbox 360 and PS3. With the right product, at the right price, there are still lots of life left in these fantastic consoles. With titles such as Infinity, Skylanders and FIFA there is still a lot of great content out there for the whole family.

James Rowson, ShopTo

Rowson: The prices haven’t dropped. In the older generations,

MCV: What role do you expect digital download codes to play? Lindsay: The digital market is fragmented. The games market is going in a digital direction, but each publisher is doing different things. At an indie level we’ve had full support from Sony, Microsoft has just come on board with subscriptions and Nintendo are finalising their offering as we speak. The digital RRPs are all over the place and are higher than on boxed product for certain lines. It’s frustrating because you can see the potential that’s there. It’s going to take six months to a year for publishers to figure it out. I’m not totally convinced that they really know how they want retail to be involved although they are aware that it’s additional revenue. It’s not cannibalising the sales they already have and it’s also educating consumers about products that they weren’t aware of or didn’t fully understand. In the next year we’ll have a better idea where digital is going. Thomas: It’s a suck it and see period really. One of our other major concerns is the publishers wanting to retail themselves. I’ve seen it in other industries. The benefit from us is we have the whole product range, they’ll only have specific ranges. You are having to go to a number of retailers if you want to go down that route. But publishers and platforms selling their own games will definitely be part of the retail landscape as we go forward.

www.mcvuk.com

ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT EVENTS IN THE GAMES BUSINESS

2014 Wednesday, October 15th TRADE TICKETS ON SALE NOW Contact ctallon@nbmedia.com or call 01992 535 647

FINALISTS CED ANNOUN TURN TO PAGE 08

GAMER’S CHOICE PARTNER

RISING STAR PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNER

EVENT PARTNERS

FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT ABOUCHER@NBMEDIA.COM | 01992 535 647

AFTER PARTY SPONSOR

THE BIG GAME THE WALKING DEAD

THE WALKING DEAD

TELLING TALES The second season of Telltale’s the Walking Dead is shuﬄing onto shelves shortly, and in the process is making its next-gen debut. Alex Calvin speaks to the studio about the series’ success, how to make quality licensed games and the episodic model

Release Date: October 24th Formats: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 Developer: Telltale Games Publisher: Avanquest Software

he Walking Dead lives again; the first and second seasons of the awardwinning episodic video game series are rising up on next-gen platforms for the first time. It’s obviously a jump in terms of hardware, but developer Telltale has come a long way itself since releasing the very first episode of the series back in 2012. “The first season ended up a lot different than it was in the process of developing it,” says Kevin Boyle, executive producer for the game. “Especially when you go back to the first episode where we were slightly outside of our comfort zone and trying something that’s a lot less gamified than we’re accustomed to. We didn’t know how players would respond to what was set up. “The whole hook of the game is the emotional attachment to these characters. It was new ground for us. There was a lot of

October 10th 2014

testing of water going on there in developing the first season. “By the time we kicked off the second season we had a really good understanding of what worked and what was less successful, what we struggled with versus what came easily and what players really understood. “There were certainly a lot of new challenges with moving away from Lee as the hero, and moving forward with [11 year-old protagonist] Clementine created some new creative challenges for us. There was a lot of ground we covered in the first season that was panic-inducing then but feels a lot more comfortable now.”

There are people who with the closing of the second season have decided that they’re going to take a crack at the ﬁrst season, and they’ve moved onto the new generation of consoles.

BITING INTO NEXT-GEN Not only is the second season coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 as a boxed collection of all five episodes, but the first and second seasons are making their nextgen debut. But this is different to

Kevin Boyle, Telltale Games

other next gen updates, such as The Last of Us Remastered and Metro Redux, because the game hasn’t been rebuilt from the ground up for the newer machines. “Availability is the key thing there,” Boyle explains. “And obviously performance when it comes to handling the assets. The performance is phenomenal. It really is the same content. There are people who with the closing of the second season have decided that they’re going to take a crack at the first season, and they’ve moved onto this generation of consoles. They don’t have to go back to their older machines.” COLLABORATIVE CREATION It’s fair to say that The Walking Dead is something of an anomaly by being one of the few licensed video games to be widely considered to be of a

www.mcvuk.com

THE WALKING DEAD THE BIG GAME

IN LITTLE PIECES

high quality. In developing The Walking Dead, the team at Telltale initially worked closely with the comic’s creator Robert Kirkman and his publishing label, Skybound Entertainment, to ensure that the games fit the world of The Walking Dead. “Obviously when we’re starting and setting up our intent for a season, that’s the point where we do the most collaboration with Robert, just making sure that our intent is in line with his world in terms of tone and where we want to go and how it may or may not relate to timeline and places that he’s getting into,” says Boyle. “As we roll on and develop scripts and outlines for future episodes those are routed through Skybound and he gets to see them. It’s more a matter of confirmation that we’re in the place we spoke about and

