MCV823 February 20th

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 823 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20TH 2015

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 823 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20TH 2015

GAMES MEDIA SPECIAL VIDEO, PATREON AND THE FUTURE OF THE GAMES PRESS P18

Is bundling killing software sales?

By Christopher Dring

(Far left to right) Eurogamer’s Welsh, Bossa’s Jele, Frontier’s Braben and Rebellion’s Kingsley

BOXED games are struggling to sell because consumers don’t need to buy any, UK retailers have told MCV. Fewer physical games were sold in 2014 compared with 2013, while recent releases – including Saints Row and Evolve – have not achieved the numbers some retailers had anticipated.

‘Metacritic is harming games’ UK developers hail Eurogamer’s decision to ditch review scores

By Christopher Dring & Alex Calvin THE obsession around Metacritic is damaging to video games.

That’s the warning from UK developers, speaking as Eurogamer announces it is culling scores from its reviews.

Metacritic - which pulls together review scores from various websites to come up with one ultimate rating - is used as the primary measurement of quality in the games industry. Developer bonuses are sometimes linked to their Metacritic average, while game sales and share prices can fluctuate based on these scores.

“The problem is how parts of the games industry and audience treat Metacritic,” Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh told MCV. “The idea that a game isn’t worth buying, or that its developers have failed and don’t deserve bonuses if it scores under 80 or even 85 on Metacritic, is going to result in samey, bland games that are made according to what works in Metacritic’s system. It’s harming innovation in mainstream gaming.”

The most creative, influential and bestselling game of the last decade, Minecraft, was a massive hit before it had a Metascore.

Oli Welsh, Eurogamer

Bossa Studios co-founder Imre Jele added: “I understand the desire to simplify complex matters into easy to understand patterns. But ultimately I believe review scores are a bane to the games industry.”

Frontier Developments’ David Braben feels that consumers are missing out by just looking at the number: “There are so many factors that go into reviews it doesn’t make sense. Some people use the score as a quick shorthand, but there is so much missing.”

But not everyone believes Metacritic still holds the sway it once had.

“What matters most to us is the response of players and how social media spreads the word about good, playable games,” said Rebellion founder Jason Kingsley.

Welsh added: “The most creative, influential and bestselling game of the last decade, Minecraft, was a massive hit before it ever had a Metascore.”

Metacritic declined to comment.

For more on review scores turn to page 21.

The figures are disappointing, particularly in the face of a rapidly rising install base for Xbox One and PS4. Combined, the two platforms have sold almost 3.5m units in the UK so far.

“In the UK, for the first 14 months of the respective PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One launches, PlayStation tie ratios are down 14 per cent and Xbox down 16 per cent,” said games industry analyst Nick Parker. “This reflects higher growth in hardware sales generation on generation than software sales.”

Story continues on page four.

PLUS STRAUSS ZELNICK ON DIGITAL CLIMAX: THE ORIGINAL INDIE DEVELOPER

CHEAT SHEET

Market Data Thanks to three big launches, the games market rises in value week-on-week £15m

£11.9m 400,994 units

£10m

£8m 308,762 units

£7m 283,450 units

Left to right: Dorian Bloch, Mike Fethers, Nick Parker and Steve Moore

Week Ending Week Ending Week Ending Jan 31st Feb 7th Feb 14th

UK RETAIL TOP 10

1

EVOLVE

2

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D

3

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

4

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Nintendo

5

Grand Theft Auto V

Rockstar

6

FIFA 15

7

Far Cry 4

8

Minecraft: Xbox Edition

Microsoft

9

Assassin’s Creed Unity

Ubisoft

10

Destiny

2K GAMES Nintendo Activision Blizzard

EA Ubisoft

Activision Blizzard

SPONSORED BY

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

1

THE ORDER 1886 + KNIGHT’S ENDURANCE DLC SONY

2

Dying Light + Survivor Handbook (PS4)

3

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (PS4)

4

Dying Light + Survivor Handbook (Xbox One) Warner Bros

5

Amiibo Charizard (Wii U)

Nintendo

6

Amiibo Wario (Wii U)

Nintendo

7

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (XO)

8

Battlefield Hardline + Versatility DLC (PS4)

EA

9

Final Fantasy Type 0 + Final Fantasy XV demo

Square Enix

10

Battlefield Hardline + Versatility DLC (XO)

February 20th 2015

Warner Bros Koei Tecmo

Koei Tecmo

EA

‘PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners are buying fewer games’ Continued from front page...

Leading UK retail experts have told MCV that the success of hardware may actually be responsible for slower software sales. Most Xbox One and PS4 consoles sold have been bundled with games – including big brands such as Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, FIFA and Destiny.

“It’s a complex issue,” said Chart-Track director Dorian Bloch. “Most people have what they need right now, or are dabbling in second-hand.

“The launch of Xbox One and PS4 saw both sold with a very high proportion of ‘bundled’ software.”

Bloch added that over 26 per cent of all PS4 and Xbox Ones sold in 2013 were bundled with games. However, Chart-Track does not factor in ‘soft-bundling’, and so the firm estimates that up to 50 per cent of consoles were sold with games.

For most of 2014 the level of bundling reduced, but over Black Friday it increased - Bloch estimates that as much as 90 per cent of hardware sold came with software.

“The weeks after Black Friday weren’t great for hardware sell-through and many people receiving software with the hardware hasn’t helped further purchasing,” he said.

The Hut Group’s Mike Fethers added: “It is still the quiet time of year with consumers still recovering from overspending during Black Friday and Christmas.

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“Most will be playing the games they got free with consoles in Q4, some of the game bundles that were doing the rounds included 40 to 50 hours of game time.”

Yet Nick Parker says that although bundling may be impacting some games, it isn’t responsible for the overall decline.

“It could be down to the availability of blockbuster franchises in that launch period, and the increased availability of downloaded and indie titles.

“There’s also a shift in consumer behaviour to buying fewer boxed games as a whole. Eight years ago there was little else to compete with consoles. Gamers now concentrate on one or two console releases a year, and spend their remaining budget on digital console, PC and mobile games.”

Other retailers point to an increased gravitation towards triple-A products, with next-gen ‘upgrades’ and more niche IP simply not cutting it with consumers.

“Sell through on the new gen is solid, but consumers are lacking that must-have game. We desperately need a few less nextgen reboots and a few more must-have games like Destiny,” said Simply Games’ purchasing director Steve Moore.

Meanwhile, one major retailer says that the quality of games is not matching what gamers are demanding.

“Customer expectation on new gen is higher than the final games being delivered.”

www.mcvuk.com

CHEAT SHEET

New 3DS enjoys bumper sales day NINTENDO has hailed the launch of its New 3DS and the success of two of its games.

The New 3DS and New 3DS XL arrived last week alongside a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The former was the best-selling single platform title this week, while Monster Hunter 4 is the fastest-selling game in the series.

And the launch of New 3DS caused the hardware market to rise 57 per cent week-on-week.

THE EDITOR

“We’re really pleased with how Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate have performed,” said Nintendo UK’s director of marketing Shelly Pearce.

“Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has significantly outperformed its predecessor and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D has debuted at the top spot in the individual format chart.

“We’ve also seen a strong start for the New 3DS and we’re looking forward to building this momentum.”

IN DEFENCE OF REVIEW SCORES

I

am really quite fond of the review score.

I’m that guy that skips to the final paragraph, sees the number and doesn’t read the full review.

I understand the argument against review scores. I appreciate a brief sentence and a number doesn’t accurately convey everything about a product, and I agree that the power of Metacritic – in terms of how it dictates developer bonuses and what studios do – can be destructive.

But I don’t always have time to read a full review. And that’s true of so many people. I wish I could read all the words and watch all the Let’s Play videos.

But sometimes, all I have time for is a summary and a number.

One person I spoke to this week told me removing review scores is a good thing because it ‘forces gamers to read the whole thing’. But if recent years has proven anything, forcing gamers to do anything will invariably result in failure.

Eurogamer’s new system sounds intriguing. Perhaps it can offer a middle-ground. But I’m wary of the industry’s movement towards no review scores.

Because although journalists, publishers and developers might prefer it that way, is it really what the consumer wants?

The New 3DS consoles boosted the hardware market 57 per cent week-on-week

A4T lands Batman licensing deal ACCESSORIES firm A4T has partnered up with Warner Bros to produce peripherals and merchandise based on the upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight.

So far the company has a headset in the works, along with storage and charging accessories.

Arkham Knight launches on June 2nd for PS4, Xbox One and PC. It was voted the most anticipated game of 2015 by store managers in MCV’s 2014 Retail Survey.

“We are proud to be working with Warner Brothers on this title. The game launch will see avid Batman fans flock to stores and we’re delighted that our officially licensed products will be in place and available for purchase,” A4T director and co-founder Bill Stirling said.

“We are all very excited to see how the introduction of this highly anticipated title will impact on our own business throughout the rest of 2015 and beyond.”

MOLYNEUX MISERY It’s been a terrible week for Peter Molyneux who has had his failures exposed, dissected and ridiculed by pretty much everyone in this industry.

I am not going to add to those voices. I’m wary of being too critical of failure, because I

A4T is working on Batman: Arkham Knight headsets, storage and charging accessories

www.mcvuk.com

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Journalists, publishers and developers may no longer want review scores, but what about the consumer? believe our creators should be free to make mistakes, overpromise and get it wrong.

But the media fury around Godus’ mistakes highlights the real drawbacks of crowdfunding.

If Molyneux had wasted Microsoft’s money - as I am sure he has done on many occasions - the media wouldn’t care one bit. If the investment came from a VC fund or a bank, everyone would be disappointed, but not quite as furious, over Godus’ missed targets. But because it was funded by fans, it’s caused this situation where the media is, naturally, sticking up for its readers and attacking the developer, questioning his mental health and analysing his mistakes.

