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MCV ISSUE 845 28TH AUGUST 2015

[ OUT 01.09.15 ]

KONAMI.JP/MGS5

[ OUT 01.09.15 ] DAY ONE EDITION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING IN-GAME ITEMS:

“ ”, “ “, “ “ and “ “ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a trademark of the same company. “Blu-ray DiscTM” and “Blu-rayTM” are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ©2015 Konami Digital Entertainment Published by Konami Digital Entertainment BV. Developed by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 845 FRIDAY AUGUST 28TH 2015

W O N S T R A T S N IG A P M CA

Dear Games Industry, We’ve been lying to you…

PLUS TOYS-TO-LIFE: WHAT TO STOCK KONAMI TALKS METAL GEAR SOLID V

NEWS

Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture and Volume miss out in digital charts farce UK indie developers call for more data sharing as small studios go unrecognised in the software ranks

by Christopher Dring and Alex Calvin TWO major British indie releases would have entered the AllFormats charts this week if digital figures had been counted.

Volume, the new game from Mike Bithell, would have at least made the Top Ten, according to MCV sources. It comes a week after Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, the PS4 exclusive created by UK-based The Chinese Room, missed out on the No.1 spot simply because it was only available over PSN. And now British indie studios are calling on the digital retailers to start sharing their data, so that the world can see just how rapidly the UK independent scene is growing.

“Personally, yes, publishers should share their digital sales data,” said creative director of Rodeo Games, Ben Murch. “I’m a big fan of transparency in as many areas as possible. I do understand that the situation can be quite complicated, with other parties, shareholders, licencee

(Left to right) Indies Harris, Hegarty and Murch want to see Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture in the charts

holders, etcetera not wanting to share sales data. But an all encompassing chart would be grand though.”

Cliff Harris of indie studio Positech added: “[A chart] would encourage competition and progress in the genres that gamers are really enjoying which is a good thing.”

Indies acknowledge it is down to individual companies about

Some digital data is already available so a digital chart seems like a logical step forwards.

Tom Hegarty, Roll7

sharing data, but with analyst tools becoming increasingly accurate, an official chart should follow.

“It’s always down to individual publishers to make a decision with regards to their data but with sites like Steamspy, some of that data is already available so it’s seems like a logical step forward,” said Roll7’s Tom Hegarty.

Major publishers silent over data sharing THE world’s biggest games publishers refused to comment on whether they would be willing to share download data.

MCV contacted every major games publisher to ask if they would like a digital chart. And

August 28th 2015

valuation so that ‘the doom and gloom’ around games is dispelled. But declined to offer an official comment.

Another triple-A games giant described the topic as a ‘political hot potato’ and that they would

although two firms admitted that including download data in an overall chart is something they would ‘like to see’, they still refused to go on the record.

One publisher even said that it would be good to get at least a

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prefer not to issue a statement at this time.

A handful of businesses have yet to respond to MCV’s request, and we shall be pushing for a response from them all this week.

www.mcvuk.com

NEWS

Chart-Track: Industry is at risk of losing its best research and PR tool

THE EDITOR

‘Ball is in the industry’s court’ says data tracker

by Christopher Dring GFK Chart-Track has warned the games industry that it might lose its best PR tool if it fails to share digital data.

The firm, which operates the UK Top 40, says it is ready to support downloads in its chart, but that it’s up to the games industry to want it.

“The controversy and speculation that a certain game would have topped the charts if digital sales were included highlights the need to address the issue of the supply of digital sales towards the industry’s charts and research data,” said GfK Chart-Track’s business group director Dorian Bloch.

“We’re ready to include digital sales, either alongside physical sales or separately, but the ball is in the industry’s court to recognise the need for measuring the complete market and supply their data.

“With a critical mass of digital retailers we could reveal as little or as much as the players in the market feel comfortable sharing.

“There are issues, such as how local this combination of physical and digital can be and whether various companies

SAVE OUR CHARTS

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ext week, we will not be running a charts section within MCV Magazine.

The two pages we devote to charts aren’t good enough.

The Steam charts are global, and Valve hasn’t responded to our requests for a UK-focused Top Ten. Microsoft kindly supply us with an Xbox Live chart, but they’re only able to include digital 360 games.

Sony started supplying PSN information, but stopped over a year ago.

And as for the main chart – the All-Formats Top 40 – it misses out on the rapidly growing digital sector, which means it’s not an accurate representation of our industry or what consumers are buying.

Could we use these pages more wisely? It’s a question we’ve been wrestling with for some time now, and we have decided that yes, we could. So for the first time in 17 years, MCV will not be running a regular charts page.

You’ll still find these charts on our website (including the iPhone and iPad charts, which are actually very good).

But until the industry starts developing a proper, accurate ranking of the most popular games, we won’t be printing them within these pages.

MCV has long campaigned for the need to share data so that the games industry can grow and highlight to politicians and investors just how exciting our market is.

But even a boring-old Top Ten has its PR advantages. Look at our sister industries and how they promote their products:

are interested in digital supply or prefer anonymity, or even whether publishers truly want Steam, PSN, Xbox Live and so on, included in their UK totals.

“The current UK game research project has been in existence for decades and perhaps because of this, it’s somewhat taken for granted that market intelligence of the packaged goods market is so accurate, so meaningful and therefore so useful. But with the growth of the digital sector the industry risks losing its best research and PR tool – a chart that paints a true picture of the overall games market.”

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www.mcvuk.com

Sony Activision Blizzard Konami EA Activision Blizzard Sony

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For the first time in 17 years, MCV will stop running its regular charts page.

‘Go Set a Watchman. A New York Time’s Best-Seller’ ‘The Number One album by Ellie Golding’ ‘The Box Office Smash Hit of the summer, Inside Out’.

Last week, Sony should have been calling Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture: ‘The UK’s most popular video game’.

But that’s not what our Top 40 says, so it was unable to do that.

This is what today’s edition of MCV is all about – one major plea to the decision makers from across the game world to share their sales figures.

You don’t have to give that information to us – I appreciate we are just a bunch of untrustworthy journalists. But share it with NPD and Enterbrain and ChartTrack. Let them put together a better chart.

So that we, and you, and our friends in the consumer media, can get behind the wonderful successes that we are missing almost every week. cdring@nbmedia.com

August 28th 2015

NEWS

Dreamcast console sales spike following Shenmue III reveal Final Fantasy VII sales also rise after nostalgic E3 announcements

by Alex Calvin SALES of pre-owned Dreamcast consoles have ‘gone through the roof’ since Shenmue III was announced at E3.

Indie retailers have told MCV that sales of Sega’s last console have skyrocketed since the LA-based trade show.

That’s in addition to software sales of the original two Shenmue games, as well as retro copies of Final Fantasy VII. A remake to the latter was also unveiled at E3.

“We sold 20 Dreamcasts in the last week alone,” said Alex Bowness of Canterbury’s Level Up Games. “All of sudden, people are asking where they can play the original two Shenmue games.

The announcement of Shenmue III really piqued everyone’s interest.”

Reload Games Michael Wealleans added: “People are trying to get hold of the original copies of Shenmue and Final Fantasy VII, even if they don’t have the console to play it on. They

Level Up’s Bowness (far left) and Retrobution’s JamesTurvey (left) have both observed Dreamcast sales boosts

just want it in their collection. But with that demand, the price has gone up.”

David James-Turvey of Llanelli’s Retrobution adds that this renewed popularity is also driven by the fact that Sega is yet to launch HD Shenmue titles.

“Sega has really lost out on a load of digital sales by not releasing HD versions, so naturally indies like myself are the only place that would satisfy that itch to get back into these titles,” he said.

Sega has really lost out on a load of digital sales by not releasing HD versions of the Shenmue games.

Davey James-Turvey, Retrobution

“I’ve had more customers hyped about Shenmue III than Call of Duty, and I am glad there are gamers out there like this, because it proves that gaming is not as disposable as other forms of entertainment. Indies should be confident in their physical stock.

“Dreamcast sales have come from nowhere almost, what’s exciting now is that young gamers who perhaps didn’t even know what the Dreamcast was are interested in it.”

Square Enix: Digital is the first option for a generation of gamers HOW digital and boxed work together will be crucial to the future of the games industry, says Square Enix.

Western CEO Phil Rogers made the statement after explaining why the firm is releasing its new Hitman as a digital release before Christmas, with a boxed version to follow in 2016.

The new Hitman will arrive on December 8th, with regular, free content updates to follow throughout the year.

“Boxed games are a really important part, retail is an important part, of the whole Hitman experience,” said Rogers. “So we feel that at some stage people will want to buy it in a physical

August 28thth 2015

form, when it is all completed and packaged up in that sort of way.

Those are the sort of things we feel strongly about, and we will talk about that towards the end of the year. How digital and boxed work in harmony is going to be really important, not just for us and Hitman but for the industry as well.

He added: “There are different audiences for boxed and digital, and certainly for the generation of gamers today, digital is the first option. It is instant, it is secure, and safe, and stored, and it is a way they can get games faster.

There is a generation of gamers coming through where digital is the first choice and boxed is a nice complement to that.”

This year’s Hitman will be released digitally before a physical release in 2016

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www.mcvuk.com

AT PINEWOOD STUDIOS

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Venue is the John Barry Theatre, on-site at the iconic world-famous Pinewood Studios, home to movie shoots for the likes of Star Wars, James Bond, Marvel and many more

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ONLY 20 VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE – BOOK NOW! Standard tickets cost £129 and include conference pass plus lunch and tea/ coffee networking breaks.

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TOYS-TO-LIFE THE CONTENDERS

Toys-to-life war: What should you stock?

As LEGO Dimensions, Disney Infinity 3.0 and Skylanders Superchargers jostle for shelf-space, Christopher Dring analyses each game’s potential, and asks whether there really is room for all three

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here is an onslaught of toys-to-life products about to hit retail.

In total, there are almost 30 different software SKUs between Amiibo, Skylanders Superchargers, LEGO Dimensions and Disney Infinity 3.0. In terms of figures, playsets and level packs, there are more than 95 extra products for retailers to stock associated with these games.

Couple this with the imminent arrival of other plastic-heavy

franchises like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and games stores are facing a shelf space headache unlike any they’ve felt for years.

High Street retailers will have to be selective when it comes to which toys and brands to stock this Christmas. So MCV has provided this analysis, including input from Activision, Disney and Warner Bros, to discuss the potential for toys-to-life, and what could go wrong for any of the competing brands.