www.mcvuk.com

TELLTALE releases its games episodically, in a time when most publishers have dropped the model. So why does it continue to release its games this way? “The episode model fits really well with the style of storytelling that we do,” explains executive producer Kevin Boyle. “People are accustomed to consuming serial content through HBO and TV, and it’s an interesting way to extend the life of your interaction with these players. “The brain space that the peril that you left this character in at end of the previous episode is taking up is way more significant when they can’t just resolve that crisis and are left to dwell on it and talk with people about it. It’s an interesting way for us to interact with our players and for our players to interact with each other. “Regarding the types of stories we tell, typically we’ll look to tell a season arc broken into five episodes, each with their own fairly complete thing to say that relates to this broader arc. “It’s just a really interesting format in general. I don’t view it as a problem that applies to our content, I view it as the structure best suited to the games we’re making. Something for us to lean on as an advantage.“

everything still makes sense and is in line with the brand. “After the first season Robert and his team have put a lot of trust into Telltale. Checking each season to ensure we’re in the right part of the timeline. Season two definitely goes in its own direction as opposed to season one where a few comic characters such as Glen and Hershel pop up. “That was a conscious decision, to ground players in the familiar, take these touchstones from the original material and weave them into our own story, our place and time. It was less important to do that going forward; we used that as a jumping-off point to tell Clementine’s story. We started the second season in a place that is distant from specific events in the comics. But the themes of The Walking Dead are still heavily represented there.”

October 10th 2014

THE BIG GAME THE WALKING DEAD

The Walking Dead sees players make choices that can mean life or death for characters

LICENCE TO THRILL The positive reception Telltale’s Walking Dead games constantly receive is in stark contrast to the other recently released game based on the TV series, Activision’s The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. Given that the two games are based on similar source material, what did Telltale’s games do right that Activision’s title did so wrong? “I can speak directly to what we did right with The Walking Dead,” Boyle responds. “When we look at The Walking Dead you can look at it and see the main character Rick as a cop that’s good with a gun and he’s going to kill lots of zombies. “That’s true, but the real thing that grabbed me is that this is a man with responsibilities for people that trump his own personal safety. He has to figure out how to raise a boy – his son, Carl – in a world where everything has gone to hell and he’s got a

October 10th 2014

marriage that’s in this really bad spot for reasons out of his control. “It’s all this human stuff thrown into the context of how awful things have become that makes it interesting. How to be a badass when surrounded by zombies is less interesting than the question of ‘How do I care for someone that’s vulnerable?’ and protecting their innocence is more important than preparing them for the awful things that are bound to come to them. It’s the human stuff that really gets amped up in the context of the zombie apocalypse.“

Some people just prefer the physical medium and having something they can hold in their hand. Kevin Boyle, Telltale Games

DIGITAL UNDEAD So as we approach The Walking Dead’s retail release, why should fans go out and pick up the boxed product when the digital edition has been available for a while now, and is considerably cheaper as well? “There are definitely people who need to play every episode the moment they come out and get

through them as quickly as they can,” Boyle proposes. “There are others who want to avoid spoilers and to consume the entire season in a single binge run because they don’t want to wait between episodes. “There are also people who are late to the party who maybe never played the first season and they’re taking the opportunity now to get caught up on it. “There are a lot of different ways to interact with content and we want to support all of them. If you’re excited about this game and you really want your friend to play it, you’re not likely to login on their console and download it for them.” He concludes: “Some people just prefer the physical medium and having something they can hold in their hand. Really it just fits with our philosophy of facilitating people playing games, wherever and whenever they want to. That’s part of that broader strategy.”

www.mcvuk.comJ

INTERVIEW VARIABLE STATE

FREEDOM IN VIRGINIA A new title hopes to bring the surreal storytelling of cult 1990s TV shows to the medium of video games. Matthew Jarvis catches up with developer Variable State to talk about why it went indie and the creative benefits of being made redundant

In a café, a besuited investigator clutches the mugshot of a boy on a poster; above, the word ‘MISSING’ is printed in block text. This scene could be mistaken for the opening of an early ‘90s TV drama, but instead it’s one of the many vignettes in upcoming firstperson interactive game Virginia, developed by Variable State. Variable State is comprised of industry stalwarts Jonathan Burroughs and Terry Kenny, who between them have worked at high-profile games firms including EA, Rare and Rockstar. The partnership is aided by film composer Lyndon Holland. Virginia follows an FBI agent and her partner as they attempt to solve the disappearance of a young boy in the titular state. Inspired by ‘90s TV mystery dramas, the game places importance on atmosphere over complexity of gameplay. BREAKING OUT The team explains the freedom needed to make such a game wouldn’t have been possible at a standard studio. “For a number of years there’s been this rapid indie renaissance; people coming to indie games inspired by examples of people like [Minecraft creator] Markus Persson and [Braid creator] Jonathan Blow and because of greater accessibility of free software tools like Unity,” Burroughs says. “It was incredible to be working in studios and seeing these stories of people breaking out of the studio way of doing things and making games that were very personal to them. “There was a frustration that I wasn’t getting to be a part of that. It felt like that was the cutting-edge

October 10th 2014

at AI firm DeepMind Technologies, Burroughs and Kenny were granted the chance to do their own thing when Google purchased the company earlier this year. “That moment in January when Terry and I got laid off and had some redundancy money felt like the first time in years that I had had a real opportunity,” recalls Burroughs. “I wish I’d been able to do it earlier.” Kenny adds: “As soon as we had the money and time to do it, it wasn’t a question of whether we were going to do it or not. It was just what game we were going to make.”