What’s more disappointing is that Molyneux never needed Kickstarter money. He’s Peter Molyneux. If he needed investment I can’t imagine he’d find it hard to secure.

It just goes to show that, for all its advantages over developer freedom and allowing gamers to play a role in the creation process, Kickstarter has some serious downsides. cdring@nbmedia.com

February 20th 2015

INTERVIEW STRAUSS ZELNICK, TAKE-TWO

TAKE-TWO’S DIGITAL DREAM TAKES FLIGHT For years, Take-Two’s business has been built on the boxed games market. Yet, with the arrival of Grand Theft Auto Online and the firm’s efforts in Asia, the company has become a digital powerhouse.

What does this transition mean for retail? Christopher Dring asks CEO Strauss Zelnick.

Your latest financial results shows huge digital growth.

What are your targets in this area?

I suppose it sounds a little corny, but the goal really is to delight consumers: to give them what they want, make it available on whatever platform they want and use whatever business model they want.

We definitely are trying to build ongoing engagement with our titles in-between releases; that is reflective in our recurrent consumer spending.

If we do a good job of keeping consumers engaged, then that will be reflected in increased digitallydelivered revenue.

Apart from that, whether it is digitally delivered or physically delivered, we just want to be where the consumer is.

We have said we will look to deliver digital add-on content for the bulk of our releases going forward. The only instance where we would be unlikely to do that is if something disappointed us, and consumers didn’t want any more. Generally speaking, we have the highest level of quality in the business and people want more of what we provide.

GTA Online is clearly a big component of your revenue.

It continues to exceed our expectations in terms of how Grand Theft Auto Online is doing, and consumer engagement remains very strong and powerful. We see that continuing.

We are delighted with the results and are seeing the consumers come back.

February 20th 2015

GTA Online was named

by Take-Two as the single largest contributor to the firm’s online revenue in FY 2014

Has the popularity of GTA Online and similar titles changed how you view the physical retail space?

Physical distribution still represents the lion share of our results, making physical retail partners very important to us.

Retail is also very important in terms of marketing. Pointof-purchase still remains very significant to us. We respect that relationship.

We are in judicious growth mode and we always want to engage with the best development talent.

Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two

Our track record shows that when we say we feel good about what is coming up, we actually mean it.

I know the analyst community criticises us for that, but our view is that we provide the information accurately when it is appropriate for the marketplace.

I stand behind the belief that we are heading into another profitable year, and for this company to be able to say that... We have announced Battleborn, and we have our annual releases like WWE and NBA 2K but, outside of that, I’m feeling very good about the year we’re heading into. That’s all I can say at this point.

You recently invested in the Hanger13 development studio, led by former LucasArts veteran Haden Blackman.

What is your view on your development resource?

You have a busy few months, but, beyond that, visibility on your 2015/2016 line-up is limited. What can we expect from Take-Two’s next financial year in terms of product?

We don’t usually give colour around a lack of announcements, so please forgive me. What I will say is that we will be profitable for the foreseeable future.

We have proven that we are not trying to be shy about providing information; we always provide our financial guidance later in the financial year, we never provide it early, and we always provide information about our titles as we get into the marketing season.

You are heavily invested in PS4 and Xbox One, which have both been selling fast. Are you confident Microsoft and Sony can maintain this rate of growth?

Or do you anticipate a drop off?

Well, the install base is not going to decline. It’s 29m units worldwide, and it is what it is.

If your question is whether we will see a front-loading of software sales early into the install base, I have no reason to think that will be the case.

If anything, there haven’t actually been that many releases, which is great for the people who put out high quality titles, not just ourselves.

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www.mcvuk.com

STRAUSS ZELNICK, TAKE-TWO INTERVIEW

Do you have any plans to spend your cash reserves?

We have something like 2,000 creative folks across both of our labels and in all of our studios worldwide.

We are in judicious growth mode. We always want to engage with the best talent and are proud of our track record of attracting the best talent in the business. We have to be very smart and selective. But we are growing our development resource.

offering gamers access to a lot of the company’s back catalogue for a monthly fee. Considering your strong catalogue of titles, would you ever look into offering a similar subscription option?

We are open minded and flexible, but we don’t have anything to announce right now.

Any service for which people pay an overall amount of money is very difficult for any one company to pull that off. I think you have to do it in aggregation with other companies, which is why EA has found their offering challenging.

So far that subscription model hasn’t played very well because the economics don’t bear out. But

Last year, EA started its Access subscription service,

if that’s what consumers want, then we will find a way to participate. You don’t argue with the consumer.

You acquired the rights to WWE in 2013. How have you found the brand so far?

It’s been great. This year’s release did 40 per cent better year-over-year compared with our first release, and we believe we are just scratching the surface of what is possible.

The whole WWE area is growing, consumers love it, it’s a great offering and we are thrilled to be in business with them.

TAKING CHINA A lot of Take-Two’s recent success may be around Grand Theft Auto, but one other rapidly growing area of the firm’s business is its efforts in Asia.

The company has already launched a hugely successful basketball game in China, and is now targeting other Asian markets.

“We have something like 24m registered users for NBA 2K Online in China,” says TakeTwo boss Strauss Zelnick.

“It was the big untapped market, and we were able to enter in a low-risk way.

It is now a major revenue and profit contributor to our business.

“We will be launching Civilization Online in Korea during the coming fiscal year, and possibly in other areas in the Far East and elsewhere.

We can also bring NBA 2K Online to other territories.

“For massive multiplayer titles, the US is a very unfriendly market but Asia is pretty open – and we go where the consumer is.

“We are an international company; a little bit more than half our revenue comes from the US and the rest from outside.

“We play in a worldwide playing field and we need to be local wherever we go – and we try to be.“

www.mcvuk.com

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February 20th 2015

MARKETING

BRAND PROFILE RIDE PQube’s Geraint Evans tells MCV about developer Milestone’s debut motorcycle racing IP NEXT month sees the release of Italian studio Milestone’s first ever proprietary IP – Ride.

Milestone has grown from a small developer to one of the finest racing studios in the world, delivering some of gaming’s finest racing simulations over the last decade.

From WRC to MotoGP, and more recently MXGP, Milestone’s

In this respect, Milestone has excelled, signing up almost every major bike manufacturer and brand.

BMW and Ducat join the likes of Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha - 14 manufacturers in total for over 100 bikes spanning every class, from Naked to Historic, Super and Sports bikes.

The goal is for bikers to be able to choose and race the bikes they own, or the bikes they aspire to ride. For those who want to take their experience further, they

licensed racers have won over fans with their exceptional physics and handling models – giving hardcore racing fans the kind of realism they demand.

Ride represents the culmination of that expertise – a bike racer that many fans have been crying out for. Not since Polyphony’s Tourist Trophy has a studio attempted to make an all-encompassing bike racer that attempts to give bike fans the chance to race some of the most-loved models around real-world locations.

can upgrade their chosen ride from a huge variety of real-world break, engine, gear, wheel and suspension parts.

As is Milestone’s way, every bike, part, grip and lever has been replicated in exquisite detail to remain as authentic as possible.

Car enthusiasts have long had their pick of racers like Forza or Gran Turismo – and bike fans have always been left wanting. Now, finally, Milestone has answered the call to build as comprehensive and as authentic an experience as possible.

JANUARY 2015: THE MONTH IN REVIEW This week, GameTime examines how this January saw ratings rise, despite fewer active brands Individual TVRs

Campaigns on air

2,500 31

2,000 22

1,500 1,000 500 0 Jan-14

JANUARY 2015 saw an increase of over 70 per cent in year-on-year TV market ad pressure, in terms of individual TV viewer ratings (TVRs) accrued. This was despite fewer brands being active on TV in 2015 in comparison to 2014.

This is particularly interesting when bearing in mind that the

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Jan-15

cent of the total TV ad market last year.

To illustrate the dominance of such properties, Nintendo was the only traditional games and consoles advertiser that ran TV activity across the period examined. King.com and Supercell occupied seven of the top ten campaigns of the month.

January 2014 TV ad market was buoyed by launch campaigns for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

However, mobile and online gaming properties have had significant impact on the games and consoles TV advertising market, accounting for over 37 per

17 of the 22 brands advertising in January 2015 did not advertise during January 2014.

This might reflect the flexibility of the mobile/online segment – mobile and online brands may have chosen to focus their advertising in other months during 2014, to drive instant results when required.

MCV GameTime is provided by Generation Media 0207 255 4650 | www.generationmedia.co.uk

February 20th 2015

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www.mcvuk.com

MARKETING

[INFO] Formats: PS4 Released: February 20th

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK: THE ORDER: 1886

Publisher: Sony Developer: Ready at Dawn Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

SONY has put a huge marketing campaign behind its brand new IP The Order: 1886.

Through social, display and video advertising the platform holder is pushing a range of assets that show off the detailed world and setting that developer Ready at Dawn has created.

The firm partnered with IGN to let its readers get an exclusive hands-on with the Victorian-themed third-person shooter, as well as providing the chance to see its visuals on a cinema screen.

PlayStation has also teamed up with High Street retailer GAME to give gamers an exclusive hands-on with the title ahead of launch at special lock-in events.

In-store, Sony has produced point of sale barrels and standees to help the game stand out.

Meanwhile, PlayStation’s UK team has been engaging with store staff to showcase the visual fidelity of the game.

www.mcvuk.com

The Order: 1886 has also been pushed alongside new film release Kingsman: The Secret Service, because of similarities in themes, settings and target audiences.

Sony positioned The Order’s launch trailer before the film, as well as targeting those who had seen the movie over social media. Furthermore, the trailer’s voiceover was performed by Kingsman star Mark Strong.

In addition to this, ShortList magazine has developed a Victorian-themed coverwrap and advertorial to promote the game.

The game will also feature alongside Evolve and Bloodborne in Sony’s new PS4 range ad.