HANG ON... WHAT ABOUT AMIIBO?

NINTENDO’S own toys-to-life category will once again be out in force this Christmas.

There are ranges scheduled to launch right up until Christmas, including toys related to Super Mario Maker, Super Smash Bros and two new Animal Crossing games – Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival on Wii U and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer on 3DS. In total there are 20 new Amiibo toys (22 if you include the upcoming Amiibo/ Skylanders cross-over toys), plus Amiibo Cards and the 3DS NFC reader (which brings functionality for Amiibo to the older 3DS and 2DS models)

2015 sees nearly 30 software SKUs and 95 separate products enter the toys-to-life fray

August 28th 2015

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due to arrive over the next four months.

Alongside Disney Infinity, Skylanders and LEGO Dimensions, Nintendo’s range of toys will be vying for the same shelf space. Amiibo has been hugely popular with collectors and as a result they are frequently sold-out.

We will be talking about Amiibo in length in upcoming issues – including Nintendo’s plans to broaden them out beyond collectors – but with these products having been on shelves since the end of 2014, we have decided to focus on the entirely new ranges of products for this feature.

www.mcvuk.com

SKYLANDERS TOYS-TO-LIFE

Skylanders Superchargers Publisher: Activision Developer: Vicarious Visions Out: September 25th

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ast year, MCV predicted that Skylanders would struggle in the face of Disney Infinity 2.0.

Disney’s game did outsell Skylanders in the UK, yet Activision’s brand still performed well overall. In fact, it is still the No.1 toys-to-life game globally.

“We’re thrilled to have created a category that is now $4bn,” says Josh Taub, senior VP of Skylanders.

“We represent north of $3bn of that.

We feel we have a responsibility in quality of gameplay and toy that is unmatched.”

Quality is the key reason why Skylanders has managed to weather the Disney storm - consistently performing well amongst critics.

“Skylanders improves leaps and bounds each time it is like we are taking that generational leap almost yearly,” says Karthik Bala, CEO of developer Vicarious Visions.

Skylanders still leads the toys-to-life market, says Bala (far left) and Taub (left)

Each year, Activision has introduced something new to Skylanders, from giant and swappable characters to the ability to ‘trap villains’. This year, it is introducing vehicles.

“We have entered an entirely new toy category,” says Taub. “The vehicle segment is as big as the action figure segment in the toy world, and we think we are going to take that category by storm.”

there are others. Activision has also teamed up with Nintendo to introduce Bowser and Donkey Kong to the Wii, Wii U and 3DS versions of the game – complete with two accompanying toys that double as Skylanders and Amiibo.

Bowser and Donkey Kong bring recognisable characters to the series, which has been Skylanders biggest weak point. And even with these icons, the series still lacks the well-known faces found in Disney Infinity and LEGO Dimensions.

A spin-off TV show or movie would help promote the Skylanders brand to those unaware of the game, but Activision has always been resistant to this. Yet Taub’s rhetoric about spin-off media is softening.

“We are in this for a 20-year franchise, and you can imagine a lot of different directions where characters can be developed over a long period of time,” he said.

SELLING POINTS Vehicles is the big selling-point for Skylanders Superchargers, but

THE FRAGMENTED KIDS MARKET Superchargers is on eight platforms, while its competitors are

I look forward to today’s 10-year-olds playing Skylanders with their kids in 20 years’ time.

Josh Traub, Activision

www.mcvuk.com

on just five. Activision continues to invest in Wii, 3DS and, most significantly, iPad, as it counters the drop in kids playing on consoles.

“We create content where kids play; our iPad version is the full Skylanders game,” explains Taub. “But, as we go from the early stages of a console lifecycle to the mid-cycle, the audience breadth expands; we go from 20m consoles to 40m.

That will see consoles start to permeate into families and living rooms and become less of coregaming devices.”

Another challenge for Activision, is that this is an ageing franchise.

The 10-year-olds that bought the

first Skylanders are now teenagers.

Both Bala and Taub say that Skylanders is actually a game for the entire family.

“I look forward to today’s 10-year-olds playing Skylanders with their kids in 20 years’ time,” says Taub.

With the introduction of Star Wars to Disney Infinity and the arrival of LEGO Dimension, Skylanders faces a tough challenge this Christmas. It’s unlikely to return to growth this year but, by supporting alternative platforms, introducing vehicles and Nintendo characters, and keeping the quality bar up, it should still perform strongly this Q4.

Why should I stock it?

Historically Skylanders is a high-scoring franchise. The introduction of vehicles opens up a new toy category. Bowser and Donkey Kong brings recognisable characters to the IP. Continued support for alternative platforms: Wii, 3DS and iPad. What should I be aware of?

It’s an ageing franchise that has declined year-over-year. There’s a lack of character recognition versus its rivals. It’s been historically strong on Wii, but that platform has declined significantly since.

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August 28th 2015

TOYS-TO-LIFE DISNEY INFINITY

Disney Infinity 3.0 Publisher: Disney Developer: Avalanche Studios, Studio Gobo, Sumo Digita, United Front, Ninja Theory Out: Now

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isney Infinity is currently the most popular toys-to-life game in the UK. And this year’s title is generating a lot of attention due to the inclusion of one major brand – Star Wars.

Disney Infinity 3.0 will feature three Star Wars ‘Play Sets’: one inspired by the prequel movies, another surrounding the sequel films and a third devoted to Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, due out in December.

The Star Wars that exists within Infinity 3.0, however, is in contrast to EA’s upcoming Star Wars Battlefront. Considering Infinity’s younger audience, plus its popularity amongst girls, the game boasts cartoon visuals and a plethora of female characters.

“The Starter Pack comes with Twilight of the Republic, which is set during Episodes 1-3, and the toys of Anakin and Ahsoka,” explains John Vignocchi, producer on the franchise.

“Infinity has a really great split of male and female gamers: 55 per cent male and 45 per cent female. A big part of the reason why is because we have always been conscious of introducing strong female characters, and when we were looking at Star Wars, we really wanted Ashoka to be a strong female Jedi. That’s why we have this original story, so that she could appear.”

STAR WARS WARS With the upcoming movie generating tons of hype, there will be no bigger brand than Star Wars this Christmas. But that doesn’t mean Infinity 3.0 is a sure-fire hit.

There will be a variety of other Star Wars merchandise vying for shelf space this Q4: toys, LEGO sets, duvets, the aforementioned EA game and a whole Millenium Falconload of products. In many ways, Infinity 3.0 has more competition than either of its toys-to-life rivals.

August 28th 2015

The redesigned combat in Infinity 3.0 refreshes old characters, says Disney’s Vignocchi (above)

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT Out of the three big toys-to-life brands this Christmas, Disney Infinity 3.0 feels like the safest bet - boasting the biggest licences and with prices at the lower end of the spectrum.

The one area the franchise needs to work on is its quality. Last year’s Infinity 2.0 received mixed reviews, and its Metacritic average was well below that of Skylanders.

This is something Vignocchi is keen to address. Referring to the combat in previous games as a bit “meh”, he said that the firm has recruited Ninja Theory – the team behind the recent Devil May Cry – to make sure the lightsaber combat is exciting.

“You can see the Dante from Devil May Cry inspiration here,” he says.

“Ninja Theory gave us their expertise

What Vignocchi is keen to address, however, is that it’s not all about Star Wars with Infinity 3.0.

Disney has developed another set based around its Marvel licences, plus a set dedicated to the recent Pixar hit, Inside Out.

Infinity has a really great split of male and female gamers: 55 per cent male and 45 per cent female.

John Vignocchi, Disney

“Inside Out has no combat, so we we have made a 2.5D platformer, inspired by the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Rayman,” he continues. “It is a sequel to the film where [lead human character] Riley has fallen asleep and the broccoli monsters have been unleashed into her subconscious, so it is up to you to restore order.”

with the combat, and it applies to every hand-based weapon – even from the old characters. We’ve re-written all these hand-based weapons at an engine level. So we are bringing new value to old characters.”

What’s more, adds Vignocchi, the game adds more variety. Inside Out’s platforming Play Set is very different to the third-person combat of the Star Wars sets, with something ‘completely different’ promised for the to-be-revealed Marvel add-on.

Furthermore, and perhaps in response to Skylanders’ move into vehicles, Vignocchi demonstrated racing tracks and even Star Warsinspired space combat levels.

He concludes: “We refer to Infinity as a platform, and it means that we can do right by the property.”

Why should I stock it?

Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars. Inside Out characters should win new audiences. The franchise is growing in the UK. It’s especially popular with female audiences. Oh, and Star Wars.

What should I be aware of?

The game faces rivalry from other Star Wars toy ranges.

Historically, its quality has not matched that of Skylanders.

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www.mcvuk.com

LEGO DIMENSIONS TOYS-TO-LIFE

LEGO Dimensions Publisher: Warner Bros Developer: TT Games Out: September 29th

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EGO Dimensions may be the new player in the toy box, but it’s by no means an unproven competitor.

TT Games’ range of LEGO games are hugely popular – in fact it’s the fourth-biggest games brand in the UK behind GTA, Call of Duty and FIFA. Even so, this type of LEGO game is uncharted territory for both Warner Bros and TT Games.

“This is our first experience designing interactive hardware while combining physical LEGO with digital gameplay, as well as incorporating so many brands into one game,” said TT Games creative director Jon Burton.

“The mash-up storyline and the ability to do almost anything in the game, such as having Homer Simpson drive the Batmobile through Mordor, has never been done before.”

David Haddad, EVP GM at Warner Bros adds: “There is incredible interest for LEGO Dimensions because of its innovation, and it is the only way to bring the extremely popular LEGO toys to life in a video

The ability to have Homer Simpson drive the Batmobile through Mordor has never been done before.

Jon Burton, TT Games

game. LEGO games have sold more than 150m units worldwide and LEGO Dimensions builds on this legacy and offers an entirely new LEGO video game experience.”

LICENCE TO THRILL LEGO Dimensions is jam-packed with licences, and it’s an eclectic range, too. Yes there are big brands such as Batman, Lord of the Rings

www.mcvuk.com

LEGO Dimensions’ high price refl ects its longevity and build quality, argues Warner Bros’ Haddad (left)

acting talent – Peter Capaldi is The Doctor, Christopher Lloyd returns as Doc Brown, Dan Castellaneta is Homer Simpsons, The LEGO Movie cast return... it’s an A-list line-up.