Burroughs (right), Kenny (right, middle) and Holland (far right) are working on Virginia

of games and where the most interesting and fresh material was being made. It felt so progressive. For me to then be working on a free-to-play iOS game that was so entrenched in the commercial and marketing side of things was dispiriting and depressing. It felt like I didn’t really have a personal output. I wanted to be part of that scene.” It’s a similar experience for Holland, who has moved from film to games. “Working in film can be a bit limiting, because directors can be very controlling,” he explains. “I was happy to work with a team where there’s a bit more free rein and ownership over the soundtrack.”

We’re not looking to release something that’s a runaway sensational hit. Jonathan Burroughs, Variable State

SET FREE Initially planning the game in their spare time while working together

FUTURE STORIES Virginia combines the surreal drama of shows like Twin Peaks and The X-Files with the abstract storytelling of indie hits like Blendo Games’ Thirty Flights of Loving. Variable State says games such as these are a sign of where the market is headed. “There’s so much ground to be broken,” states Kenny. “When you look at Blendo Games’ output, each title has these fantastic moments with such clever and new and fresh pieces of design. There’s just so much stuff to be discovered and so many interesting things you can do. Now is a great time to get out there and start looking for opportunities to do that. “There’s always an audience for people who want to hear stories.” Burroughs asserts: “There is an opportunity now to make a living off of weird, novel, story-driven games. “We’re not looking to release something that’s a runaway sensational hit. If we can put a game out, have it attract an audience who enjoy it and from the proceeds of that be able to make another game, that would be the dream come true.”

www.mcvuk.com

RRP

9 9 . 4 £2 T H

17 ER OB T C O

RRP

£24.99

2 4 TH OCTOBE R RRP

9 9 . 9 £1 S T

31 ER OB T C O

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ^ĂůĞƐ >ƚĚ͘ Tel: +44 (0)1869 338833 ǁǁǁ͘ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚͲƐĂůĞƐ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬ ƚƌĂĚĞΛĐŽŶƚĂĐƚͲƐĂůĞƐ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬ

>ŝŶŬ ŝƐƚƌŝďƵƟ ŽŶ Tel: +44 (0)1274 684 668 ǁǁǁ͘ůŝŶŬĚŝƐƚƌŝďƵƟ ŽŶͲƵŬ͘ĐŽŵ ŝŶĨŽΛůŝŶŬĚŝƐƚƌŝďƵƟ ŽŶͲƵŬ͘ĐŽŵ

2014

Wednesday, November 19th

One Wimpole Street, London

THE CHANGING FACE OF VIDEO GAMES MARKETING BUILDING REACH & ENGAGEMENT Full-day conference and networking event featuring expert advice from

Event Partner

Livestreaming Partner

BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW Tickets £199 at early bird rate (£349 from October 22nd) www.londongamesconference.com/buy-tickets or contact smather@nbmedia.com or call 020 7354 6001

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES STILL AVAILABLE Contact aboucher@nbmedia.com or ctallon@nbmedia.com or call 01992 535 646

PROJECT SPARK

CREATIVE SPARK Forget Minecraft for a few moments, there’s a new world-building game coming to Xbox One. MCV speaks with Xbox UK’s Anna Mostyn Williams to find out more about Project Spark

t may have splashed $2.5bn on Minecraft, but Xbox has another game creation tool in its arsenal. It’s called Project Spark. It’s a game-maker, of sorts. A little like Minecraft, a little like LittleBigPlanet, but also its own thing entirely. And it has hit the headlines for all sorts of interesting reasons. Take E3 this year, the game’s demo on stage involved the surprise appearance of Conker The Squirrel, the foul-mouthed hero last seen in Conker: Live and Reloaded in 2005. It received a few excited murmurings. Conker may not be quite iconic or popular enough to warrant a full new game. So why not just give it the community so they can build their own titles? “We’re incredibly excited to bring a classic IP like Conker back to video games in Project Spark,” Xbox UK product marketing manager Anna Mostyn Williams tells MCV. “His appearance will be some time in the future. Beyond that, we aren’t sharing any additional specifics.” It’s not just about creating games, either. One of the early pieces of promotion for Project Spark was a collaboration with US nu-metal stadium rock band Linkin Park. The firm built its entire video for Guilty All The Same (the first single from the band’s new album The Hunting Party) using the game, a video that has now been seen 2.6m times. “The breath of creativity from the Spark community amazes me - ranging from versions of classics such as Tetris to the

www.mcvuk.com

Project Spark will allow consumers to create their very own games

recreation of the first level of Fable,” says Williams. “I’ve also seen the iconic Gangnam Style dance recreated using Kinect.”

There have been over 1m installs of the Project Spark beta.

WHAT IS PROJECT SPARK? Announced on stage at Microsoft’s E3 2013 press event, the title is a brand new IP developed by Seattle-based Team Dakota. It’s one in which players are able to create, play and share their own games. “Project Spark is a powerful, yet simple way to build and play your own worlds, stories, and games,” says Mostyn Williams. “Gamers can share all of their creations to a dynamic community, and can play what other players have made.”