Lastly, PlayStation has been pushing its new game on TV, delivering 120 TV ratings against the 16 to 34 male audience.

Key TV ad spots have included the Champions League. This is on top of shows watched by frequent game players.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

TOM WHITAKER Product Manager, PlayStation UK

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THE Order: 1886 is a visually-stunning title set in an original take on our capital city, with unique weapons.

It’s a compelling single-player experience with a complex narrative and a true showcase of the PS4’s graphical powers.

PlayStation has a great heritage of third-person action-adventure titles and we’re tracking above the curve against our targets.

We’ve enlisted the help of YouTube talent to build a real world version of the Thermite Rifle which is shaping up brilliantly.

It’s great to show off a UK location in a blockbuster gaming title, even more-so given the unique spin Ready at Dawn has put on it.

The Order: 1886 has been called ‘the best-looking console game of all time’, and we’re still seeing consumers who can’t quite believe it looks as good as it does. I can barely believe it myself.

February 20th 2015

Call our specialist sales team 01279 822 822 exertis.co.uk/home exertis.co.uk/home/store

ESPORTS PRO

eSPORTS ROUND-UP THIS WEEK’S BIGGEST NEWS CALL OF DUTY EU FINALS TO COME TO LONDON The top 28 Call of Duty teams from around the globe will battle in the Royal Opera House in the hope of winning $10,000 and a trip to the world finals

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 12TH – MARCH 12TH DOTA PIT SEASON 3 GROUP STAGE Online, Europe The Dota Pit League Season 3 kicked off its qualifiers on January 20th, with the group stage starting on February 12th and continuing for the following two months.

The event’s prize pool started at $80,000, and has since been bolstered by sales of the in-game ticket. An additional $3,000 prize will be awarded to the player voted most valuable.

FEBRUARY 20TH – 22ND STARLADDER STARSERIES SEASON 12 LAN FINALS CyberArena, Kiev, Ukraine The 12th season of StarSeries boasts an increased prize pool of $50,000 and a brand new format.

16 teams will be split into four groups during Stage One, with the top two sides of each group qualifying for Stage Two. The teams will then compete in a best-of-three series. The top two teams of each group will qualify for the LAN finals.

CALL of Duty: Advanced Warfare experts from across Europe are to come to London to duke it out during the EU Call of Duty finals.

28 teams will be competing for their share of the event’s $10,000 prize pool and a shot at the March world finals in LA.

The EU finals will take place between February 28th and March 1st in Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House.

The event, organised in partnership with UK eSports firm Gfinity, will be broadcast online exclusively via MLG.tv.

ESL launches multiplayer matchmaking dev kit New toolkit from eSports league, which enables competitive-grade ranked matchmaking, will debut in the spiritual successor to WipEout, Formula Fusion THE world’s biggest eSports league, ESL, has released its very own matchmaking toolkit.

ESL Matchmaking will allow developers to implement competitive-grade ranked multiplayer matchmaking directly into their games.

The plug and play API is currently used in ESL’s online tournament framework.

The first title to natively include the technology will be Formula Fusion, the spiritual successor to WipEout from R8 Games, which is set for release in early 2016.

Valve issues gambling warning to Counter-Strike players “A HIGH standard of professional integrity” – that’s what Valve is demanding of professional Counter Strike players.

The warning follows a number of high profile betting controversies surrounding the game, including recent match fixing claims.

“Pro players, teams, and anyone involved in CS:GO events, should under no circumstances gamble on CS:GO matches,

associate with high volume CS:GO gamblers, or deliver information to others that might influence their CS:GO bets,” the company said.

“Betting using inside information, or even the perception or suspicion thereof, carries a significant risk of damaging your personal brand, your team, your community, and may lead to exclusion from future Valve-sponsored events.”

A NEW OUTLET FOR eSPORTS A new channel on MCVuk.com dedicated to competitive gaming Written by experts, and guided by an advisory board of insiders Supported by a twice-weekly email newsletter sent to over 10,000 execs Get on the mailing list - email eSportsPro@nbmedia.com to register Sponsorship packages available - email ctallon@nbmedia.com for details

Interactive content marketplace Indies Investors Introduction meetings In-depth funding advice Interesting venue In London In your diary: May 14th

For more information conact Conor Tallon on

Thursday May 14th 2015 A new event for developers and publishers in a unique Central London arts space Connecting content makers and investors

Guaranteeing delegates at least 10 good intro meetings

Meet an investor or sign up the next big game

01992 535646 or email ctallon@nbmedia.com

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

NEW HEAD OF PRODUCT MARKETING FOR SEGA Downing promoted after Football Manager work O Miller returns to Videogamer O Loading video and events hires SEGA | The publisher has made a high profile change to its exec team.

ANNA DOWNING has been promoted to head of product marketing, and will be reporting to new European marketing director JON ROOKE. Downing has been at Sega for five years and during that time has been heavily involved in the marketing of the Football Manager series in the UK and EMEA. “I’m delighted to have been given this opportunity,” said Downing. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Sega and it’s a privilege to be offered the chance to work more closely with such a fantastic team. Over the next few years we’ll be working with

“It’s a privilege to return to VideoGamer.com as head of video production,” Miller told MCV. “I’ve always had a real love and passion for the site, so to come back for a second stint when there’s a lot of new projects in the pipeline is incredibly exciting.”

some strong and exciting IP to deliver campaigns that should put us in a great position within the market.”

VIDEOGAMER | Former editorin-chief SIMON MILLER has rejoined the media brand.

Miller left the gaming site in September to move to 2K Games, where he took on the role of PR and social media manager.

But after just five months, Miller has returned to head up Videogamer’s video production team. He joins as the site launches its new Community Club over crowdfunding site Patreon.

LOADING BAR | The Dalstonbased video game bar has made a few hires to bolster its events and video content.

JAKE TUCKER’s (pictured right, top) first event will be a preview evening for upcoming skating game OlliOlli 2, while CHRISTOS REID (pictured right, middle) is co-ordinating Loading Bar’s fifth anniversary celebrations in March.

Meanwhile, Sky and Ginx TV’s CHRIS SLIGHT (pictured left, bottom) has joined to produce video content for Loading’s website.

“We’ve continued to build our customer base, and taking on dedicated events experts with a track record in games allows us to expand our offering,” Loading Bar boss James Dance told MCV. “With Chris on video we can start putting out content for our online users and for the 4,000 Londoners that hit our website each month.”

AROUND THE INDUSTRY DAYBREAK GAME COMPANY | The developer formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment has closed its San Diego and Austin studios, leading to several layoffs.

“These are necessary actions that will ultimately help strengthen our company’s foundation for success,” said the firm in a statement.

Among those to have departed is former director of development for EverQuest, David Georgeson.

PLAYTONIC GAMES | Ex-employees of UK games outlet Rare have come together to form a new developer, Playtonic Games.

The team is comprised of six artists, programmers and designers, all of whom have worked on multiple classic Rare titles, such as the Donkey Kong Country and Banjo Kazooie IP.

February 20th 2015

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The studio is working on its debut game, codenamed Project Ukulele, which it describes as “a worthy spiritual successor to those fondlyremembered platforming adventures we built in the past”.

HUTCH | The MMX Racing developer has appointed Ben Holmes and Ken Lamb to its board of directors.

Holmes and Lamb previously spearheaded investments into their respective portfolio firms, including King, Supercell, Playfish and Mind Candy.

BIOWARE | The studio has cancelled its episodic co-op PC title Shadow Realms.

Bioware Austin GM Jeff Hickman said that the EA-owned developer would focus instead on enhancements to Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

www.mcvuk.com

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS Christopher Dring Editor

Michael French Publisher

cdring@nbmedia.com

mfrench@nbmedia.com

Ben Parfitt Associate Editor

Alex Boucher Group Sales Manager

bparfitt@nbmedia.com

aboucher@nbmedia.com

Alex Calvin Staff Writer

Conor Tallon Account Manager

acalvin@nbmedia.com

ctallon@nbmedia.com

Matt Jarvis Staff Writer

Sam Richwood Designer

mjarvis@nbmedia.com

srichwood@nbmedia.com

Production Executive: Elizabeth Parker eparker@nbmedia.com

Finance Manager: Michael Canham mcanham@nbmedia.com

Head of Operations: Stuart Moody smoody@nbmedia.com

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

Circulation: Lianne Davey ldavey@nbmedia.com

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February 20th 2015

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

DATA & RESEARCH There’s a new face at the top of the boxed charts as 2K Games’ Evolve arrives at retail FINALLY, there’s a new game at No.1 in the All Formats Top 40.

It might not have sold spectacularly, but 2K GAMES’ new IP Evolve tops the charts.

Sales of the game were more or less evenly spread between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is because although the PlayStation 4 has a higher install base, 2K teamed up with Microsoft for the marketing campaign. Of course, we don’t know the digital sales.

Three per cent of the boxed sales were for PC, but Evolve tops the global Steam charts suggesting it was a big digital seller.

But the single bestselling game of the week was the 3DS remake

of Zelda cult favourite Majora’s Mask. It edged out the Xbox One SKU of Evolve.

This wasn’t the only reason it was a big week for NINTENDO. The firm also published Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on 3DS and it debuted in fourth place.

The monster hunting series is starting to gain some traction in the UK market. Week One sales of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate are 95 per cent higher than those of 2013’s Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

Nintendo launched both these games alongside its two New 3DS consoles, which resulted in a 57 per cent boost to the hardware market.