As a result, LEGO Dimensions carries an eye-watering RRP of between £85 (Wii U, Xbox 360 and PS3) and £95 (PS4 and Xbox One).

That’s without factoring in the addons that range between £15 to £30.

“LEGO Dimensions offers great long-term value with an incredible collection of top entertainment properties, an innovative Toy Pad, real building and re-building with LEGO toys, and a complete, high-quality LEGO video game,” defends Haddad. “The replayability is

and Simpsons, but there’s some more niche IP, too, such as Doctor Who, games brand Portal, Back To The Future and Scooby Doo. “LEGO Dimensions is really for everyone,” explains Burton. “While some of the IPs may be more familiar to certain players than others, you get to play with all of them in the Starter Pack.”

Dimensions’ potentially broad aspects are evident in its marketing.

The first trailer notably featured an adult playing the game, while each subsequent video has been full of humour that would appeal to core gamers (Portal), casual fans (Doctor Who) and kids (The Simpsons).

“We are not just launching a game, we are building a brand,” explains Haddad.

very high with endless opportunities to customise the experience for years of play. We’ll continue to evolve our product assortment, but everything will remain compatible.”

Premium toys-to-life products can work – Skylanders has its ‘Dark’ starter sets that retail for a higher price – and traditional LEGO products can stretch into the hundreds of pounds, yet sell well amongst an adult audience.

Yet for families and kids, a near£100 price is potentially prohibitive.

Warner Bros believes the game is worth the entry price, and that the near-30 expansions make this a long-term investment for parents. It will be up to the publisher’s marketing vehicle to get that message out there.

Why should I stock it?

LEGO is the fourth-biggest games brand in the UK. LEGO is the biggest toy brand in the world. TT Games is a proven and talented developer. The licences in this game should attract a broad spectrum of gamers and age groups.

PRICE PROBLEMS The biggest obstacle for LEGO Dimensions is by far its price.

The game is clearly an expensive project. It features the world’s biggest toy brand, a string of major licences, plus full voice

What should I be aware of?

The price is very, very high. The franchise is unproven in comparison to Disney Infinity and Skylanders.

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August 28th 2015

CHEAT SHEET

UP & DOWN

Market Data No new releases this week make for disappointing sales and software revenue

£10m £15m

£10m £5m

£6.2m 242,477 units

Week Ending August 8th

£5m 204,836 units

£4.46m 187,705 units

Week Ending August 15th

Week Ending August 22nd

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

[INFO] FORMATS: PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC RELEASED: September 1st PUBLISHER: Konami DISTRIBUTOR: CentreSoft CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

August 28th 2015

BATTLEFIELD Hardline rises three places up the charts to No.4 this week

IS VR THE FUTURE THIS WEEK?

THIS WEEK: METAL GEAR SOLID V KONAMI is going big on marketing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, with marketing exec Jon Edwards going so far as to call it ‘the game of the year’.

The publisher has an extensive outdoor ad campaign planned for the stealth title.

That’s on top of a cinema push, which will see a new trailer shown before ‘key films’.

In addition, Konami has booked a number of online banner ads and takeovers. With regards to the media, the firm says it has given influential press and YouTube stars access to the game to ensure a huge deal of coverage close to launch.

Finally, the publisher has had a high profile presence at UK gaming events.

THE ELDER Scrolls Online continues to drop down the charts as sales dip 36 per cent

“It’s easily the biggest game of the year. it’s scale matches its ambition, and this is the most accessible Metal Gear Solid to date,” Edwards said. “The game allows you to choose how you undertake missions and we reckon that it will take a good week before people see the end – but play responsibly. It is also a game that keeps giving.

The size of the game and its online elements mean it will continue to entertain for ages – and as they are so infrequent, MGS titles are also an event.

One to savour.

He continued: “We have very high hopes. The quality of the game and its accessible content will ensure a good audience, and recognition both by ardent fans and casual players is high.”

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NO VR is very cool, but it’s a niche product which I don’t see contributing to sales in the next 12 months.

Richard Ko, KGI Securities

www.mcvuk.com

CHEAT SHEET

PRESENTS

5 SECOND FACTS

THE NEWS IN 140 CHARACTERS The Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days

Your shortcut to sounding clever in the pub, we take you around the industry in under 30 seconds

METAL GEAR SOLID V IS THE HIGHEST-RATED BRAND NEW PLAYSTATION 4 GAME

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The reviews for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain have been released, and (at the time of writing) Konami’s stealth blockbuster is the highest-rated new release on the PlayStation 4, according to Metacritic.

Between LEGO Jurassic World, Batman: Arkham Knight, Mortal Kombat and Dying Light, Warner Bros has had 11 No.1s this year

220m @Joukisan Bloody hell. Those Metal Gear Solid V review scores. I felt it was going to be good, but wow.

@ianinthefuture I’m not an ‘influencer’, I don’t have the right face for that, but here it is anyway: MGSV is one of the best things I’ve ever played.

Joseph Walsh, Apple, Monday August 24th

Ian Dransfield, freelance journalist, Monday August 24th

POKEMON FIGHTING GAME POKKEN COMING TO WII U NEXT SPRING Nintendo has revealed that Pokkén Tournament is coming to Wii U in early 2016. The title is a combination of Pokémon and Tekken.

Take-Two has revealed that the Grand Theft Auto series has shipped 220m units to date

$1m A series of eSports events for Nintendo’s Splatoon will start in Japan in September with a prize pool of $1m

HOCKLING DEPARTS AMAZON GAME STUDIOS

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Industry veteran Clint Hockling has left Amazon Game Studios after he joined in April 2014.

Following that, Jonathan Hamel and Eric Nylund have also left the developer.

@JessConditt Pokken Tournament hits Wii U in 2016 and I finally get to write, “Hold on to your Poke Balls.”

@samuel@Roberts Clint Hocking leaving Amazon makes me wonder about the three possible games he’s worked on and how disappointing it is we’ll never play them.

Samuel Roberts, PC Gamer, Thursday, August 19th

Jessica L. Conditt, Engadget, Friday August 21st

@Wesley_Copeland “Pokken is coming to Wii U.” The crowd erupts into a thunderous roar. “Nin-ten-do!”

“Nin-ten-do!” “Nin-ten-do!” they cheer.

Sony has unveiled two new Mega Pack hardware bundles for its PlayStation Vita handheld

£0 CD Projekt RED co-founder Marcin Iwiński says he would like to see all game DLC in the future be free

@haydencd Clint Hocking leaves Amazon before putting out a game with Amazon. I’m starting to wonder if Amazon’s games initiative really, truly exists.

Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, Thursday, August 19th

Wesley Copeland, freelance journalist , Friday August 21st

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GAMESAID THIS WEEK VOTING FOR GAMESAID CHARITIES OPENS SEPTEMBER 7TH ..................

....................................................

PLAY YOUR PART BECOME A MEMBER AMBASSADOR TRUSTEE WWW.GAMESAID.ORG

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The nomination process for this year’s GamesAid charities has closed and between September 7th and September 14th, members will be able to vote for organisations that will receive funds.

CYCLOTHON 2015

RIVER DART 10KM SWIM

..................

..................

On September 10th, Sega employees will be taking part in the Cyclothon 2015 – a 12-hour relay race where competitors take turns in racing around the Brands Hatch. Donations can be made here: www.justgiving. com/SegaCyclothon2015/

13

Unboxed’s Dominic Mason will be swimming 10 kilometres down the River Dart in Devon on September 6th to raise money for GamesAid. If you are interested in supporting him, you can do so here: www. justgiving.com/DomMason/

August 28th 2015

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

Capcom UK boosts team ahead of Street Fighter V Firm makes new PR and marketing hires O GamesMaster’s Gilman promoted to editor O UKIE promotes Brammall CAPCOM | There are two new starters at the Street Fighter publisher.

BRIAN AYERS (above left) joins as brand manager and is working on Street Fighter V. He has previously worked at Cake PR where his accounts included Xbox and EA. Prior to that he spent seven years at Konami, where he progressed all the way up to European brand manager.

Meanwhile FRANKIE BROWN (above) comes on board as PR and marketing assistant having recently graduated from Queen Mary University with a degree in English.

August 28th 2015

being promoted to games editor in 2013. Prior to his role at the multi-format title, Gilman did freelance work for PocketGamer and Pocket Picks.

His promotion to editor follows the departure of JOEL GREGORY, who left last month to join PCGamesN as its editor.

“I’m delighted to take the helm at a publication as wellloved as GamesMaster – and at such an exciting time, too,” Gilman told MCV. “We’re very close to our 300th issue, which is a huge milestone.”

“I’m really excited to welcome both Brian and Frankie to the team at Capcom,” senior director of European marketing STUART TURNER said.

“Brian’s wealth of experience will see him play a vital role in executing the marketing campaign for Street Fighter V across the EMEA territories, whilst Frankie will provide key support assisting our PR and marketing manager across all our upcoming campaigns.”

FUTURE | GamesMaster games editor MATT GILMAN has been promoted to editor.

Gilman joined GamesMaster in 2012 as a staff writer, before

UKIE | The UK trade body’s community and engagement assistant JENNY BRAMMALL has

14

been promoted. Brammall will now be serving as UKIE’s commercial services coordinator, “I’m thrilled to continue to work with UKIE’s lovely community, especially the Video Games Ambassadors scheme and student membership who I have grown very close to,” she said.

“There are plenty of exciting upcoming projects that I’m looking forward to getting stuck into.”

UKIE CEO DR JO TWIST added: “We’re delighted that Jenny will be staying with us to support what we deliver for the sector as a whole.

“She’s a fantastic member of the UKIE team and we’re glad that she’s decided to stay with us as her career progresses.”

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

DATA & RESEARCH Warner Bros’ chart-topping year continues as LEGO Jurassic World takes No.1 again FOR the fourth time since it launched in June, LEGO Jurassic World is No.1 in the All Formats Top 40.

This is the 11th No.1 that publisher WARNER BROS has had in the 34 weeks of this year to date.

As well as LEGO Jurassic World, Batman: Arkham Knight, Mortal Kombat X and Dying Light have topped the charts.

The Xbox 360 SKU of LEGO Jurassic World was the single-best selling SKU this week, showing strong sales from the kids and family market who are yet to upgrade to new Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles Both console SKUs of Minecraft saw one per cent sales increases last

week, while Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare sales rose up five per cent.

This was the result of a 19 per cent rise in sales on both PS4 and PS3.