Anna Mostyn Williams, Xbox

All of this is very well and good, but Project Spark is going up against established game creation franchise LittleBigPlanet 3 in the Q4 period. And now that Microsoft has Minecraft under its belt how is Project Spark going to set itself apart from Mojang’s blockbuster sandbox and create’em-up, and Sony’s similar title? “Project Spark is entirely focused on empowering people to make both their games and imagination come to life,” Mostyn Williams explains. “We have a rich visual programming language so players can create AI, gameplay, game conditions and more. “It’s an amazing new experience that is 100 per cent customisable. “It’s accessible to everyone with instructive tutorials to get

October 10th 2014

PROJECT SPARK

The boxed version of Project Spark includes exclusive content packs

started, while offering hundreds of hours of gameplay. It features a quick and simple way to make your own games with Crossroads, and a precise editor allowing you to change even the smallest of details in your world. You can also bring things to life by adding full brains to objects, or by editing a brain line-by-line.” The game opened in beta earlier this year, and Microsoft was rather impressed with the response it received. “We’ve had a fantastic reception to the Project Spark beta: there have been over 1m installs on Windows 8 and Xbox One, over 4m user generated levels downloaded and more than 5m play sessions to date,” Mostyn Williams says. BOXED MAGIC Project Spark is available as a

October 10th 2014

free download from Xbox Live. But there is also a physical version available at retail. But why should consumers go out and pick up the boxed version of Project Spark? “The box edition contains exclusive new content packs and features which will help consumers create wonderful worlds,” Mostyn Williams says. Xbox boasts that developer Team Dakota is going to be adding extra content over time. The studio has already released a science fiction themed content pack entitled Galaxies, as well as a selection of co-operative missions called Champion’s Quest and four-player multiplayer. This is on top of the introduction of Champions, characters that evolve and change over time when playing the game. “With these pieces of content, the retail title contains over £65

The range of creations in Project Spark never fails to amaze me, ranging from Tetris to the first level of Fable. Anna Mostyn Williams, Xbox

worth of value for only £29.99,” Mostyn Williams says.” The game isn’t just available for free on Xbox Live, but fans can also use some aspects of Project Spark for free, without subscribing to Xbox Live Gold. “There is no requirement for Xbox Live Gold to create content, play levels, or share your creations,” Williams explains.” But you need Xbox Live Gold for online multiplayer. “Multiplayer provides fourplayer creation and play in a single level, for immediate collaboration between friends and multiplayer play of usergenerated titles, such as MOBAs and strategy games.” She concludes: “Project Spark has a very robust community that is easy to share to, remix other’s creations, and play endless games.“

www.mcvuk.com

DRIVE TOGETHER WIN TOGETHER ON

THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL CONSOLE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK

#DRIVEclub A GUIDE TO SKUS AND DLC

PS4 CONSOLE BUNDLE PS+ EDITION UPGRADE

Game + Console + DS4

GAMER BUNDLE

standard edition

SEASON PASS Access to 6 vehicle packs and 6 tour events as soon as they’re released (October - JUNE) TOUR EVENTS CONSIST OF A UNIQUE SET OF TRACKS, CHALLENGES AND GOALS TO BEAT, TO EARN FAME FOR YOU AND YOUR CLUB. WITH AN RRP OF £19.99 THIS GIVES ALMOST £65 WORTH OF CONTENT IF PURCHASED INDIVIDUALLY.

Game + Console + 2 DS4s + Camera

SEASON PASS

CLUB-BASED RACING DRIVECLUB ISN’T A SOLO PURSUIT FOR FIRST PLACE. IT’S ABOUT JOINING A TEAM, CREATING A LEGACY AND WORKING TOGETHER TO BRING YOUR CLUB FAME AND GLORY

START OR JOIN A TEAM

PICK YOUR COLOUR AND LIVERY

CHOOSE A LOGO

CHALLENGES COMPETE AGAINST OTHER PLAYERS WITH UNIQUE IN-RACE CHALLENGES CALLED FACE OFFS.

CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FACTORS FOR EACH RACE.

RACE TYPE

LOCATION

TRACK

TIME OF DAY

TIMELAPSE SPEED

WEATHER

CROWD SIZE

driveclub records performance data for the entire race, even if you don’t come first.

when you nail any section of a race better than anyone else, everyone in your club benefits from your success. and if you’re feeling confident, challenge another rival.

drive together, win together

PLAYSTATION® 4 GAMES

CALENDAR 2014 YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON

OCTOBER OCT

MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR

OUT NOW

MINECRAFT PS4 EDITION

OUT NOW

ALIEN: ISOLATION

14 24 24 24 31

OCT OCT OCT OCT OCT

OCT OCT OCT OCT OCT OCT

OUT NOW

10 DRIVECLUB 10 SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM 10 NBA 2K15

THE EVIL WITHIN JUST DANCE 2015 SAMURAI WARRIORS 4 SINGSTAR: ULTIMATE PARTY LORDS OF THE FALLEN

NOVEMBER NOV

4 11 13 14 14 18

CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE THE CREW PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2015 LEGO BATMAN 3: BEYOND GOTHAM ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY

18 21 21 21 28

NOV NOV NOV NOV NOV

NOV NOV NOV NOV NOV NOV

“2”and “PlayStation” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Also, “-” is a trademark of the same company. DRIVECLUB™ ©2013 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by Evolution Studios. “DRIVE CLUB” is a trademark or a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “DRIVECLUB logo” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All rights reserved.