TOP 10 STEAM (GLOBAL)

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW NEW 01 02 RE 04 NEW NEW RE 03

EVOLVE PUBLISHER: 2K GAMES DEVELOPER: TURTLE ROCK

TITLE Darkest Dungeon Dying Light H1Z1 Grand Theft Auto V (P) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Besiege Total War: Attila (P) Far Cry 4 Stranded Deep

PUBLISHER Red Hook Studios Warner Bros Daybreak Game Company Rockstar Valve Spiderling Studios Sega Ubisoft Beam Team

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

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

EVOLVE 2K GAMES FORMATS: PS4, XO, PC DEVELOPER: TURTLE ROCK Title The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Grand Theft Auto V FIFA 15 Far Cry 4 Minecraft: Xbox Edition Assassin’s Creed Unity Destiny Minecraft: PlayStation Edition The Crew WWE 2K15 Call of Duty: Ghosts LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Disney Infinity 2.0 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Terraria Watch Dogs Forza Horizon 2 Saints Row IV: Re-elected & Gat Out of Hell Assassin’s Creed Rogue Dragon Age Inquisition Super Smash Bros The Evil Within Just Dance 2015 Rugby 15 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Halo: The Master Chief Collection Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare Football Manager 2015 Skylanders Trap Team NBA 2K15 Alien Isolation The LEGO Movie Videogame Pokémon Omega Ruby Tomodachi Life Battlefield 4 Wolfenstein: The New Order

Week ending February 14th

February 20th 2015

Format Publisher 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Rockstar PS4, XO, PS3, Wii, Vita, 3DS, Vita, PC EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft XO, 360 Microsoft PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard PS4, PS3, Vita Sony PS4, XO, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Disney PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft XO, 360 Microsoft PS4, XO Deep Silver PS3, 360 Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA Wii U, 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Ubisoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Big Ben PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros XO Microsoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360 EA PC Sega PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Sega PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros 3DS Nintendo 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda

Week ending February 14th

16

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DATA ANALYSIS Source

TOP 10 UK IPAD PAID

TOP 20 UK INDIVIDUAL FORMAT

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

LW NEW NEW NEW 03 01 15 02 10 04 05 06 09 29 08 07 19 14 11 13

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK 3D NINTENDO FORMAT: 3DS

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO/GREZZO

Title Evolve Evolve Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Grand Theft Auto V Far Cry 4 Grand Theft Auto V Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare FIFA 15 Minecraft: Xbox Edition FIFA 15 Far Cry 4 Assassin’s Creed Unity Assassin’s Creed Unity Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare FIFA 15 Minecraft: Xbox Edition Minecraft: PlayStation Edition

Format XO PS4 3DS PS4 PS4 PS4 XO 360 XO PS4 360 XO XO PS4 XO PS3 360 XO PS3

Publisher 2K Games 2K Games Nintendo Activision Blizzard Rockstar Ubisoft Rockstar Activision Blizzard Activision Blizzard EA Microsoft EA Ubisoft Ubisoft Ubisoft Activision Blizzard EA Microsoft Sony

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE The Chase Dino Tales Tipping Point Football Manager Handheld 2015 Colin McRae Rally Five Nights at Freddy’s FlightRadar24 – Flight Tracker Geometry Dash Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

DEVELOPER Barnstorm Kuato Barnstorm Sega Codemasters Scott Cawthon FlightRadar24 RobTop Games Scott Cawthon

Week ending: February 15th

TOP 10 UK IPHONE PAID

01

Week ending February 14th

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Head’s Up! Ski Tracks – GPS Track Recorder DVSA Theory Test The Official DVSA Theory Test The Chase Free Music Download Pro Afterlight Tipping Point Facetune

DEVELOPER Warner Bros Core Coders Focus Multimedia TSO Barnstorm Max Barton Afterlight Collective Barnstorm Lightricks

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

LW 01 04 05 03 06 08 09 07 RE

Week ending: February 15th

TOP 10 GLOBAL GOOGLE PLAY

MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT

01

DEVELOPER: MOJANG/4J TITLE Life is Strange Episode One Monopoly Plus ApocZ Terraria: Xbox 360 Edition Castleminer Z Survival Games Season One Avatar Warfare Game Of Thrones – A Telltale Game Series Sonic The Hedgehog 2

PUBLISHER Square Enix Ubisoft Sick Kreation 505 Games DigitalDNA DigitaDNA DigitalDNA Telltale Sega

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Theory Test UK 2014 Worms 3 Scribblenauts Remix AllCast Premium The Chase Geometry Dash Flightradar24 Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Ski Tracks

PUBLISHER Focus Multimedia Team 17 Warner Bros Clockwork Mod Barnstorm Games RobTop Games Flightradar24 Scott Cawthon Core Coders

Week ending February 14th

PRESENTS

5 SECOND FACTS

Correct as of February 16th

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

1m

10m

490,000

60%

Valve’s MOBA Dota 2 has surpassed one million concurrent players. It’s the first game to hit this number in the history of Steam.

According to Ubisoft’s Q3 financial results, a total of ten million copies of Assassin’s Creed Unity and Rogue have been shipped.

Sega’s two Sonic Boom titles sold 490,000 units between them according to the publisher’s Q3 financial results.

NPD says that the combined US install base of the PS4 and Xbox One is 60 per cent higher than the PS3 and 360 at the same point in their life cycles.

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17

PDP design & manufacture the Afterglow Communicator PlayStation europesales@pdp.com

www.pdp.com February 20th 2015

GAMES MEDIA SPECIAL PATREON

PATREON OF THE ARTS Some of the biggest names in the games media have turned to a new crowdfunding platform to fund their projects. Why are they moving to Patreon, and has it changed how they work? Alex Calvin investigates

I

n the first week of 2015, IGN veterans Greg Miller and Colin Moriarty left the gaming site.

For some time the duo – along with producers Tim Gettys and Nick Scarpino – had been working on their side project, Kinda Funny.

It was essentially the four of them talking to the camera about everything and anything, except content that would clash with IGN. To fund this, the team had turned to new crowdfunding site Patreon.

Much like Kickstarter, Patreon lets consumers give creators money for content. But rather than donating a lump sum at the start, fans pay money over time.

“The day before we launched our first Patreon for Kinda Funny we were speculating about how much we’d make. We made $10,000 in the first day,” Miller says.

“So not only does the audience enjoy our content. They were willing to support us knowing we had full time jobs at IGN. Most of them donated even though we weren’t doing the content they wanted us to do.”

The team had a great deal of support, and wanted to be able to talk to their fans about games, films and comics, among other things.

So they quit their jobs at IGN and started a second Patreon to fund a spin-off to Kinda Funny, the similarly titled Kinda Funny Games.

LEAP OF FAITH The team are in esteemed company. Last year Jim Sterling of Destructoid and The Escapist fame turned to the platform to fund gaming website The Jimquisition, while the likes of freelance journalists Matt Lees and Cara

February 20th 2015

on popularity rather than small but solid fanbases. The numbers you need to make real money on YouTube are silly, which led to this bizarre industry-wide mindset that 10,000 viewers wasn’t worth anything. It was grim, I hated it, and I wanted to see if I could prove that it was wrong.”

Not everyone is a fan, though.

Ellison also use the platform.

While initially nervous about Patreon, Sterling decided to take the leap.

“The games media is a scary place. Layoffs happen pretty regularly. You can wake up one morning without a job,” he tells MCV. “I’d rather entrust my career to an audience that’s been with me and supported me for years than entrust it to a bunch of people in suits who don’t care if I live or die and don’t understand the games media industry.

“That was a big factor of me turning to Patreon, because I fear the money side is creeping more into the editorial side. As I said when I first announced my Patreon, I don’t want to have to bring an episode of the Jimquisition to people thanks to the great taste of Mountain Dew.” For freelance journalist Matt Lees, Patreon was a chance to be free from the monetisation cycle and to not worry about ad revenue.

“Mostly it came down to fatigue from dealing with the traditional process,” he says.

“Make a popular video. Make it a series. Get it sponsored. Get more views. Get more money.

There’s a horrid tendency to fixate

I’d rather entrust my career to my audience than some suits who don’t understand the games media.

Jim Sterling, The Jimquisition

When the Kinda Funny staff left IGN, there were vocal critics on Twitter about the move. And other journalists have faced similar scorn.

“Some people get angry about the amount of money you make, as if everybody is paying that amount rather than a few dollars here and there,” Sterling says.

“This is the free market working at its most efficient. It’s very much a case of ‘I have made this

product, it can only exist if there’s a need for it and people are willing to pay the money to show that demand’.”

THE LONG GAME Right now, Kinda Funny and The Jimquisition are making huge amounts of money from Patreon.

At the time of writing, Sterling has 3,041 patrons donating a total of $9,908 a month, while Kinda Funny has 3,628 backers and $18,400 in donations per month, and Kinda Funny Games has 3,967 fans providing $21,000 each month. But consumers have a finite pot of money, so common sense dictates this money will quickly fall away. And Miller is already looking to a time when Patreon won’t be Kinda Funny’s main source of income.

“There have been people saying Patreon isn’t sustainable, and that we are in for a rude awakening.

They are right, if that was our only revenue stream,” he says.

“Patreon is the biggest source of income for Kinda Funny now, and that’s great. These people are investing in us right now as a seedling. They’re nurturing us now so that we can grow into the mighty Deku Tree. At some point the switch is going to flip when the

(Left to right): Kinda Funny’s Miller, The Jimquisition’s Sterling, freelance journalist Lees and Videogamer’s Miller

18

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PATREON GAMES MEDIA SPECIAL

CASE STUDY: VIDEOGAMER

Kinda Funny is using Patreon as a seed fund for the growing business

revenue we are bringing in from ads is outpacing what we make on Patreon. We don’t want the lion’s share of support to be on our fans forever.”

But Sterling is more bullish, and feels more secure in his job than ever before thanks to Patreon.

“I see it as no less a potentially sustainable business than what I was doing before,” he says.

“When we talk about the finite pot of money, that’s true of Defy Media who own The Escapist, it’s true of CBS who owns GameSpot and Giant Bomb, it’s true of Ziff Davis, who owns IGN. “I feel more secure with Patreon currently than I have done up until now in my career. The internet is full of people willing to support things they care about.”