This could have been driven by excitement surrounding the multiplayer beta for Black Ops III, which launched on PlayStation 4 last week as a part of ACTIVISION’s new deal with SONY. And in the Steam Top Ten, PSYONIX’s Rocket League is deposed after six weeks at No.1. Its replacement is Early Access darling Ark: Survival Evolved, which was top of the rankings before Rocket League debuted.

TOP 10 STEAM (GLOBAL)

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 04 01 03 RE 07 05 RE RE RE

ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED PUBLISHER: STUDIO WILDCARD DEVELOPER: STUDIO WILDCARD

TITLE PUBLISHER Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Valve Rocket League Psyonix Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar Zombie Army Trilogy Rebellion Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (P) Konami H1Z1 Daybreak Game Studio Payday 2 505 Games Payday 2: GOTY Edition 505 Games Planetary Annihilation: Titans Uber Entertainment

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

LEGO JURASSIC WORLD

FORMATS: PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita DEVELOPER: TRAVELLER’S TALES Title Grand Theft Auto V Batman: Arkham Knight Battlefield Hardline Minecraft: Xbox Edition FIFA 15 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition Dying Light The Elder Scrolls Online Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Destiny Rare Replay Rory McIlroy PGA Tour LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Far Cry 4 F1 2015 Terraria The Witcher III: Wild Hunt WWE 2K15 LittleBigPlanet 3 Farming Simulator 15 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Splatoon Watch Dogs Disney Infinity 2.0 The Last of Us Remastered Call of Duty: Ghosts Payday 2: Crimewave Edition Mortal Kombat X The Sims 4 Super Smash Bros God of War III Remastered Skate 3 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Assassin’s Creed Unity The Crew Skylanders Trap Team Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare Tomodachi Life Forza Horizon 2

Week ending August 22nd

August 28th 2015

WARNER BROS

Format Publisher PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Rockstar PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA XO, 360 Microsoft PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PC EA PS4, 360, VIta Sony PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard XO Microsoft PS4, XO EA PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco/Codemasters PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco/CD Projekt RED PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 2K Games PS4, PS3 Sony PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Koch Media PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros Wii U Nintendo PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii Disney PS4 Sony PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard PS4, XO 505 Games PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros PC EA Wii U Nintendo PS4 Sony PS3, 360 EA PS4, XO, PC Bethesda PS4, XO Ubisoft PS4, XO, 360, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros 3DS Nintendo XO, 360 Microsoft

Week ending August 22nd

16

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DATA ANALYSIS Source

TOP 10 IPAD GAMES PAID

TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL FORMAT

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

LW 01 03 04 07 13 08 11 10 06 09 16 05 14 18 17 15 23 22 26

LEGO JURASSIC WORLD FORMAT: 360

01

WARNER BROS

DEVELOPER: TRAVELLERS’ TALES

Title Rare Replay Batman: Arkham Knight Minecraft: Xbox Edition Grand Theft Auto V Dying Light Dying Light Grand Theft Auto V Batman: Arkham Knight The Elder Scrolls Online Rory McIlroy PGA Tour Minecraft: PlayStation Edition The Elder Scrolls Online Minecraft: PlayStation Edition LittleBigPlanet 3 Battlefield Hardline Splatoon Battlefield Hardline LEGO Jurassic World The Last of Us Remastered

Format XO PS4 360 PS4 XO PS4 XO XO XO PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Wii U XO PS3 PS4

Publisher Microsoft Warner Bros Microsoft Rockstar Warner Bros Warner Bros Rockstar Warner Bros Bethesda EA Sony Bethesda Sony Sony EA Nintendo EA Warner Bros Sony

Week ending August 22nd

TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 Terraria Build Battle 2 The Sims 3 Final Fantasy VII Death Run Monument Valley Wrestle Jump Hide N Seek

Week ending August 23rd

TOP 10 IPHONE GAMES PAID

01

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TW TITLE 02 Storage Hunters UK 03 Heads Up! 04 Monopoly 05 Bloons TD 5 06 The 7 Second Challenge 07 Final Fantasy VII 08 Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 09 Football Manager Handheld 2015 10 Terraria

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

LW 01 RE 05 RE 07 08 RE RE 10

DEVELOPER: COFFEE STAIN STUDIOS PUBLISHER Mojang D3 DigitalDNA EA Sick Kreations DigitalDNA 505 Games Stegersaurus Games Valve

Week ending August 22nd

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DEVELOPER UKTV Interactive Warner Bros EA Ninja Kiwi Mind Candy Square Enix Scott Cawthon Sega 505 Games

Week ending August 23rd

TOP 10 GLOBAL GOOGLE PLAY

GOAT SIMULATOR TITLE Minecraft: Xbox Edition Dungeon Defenders CastleMiner Z Monopoly Plus ApocZ Avatar Warfare Terraria: Xbox Edition Mount Your Friends Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

DEVELOPER Scott Cawthon 505 Games Linal Richmore EA Square Enix Wang Wei Ustwo Otto-Ville Wang Wei

17

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

MINECRAFT: POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

TITLE Prison Life RPG Fantasy Premier League 15/16 True Skate Storage Hunters UK Football Manager Handheld 15 Bridge Constructor Bloons TD 5 Terraria Scribblenauts Remix

PUBLISHER NobStudio All Apped Up True Axis UKTV Interactive Sega ClockStone Studio Ninja Kiwi 505 Games Warner Bros

Correct as of August 24th

August 28th 2015

THE BIG GAME METAL GEAR SOLID V

August 28th 2015

18

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METAL GEAR SOLID V THE BIG GAME

METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN

Stepping up a Gear After a seven-year absence, a full Metal Gear Solid game has broken cover and sneaks onto shelves next week. Alex Calvin speaks to Konami’s Jon Edwards about ‘the game of the year’

Release Date: September 1st Formats: PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC Publisher: Konami Developer: Kojima Productions

I

t’s been seven years since there was a full, console Metal Gear Solid game.

Yes, we’ve had 2010 PlayStation Portable title Peace Walker, 2013’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and last year’s Metal Gear Solid V prologue, Ground Zeroes. But next month’s The Phantom Pain is the first proper Metal Gear game since 2008’s Guns of the Patriots.

And, judging by the early reviews, it appears to have been worth the wait.

“Basically, it is the most engrossing and stunning game of the year,” marketing executive Jon Edwards enthuses.

“Anyone who has spent any amount of time with it has been blown away by its depth, scope and ambition. It is one of those games where people go: ‘I wonder

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if I can do this?’ and they inevitably can. Many games claim to be sandbox, open-world affairs, but Metal Gear Solid V does offer incredible freedom. Yes, there are missions, but it is truly up to you how they are tackled. When we have shown it to the press, the interesting thing is that they don’t discuss just the missions or what they played, but how they did it.

You get people swapping different stories, and discussing how they beat certain elements.

“Every new Metal Gear Solid title has seen Mr Kojima moving closer to his vision of a game that can match his scope. The Phantom Pain sees ideas formed in the PSP title Peace Walker come to fruition, as [the player’s HQ] Mother Base is not only explored, but shown – and used to add a tactical bent to the game.

Every new Metal Gear title has seen Kojima moving closer to his vision of a game that can match his scope.

While the open-world idea first hinted at in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and then Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is finally realised, with the game worlds boasting huge scale but incredible detail, too.

“It’s the game of the year – guaranteed.”

SNEAKY LEADER Since the first Metal Gear Solid, the stealth genre has been diluted into myriad other types of game.

There are first-person takes (Alien: Isolation), third-person platformers (Assassin’s Creed) and even Jon Edwards, Konami side-scrolling indie efforts (The Swindle). In many ways, it seems that stealth has never been bigger.

“Is there really a stealth market?” Edwards retorts. “I’d argue that Metal Gear Solid is pretty much the only proper

19

August 28th 2015

THE BIG GAME METAL GEAR SOLID V

The Phantom Pain takes place in the franchise’s first open world, which is 200 times bigger than Ground Zeroes

stealth title, and even then it is just a part of the whole. Sneaking is a key part of the game, but The Phantom Pain transcends such limitations, with decoys, snipers, a buddy system, and weapon drops and airstrikes. I would argue it is a true combat title, with stealth elements. And, thus, one of a kind.”

NU METAL The Phantom Pain may seem simply like a Metal Gear Solid for a new console generation, but the changes run far deeper than mere polished looks.

In the same vein as PSP entries Portable Ops and Peace Walker, and unlike the seamless story of its numbered predecessors, The Phantom Pain’s narrative is divided into separate episodic missions.

These objectives are spread throughout a huge landscape, billed as 200 times larger than

August 28th 2015

Ground Zeroes. Although past Metal Gear games have had expansive environments, this is the first true ‘open’ setting for the series. But for a franchise known for going against the grain, isn’t launching an open-world title in the age of the open-world triple-A game a little uninspired?

“Games progress by pushing each other,” Edwards says. “Metal Gear Solid V’s open world is just part of additions to its core. The huge game area is vital as it shows the scale of war. You don’t just get enemy enclaves in one place, they have sentries and checkpoints, and they are often set up in perimeters.

The Phantom Pain recreates this, and mixes it with incredible guard AI where they check their outposts and patrol properly, making the scale essential as players pick the best route in.

“If anything, the larger setting benefits the gameplay and makes

The open-world setting benefits The Phantom Pain’s gameplay and makes it more unique.

Jon Edwards, Konami

20

it more unique. Grand Theft Auto thrived when it went open-world and part of the fun of Far Cry is the mad stuff you can do. MGSV goes even further. It uses the open world to give the player opportunities. It doesn’t restrict them in any way.

Watching people play, you can see them thinking about what they can do, while the night and day element where time passes and it gets darker also adds tactical assistance of hindrance, as the cover of darkness means the guards cannot see as far, but are more alert. Likewise, desert storms can blow in and provide additional cover – and none of this is at set times. It varies totally.”

In addition, The Phantom Pain is coming to PC. Metal Gear has been on the platform in the past, but before last year’s Ground Zeroes, it had been 11 years since the series was on PC.

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METAL GEAR SOLID V THE BIG GAME

DIGITAL SHORTCUTS METAL GEAR SOLID V features microtransactions, which will be good news to retailers looking to sell digital currency. But in the past, consumers have been vocal about their dislike for microtransactions appearing in premium games.

“They are a minimal part of the game, and merely a short cut,” Konami marketing exec Jon Edwards says.

“The player recruits R&D people to create weaponry and expand their base.

While the entire game can be played without using them, microtransactions are available to speed up the development process. They also come into play with the FOB (Forward Operating Bases) element, when players set up additional Mother Base outposts.