GRAND THEFT AUTO V DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION PROJECT CARS WWE 2K15 LITTLEBIGPLANET 3

FAR CRY 4

VISIT UK.PLAYSTATION.COM/PS4/GAMES TO FIND OUT MORE AND VIEW FUTURE RELEASES

#4ThePlayers

FREE-TO-PLAY

FREE-TO-PLAY’S BAD NAME Even though some of the world’s biggest games use the model, the term ‘free-toplay’ has become tainted. Alex Calvin speaks to some of the biggest players in the sector to find out the challenges faced by this prosperous sector

ou might be mistaken for thinking that the free-to-play model is in trouble. It’s under attack. Parents have complained of children racking up huge bills. In January the Office for Fair Trading released guidelines to ensure that companies were rightfully informing consumers of any possible costs embedded into free-to-play titles. Then the European Commision got involved, and in July ruled that all free-to-play games had to warn consumers of potential costs. But it’s not just parents. Gamers have criticised freemium titles for being too concerned about making money, and being of poor quality. However, some of the biggest and most popular games in the world are free-to-play, so how did it come to bear such negative connotations? “This can be explained by the recent impact of a limited number of games that abused the underlying behavioural psychology of in-app purchases in order to increase conversion pressure and maximise user return on investment,” says Kai Hitzer, director of marketing at free-toplay studio Deep Silver Fishlabs. “These games certainly give free-to-play a bad name. Even though they are not representative of the industry.” Mark Robinson, CEO of analytics firm DeltaDNA, adds: “Free-to-play has come under attack because as an industry we have been continually learning how to make good free-to-play environments. Up until now many retention mechanics have been clunky and monetisation mechanics have been harsh.

www.mcvuk.com

“This is not a surprise as it is incredibly difficult to build a wellbalanced game. This is exacerbated by the fact that many players are coming to games for the first time. But things are improving very quickly with player segmentation and game personalisation now being used much more frequently to understand different experiences and make a better environment for all players.”

(Top) Riot’s free-to-play title League of Legend made $614m in 2013 (Above, left to right) Deep Silver Fishlab’s Hitzer, Sega’s Olson, UKIE’s Twist, DeltaDNA’s Robinson, Gamesbrief’s Lovell.

Current negative impressions of free-toplay are likely a result of poor implementation and aren’t an accurate reflection of the viability of the business model.

GROWING PAINS Chris Olsen, vice president of Sega Networks, argues that the negative perception is simply growing pains, and that the industry is just not used to this business model yet. “New developments in games are often met with scepticism, which is understandable,” he says. “But we all know that the market is constantly evolving. If you look back 10 years, when Valve launched Steam, there was generally negative sentiment around it. Today, Steam has its own

Chris Olsen, Sega Networks

place in the video games landscape and has developed into a robust business model. I think that free-toplay will follow the same path. “Current negative impressions are likely a result of poor implementation and aren’t an accurate reflection of the viability of the business model.” But Nicholas Lovell, founder of games business website Gamesbrief, dismisses the negativity, positing that most people are actually open to the model. “Six of the ten top grossing games in the world in 2014 are free-toplay,” he says. “The most successful eSports games are dominated by free-to-play games like League of Legends and World of Tanks. 99 of the top 100 grossing games in the App Store are free-to-play. “It is successful, popular and bringing games to new gamers – often on tablet and mobile – while also appealing to core gamers on PC and in the browser.”

October 10th 2014

FREE-TO-PLAY

But Lovell admits that there are issues in this part of the industry. “There are some challenges. We’ve had companies lose their creativity, like Zynga,” he says. “We still don’t have default password requirements on many mobile stores, leading to charges being racked up on games without the bill payer’s approval. We continue to have some players who hate the business model. Which is fair enough. But we also see it as a business model that brings gaming to many people, that is free for many people, and that lets those who love the game spend lots of money on things they value, usually in a social context. It is a powerful response to the threat of the race to zero and of piracy, and it is a good thing for the industry as a whole.” WHAT’S IN A NAME? The likes of the App Store and Google Play Store now have to carry warnings of potential costs within free-to-play games. Could this impact the model’s performance? Lovell responds: “I don’t believe it will put off consumers in the long term. It is a good thing that people know if there are costs in a game. Education and an audience who understand what we do is a good thing.” This is a sentiment shared by UKIE CEO Jo Twist: “Providing clear and upfront information about what is available to buy in a game is responsible and also within keeping in relation to consumer protection laws that govern how to sell and market to consumers across any platform and any sector. Players love games and want clear information, which is what platforms, publishers and developers provide.” While Hitzer agrees that the warnings are necessary, he adds his belief that the effect is benefical in another way, giving free-to-play an edge akin to health warnings on ‘cigarette packets’. “Disclaimers like those actually inspire some potential customers, providing the product with a

October 10th 2014

certain air of edginess or danger,” he says. “In turn this gives consumers the feeling of doing something brave, forbidden or dangerous – which might actually just make it attractive again.” DOING IT RIGHT Of course, a number of the world’s biggest games are free-to-play. Candy Crush Saga brought in $1.5bn in 2013, while Puzzles and Dragons made $1.7bn in the same time frame, and blockbuster MOBA League of Legends took away $614m. All of these are all insanely popular titles that use the model. So what are they doing right? “The most important thing is that designers should think hard about how they want players to feel,” suggests Lovell. “They should focus on selling identity and self-expression, with items which may or may not be game-affecting.