THE RIGHT FIT And along with the change in funding, going independent and not being affiliated with any gaming site begs the question whether these people are journalists, or media personalities.

Lees is unsure about his position within the media.

“Trying to work out where I fit in the games media venn diagram is probably my biggest headache. I’m

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not a journalist - yet sometimes I behave like one,” he says.

“Mostly I focus on comedy and entertainment, and even though I started off trying to just be a really good critic I’d be lying to myself if I claimed things hadn’t changed. People follow you because they like your work, and then they just end up liking you.

When you realise that you can upload a video of you explaining how to cook an omelette - and that’s just deemed to be a really cool thing - it’s impossible to resist the allure of just doing whatever the hell you want.”

But Sterling doesn’t think this distinction matters anymore.

“I never considered myself a games journalist to begin with. I never felt comfortable in the old games media, but I was in this weird ‘in-between’ state, where I did a lot of old media content, but added a lot of the more personality-led stuff that was emerging at the time,” he says.

He concludes: “We’re all ‘games media’. I tend to view myself as a critic and personality who was lucky enough to be a bit more recognisable than a bunch of other critics and personalities.”

People have said Patreon isn’t a sustainable business model. They are right, if it was our only revenue stream.

Greg Miller, Kinda Funny

19

LAST month, UK gaming site Videogamer launched a Patreon to support its new Community Club. It’s essentially a fan club, with users paying to get extra videos and attend events.

On the surface it seems strange an established ad-funded site should be crowdfunding. But Videogamer’s head of video production Simon Miller has another view.

“Take the word Patreon out of it for now, it’s a subscription service,” he tells MCV. “We could have put it on Videogamer if we wanted to, but Patreon is a service that people are aware of, they are familiar with it.

“It’s a great way for us to offer more stuff to the people that really want it. If there’s a demand for it, and we know there’s a way that we can pay for everything, then we know who exactly wants it and we can give it straight to them.”

He continues: “We want to get the videos as big as we can, we want to do these Community Club nights. This is a way we can do all of that, and it’s just good for us that there’s a service out there that ties it all up in one package.”

The result of Videogamer’s fans funding content is that they are more invested in the site than before.

“Without an audience, we haven’t anything,” Miller says. “If we can take a platform that puts more powers in the hands of our fans and speak and work more directly with them then that’s only a good thing.

“They have an investment in what we are doing. It’s just another way to empower them and ensure we’re on the right track to giving people what they want.”

February 20th 2015

XXX XXXMEDIA SPECIAL KOTAKU UK GAMES

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED Last year, Kotaku freed itself from the publisher driven news cycle and decided to focus on post-release coverage. Alex Calvin speaks to UK editor Keza MacDonald to find out more

O

nce upon a time, the traditional media was the gatekeeper for information about video games.

Now consumers have thousands of places where they can get their news from, such as Twitter or direct-to-consumer publisher blogs.

Last year Kotaku changed its editorial policy to focus on postrelease coverage. Rather than chasing the news, preview and review cycle, writers were tasked with covering individual titles or brands after launch.

This new direction appears to make sense. Personalities such as PewDiePie have millions of people viewing videos from older games like EA’s 2010 title Skate 3, which as a result returned to the charts.

So it’s clear that there’s an audience for older titles.

“Kotaku is trying to cover games in a way that reflects how people play them,” Kotaku UK editor Keza MacDonald tells MCV. “Games journalism has changed so massively. Being the gatekeeper for information and opinion on games is no longer the most interesting thing the media can do. What happens after a game comes out is usually far more interesting than whatever we are told is going to happen before a game comes out.”

She continues: “It frees you from that publisher and marketer-driven beat of covering a game, which actually has started to feel very formulaic. Our job is no longer to report what we are being told to, it’s to go searching for stories in the player population.”

PASSION PROJECTS In practice, this means that writers are given more time to

February 20th 2015

MacDonald says that Kotaku has changed its editorial to reflect how consumers play games

Being the gatekeepers of information isn’t the most interesting thing the media can do.

Keza MacDonald, Kotaku UK

pursue their own projects, rather than focusing on the publisherdriven news cycle.

“Every writer has to balance large, interesting features that are rewarding and smaller bits of news and things that have to be covered,” MacDonald explains.

“The way Kotaku works is everyone is on a news shift for no more than two days a week. That leaves time for them to work on their projects, usually something to do with their embed or a bigger story they are working on.”

And Kotaku’s readers have responded well to this new direction.

“The reaction from our audience has been very positive,” MacDonald says.

00 20

“Our new approach has made our coverage more accessible to those who don’t follow games day in, day out. An interesting story about a game that’s two years old is just as interesting as a game that came out last month. A feature about Pokémon’s Lavender Town – a ten or 15-year mystery – will be more accessible and interesting to a wider number of people than a story about a game that’s been out for a month.”

Shifting its focus to post-release editorial isn’t the only major change – Kotaku now no longer conforms to post-release review embargoes.

“More people are moving towards this attitude. We’re going to review it properly,” MacDonald says. “There’s been this thing in the media where people rush to an embargo and try to get everything up as fast as they can. We find that these don’t matter. We put our Destiny review up two weeks after release and we saw no drop off in traffic.

People are as interested in a review of a game when it’s been out for a few days or even a week later.”

She concludes: “The media has realised that embargoes mean far more to us than our readers. They don’t mind if we hit embargo.

They’d rather we did something properly. They don’t mind that they’re reading a review late.

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REVIEW SCORES GAMES MEDIA SPECIAL

YOUR NUMBERS ARE UP Citing the ‘unhealthy influence’ of Metacritic, Eurogamer has become the latest gaming site to get rid of numerical scores from its reviews. Alex Calvin speaks to editor Oli Welsh

L

ast week Eurogamer made the decision to ditch numerical scores from its reviews. In doing so the site joins the likes of Kotaku, which hasn’t had a numerical value attached to its reviews for several years.

“Towards the end of last year we strongly felt that scores weren’t helping readers any more,” Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh tells MCV. “In fact, we felt strongly that scores weren’t providing readers with useful context and were struggling to encompass - even sometimes distracting from - the issues that were most important to our readers. How should we score an excellent game with severe networking issues? A brilliantly tuned multiplayer experience with dreadful storytelling?

“Games and reviewing are changing fast. There are a number of existential threats to reviews: the rise in online games, the rise of YouTube Let’s Plays as a way for the audience to get a sense of game quality, and the changing world of game development, where games are only finished on the day of their release. With all of this going on, we felt reviews themselves needed to change if they were going to stay relevant.”

Bossa Studio co-founder Imre Jele is in support of abolishing review scores.

“I understand the desire to simplify complex matters into easy to understand patterns, it’s tempting to use measurable, chunks of data,” he says. “At the end of the day it’s easier to put 82 per cent in a spreadsheet rather than

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that are made according to what happens to work in Metacritic’s system, which is certainly not the only way to gauge a game’s quality. It’s harming innovation in mainstream gaming.”

Eurogamer’s Welsh (above) and Boss Studio’s Jele (above) both feel that numerical review scores aren’t a good indication of a game’s quality

write: ‘I really like it but there are others which I liked more so this is not the best but still very good’.

“But I believe review scores are a bane to the industry.

These numbers claim to sum up an experience potentially lasting dozens of hours through days even weeks of play, and they’re also expected to represent a wide range of personal tastes at the same time as well. It’s expected that the same zero to 100 scale covers everything.”

Metacritic is harming innovation in mainstream gaming.

Oli Welsh, Eurogamer

and audience treat Metacritic,” Welsh explains.

“They attached far too much importance to these numbers, and have inflated expectations of how high they should be. The idea that a game isn’t worth buying or that its developers have failed and don’t deserve bonuses - if it scores under 80 or even 85 on Metacritc is only going to result in very samey and bland games

META-CRISIS For Eurogamer, this comes back to what it describes as ‘the unhealthy influence’ of Metacritic.

“The problem is in the way parts of the games industry

Games reviewed by Eurogamer can now receive one of the above awards

21

IN TIERS But Eurogamer still has a rank system in place, likely to placate publishers looking for a value to place on game boxes. Some stitles will be given one of three awards – Essential, Recommended and Avoid.

“When we talked about dropping review scores it was a purist system without those tiers. But it felt like we were taking something away from readers that might help them put our reviews in context,” Welsh explains. “It also didn’t seem fair to the games that we really want to highlight. That’s how Recommended came about - it’s a strong endorsement from us.”

But while there are consumers who appreciate a full written review, there are also people out there who just skip down to the score. Welsh and the Eurogamer team thinks its new system still provides the best of both worlds.

“We now have a short summary - no more than the 140 characters, the length of a tweet at the top of the review giving the headline of how we feel about the game,” he says.

“For people who don’t want to read the whole thing, I hope that will be really helpful – together with the recommendation if there is one.”

He concludes: “It will only take a few seconds to read and will give you a lot more useful information than a single number can.”

February 20th 2015

XXX XXXMEDIA SPECIAL VIDEO CONTENT GAMES

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION Every major games media firm is investing serious money in video as the YouTube generation takes over.

Alex Calvin speaks to the industry’s top video experts What has your approach to video content been?

Chris Beaumont, GameSpot UK: Our approach is for the video team to lead video. That sounds glib, but a lot of sites have tried to integrate video by adding a producer or two to their traditional organisation of writers and editors, often with less than brilliant results.

Alex Simmons, IGN UK: It’s the same as our overall approach to editorial – if it’s relevant and interesting to our readers, we’ll do it. Some content works better as video, some works better written.

Our content is presented in the best way possible.

Simon Miller, Videogamer: We do stuff where we look at games seriously. But games are there to entertain. Our videos are to inform, first and foremost, but we make sure that people are entertained.

We’re as funny as we can be, and ultimately feel that people watch our videos are part of our community.

Johnny Chiodini, Eurogamer: Our approach is to make stuff we’re excited about. If the person making a video is genuinely interested in the topic, it makes for a more entertaining watch - even if the product isn’t the most SEO-chasing thing we could have produced.

(Above left to right) IGN’s Simmons, GameSpot’s Beaumont, Eurogamer’s Chiodini, Yogscast’s Keith and Videogamer’s Miller say that games websites aren’t directly competing with YouTube stars and vice versa

the freedom to be flexible with our setups, but very targeted.

Rich Keith, Yogscast: The content hasn’t changed that much. It’s funny people having a conversation while messing around on games. The essence of the content continues to be about entertaining the audience and making them laugh.

You’d be silly to not look at YouTube personalities now. In many ways they are the new games media.

Simmons: IGN has been taking video seriously for a long time – it’s part of everything we do. We create over 120 pieces of video content a month out of the UK alone, from broadcast-quality series like our Star Wars show Rebel Base, to bite-sized news videos.

Every opportunity is unique, so we carefully consider the presentation of everything we create.

Simon Miller, Videogamer

Beaumont: Our competitors are rival game sites. YouTubers have had a lot of success in the gaming space, but they’ve created a new space - the Let’s Play, which isn’t a big focus for us.

Keith: Yogscast doesn’t compete with gaming sites - we’re an entertainment network trying to make as many people happy and amused each month as possible. That’s a world away from traditional games sites.

How has the video content you are producing changed?

Chiodini: The type of video content I’m producing has diversified and become more specialised. The amount of video across the industry has made viewers very comfortable with different formats, but also means we need to nail the angle in order to stand out. It gives us

February 20th 2015

Who do you primarily see as your competition: YouTubers or traditional game sites?

Chiodini: YouTube personalities shouldn’t be underestimated, but they do things very differently.

Many focus on one game for extended periods, or will go really deep on one game. Our coverage is broader. There’s a lot we can learn from YouTube personalities, but I set my targets by rival sites.

YouTubers such as PewDiePie are having a measurable impact on sales

00 22

Miller: Our competition is everybody, which sounds ridiculous. YouTube is so huge. You have game sites, and then you have PewDiePie, You can’t be specific anymore. You’d be silly to not look at people like YouTubers because in many ways they are the new games media now.

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INDIE INTERVIEW CLIMAX STUDIOS Sponsored by

PUSHING IT TO THE CLIMAX With Silent Hill and Assassin’s Creed titles under its belt, Climax Studios is one of the UK’s most prominent indie developers – and now it’s making its move into virtual reality. CEO Simon Gardner talks to Matthew Jarvis

C

limax may not be a company you’d associate with being an ‘indie’ developer. Over its 25-year-plus history, the company has actually worked with some of the industry’s most iconic video game IP. Starting out with console ports of Diablo and Warcraft, before moving onto its original Silent Hill games (Origins on PSP and Shattered Memories on Wii) the firm remains a popular partner for major publishers looking to expand on their already successful IP. In fact, Climax CEO Simon Gardner says that the number of outlets that are capable - or willing - to do this sort of development is becoming a rarity.

“Over the last few years quite a number of our traditional competitors have disappeared,” he recalls. “They either evolved into other companies by doing more of their self-publishing or went out of business.

“Certainly, we’re finding that we get a lot of approaches now – and one of the common themes we hear is that there are fewer reliable developers left that companies can go to.”

A NEW PERSPECTIVE The latest in Climax’s sharedIP repertoire is the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China.

The game adopts a 2.5D sidescrolling format, which is in stark contrast to the fully 3D worlds of Ubisoft’s main series.

It also features a character previously only seen in the novelisation of Assassin’s Creed Revelations and the short film Assassin’s Creed: Embers: female Assassin Shao Jun.

February 20th 2015

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China adopts a 2.5D sidescrolling style

“Ubisoft was looking to do something that would allow them to explore other characters and environments within the Assassin’s Creed universe, and which would allow them to satisfy fans’ requirements for those,” says Gardner of the title’s origin.

“The problem with their main games is that they take quite a long time for them to produce.

But they know what scenarios and characters they’re going to be doing quite a way out, and I think this was a way of going: ‘Yes, we can address some of the appetite here for fans by doing a more contained experience.’”

You see things come and go, and other things come and grow; if you don’t jump in straight away, you’re not a leader.

Simon Gardner, Climax Studios

NOT SILENT FOR LONG Gardner says that the chance to work with an existing franchise is often granted to Climax by a publisher looking to build on its own IP. But the studio is unafraid to pitch to publishers, either. After it created Silent Hill: Origins, it was Climax that then approached Konami with the concept for its popular Wii Silent Hill game.

24

“Shattered Memories was something that we very much pitched into Konami and said: ‘This is the next thing we’d like to do with the Silent Hill franchise’,” he explains.

So, with a personal interest in the classic horror franchise, would Climax consider returning to the world of Silent Hill?

“Yeah, I think so,” Gardner responds. “We made two Silent Hill games and we’re particularly proud of Shattered Memories; it was a really groundbreaking game.

“I’d love to explore more with the psychological profiling that we did in that, and the way that the story had multiple branches in it. It was interesting, it’s something that we could develop further.”

A DIFFERENT REALITY After nearly three decades of work on PC and consoles, 2015 will see Climax take a diversion into a completely new platform – virtual reality.

The studio’s debut virtual reality title, Bandit Six, is set to be one of the first titles for Samsung’s Gear VR headset, which impressed the firm when it got to play with it.

“Samsung demoed the early prototype of the Gear VR to us, and I was just really taken with it,” he says. “I was excited in a way I hadn’t been for a long time. I brought an early development kit back to the UK and put a team on it straight away.”

He added: “We took a risk. You see things come and go, and other things come and grow; if you don’t jump in straight away, by the time you actually do get involved you’re not a leader. I thought: ‘Not with this one. We’ve got something here, so let’s go for it.’”

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MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE Ibby Hussain of Middlesborough’s Super Games World tells MCV why his store has been constantly busy during the quiet January period, what digital content he wants from publishers and what his plans are for the store’s website How’s business been for you recently?

Since January it’s been really full on. It’s been constant.

Isn’t January normally a quiet time?

Usually when we hit January our sales die. But we’ve been level all the way through the month.

It’s because we specialise in retro stock, so we have loads of software for older consoles as well as more current machines.

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

It’s the sheer variety we have that draws people into the store.

We also do all the digital stock through Sony, all the DLC and currency, which has also been selling pretty well. Because people have new consoles from the Christmas period we’ve been doing a lot of digital suscriptions, wallet top-ups, game DLC and so on.

We do the full range of DLCSoft stock, which has gone really well for us. We do all the different denominations of wallet top-ups and DLC. There’s stock constantly being added to that.

Just before Christmas, Nintendo eShop content was added; that’s not doing as well as the Sony stuff, but it’s doing okay.

What’s your digital offering like at the moment?

We’ve got a pretty good range.

Why do you think Nintendo stock isn’t selling as well?

It’s more how well Sony stock

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OUT FEBRUARY 25TH

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MARKETPLACE

Super Games World 55 Newport Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS1 1LB

is selling. I did notice over the Christmas period that we were selling more in the way of PS4s than we were Xbox Ones. For us, the PlayStation 4 was much stronger. In terms of software sales it was almost three to one.

You don’t have a website for your store – why?

We will have had our store here for two years in April.

We’re trying to build the store up at the moment. We’re not really

Phone: 01642 973 871 Facebook: facebook.com/SuperGamesWorldMiddlesbrough

thinking about going for a website just yet, because that requires a lot of work.

We’re quite active on social media, and have some 2,200 likes. That’s not a bad achievement.

At the moment we have the website on hold. If we’ve got something good to offer in store, I just feel we don’t need to be in a massive rush to get the website up and running. But, obviously, never say never.

INCOMING TITLE

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

PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886 lands alongside Dead or Alive 5: Last Round this week, with the physical release of Dying Light finally due next Friday FORMAT

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27

February 20th 2015

PLAYSTATION

PLAYSTATION Over more than 20 years, PlayStation has seen countless iconic titles – from Crash Bandicoot to Vib Ribbon. Matthew Jarvis takes a look at some of Sony’s best

THIS month’s release of The Order: 1886 for PS4 marks the latest in a long line of PlayStation exclusives.

The original PlayStation set the foundation for much of today’s video game landscape.

IP including Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil all made their home on the console.

The enduring legacy of titles such as these remains clear – all bar one of the franchises listed above will see a new title released

The Twitter hashtag #PlayStationMemories became the number one trending topic on Twitter worldwide in February 2013.

during 2015, with original Crash Bandicoot creator Naughty Dog releasing the next in its equally iconic PlayStation-only series, Uncharted.

2015 also marks a big year for PlayStation itself, as the platform turns 20 years old in Europe.

Alongside the celebration, Sony has released a plateload of merchandise set to tingle gamers’ nostalgic tastebuds (take a look at some examples below) themed on PlayStation’s past.

SHAPED PLAYSTATION MESSENGER BAG The rectangular form of the original PlayStation lends itself perfectly to this reincarnation as a shoulder-strap messenger bag. Complete with a flip-over disc cover and embroidered power, reset and eject buttons, this retro satchel is ideal for those who miss the days of Final Fantasy VII and Medieval.

SRP: £29.99 Manufacturer: Bioworld Merchandising Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

INFAMOUS SECOND SON EMBOSSED LOGO BIFOLD WALLET

PARAPPA THE RAPPER BEANIE

THE ORDER: 1886 MUG

Based on the PS4 outing of Sony’s superhero series, this bi-fold wallet features the karmic crow symbol from the game.

It’s hard to get finer fashion advice than that from a rapping dog. Fans can copy PaRappa’s dress sense with this vivid headwear.

Players can sip their tea while blasting baddies in Victorian London thanks to this mug styled with key art from The Order: 1886.

SRP: £14.99 Manufacturer: Bioworld Merchandising Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

SRP: £15 Manufacturer: Insert Coin Distributor: Insert Coin Contact: info@insertcoinclothing.com

SRP: £6.99 Manufacturer: GB Eye Distributor: GB Eye Contact: uksales@gbeye.com

February 20th 2015

28

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PLAYSTATION Sponsored by

O

gaming merchandise uk

As part of the promotional campaign leading to the launch of the PS4, Sony drew upon its storied video game history.

The Twitter hashtag #PlayStationMemories, spread ahead of the PS4 reveal, became the number one trending topic on Twitter worldwide in February 2013, with millions of players sharing their recollections of PlayStation games past and present.

In addition to this, the ‘Since 1995’ video featured all four

generations of PlayStation hardware and referenced titles from throughout the platform’s lifespan. Since it was posted in October 2013, the video has attained nearly four million views.

Clearly, passion for PlayStation still runs high and, with a calendar full of PS4 exclusives such as The Order: 1886, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, No Man’s Sky, Bloodborne and Tearaway: Unfolded, it’s unlikely to slow anytime soon.

LITTLEBIGPLANET SACKBOY POP! VINYL The cloth character from Sony’s hit DIY creation platformer makes for a range of popular products. Here the chirpy chappie takes the form of a 10cm figure – perfect for desks and shelves.

SRP: £8.99 Manufacturer: Funko Distributor: Underground Toys Contact: kenny@underground-toys.com

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Emblazoned with the Killzone logo, this top will keep shooter fans warm as they battle the Helghast in Sony’s hit FPS franchise.

The former half of Insomniac’s beloved Ratchet and Clank partnership is immortalised in plush form in this eight-inch toy.

Inspired by PlayStation’s 20th anniversary, this varsity jacket is finished in PlayStation grey, complete with the original PS logo.

SRP: £34.99 Manufacturer: Bioworld Merchandising Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

SRP: £17.99 Manufacturer: Mezco Distributor: Mezco Contact: wholesale@mezcotoyz.com

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29

February 20th 2015

HOT PRODUCTS

Sponsored by

HOT PRODUCTS MCV takes a look at the best accessories heading to UK retail. This week, we check out the new Cloud headset from HyperX and battle with Venom’s latest arcade stick

HYPERX CLOUD II GAMING HEADSET HYPERX has released an updated version of its Cloud gaming headset.

The HyperX Cloud II features a redesigned USB sound card audio control box for a higher level of audio quality.

The headset’s independent audio and microphone volume control allows users to adjust both audio and mic volume. They can also choose to toggle surround sound and mic sound on and off.

The headset boasts virtual 7.1 surround sound with an enhanced feeling of distance and depth for more immersive audio.

53mm drivers are also included for improved audio performance, there is enhanced bass via the sound card, while the Cloud II’s closed-cup design helps with noise cancellation in gaming tournaments and other loud environments.

The headset additionally has a digitally-enhanced, noise-

cancelling microphone with automatic gain control functionality and echo cancellation, which is enabled through use of the integrated USB sound card. This means that background noise is reduced and voice quality is boosted, with chat volume automatically increasing when in-game audio gets louder to provide optimal communication during heated multiplayer matches.

The peripheral is USB-powered for PC and Mac, with 3.5mm stereo-compatibility for PS4 and Xbox One.

[INFO] RRP: £74.99 Release Date: Out Now Distributor: Entatech Contact: 0333 101 1000

VENOM ARCADE STICK FOR PS3 AND PS4 OFFICIALLY licensed by Sony, Venom’s latest Arcade Stick has an exclusive dual format design, which means it is compatible with both the PS3 and PS4.

This product features a steel shaft micro switched joystick, which provides rapid responsiveness – similar to that of an arcade machine.

The peripheral is designed with an ergonomic layout, complete with a sleek look that is designed to fit in with the aesthetics of the PlayStation consoles. It has eight buttons, which boast turbo functions, and the PS4 Share Button.

It’s been built out of durable and ‘premium’ components, which Venom says gives the buttons and joystick that authentic ‘arcadequality’ feel.

February 20th 2015

30

The faceplate of the peripherals can additionally be customised using the included pack of decals.

Meanwhile, the 4m cable can be hidden away in the device’s internal storage.

Players can also switch between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, as well as two different turbo modes.

They can also customise whether the joystick registers as an analog stick or D-pad, using integrated switches.

[INFO] RRP: £69.99 Release Date: February 2015 Distributor: Venom Contact: 01763 284 181

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MAKE SURE YOU’RE IN THE ROOM FOR THE BIGGEST MCV AWARDS YET CONTACT: JESS FARNAN / JFARNAN@NBMEDIA.COM / 01992 535 646

FOR SPONSORSHIP CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535646 OR EMAIL CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM SPONSORS

STUDIO DIVA

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SOUNDING SWEET is an independent recording and audio production company that specialises in the production of sound for computer games.

Our facilities include a state-of-theart 7.1 surround sound dubbing suite and two VO/Foley rooms. We provide the latest audio technology, both in-game and in the studio. We have a comprehensive knowledge of the latest audio middleware and we love to get busy with in-house technology such as XMLs. Our services include: Voice recording, sound design, field recording, music composition, music editing and production, audio implementation, 7.1 surround sound mixing, trailers and marketing materials, casting and localisation.

If you need to listen into a session we can always find a way to get connected. We have a very flexible ISDN codec, Source Connect, Skype and, of course, the good old telephone!

From supplying a few bespoke sound effects to complete integration with your development team – we would love to talk to you about how we can help with your next project.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS COMPANY AND MANY MORE ONLINE NOW AT:

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February 20th 2015

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34

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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 Just Flight Appynation Digital Media IntentMedia Charity GamesAid Banners & Takeovers Konami Packaging Design Just Flight Email: info@finkcreative.com CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION

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Tel: +44 (0) 207 462 6200

35

Web: www.sonydadc.com

February 20th 2015

DIRECTORY

GAMING ACCESSORIES

L3I

GAMING ACCESSORIES

VENOM

New officially licensed products

Vibration Stereo Gaming Headset

Vibration technology for immersive gaming

Arcade Stick

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CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535647 OR EMAIL HIM AT CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 February 20th 2015

36

Venom UK Gaming @VenomGamingUK

w w w. v e n o m u k . c o m

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INSIDER’S GUIDE

INSIDER’S GUIDE SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: Record label Location: Sumthing Else Music Works, 9 East 45th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10017

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

Gregory Ferraiolo, Sumthing Else VP of licensing and business development, discusses video game music

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

Tell us about your company.

Founded by three-time Grammy award-winner Nile Rodgers, Sumthing Else Music Works is an indie record label that specialises in the licensing and worldwide distribution of video game soundtracks. Our partners include BioWare, Bungie, Capcom, Cartoon Network, Crytek, Disney Interactive, Epic Games, Gearbox, Konami, Microsoft, Sega, Sony, and Square Enix.

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

What is your biggest success to date?

Sales-wise, our biggest release to date is Halo 2 Volume 1, which sold over 175,000 copies. In terms of acclaim, it was really exciting to work on the release of the Journey soundtrack with Sony – it was the first Grammynominated game soundtrack.

To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and now every week in MCV) contact aboucher@nbmedia.com

Anyone with a laptop can sell music digitally, so it’s been important for us to maintain a strong sales network.

What projects do you currently have in the works?

We’ve just launched a new promotional service called SumCodes, a one-time-use download code service. This platform allows us to construct branded landing pages for digital giveaways and featuring gamerelated merchandise.

Tell us something about your company no one knows.

Sumthing didn’t begin as a video game soundtrack label – we actually started off as a traditional indie record label. Our first releases included records

by Debbie Gibson and Van Halen’s David Lee Roth.

What are the biggest challenges you face?

Staying ahead of the competition.

Nowadays anyone with a laptop can sell music digitally, so it’s been important for us to maintain a strong sales network dedicated to purchasing game soundtracks.

How did you choose your company name?

Our founder, Nile Rodgers, had a mentor who would continually remind him that you must stand up for your principles by quoting the saying “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR COMPANY IN INSIDER’S GUIDE? PLEASE CONTACT MJARVIS@NBMEDIA.COM OR CALL 01992 515 303

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

Contact: P: (+1) 212-818-0047 E: licensing@sumthing.com W: sumthing.com

37

February 20th 2015

FACTFILE ICELAND Sponsored by

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: ICELAND Population: 325,671 Capital City: Reykjavík Currency: Króna GDP (Per Capita): $52,967 KEY RETAILERS Elko, BT, Gamestodin, Skifan, Hagkaup

TOP DEVELOPERS: CCP, Dexoris, Gogogic, Plain Vanilla Games, Fancy Pants Global, Ymir, Skema, Lumenox, Betware

KEY DISTRIBUTORS: SAMfilm, Dagsbrún, Sena, Myndform, Ormsson

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION: CCP

ICELAND is a thriving landscape for games, backed by strong government investment in the industry.

According to technology website Wired, revenue from Iceland’s video games industry rose by more than 600 per cent between 2008 and 2011.

Icelandic news outlet Eyjan reports that video games earned the country 1.9 billion ISK (£10m) in 2005, and 13.2 billion kr (£70m) in 2009. In the latter year, exports from the creative sectors comprised approximately three per cent of Iceland’s total exports – more than that provided by exported agricultural products.

Without a doubt, the biggest video game success to have originated in Iceland is EVE Online. Launched in 2003, the sci-fi MMO has grown in subscriber numbers every year since – a feat that the studio behind the title, CCP, claims is

unique among MMO titles. More people – 500,000 of them – now participate in EVE Online’s virtual economy than live in Iceland.

This market strength is being bolstered by the region’s government. In November 2012, Iceland’s then-minister for Finance and Economic Affairs announced a three-year programme which would invest heavily in the creative industries and tourism, including video games, until 2016. There was a particular focus on innovative media, with 250 million kr allocated for ‘new creative endeavours’.

Mobile developers based in Iceland are also making an impact around the globe.

Mobile studio Plain Vanilla Games, which has an office in Reykjavík, developed the mobile named QuizUp!. The app was declared as the fastest-growing iPhone game in history in 2013.

More people participate in EVE Online’s virtual economy than live in Iceland.

February 20th 2015

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ICELAND FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... CANADA EA’s Montreal studio has been hit by a round of layoffs, leading to speculation regarding the closure of the branch’s mobile division EA has confirmed that a number of employees have been laid off from its Montreal studio in Quebec, Canada.

The studio was split into two divisions, a console developer (named Visceral Montreal, which was responsible for games such as Army of Two, Boogie and SSX on Tour) and a mobile studio.

In 2013 EA closed the console aspect to focus primarily on mobile. Now there have been further job cuts.

“We made a staffing change in our Montreal studio to align with our current development and service plans,” EA said in a statement.

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“A small number of employees were impacted, and we are working closely with each of them to ensure the best transition possible.”

According to a source close to those affected, the

redundancies could lay the foundation for the closure of the Montreal studio, though EA is yet to comment on the allegation.

February 20th 2015

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION Sponsored by

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BRAZIL Sony Music Entertainment Brasil Day 1 Entertainment Brasil Rua Lauro Muller n°. 116 – 40°. Andar Salas 4001 a 4003 Botafogo Rio de Janeiro RJ CEP. 22.290-160 Tel. +55 21 2128-0771 Fax: +55 21 2128-0747 Email : rodrigo.altieri@sonymusic.com Website: www.sonymusic.com.br | www.day1e.com.br

CYPRUS

G3 GREAT GAMES LTD 4 Gregoriou Papaflessa Street, Office 101, Engomi, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus.

Tel: +357 22 666612 Web: www.greatgames.com.cy

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SWEDEN

DC GAMES GROUP No.9, Hemmatian St., Takestan St., Sattarkhan Tehran, Iran Tel: +98-912-1014090 +98-21-44228670 Email: Bahizad@Doostan-Co.com Web: www.Doostan-Co.com

GAME OUTLET EUROPE AB PO Box 5083, S-650 05 Karlstad, Sweden Sales dept: ali.manzuri@gameoutlet.se Sales dept: andreas.lindberg@gameoutlet.se Purchase dept: hamed.manzuri@gameoutlet.se Purchase dept: david.nilsson@gameoutlet.se Web: www.gameoutlet.se

NETHERLANDS

UAE

SOEDESCO B.V. Koddeweg 13, 3194 DH Rotterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 104722462 Fax: +31 104722893 Email: info@soedesco.com Web: www.soedesco.com

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

NORDIC WENDROS AB SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK & FINLAND Jakobsdalsvägen 17 12653 Hägersten Sweden Phone: +46 8 51942500 Fax: +46 8 7466790 Email: HM@wendros.se LM@wendros.se Web: www.wendros.se

MCV WORLDWIDE Editorial: + 61 (0)424 967 263 Leigh.Harris@mcvpacific.com

Advertising: + 61 (0)417 084821 Joel.Vandaal@mcvpacific.com

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MORE DISTRIBUTORS AUSTRALIA AFA Interactive, Bluemouth Interactive, Five Star Games, Mindscape, Namco Bandai Partners, Turn Left Distribution BENELUX CLD Distribution, Koch Media, Gameworld Distribution B.V. CANADA E One, Importel, Just4Games, Solutions 2 Go, Vidéoglobe CYPRUS Access, Gibareio, Zilos, Nortec Multimedia CZECH REPUBLIC Cenega, Conquest, Comgad, Playman, ABC Data DENMARK Bergsala, Elpa, Impulse, Koch Media, Nordisk Film Interactive, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision FRANCE Big Ben, Innelec, Koch Media, SDO, Sodifa GREECE Zegatron, CD Media, Namco Bandai Partners, IGE, Nortec, Enarxis, Beacon HUNGARY CNG.hu/Cenega Hungary, CTC Trading, Magnew, PlayON, Stadlbauer ICELAND Sena, Myndform, Samfilm, Ormsson INDONESIA Maxsoft, Uptron, Technosolution IRELAND MSE Group, Baumex JAPAN Ajioka, Happinet, Jesnet NORWAY Bergsala, Game Outlet, Koch Media, Nordic Game Supply, Nordisk Film, Pan Vision POLAND CD Projekt, Cenega, Galapagos, LEM PORTUGAL Ecoplay, Infocapital, Koch Media, Namco Bandai ROMANIA Best Distribution SERBIA ComTrade, Computerland/Iris Mega, Extreme CC SPAIN Digital Bros, Koch Media, Namco Bandai Partners, Nobilis SWEDEN Bergsala, Koch Media, Namco Bandai, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision, Wendros, Ztorm (digital) UAE Red Entertainment Distribution, Pluto Games (LS2 Pluto), Viva Entertainment, Gameplay Entertainment, Geekay Distribution

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION PLEASE CONTACT CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM February 20th 2015

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OFF THE RECORD

OFF THE RECORD This week David Cameron visits Dovetail Games, Videogamer shuns review scores and Guy Cocker is running the London Marathon MASKED PARTY MAJORA’S Mask is an item that is possessed by an evil spirit that corrupts whoever wears it.

So, naturally, GAME gave one to all its customers who turned up to buy the new Zelda game.

Hopefully the Daily Mail won’t discover such a blatant example of games brainwashing today’s youth.

COOL RUNNINGS Joining the many games industry members running the London Marathon this year is freelance journalist Guy Cocker.

So far, Cocker has raised £493 of his £2,000 goal. and if you want to give him a hand, you can do so here: tinyurl.com/qa4lkqb

THE WEEK IN 140 CHARACTERS The Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days @hownottodraw New 3DS worries: stylus feels flimsy, black faceplate gets scratched quite easily, hard to turn off and internet seems to be always on.

@TheBratterz Ahead of this year’s general election, David Cameron looks to appeal to the (as of yet) untapped Train Sim community.

Kate Gray, OXM, Friday February 13th

Chris Bratt, Eurogamer, Wednesday February 11th

@epsio1 Used to think it was Ocarina, but Majora’s Mask is the best Zelda. So much character and imagination. It’s held up so well.

@2plus2isjoe I think this is the first time Molyneux’s stopped being charming and become a worry. Like Charlie Sheen throwing around the N-word.

Andy Robinson, Bandai Namco, Sunday February 15th

Joe Skrebels, freelance journalist, Wednesday February 11th

@milesSI Very happy that @JonMurphy666 has today signed for Sports Interactive on a six-month loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer working on Football Manager Online.

@rauper Wow - 57-60 per cent adblock on 4players.de. More people need to be talking about this stuff – more gaming sites will go out of business soon.

Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive, Monday February 16th

Rupert Loman, Gamer Network, Wednesday February 11th

@Skellylicious The marketing area of Capcom Towers appears to have been struck down with the T virus. Apparently my flu jab has made me indestructible!

@jemalexander Molyneux saying he won’t talk to the press is like Kojima saying this will be his last Metal Gear game.

Laura Skelly, Capcom UK Monday February 16th

Jem Alexander, freelance journalist, Friday February 13th

@JasonWiltshire Had to laugh at the first comment on Eurogamer’s Evolve review: ‘7/10’.

@zeldawilliams So, how many of you lucky ducks got the elusive Majora’s Mask 3DS? I’ve got the Triforce one so I didn’t even try, but I’m VERY jealous.

Jason Wiltshire, Attention Seekers, Monday February 16th

Zelda Williams, actress, Friday February 13th

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February 20th 2015

OFF THE RECORD CAMPAIGN TRAIN Last week David Cameron, in a ďŹ t of Rail Simulator frenzy, descended upon Medway-based developer Dovetail Games.

All of this was under the ruse of being part of the a PR drive for the government’s Help To Grow scheme, but we all know that Mr Cameron is in fact the UK’s number one Rail Simulator fan.

VIDEO GOES VIRAL So Videogamer last week – never ones to miss a chance to deliever a cutting satire on industry issues – decidedto discuss its solution to the debate around review scores. Its answer?

Post-it notes to stick over oensive scores, and marker pens to change said scores. Order now and you’ll get your very own David Scammell – aka Videogamer’s news editor.

The actually quite famous video clocked almost 14,000 views, which we guess means it went viral? What deďŹ nes ‘viral’? Send your answers to whocares@mcvuk.com.

Backed Planetary Annihilation, picked the full release game-only option (was cheaper), got sent a beta key. I was happy.

Jack Price @mesprite

TO KICKSTARTER BACKERS - HOW MANY PROJECTS HAVE YOU BACKED IN YOUR TIME AND HAVE THEY ALL DELIVERED? #GMGASKS

I’ve backed several dozen games, both big names and small ones. So far, nobody’s let me down yet, all being made or out.

I’ve backed 149 successfully funded projects and I have seven current.

None have fallen. Some were a little late.

Kripto Sporidium @kriptosporidium

Evan Ritchie @MostStrange

Gor now, just once, Chasm, and so far, it has delivered.

Florian Bucaile @kednavikit

February 20th 2015

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A few. One was Godus.

Enough said.

Harley9699 @harley9699 I only backed Armikrog, and it’s still not out! But I’m sure it will be great.

Ran @coverpaint

%DFNHG Âż YH JDPHV VR IDU 7ZR Âż QLVKHG RQH KDOI Âż QLVKHG %URNHQ $JH

one in beta, and one still in early development.

None.Get the game to at LEAST an early release build that I can play. Then we can talk about money.

RGD @RyanD86

Jeremy S @Hexen525

I have backed two (one still going) board games.

Rogues To Riches has more than delivered & am excited to play it with friends.

I’ve backed Exploding Kittens and the Tobuscus game, as well as Broken Age, so far no regrets.

John D @Tigerseye85

Marcus Fenix @poop_salad

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