“Players can insure their base against attack in the multiplayer mode. Kojima Productions has merely added them as shortcuts, but have always stressed that the game can be completed without any cost to the player.”

The Phantom Pain uses Konami’s proprietry Fox Engine

And – unlike Ground Zeroes – The Phantom Pain is coming to PC on the same day as its console release.

“The PC version is stunning,” Edwards says. “We are so pleased to be able to release it alongside the console games, and that Kojima Productions has worked so hard to make it such a strong version. Like Ground Zeroes, the graphics are stunning in the new 4K mode, while the scale and online elements within the game are a perfect fit for the format.

Metal Gear Solid V is such an entertaining game, we always wanted it to play the strengths of its host format, and the PC edition certainly does that. It is a stunning conversion.”

SOLID MARKETING Unsurprisingly, Konami is going big on marketing The Phantom Pain.

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“It is a very key title for us and will have a huge retail presence,” Edwards explains. “We have cinema ads, blanket editorial coverage, a series of online takeovers, and outdoor ads all over the country. We have worked with Sony to produce the MGSVthemed PS4 – which is a stunning piece of kit – and we will be everywhere around launch. I do not exaggerate when I say MGSV is probably the best game of the year. Our push will remind people of that.”

Not only this – the firm has had a huge merchandise push for the game with the likes of Musterbrand and Insert Coin producing goods based on Metal Gear Solid.

“The merchandise has been themed specifically,” Edwards says. “The 1984 Collection has done incredibly well, with the various ‘80s-themed gear doing

I do not exaggerate when I say MGSV is probably the best game of the year. Our marketing push will remind people of that.

Jon Edwards, Konami

21

very well, while the cardboard boombox has been nominated for an innovation award. With its great characters and heritage, there is a huge demand for good quality MGS merchandise but we are very selective with what we release. The clothing continually goes down well and we enjoy good relationships with LevelUp, Musterbrand and Insert Coin, while additional items such as Piggyback’s Player’s Guide are predicted to do very well.”

Some doubts linger over what comes next for Metal Gear. Creator Kojima says this game will close the loop on the 27-year ‘Solid’ franchise, and it’s unclear whether he’ll work on another game.

“Metal Gear Solid is a key Konami franchise,” Edwards says. “The company has already committed to future iterations, which we look forward to.”

August 28th 2015

XXX XXX INTERVIEW SAM LAKE, REMEDY

Is this the most ambitious game in Xbox history?

The creators of Alan Wake and Max Payne have spent four years building a video game-cum-TV series featuring A-list actors and huge production values. Could it be the next Halo? Or Xbox’s answer to Waterworld?

Christopher Dring speaks to Quantum Break’s creative director Sam Lake

A

lan Wake was such a frustrating game.

Not in how it played, but rather in how it sold.

Its Twin Peaks-inspired setting, silly dialogue, and compelling, episodic narrative made it a hit with critics. But although it was no commercial failure – over 3m copies were eventually sold – it was hardly a runaway success.

In a world of rising development costs, is 3m enough to warrant a sequel? There’s no easy answer.

The game’s developer Remedy eventually decided to put out a cheaper, download-only semisequel, which did ok. But in triple-A development, ‘ok’ just isn’t enough.

Sam Lake, the creative director at Remedy, hasn’t given up on Wake. Far from it, he dreams of returning to that spooky world, “let’s see if we can make that happen,” he tells us. But for now, Remedy is trying something new, and infinitely more ambitious.

QUANTUM CONUNDRUM Quantum Break doesn’t look like Alan Wake. Far from the rural creepiness of Wake, this is an urban, sci-fi action blockbuster, with a time-travel plot and a cast of A-list actors such as Sean Ashmore (X-Men) and Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings).

But according to Lake, both franchises have similar DNA. “In some ways it’s completely different,” he says. “[Quantum Break] has a techno-thriller plot vibe, and obviously we watched all of the possible time travel stories multiple times. But with [game location] Bright Falls in Alan Wake, our thinking was that even

August 28th 2015

Quantum Break features four 22-minute TV episodes

though it was set in present day, it is leaning backwards – it had a timeless feel of it, in the sense that this small town has been this way for a long time. In Quantum Break, we have consciously decided that this is present day, but let’s lean forward. It is modern. We have done a lot of research on the art side. We watched a lot of footage from CERN and NASA and done our spin on that to try and make the game’s tech feel believable.”

BREAKING FREE On the game’s disc, which launches on Xbox One next April, gamers will also be treated to four 22-minute TV episodes featuring the game’s all-star cast. The TV show was teased at Gamescom and it looked promising. Each episode will air after a chapter in the game has been completed, and what happens in the show depends on players’ choices.

“This story is told from multiple perspectives. In the game you play as the hero Jack while the TV show shows you what is going on inside the enemy camp,” explains Lake.

We’ve set out to do a big new IP for a wide audience. We want to make this cool for as many people as possible.

Sam Lake, Remedy

00 22

The idea to produce a TV show fitted nicely with Xbox One’s initial ‘entertainment’ policy, which included the creation of Xbox Entertainment Studios.

But Xbox has since closed that division. Yet this didn’t hurt Quantum Break, insists Lake.

“Xbox Entertainment Studios was consulting on the show, but it was never being made by them,” he says. “We have an outside production company called Lifeboat working on the show, and that’s been the case from the start.”

Lake describes Quantum Break as Remedy’s most ambitious game, and that is apparent, and not just in its cast or its TV-elements, but also in the tech that powers the game. The facial capture technology is impressive, and also crucial if Remedy wants to successfully marry real-life TV footage with virtual recreations.

Like Alan Wake, this is another game where 3m units probably won’t cut it. Lake views Quantum Break as a franchise, just like he did Alan Wake, and there are already ideas for a sequel.

But if Remedy wants to achieve that, it needs to not only deliver another great game – but also deliver one that can appeal to a wider audience than Alan Wake.

“This was something that we talked about a lot, and it was important that we learn from Alan Wake,” concludes Lake.

“We’ve set out to do a big new IP for as wide an audience as possible. That was our own mandate, that is our goal. We’ll see if we succeed. We want to make this cool for as many people as possible.”

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PLAYSTATION ®4 GAMES

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METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN MAD MAX TEARAWAY UNFOLDED DESTINY: THE TAKEN KING FIFA 16 NBA 2K16 LEGO DIMENSIONS

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OCTOBER

NOVEMBER OCT

NOV

2 6 9 13 23 23 30

JOURNEY: COLLECTOR’S EDITION

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OCT OCT OCT OCT OCT OCT OCT

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ROCK BAND 4 UNCHARTED: THE NATHAN DRAKE COLLECTION TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE

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NEED FOR SPEED CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III

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HENRY HOFFMAN INDIE INTERVIEW

Hue’s the man?

He released his first game just three years ago and already has a BAFTA under his belt. But can he do it again? Alex Calvin catches up with Henry Hoffman about his new colourful platformer, Hue

H

enry Hoffman always wanted to make games.

Since he was nine he’s been making little games, but his first real title was Mush, a BAFTA-winning project that him and four other developers made in the 12-week Dare To Be Digital competition while he was at university in Newport.

“Dare To Be Digital is the single most important factor in me being a developer,” Hoffman tells MCV. “We built a game called Mush, which won. We landed a publishing deal with Microsoft. So while I was at university we were building this game, which we published before graduating. That was great but we were quite a big team. There were five of us and it would be difficult to fund that outside of university.

“So when I left, I teamed up with Daniel Da Rocha who worked on QUBE, which I did a few bits for at university, and we formed a new team. He used his profits from QUBE to bootstrap a new studio, which was called Mudvark [now it’s called Fiddlesticks]. We made a mobile puzzle game called Mortar

Melon in about three months as that’s all we really had the budget for. It was really successful. It got nearly 1m downloads and we were able to use that to secure investment for our dream game.”

COLOURFUL LANGUAGE That game is colour-focused platformer Hue, which is set for launch at the start of 2016. The title centres around players being able to change the background colour of stages in order to hide or reveal objects in the foreground.

“My favourite part of games development is trying to device new mechanics,” Hoffman says.

“I love that every game mechanic has not been discovered – there’s this uncharted territory that you can go and explore.”

To make Hue – on top of its profits from Mortar Melon – Fiddlesticks turned to [investment fund] Kuju Startups for further cash.

“It’s very important for these funds to be available,” Hoffman explains. “We wouldn’t have been able to make Hue without them.

On Mush, it got to the point where

Tax breaks are contributing to our finishing fund. We wouldn’t have enough money to finish Hue without them.

Henry Hoffman, Fiddlesticks

I had a full-time job and I was working on the game in my spare time. That was sustainable for maybe three months at the tailend of development, but there’s no way that it could support a game of this scope for one or two years.”

Kuju is also helping the team claim back tax using the recentlyintroduced UK tax breaks.

“This is what Kuju is very good with,” Hoffman says. “[Back tax] will be contributing to our finishing fund. We wouldn’t have enough money to complete the game if it weren’t for these tax breaks.”

But in addition to this, Fiddlesticks has also secured the services of publisher Curve.

“One of the big things for us is getting the game onto multiple platforms,” Hoffman explains.

“I’m the only developer here, so just getting Steam integration working is really hard. And we don’t have the resource for extra developers you’d need to target all platforms. I’ve been through the console submission process and it was painful. Any help we can get to streamline that is good.”

Hue’s art style was infl uenced by minimalist artist Saul Bass and minimalist film posters

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27

August 28th 2015

OPINION

INSIGHT

How digital special editions can supercharge indie games Special editions are just for the big games, right? Author Lee Bradley discusses how even the smallest studios can build a compelling special edition for their games

S

pecial editions aren’t just for triple-A games. Nor are their contents limited to vinyl statues, cloth maps and Pip-Boy replicas in pretty boxes. There’s another way of approaching special editions, one that’s available to many developers, regardless of size: you can go digital.

For Mike Bithell’s new game, Volume, he put together a digital special edition that contains the game itself, the soundtrack and a 23,000 word ebook about its development, called Raising Volume (written by myself). It’s a model that indies should consider.

One of the most obvious advantages to a digital special edition is the relative lack of cost, and risk. While EA can afford to splurge on the costs of a 14” statue (and absorb the losses if they don’t sell), your average indie cannot.

When you’ve already gambled the mortgage on your game, doubling down on plastic toys is a silly risk.

Going digital neatly sidesteps this.