Candy Crush Saga made $1.5bn in 2013 and is played by 93m people daily

ARE FREE-TO-PLAY TITLES ‘REAL’ GAMES? THE negative connotations associated with free-to-play games doesn’t end with how they make their money. In mid-September a study carried out by the Internet Advertising Bureau UK revealed that more women play video games than men; 52 per cent compared to the 48 per cent. This is partially down to mobile and free-to-play games. The report was met with an outcry from a loud minority of core gamers arguing that many social and mobile free-toplay titles are not ‘real games’. “Ultimately, the issue is one of identity,” says Gamebrief’s Nicholas Lovell. “Gamers have long hoped that their hobby would be embraced by the mainstream, but I think they hoped it wouldn’t change as it responded to market demands. That was never going to happen, and this hostility is a result of a subset of players seeing developers respond to the mainstream market and hating that.” Sega Networks VP Chris Olson adds: “Certain gamers may have a very narrow definition of ‘game’. At the end of the day, we are all talking about entertainment, which in its nature is quite subjective.

Free-to-play is a powerful response to the threat of the race to zero and of piracy. Nicholas Lovell, Gamebrief

“They should build games that appeal for the long-term, not just the short term. And they should let some people spend truly eye-watering sums if they want to.” Hitzer adds: “The key is offering your players value for money. Long term, customers are much smarter and intuitive than some free-to-play companies think, and they will ultimately reward games that fulfil this promise which explicitly does not exclude in-app purchases.” Twist concludes: “Done responsibly, micro-transactionbased business models give choice and value for both players and games companies. “Providing flexibility for companies to choose what model suits them, their players and the game is crucial.”

“We’re working to ensure that all people have the knowledge that there can be different kinds of video games that appeal to different kinds of players. Time will smooth this out. “The first console for many kids today is a tablet or phone, and that’s going to radically change prevailing perceptions about the definition of ‘game’. “Clearly, demand is shaping and moving the industry in new directions. It’s our goal that we help all gamers find a title that matches their tastes and fulfils their expectations.” Yet Fishlab’s director of marketing Kai Hitzer believes gamers’ lack of acceptance is due to the lower quality of some free-to-play titles: “Critics of freeto-play usually refer to the lack of content and depth, as some of these games merely focus on iterating and monetising core game-loops with a very limited scope,” he says. “While these are games per definition, it does seem legitimate to question their quality. However, we ultimately like to focus more on making quality games as opposed to pointing out the flaws in other games – casual or hardcore. I think creating quality games is always the best answer.”

www.mcvuk.com

MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE MCV speaks to James Harley of Ferryhill-based Stark Computers and Gaming about the busy last few weeks and why he is selling games over eBay and Gumtree How has business been for you? It has been quiet so far this year, but has picked up. And obviously we’ve got a load of good new releases coming up shortly. Things are starting to get exciting and business is looking good. You must have had a big few weeks with Destiny and FIFA 15? Yes, I’m sick of hearing the word FIFA now. It was just constant, but it’s nice to see people getting excited.

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

hour supermarkets very close to us that were dishing out the games for £40, which is £6 more than we were buying them in for. But we are planning on doing a Call of Duty launch this year.

Did you have enough stock for the Destiny and FIFA launches? We did, but it was getting to the point where we were having to send people elsewhere because we were on the verge of having no stock left. They were selling that fast.

As you said earlier it’s been quite quiet so far this year. How have you survived in these slower periods? We had a few diﬀerent mediums that we sell games on. We have the shop, and a huge clientbase

Have you been holding any midnight launches for any of the recent big releases? We didn’t do them for Destiny or FIFA because we have two 24

I’m sick of hearing the word FIFA now. We we were constantly busy, but it’s nice to see people getting excited. James Harley, Stark Computers

PRICE CHECK: MAIDSTONE

TOP 10 PRE-ORDERS 1. SUPER SMASH BROS Nintendo, 3DS

LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS

2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Warner Bros ...................................................... PS4 3. Forza Horizon 2 Day One Microsoft ................................................................. XO

LEGO THE HOBBIT

Warner Bros, 360

Warner Bros, PS4

4. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Warner Bros .......................................................... XO

Warner Bros, PC

Warner Bros, PS3

N/A

£6.00

N/A

£39.99

£17.99

N/A

£32.99

£9.85

£7.65

£4.19

9. The Evil Within + Fighting Chance DLC Bethesda ................................................................. XO

£29.85

N/A

£5.85

10. Halo: The Master Chief Edition Microsoft ................................................................. XO

£44.99

£27.99

N/A

£21.99

6. The Evil Within + Fighting Chance DLC Bethesda ............................................................. PS4

IN STORE

5. Bayonetta 2 + Bayonetta 1 Nintendo............................................................ Wii U

GUARDIANS OF MIDDLE-EARTH

LORD OF THE RINGS, WAR IN THE NORTH

7. Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar .............................................................. PS4

UPLOADING The latest digital releases coming to market

OLLIOLLI 2

PEGGLE 2

WOW WARLORDS OF DRAENOR

A follow-up to this year’s indie skater is headed for PS4 and Vita

The previously Xbox-exclusive puzzle title is coming to PS4

The latest expansion pack for the huge MMO launches next month

OUT 2015

October 10th 2014

ONLINE

8. Alien Isolation Nostromo Edition Sega ...................................................................... PS4

OUT: OCTOBER 15TH

OUT: NOVEMBER 13TH

www.mcvuk.com

MARKETPLACE

Stark Computers and Gaming 17 Main Street, Ferryhill, DL17 8LA

T: 01740651444 E: support@starkcomputers.co.uk W: www.facebook.com/ starkcomputers

on the internet via eBay and Gumtree. Those two have been great during the quieter months.

What kind of stock have you been selling over eBay? Is it new stock, or more retro and collectible items? We sell new games over eBay. When it comes to the retro and collectible stock I normally check out the Facebook groups for those items. The folks there know what stuﬀ is worth, they know how good it is and whether it’s deemed as collectible. I don’t have to explain what it is before I sell it to those customers.

What proportion of your revenue comes from these online platforms? At the start of the year it was around 60 per cent online, 40 per cent physical. Now it has reversed. That’s been thanks to the new consoles and games, as well as the repair services we oﬀer.

INCOMING TITLE

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV? Contact ACalvin@nbmedia.com or call 01992 515 303

Next-gen SKUs of MXGP and Telltale’s award-winning The Walking Dead are out soon, alongside new Civilization, Bayonetta and Borderlands titles FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

October 10th Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed

PS3/Vita

JRPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

DriveClub

PS4

Racing

Sony

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

NBA 2K15

PS4/XO

Sports

2K Games

01279 822 800

Exertis Gem

Project Spark

Creation

Microsoft

01279 822 800

Exertis Gem

Skylanders: Trap Team

PS4/XO/Wii U/PS3/360/3DS Toys-to-life

Activision

0121 625 3388

CentreSoft

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Bethesda

01215 069 590

Advantage

October 14th The Evil Within

Survival horror

October 17th Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

PS3/360/PC

Shooter

2K Games

01279 822 800

Exertis Gem

F1 2014

PS3/360/PC

Racing

Codemasters

01215 069 590

Advantage

MXGP: The Oﬃcial Motocross Video Game

PS4

Racing

PQube

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

Wii U

Action

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

October 24th Bayonetta 2 Civilization: Beyond Earth

Strategy

2K Games

01279 822 800

Exertis Gem

Disney Magical World

3DS

Life-simulation

Nintendo

01753 483 700

Open

Fantasia: Music Evolved

XO/360

Rhythm

Just Dance 2015

PS4/XO/Wii U/PS3/360/Wii Dance

Need for Speed Rivals: Complete Edition

PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC

Racing

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

Samurai Warriors 4

PS4/PS3/Vita

Action

Tecmo Koei

01462 476 130

Open

Disney

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

Ubisoft

01279 822 800

Exertis Gem

The Walking Dead – Game of the Year Edition

PS4/XO

Adventure

Avanquest

01480 359 403

Open

The Walking Dead – Season Two

PS4/XO/PS3/360

Adventure

Avanquest

01480 359 403

Open

Lords of the Fallen

PS4/XO/PS3/360

RPG

Square Enix

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

NBA Live 15

PS4/XO

Sport

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

October 31st

www.mcvuk.com

October 10th 2014

HORROR

HORROR October is the month of terror, with a host of nightmare-inducing titles sneaking out of the darkness. Matthew Jarvis looks under the bed for some of the best products available

IT seems it’s still not safe to go alone in the world of video games. Much like the success seen by box office terrors such as Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring and VHS, horror games are continuing to lure in thrillseeking players. In fact, the rising popularity of horror has even seen elements of the genre seep into more mainstream titles. “Survival horror never really went away – the genre just

Like the old horror sections of a video store, there’ll always be a cult following for horror games. Garett Marks, Blue Isle Studios

evolved,” observes Alistair Hope, creative lead for Alien: Isolation at Creative Assembly. “There have been some really compelling new survival horror style experiences available in recent years, from a wide range of approaches. “You can find some really amazing survival horror-like experiences in everything from Fallout and Skyrim to Amnesia or Don’t Starve, Limbo and Minecraft.”

THE EVIL WITHIN BEACON MENTAL HOSPITAL HOODIE Players can immerse themselves further into the twisted world of The Evil Within with this zip hoodie fashioned after one of the key locations in the game. Features the name and logo of the abandoned hospital printed in white. SRP: $60 Manufacturer: Bethesda Distributor: Bethesda Contact: store@bethsoft.com

RESIDENT EVIL THE AXE MAN BOBBLE HEAD

THE EVIL WITHIN BRAIN T-SHIRT

SLENDER MAN COSTUME MORPHSUIT

This miniature Axe Man is almost as scary as his counterpart – but stands only eight inches tall.

The Evil Within fans can display their love of horror thanks to this terrifying tee.

Ideal for Halloween, this morphsuit transforms the wearer into the internet-born horror icon.