Some of the content needed for a digital special edition will already be available to you by the time you’ve finished your game. The soundtrack and art will have been produced during development anyway. They’re already there, the result of your hard graft. All you have to do is present them nicely as standalone objects.

As for ebooks, they’re relatively low-risk too and can add huge

August 28th 2015

value to the package. For Thomas Was Alone, Bithell created an in-game developer’s commentary that people enjoyed. It offered a peak inside the game’s creation.

But it was hard work that detracted from the time that he could commit to development.

Commissioning an ebook freed him up to concentrate on Volume.

Don’t underestimate people’s desire to get a look behind-thescenes. Thanks to Thomas Was Alone, Bithell has a large following, but even for indies just starting out there will always be some of the audience that wants to learn about how the game was made. You may think the details of your daily work is deadly dull, but it can be fascinating to those of us on the outside.

There’s another bonus to the ebook approach, too. With an insight into development, players can gain a greater appreciation of your game. They’ll know why you made each decision and better understand the effort it took to bring the game to life. Plus, you’re an indie, so you can be more frank, which makes for a much more interesting read. It all feeds back into the player’s enjoyment of the thing you made.

Developer Mike Bithell commissioned Bradley to make a book about his game, Volume

You may think the details of your daily work to be deadly dull, but it can be fascinating for those of us on the outside.

Lee Bradley

SPECIAL VALUE When a customer scans a store looking for a game, they want value. Special editions carry a certain prestige. It’s the ultimate

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version of the thing you’ve made and that’s an attractive prospect.

With a digital special edition you can offer a game, some insight into its creation, a closer look at its art, and the opportunity to enjoy the soundtrack free from distraction.

All for just an extra few quid.

I’m not saying that every indie should rush out and put together a digital special edition for their upcoming game. Perhaps it’s not something that interests you or it’s something you don’t think applies to you. That’s cool. You know your situation better than anyone else. What I’m saying is that there are options available to you, of different ways to present and sell your game. Ways that aren’t just limited to the big boys.

For indie devs, putting together a digital special edition will not be a huge drain on your time or your resources and the risks are low. From potential players, a digital special edition offers more choice and more value. Everyone’s a winner. And if it doesn’t work out? You won’t end up with a warehouse full of unsold tat.

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OPINION

ANALYSIS

Out of the game?

Consumer retail analyst at Kantar Worldpanel James Brown takes a look at why women are spending £120m less today on conventional video games than they were just four years ago

S

ince their earliest days, games have had a reputation as being boys’ toys. In the 1980s it was estimated that four in five arcade-users were men and today many stereotypes of gaming as a male industry remain.

A natural assumption may be that this male-dominated picture would be reflected in those who buy games, but that’s simply not the case. Women make up 40 per cent of UK conventional games shoppers (all gaming formats except mobile). In the past 12 months they spent £333m.

This figure is impressive but it is far lower than peak levels. In 2011, women spent £453m on games and formed 45 per cent of the market. 7.1m women bought a game in 2011, but only 4.3m did in the twelve months between mid-2014 and mid-2015, down 41 per cent.

In that time, female games buyers have decreased their spending by 27 per cent, compared with men who spend four per cent more.

This huge decline raises two questions: why women are spending less, and how can the industry re-engage with them?

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The first answer comes down almost exclusively to one product: the Wii. While Microsoft and Sony offset their declining PS3 and Xbox 360 sales with new consoles, Nintendo has not seen the same level of success with Wii U. The Wii broke with tradition and was extremely popular among women when it launched in 2006.

As an entirely original gaming format, it attracted a huge number of new shoppers into the market.

The Wii U has failed to replicate this and last year only managed to generate 13 per cent of the revenue that the Wii did among female buyers in 2011.

The next-gen market is crying out for a blockbuster family game.

James Brown,

RE-ENGAGING FEMALE GAMERS The second question is trickier, but we need to understand this group. Currently, only one in four women buys a game to play themselves, meaning that the majority of female buyers are not the end users. For this reason we should break female buyers down into two broad groups – gamers and non-gamers.

Within the category of ‘gamers’ there are two groups. The first is ‘solo gamers’, who buy games to play themselves and account for 9.4 per cent of all spend on games. It is one of the most important groups to consider. Solo gamers tend to be single (54 per cent) and over three quarters are under the age of 35. They buy the most releases of any group, at five a year on average. But they are heavily involved with digital gaming which, at typically lower prices, brings their average spend down compared to other groups. The key to engaging this group is creating games with women in mind, either specific titles or adaptations to current

Kantar Worldpanel

Games need to work hard to re-engage women, says Kantar’s Brown

29

franchises. There has been some progress; FIFA 16 will include women’s teams for the first time and Minecraft added a default female character last September.

The second group, ‘family gamers’, are generally more likely to have children and one in four games that this group buys are intended to play with others.

This is the highest-spending of the groups at £87 per year, with buyers tending to choose boxed games and buying more preowned titles than average. Despite their fall in popularity, Wii and Wii U games continue to resonate among families as they are more accessible to younger children and non-gaming adults; Mario Kart 8 was the top-selling title among this group this year.

An opportunity lies with the PS4 and Xbox One. 12 per cent of all women live in households with access to an Xbox One or PS4 but only two per cent use them. The next-gen market is crying out for a blockbuster family game.

Non-gamers, or ‘gifters’, tend to be older women living with a partner. Almost two-thirds of games they buy are for those under the age of 20, with only 10 per cent for recipients over the age of 35. This is the lowest spending of all three groups, but they are still spending £60 per year on average. Unsurprisingly, they almost exclusively buy mint physical games as gifts with just four per cent spent on digital content. The most important consideration for this group lies with retailers who should help gifters to navigate their ranges and choose an appropriate gift.

The Wii left a sizeable gap in the market and now the current consoles need to do more to engage with female shoppers before they are completely lost to the more accessible mobile sector.

August 28th 2015

ONE PIECE: NOT JUST FOR FANS

One Piece is the best-selling manga of all time, with over 380m units sold

Give Piece a chance It might be the most popular Japanese comic book of all time, but you probably think One Piece’s video game spin-offs are for fans only. Bandai Namco product manager Karla Pett convinces Matthew Jarvis why Pirate Warriors 3 is One to watch for the committed and clueless alike

I

t’s okay, you can admit it: you have no idea what One Piece is.

The Japanese comic book series (‘manga’) has been going for almost two decades – since 1997 – and has more than 380 million units in circulation around the world, making it the best-selling manga in history. Despite this, it’s fair to say that the escapades of fan-favourite hero Luffy and his band of pirates are probably a mystery to those who think a manga is an exotic fruit.

“One Piece is a manga series that follows the adventures of its main hero Monkey D. Luffy, who has gained super powers from

August 28th 2015

Much like the Zelda spin-off Hyrule Warriors, Pirate Warriors 3 is actually descended from the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises. These titles are primarily developed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force studio, and allow gamers to battle hundreds of baddies at once. These games are known as ‘musou’ titles – meaning ‘unmatched’ in Japanese – referring to the player’s incredibly powerful attacks and abilities.

“Pirate Warriors 3 is a musou game that takes you through the wacky and wonderful One Piece narrative while laying waste to hordes of enemies,” Pett details.

accidentally eating Devil’s Fruit. He then sets out with his friends – the Straw Hat Crew – to become the King of Pirates by finding the titular ultimate treasure – the ‘One Piece’,” Karla Pett, product manager at Bandai Namco, explains of the comic’s plot.

It’s a bonkers set-up, but One Piece’s unique humour and style have propelled it to global success.

As well as the books, there have been more than 700 TV episodes, 13 films and almost 40 games based on the IP. The latest of these is the Bandai Namco-published One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, which has just hit UK store shelves.

30

As its numbered moniker suggests, Pirate Warriors 3 follows the first two games in the series. Between them, the two predecessors have sold well over 1.5 million units in Japan alone.

“Pirate Warriors 3 greatly expands the narrative of previous One Piece games,” says Pett. “It offers more characters, introduces new stages – such as Fishman Island and Dressrosa – and keeps all the frantic fun of the previous games.”

PIECE OF THE ACTION As well as being the first Pirate Warriors game to come to PS4, Pirate Warriors 3 is also the first

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ONE PIECE: NOT JUST FOR FANS

Pirate Warriors 3’s gameplay is based on the Dynasty Warriors titles

game in the franchise to burst onto PC. It joins a succession of Japanese games to take on the platform for the first time this year, including Dead or Alive 5: Last Round.

“Steam and PC are easily accessible and they broaden the gaming audience,” Pett observes of the prospective audience for Japanese titles on the platform.

“We want to make sure that people can play our games on the formats they want.”

The title is also coming to PlayStation Vita, which has remained a bastion for niche games.

“Gameplay-wise the various different formats do not differ,” Pett comments. “But the lovely thing about the Vita is that you can take the device, and therefore your games, with you. As with Steam, we know that our audiences play on lots of different formats.”

Pirate Warriors 3 might mark the series’ debut on the new generation of console hardware, but the IP is also returning to its established home on PS3. Pett

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says that much of the franchise’s die-hard audience remains on the older machine.

“There are a lot of players that haven’t yet made the jump to new-gen,” she explains. “We still see good sales on last-generation consoles and so we’re happy to continue to support them.

When that changes we’ll have to re-evaluate the formats we bring our games to but, in the meantime, there’s still a lot of life left in the last generation of hardware.”

FAN OUT With 78 volumes of manga – and growing – the idea of the uninitiated jumping into One Piece might seem a little daunting.

After all, Pirate Warriors 3 is the third in a sub-series of video games based on an expansive, decades-long Japanese cartoon with myriad spin-offs and tie-ins.

It’s also a title based on a triedand-proven gameplay formula – that of the popular cult Dynasty Warriors games – which is

There’s still a lot of life left in the last generation of console hardware.

Karla Pett, Bandai Namco

31

designed with accessibility in mind. So can non-fans really pick up Pirate Warriors 3 and expect to understand and enjoy what’s going on?

“I absolutely believe they can,” enthuses Pett. “We really understand our target market for all our anime and manga franchises and appreciate that not all of our audiences have grown up with Japanese animation – and therefore won’t recognise these IPs. “The nice thing is consumers are discovering these shows all the time through on-demand anime services.”

With manga and other elements of Japanese culture steadily growing their popularity in the UK, Pirate Warriors 3 is sure to strike a chord among existing One Piece followers – but it could win over a few new fans, too.

“One Piece is one of the most popular anime and manga series in the UK and it sells well,” Pett concludes. “We’re happy being part of the UK fan base and giving them a game they will enjoy.”

August 28th 2015

MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE MCV speaks to Reload Games’ Michael Wealleans about the performance of his store’s website, why his retro stock has been selling well and what his plans are for events towards the end of the year How has business been for you recently?

It’s been quiet since the start of the summer, but we’re expecting it to pick up towards September.

What’s been selling well lately?

We did quite well with Batman: Arkham Knight. And The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is still doing well for us. Our download and points cards have had decent sales recently because there’s been some great deals on the online stores.

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

games even if they don’t have the console to play it on. They just want it in their collection. There’s more demand for those games. But with that demand, the price has gone up.

How has your retro stock been performing?

It’s getting harder to source retro, but when we get it in it’s selling quite nicely. It’s a unique selling point for us.

People assume that they can pick up special editions on launch day. There’s no sense in pre-ordering.

What portion of your sales come from your website?

Our site lets us down a little bit.

We do quite a bit through Amazon and Ebay. But we’re in the process of giving our website a bit of a revamp. It’s probably a 70:30 split of High Street to online sales.

Have you seen an increase in PlayStation and Dreamcast sales since the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue announcements at E3?

Absolutely. People are trying to get hold of the original copies of those

Michael Wealleans, Reload Games

PRICE CHECK: HALIFAX

TOP 10 PRE-ORDERS 1. MGS V: THE PHANTOM PAIN DAY 1 EDITION + STEELBOOK Konami, PS4

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UPLOADING The latest digital releases coming to market

DESTINY: THE TAKEN KING

WARHAMMER 40,000: REGICIDE

CASTLES

The third expansion for Destiny is coming out in mid-September

This dystopian PC strategy game is available to download now

BadLand’s multiplayer puzzle title hits PS4, Xbox One, Wii U and PC shortly

OUT: SEPTEMBER 15TH

August 28th 2015

IN STORE

8. MGSV V: The Phantom Pain Day 1 Ed. + SteelBook Konami .........................................................................XO

OUT: NOW

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OUT: SEPTEMBER 15TH

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MARKETPLACE

Reload Games 19 Middle Gate, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire NG24 1AG

What sells well over the website, Amazon and Ebay?

Probably retro stock. Boxed Nintendo items sell really well over there.

MCV ran a story in April about pre-orders being in decline in the UK. What has your experience been of this?

They’re definitely in decline.

People are just under the assumption that they can show up on release day and pick the

Phone: 01636 674 575 Website: www.reloadgames.co.uk Facebook: /reloadgames

limited editions of these games straight over the counter. There is no sense in preordering anymore.

Are you planning any events for some of the big launches coming soon?

We’re doing midnight launches for FIFA and Call of Duty, maybe Fallout 4, too. We are looking to do some in-store events for Call of Duty as well, tournament-type things.

INCOMING TITLE

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August 28th 2015

DISNEY

DISNEY Toys-to-life strikes back this month, as the third instalment in Disney’s Infinity series heads to a galaxy far, far away. Matthew Jarvis takes a look at the best merchandise from the king of cartoons

IN both games and film, 2015 looks set to be the year of Disney.

As the parent firm of both Marvel and Star Wars – and that’s not even counting Pixar and Disney’s own output – the company is taking the world of movies by storm, and therefore games, too.

First up is toys-to-life sequel Disney Infinity 3.0, which this year adds the might of Star Wars to its figurine collection, having already bolstered it with Marvel’s superhero collective in 2014.

With Inside Out opening to £7.34 million at the Box Office, it’s sure to be a popular choice for gamers, too.

According to GfK Chart-Track, the Infinity brand grew by more than 56 per cent in terms of units and 37 per cent in revenue during the first quarter of 2015 – providing a solid foundation for further growth with a new entry.

Also joining the title are characters from the latest Pixar film, Inside Out. With the movie opening to £7.34 million at the Box Office – one of the best-ever openings for a film in the UK – it’s sure to be a popular choice for gamers, too.

POP! VINYL: INSIDE OUT - ANGER The first of 2015’s offerings from Pixar, Inside Out, has already become somewhat of a cartoon classic thanks to its kid-friendly portrayal of complex emotions. One of the basest emotions – Anger – sees his fiery state turned into an adorable persona with this six-inch toy. He’s the ideal way for sore gaming losers to channel their anger – how about a quick squeeze after a losing round of Star Wars Battlefront?

SRP: £14.99 Manufacturer: Funko Distributor: Underground Toys Contact: kenny@underground-toys.com

BAYMAX SMALL SOFT TOY

DISNEY ‘FAB FOUR’ MEN’S T-SHIRT

The inflatable star of 2015 release Big Hero 6 is made plush in this toy.

Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto channel The Beatles in this stylish shirt.

SRP: £12.95 Manufacturer: Disney Distributor: Disney Contact: 020 8222 1000

SRP: £14.95 Manufacturer: Disney Distributor: Disney Contact: 020 8222 1000

August 28th 2015

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DISNEY INFINITY: MARVEL SUPER HEROES POWER DISC CAPSULE Up to 22 power discs can be stored in this ‘super’ Marvel-themed case.

SRP: £9.99 Manufacturer: PDP Distributor: Exertis Contact: 01279 822 822

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DISNEY Sponsored by

O

gaming merchandise uk

Although it’s not branded with the Disney name, Star Wars is owned by the company – and EA’s Star Wars Battlefront promises to be one of, if not the, biggest shooters of the year.

The game has already seen ‘extremely strong’ pre-orders, according to EA, and a recently-announced PS4 bundle branded with iconic baddie Darth Vader and bundled with four classic Star Wars games from

the past looks set to increase hype further ahead of launch.

Beyond 2015, Disney’s powerful catalogue is already planning its next return to players’ TV screens; beloved franchises from throughout the film firm’s history are set to appear in Square Enix’s long-anticipated RPG Kingdom Hearts III, although the game doesn’t have a release date yet.

With a strong line-up of films and games under its belt, there’s no slowing down for Disney yet.

ALADDIN TSUM TSUM MINI SOFT TOY COLLECTION Disney’s seminal 1992 film has been given the Tsum Tsum treatment, joining other favourites in the range of highly popular cute toys. The roster of soft characters includes Jasmine, Aladdin, the Genie, Iago, Abu, Rajah, The Sultan and Jafar. Fans are sure to love them for 1001 nights – and then some.

SRP: £3 (Each) Manufacturer: Disney Distributor: Posh Paws Contact: 01268 567 317

DISNEY PIXAR COMPLETE COLLECTION BLU-RAY

TURTLE BEACH DISNEY INFINITY MARVEL HEADSET

DISNEY VINTAGE MICKEY MOUSE BACK PACK

All 14 of Pixar’s films to date take pride of place in this premium boxset.

Infinity players can immerse themselves in the toys-to-life title with this headset.

Fashioned after the Disney cartoons of old, this bag can carry plenty of goodies.

SRP: £111.99 Manufacturer: Disney Distributor: Disney Contact: 020 8222 1000

SRP: £34.99 Manufacturer: Turtle Beach Distributor: Exertis Contact: 01279 822 822

SRP: £29.99 Manufacturer: TruffleShuffle Distributor: TruffleShuffle Contact: sales@truffleshuffle.co.uk

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August 28th 2015

HOT PRODUCTS

Sponsored by

HOT PRODUCTS MCV takes a look at the best accessories heading to UK retail. This week, Nintendo plays its Amiibo cards right and Cherry breaks out its new keyboard

ANIMAL CROSSING: HAPPY HOME DESIGNER AMIIBO THREE-CARD PACK WITH so many Amiibo figurines now on shelves, collectors might find themselves running out of space.

Luckily for them, Nintendo has unveiled a more pocket-friendly alternative to the fullsize figures – Amiibo cards. Just like their model siblings, the cards can be connected to particular 3DS and Wii U games to unlock new functionality.

The first game to be dealt a deck of the cards is Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. Each three-card pack will contain a selection of cards depicting the zoological inhabitants from the casual title.

The packs will always come with one special Amiibo card, which will allow players to build the house of one of the characters.

Each card can be used across multiple copies of the game, meaning they can be traded and swapped with friends.

At launch, a limited number of copies of the game will come with an extra-special Amiibo card that summons the character and allows them to redesign their house.

[INFO] RRP: £3.49 Release Date: October 2nd Distributor: Nintendo Contact: 01753 483 700

CHERRY MX BOARD 6.0 KEYBOARD KEYBOARD specialist Cherry has come up with what it claims is the world’s fastest keyboard – the MX Board 3.0.

The PC peripheral unites two of Cherry’s touted technologies: its MX switches and RealKey, which registers key presses instantly via use of a full analog, rather than digital, signal controller.

All of Cherry’s keys are made in Germany, and utilise gold crosspoint precision module across every single key, meaning that the accuracy of typing on the device should be vastly improved.

The Board 3.0 boasts full N-key rollover, meaning every key is read at the same time, no matter how many buttons the user presses at once. It also has 100 per cent anti-ghosting, avoiding false inputs.

Housing the keys and switches is an aluminium top housing with a sanded finish and grease-resistant coating.

The status keys, such as Caps Lock, glow in two colours, lighting up blue to comunicate when they have been enabled.

Players can choose to disable the Windows Key, to avoid exiting to desktop by mistake while playing a fast-paced game.

August 28th 2015

In addition, the keyboard comes with 12 double function keys.

The brightness of the keys’ red LED backlighting can be changed thanks to adjustable dimming.

A rubber palm rest with a quick-snap magnetic connector and 200cm textile covering cable are also included.

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[INFO] RRP: €189 (£133) Release Date: Out Now Distributor: ZF Electronics UK Contact: 01582 506140

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Venom UK Gaming @VenomGamingUK

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

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

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 August 28th 2015

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

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

INSIDER’S GUIDE

INSIDER’S GUIDE LICK PR

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: PR and events Location: A32, Ugli Campus, 56 Wood Lane, London, W12 7SB

Develop is the only dedicated publication for the UK and European games development community. It reaches over 300,000 subscribers every month.

Lick PR team director Lucy Starvis looks back upon the agency’s successful first year in business

FOR GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT CHARLOTTE NANGLE CNANGLE@NBMEDIA.COM

Tell us about your company.

We are Lick PR, a consumer tech agency working across gaming, technology and events. Our MD is my dear friend, the very talented Kat Osman.

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT:

What successes have you seen recently?

Earlier this year Lick celebrated it’s first, very successful year in business and we continue to go from strength to strength.

We’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some very cool projects, including continued work with Digital Extremes, Gameloft, Koch Media, Mastertronic, Oddworld and Turtle Beach, and we are delighted to have some new clients on board including Bigben Interactive and Bossa Studios.

Managing the logistics for the PES 2015 World Finals in Berlin during the Champions League Final weekend for Konami back in June was also a highlight for us.

MHT TV GAME................................................................. gerry@mhtgame.com

What are you currently working on?

Koch Media are back on board as a key client, which is super exciting for us as we have a great relationship with the team there, and they have some awesome titles.

What are the biggest trends affecting you right now?

The industry is ever-changing and the media landscape continues to evolve at a fast pace, which keeps us on our toes.

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

The media landscape continues to evolve at a fast pace, which keeps us on our toes.

What are you looking forwards to over the next 12 months?

VR is hugely exciting - it will be interesting to see how that progresses and which games become big hits on the platform.

Personally, I’m looking forward to playing Disney Infinity 3.0 and LEGO Dimensons with my kids and I am also keen to check out Fallout 4.

How did you choose your company name?

The initials spelling out ‘LICK’ are made up from the first names of the original team: Lucy, Ian, Colette and Kat. We also have our adorable office dog Dolly, who licks a lot.

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: W: lickpr.com E: info@lickpr.com P: 020 7502 4468 T: @LuStarvis

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August 28th 2015

FACTFILE ITALY Sponsored by

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: ITALY Population: 60,795,612 Capital City: Rome Currency: Euro GDP (Per Capita): $30,594 KEY RETAILERS Auchan, Carrefour, Euronics, Expert, Feltrinelli, Fnac, GamesBond, GamesLife, GameStop, Iper, MediaMarkt, Mondadori, OpenGames TOP DISTRIBUTORS Gruppo Pam, NeWave, Koch Media, Raven Distribution

TOP DEVELOPERS Ubisoft Milan, Milestone, Artematica, Geniaware, Molleindustria, Playstos PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION Ubisoft, EA, Activision, Warner Bros, Sony, Microsoft, Black Bean Games, Playstos

of consumers buying at least one ITALY has served as inspiration new game each year, as opposed for some of games’ greatest to just nine per cent who brought franchises, and continues to a pre-owned product. However, thrive as a games market. piracy appears to be a problem; Roughly a third of Italian Newzoo adds that 38 per cent of consumers play video games of PC users illegally download titles some sort, according to market from filesharing sites monthly. tracker Newzoo. A quarter of Italy’s development scene these gamers play primarily on hasn’t kept up with the rapid pace tablets, leading the country to of games retail in the country. be the third biggest European “Italy is the territory for ninth-biggest tablet gaming country in as of 2013. the world for Mobile is the video games, second-biggest but the game games platform development in the region. scene is still Additionally, not at the level 56.5 per cent it should be,” of players are says Luca happy to invest Falco, founder money into their Luca Falco, LKA.it of Italian titles – higher development studio LKA.it. than both Spain and France.

“The output of the Italian European body ISFE reports video game market is only €30 that around four-fifths of gamers million (£21m). This is mainly play online, with just under a due to bureaucracy, as well quarter of online players opting as economic and legislative for console and over a third problems that stop growth and preferring PC. Mint games are high in popularity, with 17 per cent the ability to access funding.”

Italy is the ninth-biggest country in the world for games, but development is not at the level it should be.

August 28th 2015

42

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ITALY FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... JAPAN Local games firm Square Enix has relinquished its claim to the Japanese publishing rights for Call of Duty after eight years FOR the first time in almost a decade, Square Enix will not serve as the Japanese publishing partner for the next Call of Duty game.

The Japanese firm has published Activision’s military shooter series, as well as several of its other brands, in the country since 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

But 2015 will see Activision itself serve as publisher for Call of Duty: Black Ops III on Xbox One and Xbox 360, while platform holder Microsoft will distribute the game for the two consoles.

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43

Meanwhile, Sony will similarly serve as publisher for the title on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Sony, which is headquartered in Japan,

published Activision’s sci-fi shooter Destiny last year.

Black Ops III will also include both Japanese and English voice tracks on one disc for the first time.

August 28th 2015

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION Sponsored by

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTORS IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR NEW PARTNERS OVERSEAS, THEN LOOK NO FURTHER

BELGIUM

CLD DISTRIBUTION Rue du Grand Champs 14 , B 5380 Fernelmont Belgium Tel: +32 81 83 02 02 Fax: +32 81 83 02 09 Email: infos@cld.be Web: www.cld.be home of www.dragonwar.eu & www.mawashi.eu

CYPRUS

SWEDEN

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

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

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

IRAN

BRAZIL Sony Music Entertainment Brasil # 1 Physical Distributor in Brazil 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

UAE

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

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

WORLDWIDE

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

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED Email: info@click-entertainment.com Web: www.click-entertainment.com Phone: +44 (0)203 137 3781

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

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

WWW.MCVPACIFIC.COM

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 August 28th 2015

44

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OFF THE RECORD

SIX DEGREES OF ANDY PAYNE

OFF THE RECORD

THE MASTERTRONIC MD AND INDUSTRY FIGUREHEAD IS CONNECTED TO MANY BIG NAMES – INCLUDING KEVIN BACON. HOW? WE FIND OUT…

This week, the industry helps out one of its finest, Pikachu runs amok in London and we link film star Kevin Bacon to games star Andy Payne

KEVIN BACON portrayed baddie Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class, which starred a cameo from Wolverine actor...

GIVE FOR GRANGE MCV was devastated to read this week about the tragic experience of former games PR veteran Nick Grange, who was left immobile after being hit by a car last year.

Grange, who served stints at Apple, Activision and Xbox, was in a coma for five months and hospitalised for nine months after the terrible accident.

He is currently in residential care, an hour’s travel away from his daughter.

Grange’s wife turned to donation platform GoFundMe in an effort to raise money for a mobility vehicle, and the industry has responded in force. At the time of writing, more than £14,000 – more than twice the initial target – has been raised. Find out more by visiting gofundme,com/nickgrangevansolo.

...HUGH JACKMAN, who has appeared in every X-Men film.

The first two movies were written by...

...DAVID HAYTER, whom Metal Gear Solid fans will know as the voice of Solid Snake. As part of his MGS duties, he worked alongside...

...longtime MGS PR STEVE MERRETT, who in prior years worked at Rocket PR with...

POKÉBALLS TO THE WALL

...industry vet and SpecialEffect helper KIRSTY PAYNE. She was Kirsty Hewitt at the time, becoming Payne when she married...

Pokémon brought five of its most iconic pocket monster – Pikachu – to London’s Summer in the City earlier this month.

It was to celebrate the launch of new Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion XY – Ancient Origins, with the horde of electic mice roaming the ExCel London to say hello (or ‘Pika’) to fans attending the YouTube community event on August 15th.

Good luck to anyone trying to trade their Pikachu, though – they’re clearly not as small as you’d think.

August 28th 2015

...ANDY PAYNE, industry stalwart, OBE recipient and Mastertronic MD.

45

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OFF THE RECORD

Sulik from Fallout 2.

Luigi.

Gray @Graybit NOT the moronic robot of Borderlands! Wish Chop from GTA V would eat that tin can...forever.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’s HK-47, MEATBAG!

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE GAMING SIDEKICK? WE KINDA HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR OCARINA OF 7,0(¡6 1$9, $&78$//< #GMGASKS

Ed Abell @smashpro1 Yoshi. :)

harley9699 @harley9699 Dogmeat from Fallout 3

clĂśudsheep @cloudsheep0 HEY LISTEN! Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Vaughn Whiskey @VaughnWhiskey dutchie baka -_@Dutch_Notch

Jack Kowalsky @JackKowalsky

%LRVKRFN ,QÂż QLWHÂśV $QQD

Soft spot? More like wall smear. *smack*

NOT Baby Mario in #YoshisIsland Yoshi in #SuperMarioWorld

Bertruand @bertruand

George Sinos @Mini_Smee

Mansen @herrmansen

CONTACTS Christopher Dring

Kelly Sambridge

Michael French

Editor cdring@nbmedia.com

Head of Design and Production ksambridge@nbmedia.com

Publisher mfrench@nbmedia.com

Ben ParďŹ tt

Elizabeth Parker

Conor Tallon

Associate Editor bparďŹ tt@nbmedia.com

Production Executive eparker@nbmedia.com

Account Manager ctallon@nbmedia.com

Alex Calvin

Sam Richwood

Laura West

StaďŹ&#x20AC; Writer acalvin@nbmedia.com

Designer srichwood@nbmedia.com

Business Development Consultant lwest@nbmedia.com

Matt Jarvis

Michael Canham

Lianne Davey

StaďŹ&#x20AC; Writer mjarvis@nbmedia.com

Finance Manager mcanham@nbmedia.com

Circulation ldavey@nbmedia.com

Erik Johnson

Stuart Moody

US Correspondent ejohnson@nbmedia.com

Head of Operations smoody@nbmedia.com

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

Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England SG14 1JA

Š Newbay Media 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

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For the 12 months ending December 2009, MCV had an average weekly net circulation of 8,045. MCVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circulation is 100 per cent named and zero per cent duplicated.

Newbay Media specialises in tradededicated print and digital publishing for entertainment and leisure markets.

As well as MCV, Newbay publishes Develop, PCR, ToyNews, Music Week, MI Pro, Audio Pro International and BikeBiz. It also has two onlineonly brands: Mobile Entertainment, dedicated to the growing mass market smartphone sector, and Licensing.biz, for everyone in the global licensing industry. It also runs a number of events including the MCV Industry Excellence Awards, the London Games Conference and the Games Media Awards.

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ISSN: 1469-4832 Copyright 2015

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August 28th 2015

KONAMI.JP/MGS5

[ OUT 01.09.15 ]

“ ”, “ “, “ “ and “ “ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a trademark of the same company. “Blu-ray DiscTM” and “Blu-rayTM” are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ©2015 Konami Digital Entertainment Published by Konami Digital Entertainment BV. Developed by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

KONAMI.JP/MGS5

[ OUT 01.09.15 ]

“ ”, “ “, “ “ and “ “ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a trademark of the same company. “Blu-ray DiscTM” and “Blu-rayTM” are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ©2015 Konami Digital Entertainment Published by Konami Digital Entertainment BV. Developed by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.