SRP: £18.99 Manufacturer: Hollywood Collectibles Group Distributor: Hollywood Collectibles Group Contact: orders@hollywood-collectibles.com

SRP: £19.99 Manufacturer: Gaya Entertainment Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

SRP: £30.95 Manufacturer: Morphsuits Distributor: Morphsuits Contact: tradesales@morphsuits.co.uk

October 10th 2014

www.mcvuk.com

HORROR

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

October 10th 2014

Web: www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

www.mcvuk.com

DIRECTORY

ENQUIRIES CONOR TALLON Tel: 01992 535647 ctallon@nbmedia.com

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

October 10th 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 CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 October 10th 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 THE CHINESE ROOM

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: Development Location: Preston Park Business Centre, Brighton, BN1 5NL

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

MCV speaks to Jessica Curry, composer and co-director of BAFTA-nominated studio The Chinese Room

FOR GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT ALEX BOUCHER ABOUCHER@NBMEDIA.COM

Tell us about your company. The Chinese Room is typical of the new wave of game studios that are rejuvenating our industry – a mix of industry veterans and emerging young talent, committed to innovation and excellence with a passion for storytelling. We believe in taking risks with our games, striving for new design spaces, alongside operating as an ethical business committed to our staﬀ and players. This is a great time to be a UK game studio and we’re loving every minute of it.

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

What is your biggest success so far? Being nominated for five BAFTAs for our first title, Dear Esther, was the best feeling in the world. As a company I see our big success as the way we treat our staff. We’ve just created our first staff handbook and have an ethos that we share at the beginning of it. We try to live by this every day. What projects do you currently have in the works? Our new game, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, is a PS4 exclusive and will be out next year. What are the biggest challenges you face? Three years ago there were three of us and now there are 15. Rapid growth is exciting and has provided us with some challenges. Management, infrastructure and procedures have all had to be implemented and that takes time.

This is a great time to be a UK game studio and we’re loving every minute of it. Tell us something about your company no one knows. We have completely bare walls in each oﬃce. We keep saying how we need to put something up but we’re all so busy every day it never happens. Basically it looks like a monk’s cell and it freaks people out when they visit. How did you choose your company name? The Chinese Room is a famous thought experiment by John Searle. It’s a great name for a company, but unfortunately everyone assumes we’re a takeaway...

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 aboucher@nbmedia.com

PLEASE CONTACT

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

Contact: P: 01273 506 595 E: contact@thechineseroom.co.uk T: @ChineseRoom

MJARVIS@NBMEDIA.COM OR CALL 01992 515 303

October 10th 2014

FACTFILE NETHERLANDS Sponsored by

Wholesaler and distributor of video games, consoles and accessories

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: NETHERLANDS Population: 16,856,620 Currency: Euro GDP (Per Capita): $42,586 Capital City: Amsterdam KEY RETAILERS Nedgame, Game Mania, Bart Smit, Saturn, Bol.com, Gameshop, Intertoys, Media Markt, Carrefour

TOP DEVELOPERS Guerrilla Games, Vlambeer, Lionade Games, Engine Software, Triumph Studios, VSTEP

TOP DISTRIBUTORS Koch Media, CLD Distribution, Big Ben Interactive, Level03 Distribution, Micromedia, Game World

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION EA, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Ubisoft, Two Tribes, 2K

THE Netherlands remains a ripe environment for free-to-play and browser titles, despite slow growth. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) estimates that the Dutch games market generated sales of approximately €600m (£476m) in 2012. Microtransactions are one of the most popular forms of monetisation in the region. PwC research suggests that a third of Dutch gamers have purchased additional virtual content in games. 20 per cent of gamers spend money on such content regularly. Despite this, growth is minimal in the sector. Just six per cent of gamers stated that they had spent more money on virtual content in 2013 than in 2012.

The health of microtransactions is being bolstered by browser, rather than mobile, titles. This has led to stilted mobile growth – according to research firm Newzoo, less than one in ten (nine per cent) Dutch play more frequently on their smartphone or tablet now than they did in the last six months before. Newzoo adds that the Netherlands is proportionally the biggest country in the world when it comes gaming for free, with over half (55 per cent) of consumers playing free-to-play titles. While this majority are not contributing to the growth of the market, those paying for games are doing so enthusiastically. When compared with the rest of the world, the Netherlands ranks 15th in terms of overall gaming revenue.

A third of Dutch gamers have purchased additional virtual content in games.

October 10th 2014

www.mcvuk.com

NETHERLANDS FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... CHINA Microsoft’s Xbox One is selling well in the Chinese market following a 14-year ban on foreign games consoles MICROSOFT has finally released the Xbox One in China, with early reports suggesting the next-gen box is a hit. The machine is the first console to hit Chinese shores in almost two decades, following a 14-year ban on foreign games consoles. Its release was delayed at the last minute earlier this month. Now actually appearing on retail shelves in the region, initial figures from Microsoft peg day one figures at 100,000 units. Whether this amount was sold into retail or through to consumers was left unclear, but was said to align with the firm’s pre-launch estimates. The

www.mcvuk.com

company added that it hopes to sell in excess of one million consoles in the region in its ﬁrst year. The Chinese success of the Xbox One doesn’t appear to have been recreated in other Asian markets.

Fewer than 200 units of the console were reportedly sold at Microsoft’s launch event at Seoul’s Times Square in South Korea.

October 10th 2014

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION