MCV913 March 24th by Future PLC

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES ISSUE 913 FRIDAY MARCH 24TH 2017

YOOKA-LAYLEE PLAYTONIC ON REACHING BEYOND THE RARE CROWD P22

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT GAME PASS PAGE 16 PLUS ID@XBOX ■ SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE ■ KOEI TECMO 01 MCV913 Cover_V1.indd 1

22/03/2017 17:06

NEWS ID@XBOX

Indies sing praises of Microsoft’s ID@Xbox programme Free dev kits, excellent support and great visibility are all key attractions for developers looking to publish on ID@Xbox

Pictured above, left to right: Cavalier’s Charles Griffi ths, Mad Fellows’ Dan Horbury, Sumo Digital’s David Dino and Tequila Works’ Miguel Paniagua

By Katharine Byrne Independent developers have called Microsoft’s ID@Xbox programme “hugely important” to the games industry, and have singled it out as one of the easiest digital publishing platforms to work on across all platform holders. Speaking to MCV at an ID@Xbox preview event this week, several developers were very warm in their praise of the platform, with Sumo Digital’s designer and PR analyst David Dino saying that the opportunity to obtain a free Xbox One development kit is vital for helping developers to get their ideas out into the open. “I think it’s great. All these different programmes, especially ID@Xbox, have been really good. Just allowing people to have dev kits when they don’t necessarily have the funds to purchase something like that, you get a lot of crazy ideas that people are brewing that they don’t necessarily have the ability to do straight out unless they have a set amount of capital, so a programme like ID@Xbox is amazing because it’s an amazing option for them.” He continued: “Even five years ago, it was tough for people to really get into even a self-publishing route, or look for a publisher in that regard. But now there are so many different avenues and it’s good to March 24th 2017

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have those choices as well. ID@Xbox has been super helpful in getting the visibility of [Snake Pass] and making that publishing process a lot easier as well. Thankfully, again, with Sumo Digital having worked on a lot of Microsoft titles, too, we’ve been able to leverage those partnerships. “It’s been really awesome working with them. Doing our own self-publishing, trying to get that visibility, it’s still work that we have to do, but having the avenue that ID@Xbox has given us in order to get to this place, that’s something we wouldn’t have been able to be a part of [otherwise].”

ID@Xbox is also a great opportunity for smaller developers to get the same kind of visibility in Microsoft’s Store and social media channels as the big triple-A studios, said Tequila Works’ producer Miguel Paniagua, who’s working on Rime: “At Tequila Works, we’re almost 50 guys, but ID@Xbox is providing

ID@Xbox provides the chance of publishing to almost anyone.

PERSONAL TOUCH Two-man studio Mad Fellows, whose rhythm action title Aaero is coming to Xbox One, PS4 and Steam this Spring, applauded ID’s extensive support network: “They were just there when you need them, so if you hit a problem, you can get in touch with them and they’ll sort it out, or guide you in the right direction,” said technical director Dan Horbury. “With Steam, we found it less personal. We’ve worked with Microsoft on two projects now and on the first project we had account managers who spent their own time talking to us, to help us get it onto the store, to help with the US store.”

Miguel Paniagua, Tequila Works

anybody with the chance of publishing their own project at the same level as the biggest teams in the industry. “So being a big team, it’s like, ‘What?’, but as a small team and a new one, it’s like, ‘Wow! That’s a huge chance we have here.’ ID@Xbox provides the chance of publishing to almost anyone, so I think that’s a huge chance there.” While Tequila Works isn’t publishing Rime itself, it is taking on publishing duties for Cavalier Game Studios’ The Sexy Brutale, which it also co-developed. 02

“With The Sexy Brutale, we’re self-publishing and the relationship with have with the ID team has been amazing. They’ve been very helpful and any time I had a problem I sent an email and I’ve had an answer in three minutes. It’s very quick communication. It’s our first time publishing a game and we were kind of lost at the beginning because we didn’t know that we had so many things to deal with. It’s a huge process, but I have to say that the submission process with Microsoft is the easiest one of all [platforms]. We’re submitting with PS4, with Xbox, with Steam, and ID@Xbox is the most helpful one.” IDENTITY PARADE Cavalier itself also has nothing but praise for the programme. “It’s hugely important,” says founder and design director Charles Griffiths. “Events like [the ID@Xbox preview] are enormously valuable. The opportunity to have the game played in a slightly more long-form way and in a good environment is great. It’s hugely important and valuable for us. ID@Xbox has been a great scheme and everyone involved with it has been really approachable, and Microsoft has also been very open to listening to our queries and finding any of the problems in the process and addressing them, so it’s been very good.” www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 17:14

TEQUILA WORKS NEWS

Tequila Works: not all indie games a good fit for retail By Katharine Byrne TEQUILA WORKS, whose upcoming title Rime is coming to retail on PS4 and Xbox One on May 26th, has told MCV that a boxed release isn’t necessarily the best fit for indie games, saying instead that the money used on bringing a title to shop shelves could potentially be better spent improving the overall quality of the game. “I’m not sure if retail is the place for indie games,” Tequila Works’ producer Miguel Paniagua said. “I mean, having a game in your retail shop, it means that you have most cost. You need a physical support, and I don’t know if this cost is better invested in making good games. “Digital publishing and selfpublishing has one [advantage] in that you don’t have to spend anything on the commercial channel. You keep the physical format, you keep the publisher fee, which has a positive and negative side. That’s why I think indie games are probably better on their own because we can avoid all those costs.” In Rime’s case, Paniagua says the decision to bring the game to retail ultimately lay with its publishers. “They saw it as a chance because Rime is not like a typical indie project. It has grown a lot. It’s a big team, so it’s not a typical indie project and it has a story behind it. We announced it in 2013, we had

a trailer in 2014 that was also very popular, so the name of Rime, I think [publisher Grey Box] thought it was worth it to take on the stores. I don’t know if other indie games will work the same way, though.” One game that clearly bucks this trend, however, is Cavalier Game Studios’ The Sexy Brutale, which Tequila Works is bringing to retail on PS4 on April 11th. “There isn’t an Xbox One retail version on the cards at the moment,” Cavalier’s founder and design director Charles Griffiths told MCV. “But the PS4 physical version came about more as a result of the relationships that Tequila Works has with a fellow Madrid-based distributor, so that was just a unique opportunity on that specific front.” However, Griffiths still thinks that more can be done to get more indie titles into boxes: “It doesn’t feel like there’s an awful lot of options out there,” he said. “It still feels quite unique when people get boxed copies for an indie game. Some of it is that distributors or publishers don’t seem willing to do it unless the game’s already proved a measure of success, so unless they feel like they can guarantee a minimum of a few thousand copies, it seems like it is harder for games to make a case from Day One that they should be in physical versions of shops. It would be nice for it to happen more often.”

The Sexy Brutale and Rime are two examples of indie titles coming to retail

London Games Festival opens next week THE London Games Festival kicks off next Thursday on March 30th at a variety of venues across the capital. Backed by the Mayor of London and the London Enterprise Panel, the 11-day celebration of interactive entertainment will include exhibitions, lectures, outdoor events and showcases of the latest games across the capital. The festival will open with EGX Rezzed at Tobacco Dock, and will also encompass the British Academy Games Awards on April 6th, as well as the return of Now www.mcvuk.com

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Play This at Somerset House between April 7th and 9th. The Games Finance Market, meanwhile, is running between April 4th and 6th, which will see 60 developers and interactive content creators connecting with 60 international investors and funders. The London Games Festival is part of a three-year initiative delivered jointly by Film London, the capital’s screen industries agency, and video games trade body Ukie. “In just one year, we have established London Games Festival as a key event for the UK and

London games market; one that can clearly stand alongside the other big pillar events on the global games scene,” Games London’s head of games Michael French told MCV. “We are already attracting serious international attention, with one third of the 120 companies attending this year’s Games Finance Market coming from overseas. “Our events have also been vital in securing investment for UK games, with total potential investment at the Games Finance Market 2017 coming in at more than £500m.” 03

March 24th 2017

22/03/2017 17:14

NEWS BIG STORIES

YOUTUBE'S DOUBLE-TROUBLE WEEK

YOUTUBE'S importance as a marketing tool for the games industry is undeniable. So when the service runs into two different controversies at once, it's worth taking notice, especially if you rely on it to promote your titles. The first came from advertisers concerned about placement next to politically extremist content, while the LGBT community was worried about censorship.

WHAT THE INDUSTRY SAID...

WHAT THE PRESS SAID...

...AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

GOOGLE'S european chief, Matt Brittin, apologised publicly after adverts from major clients were displayed next to videos featuring 'hate speech' and extremist politics. “I want to start by saying sorry to the brands affected by this. I take the issue very seriously and I apologise in the instances where that may have happened.” A number of major firms had suspended their advertising, including Marks & Spencer, McDonalds, HSBC, Audi and even the government. Games publishers haven't yet had to take such action, as they place adverts around fairly well-defined gaming categories and influencers, rather than the scattershot approach seen by many firms.

THE key issue here is censorship said Alex Hern in The Guardian, summing up the problem neatly: "YouTube is currently being attacked by advertisers for not censoring enough and by creators for censoring too much." He went on to say that YouTube simply has too much content for Google to categorise properly and that AI simply isn't up to the task. 'Restricted Mode' has come into the firing line from creators. With developer Zoe Quinn pointing out that her channel was not accessible under the mode, but that videos attacking her were. Amelia Tait, writing in the New Statesman, simply noted: "It is a very bad idea to trust a large multi-billion pound company to be the arbiter of what is or isn’t acceptable."

GOOGLE has made promises to both parties in terms of fixing the censorship problem and that leaves it in a very tricky position. To satisfy its biggest advertisers it will need to crack down on the kind of content that they don't want to be associated with. However, move too much content under 'Restricted Mode' and it will impact free speech and inevitably censor a whole bunch of content which should be freely available. Presuming better technology isn't available, Google's only approach will be to throw manpower at the problems and be more diligent in checking the most popular videos.

END OF THE LINE FOR PLAYSTATION 3

SONY has marked the beginning of the end for the PS3, with production of the console halting in Japan in the immediate future. Launched back in 2006, the console went on to sell over 80m units, after a slow start due to its then expensive Bluray drive - which has proved a boon in the long-term for the multi-talented device.

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WHAT THE INDUSTRY SAID...

WHAT THE PRESS SAID...

...AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

SONY stated on its Japanese site that PlayStation 3 "shipments are scheduled to end soon" - as reported by Gematsu. There's no official date and it doesn't immediately affect other territories, but it's certainly the beginning of the end for the console. A game retailer in Japan tweeted that it had been informed that production would stop in March. Only a single SKU of the console is still available in the territory, the 500GB version of the third-gen Super Slim PS3, which was first launched in 2012. There was no further official comment from Sony.

EULOGIES quickly appeared in the press. Chris Smith on Trusted Reviews said the console "had a good innings" and "given Sony consoles have generally had a ten-year life span, the decision isn’t surprising, but it’s always a little sad when a beloved machine makes the trip to Silicon Heaven." No eulogy would be complete without a little ribbing of the deceased's failings, with Eurogamer's Tom Philips saying: "Its original design was bulky, and memorably drew unflattering comparisons with the popular George Foreman cooking grill." Meanwhile, Gamesradar's Leon Hurley noted: "There are already reports that production has ended in New Zealand thanks to a leaked and quickly removed PlayStation NZ post."

THE hardware may be on its last legs, but the legacy of the PlayStation 3 is still clear to see. PS3 software is still available to play via the PlayStation Now service, even for those who never owned the console originally. It certainly won't be hailed as Sony's greatest console, though, with the original PlayStation, PS2 and PS4 to compete with, competition is insanely high. But it did launch arguably Sony's greatest homegrown franchise in the form of Uncharted. The end of the line in Europe is likely to be soon then, though the console may live on in territories such as Brazil, where the console didn't launch officially until 2010.

www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 17:30

THE EDITOR NEWS

THE EDITOR COOKING THE BOOKS GOOD news this week from the High Street with reports that books are fighting back against eBooks. Had consumers tired of the tactileless experience of the eBook? Or maybe they enjoyed the in-store experience, browsing the shelves and grabbing a coffee at the same time? Or possibly it was the knowledgeable staff? These may have factored in, but the main reason given was the usual bottom line: price. Due to a series of new deals between Amazon and publishers, the price of eBooks has risen, which means they often cost more than their physical counterparts. Both formats have their advantages, but it's noteworthy just how price conscious many consumers are, abandoning their eReaders to save a bit of cash.

At the same time, inflation figures hit 2.3 per cent, which is unprecedented in recent years. The Bank of England had hit its target, but with wages flat it's not great news for anyone else. It was largely the result of food prices finally heading up, as the supermarket price war abates, while fuel was the other big cost increase for UK consumers. Amongst the figures reported, 'computers' are up 2.3 per cent in a single month, a clear result of the weakened pound resulting in higher prices on imported goods. So don't expect price drops on console hardware anytime soon, the Switch included. It's not just hardware either, App Store prices are already up and Blizzard is raising the price of Hearthstone cards as well -

Consumers are abandoning their eReaders to save a bit of cash.

EVENTS CALENDAR

PRESENTS

5 SECOND FACTS 16m

MARCH 2017

APRIL 2017

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

EGX REZZED 2017 Tobacco Dock, London Thursday, March 30th - Saturday, April 1st ■ EGX Rezzed will give gamers the opportunity to play PC and console games before they're released, meet the creators behind these games, chat with recruiters, play board games, buy merchandise and more. ■ BioShock creator Ken Levine will headline EGX Rezzed on Thursday, March 30th.

BAFTA GAMES AWARDS 2017 Tobacco Dock, London Thusday, April 6th ■ The next British Academy Games Awards ceremony will take place on April 6th, as part of the London Games Festival.

LONDON GAMES FESTIVAL 2017 Various events across London Thursday, March 30th - Sunday, April 9th ■ Games London expects 50,000 people to attend this year's edition, after 38,000 people gathered last year. ■ The festival will open with EGX Rezzed and, like last year, will include the British Academy Games Awards, on April 6th, and the Now Play This fest, from April 7th to 9th.

www.mcvuk.com

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something very close to my own heart(h). Surely it's only a matter of time before the increased price of essentials combines with increased prices of games to squeeze gamers into a tight corner. And at that point, what will they do? My guess is that they will become more price conscious, and that will stymie RRP digital sales before it hits more competitivelypriced boxed SKUs. After all, if money's tight, why spend £50 online, when you can buy the same game on a disc for £40. In that case, we might just see boxed titles reverse the trend of recent years, following in the footsteps of the paperback book. Good for retail, but hardly a reason to celebrate as an industry. sbarton@nbmedia.com

INSOMNIA60 Birmingham’s NEC Friday, April 14th - Monday, April 17th ■ As always, all the latest games will be there, as well as zones dedicated to VR, board games, indie titles, retro gaming, Minecraft, cosplay and a drone arena. ■ You can buy tickets on the event's website: www.insomniagamingfestival.com

Nintendo reportedly doubles Switch production to hit 16m consoles in 2017

Ubisoft takes the lead in weeks at No.1 in 2017

78m The number of downloads of Super Mario Run on iOS at last count, coming to Android this week

Mass Effect: Andromeda's PS4 Metacritic score

20 Number of years NCSoft has been making games for (see page 36) Titanfall 2 Controller - PDP Design and manufacture the Officially Licenced Titanfall 2 Controller for Xbox ONE europesales@pdp.com

www.pdp.com

March 24th 2017

22/03/2017 17:30

NEWS INTERNATIONAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Switch could outsell Wii, says GameStop GameStop’s senior director of merchandising Eric Bright has predicted the Switch could become Nintendo’s best-selling home console after its strong start in the US

US retailer GameStop has said the Switch could potentially become Nintendo’s best-selling home console. Speaking to GameRant, GameStop’s senior director of merchandising Eric Bright said that Nintendo’s new console could even outsell the Wii if it maintains the same kind of momentum over the coming months. “The Nintendo Switch is off to a start right now that it could possibly eclipse the Wii,” he said. “Initial sales on this have been phenomenal. I can’t give straight numbers, but I can say we’re seeing one of the highest attach rates of software and accessories to a device that we’ve seen in a long time.” It’s not just console sales that are giving Switch a good lead, either, as Bright also reported healthy accessory sales as well as high bundle take-up. “We’re seeing tremendous success with the power chargers for the Nintendo Switch, as well as people coming in and picking

up extra Joy-Cons so people can turn it into a four-player device. “We will soon be going online with all-new bundles. Because of the popularity of Zelda, which is one of my top picks, we’re putting together a Zelda bundle of hardware and accessories for customers to pick up online.” The Wii, of course, sold over 101m units of hardware over the course of its life, which is quite the tall order in today’s current climate. Nintendo has yet to release official sales figures for the Switch, but we do know that over its opening weekend it’s already become Nintendo’s fastest-selling home console in both the US and Europe, beating the platform holder’s previous records set by the Wii. Meanwhile, data analyst firm SuperData has estimated that the Switch has sold over 1.5m units so far, and predicts Nintendo will sell 5m by the end of the year. IHS Markit, on the other hand, have forecasted 4.4m Switch sales by the end of 2017, but Niko Partners

Initial sales for the Switch have been “phenomenal” Bright said

The Switch could eclipse the Wii. Eric Bright, GameStop

analysts Daniel Ahmad has been far more optimistic, saying he expects 10m units before the year’s over. As for lifetime sales, however, research firm DFC Intelligence has currently forecasted 40m lifetime sales by 2020, with IHS Markit once again coming in lower at 30m.

Outlast 2 denied age rating in Australia RED BARRELS STUDIO’S upcoming horror game Outlast 2 has been denied an age rating in Australia due to the inclusion of a scene depicting implied sexual violence. According to Kotaku Australia, the country’s Classification Board has refused to give the game an R18+ rating, which has resulted in the title being blocked entirely in its current form. “Although much of the contact between the creature and Blake is obscured, by it taking place below screen, the sexualised surroundings and aggressive behaviour of the creature suggest that it is an assault

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which is sexual in nature,” the Board said. “The Board is of the opinion that this, combined with Blake’s objections and distress, constitutes a depiction of implied sexual violence. “In the Board’s opinion, the above example constitutes a depiction of implied sexual violence and therefore cannot be accommodated within the R18+ classification category and the game is therefore refused classification.” It’s not yet known whether the game will be edited and resubmitted for an Australian release, but the Board did say that, while

the removal of this content should make it eligible for an R18+ rating, the scene in question wasn’t the only point of concern it had with the game. The R18+ certificate was first introduced in Australia in 2013. It was intended to allow games with violent content to make it past the country’s historically strict guidelines on mature content, but there are still plenty of titles that have been refused classification over the last four years, with Saints Row IV, State of Decay and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number all suffering the same fate when they were first submitted.

www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 16:52

APPOINTMENTS NEWS

Matt Gilman joins Ndemic Creations Ndemic opens new Bristol studio n Kiss Ltd appoints new head of finance n Ephraim departs SIE NDEMIC CREATIONS | Former editor of Future Publishing’s GamesMaster and Official Xbox Magazine MATT GILMAN has joined Plague Inc. developer Ndemic Creations as the studio’s new project and community manager. The role will see him tackle an array of challenges, from managing Plague Inc.’s 85m-strong player base, to taking on PR and marketing duties. Gilman will also step into a producer role on small- to midsized projects as they evolve. He joins during a period of growth for Ndemic Creations, as it looks forward to a strong 2017, with several more hires to follow at its new Bristol-based studio.

Boote is currently managing partner at The Digital Funders and has over 20 years of senior financial experience. Previously he was director of business planning at Codemasters and has been CFO at a number of digital media companies. With Boote now installed as Kiss’ new head of finance, the move means current COO PETER KING will now return to focusing on his more established role of business development, enabling the company to expand into areas offering new revenue opportunities. “Being able to appoint a person of Mark’s calibre is testimony to just how much Kiss Ltd has evolved and grown over the last four years”, commented Kiss CEO DARRYL STILL.

“As an avid player of the kind of intelligent strategy games that Ndemic is known for, I couldn’t be happier,” said Gilman of his appointment. “James and the rest of the team here are an exceptionally talented bunch and I’m keen to get stuck into this exciting, multi-faceted new role.” Founder JAMES VAUGHAN added: “Matt joins us at a really exciting time and brings a lot of experience with him. He will be an integral part of the team as we keep on infecting the world.” KISS LTD | Through its relationship with The Digital Funders, Kiss has appointed MARK BOOTE as nonexecutive chief financial officer.

SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT | VP and MD of Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia and New Zealand MICHAEL EPHRAIM has left the company after 24 years. His departure comes as a result of an internal restructure. In addition to his history of working with several members of the European games industry, Ephraim was also most recently VP of SIE Europe. Ephraim said: “To have been involved from the launch of the original PlayStation has been a once in a lifetime experience. I want to thank everyone across the PlayStation family and specifically all the incredible staff that I’ve had the pleasure to work with.”

Distributed by IT World Services TEL: +44 (0)17538 21122 EMAIL: sales@itworldservices.co.uk

www.mcvuk.com

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GAMES BIG RELEASES

PERSONA 5

DEVELOPER Atlus PUBLISHER Deep Silver DISTRIBUTOR Koch Media PLATFORM(S) PS4, PS3 PRICE £49.99 (PS4), £39.99 (PS3) RELEASE DATE April 4th

WHAT THE PUBLISHER SAID...

WHAT THE PRESS SAID...

...AND HOW WELL WILL IT DO?

SEVEN years after Persona 4, the beloved JRPG franchise is coming back, for the first time on a current-gen console. The European publisher for the title, Deep Silver, said Persona 5 has “fast-paced Japanese role-playing game mechanics, [with] exciting action sequences” as well as “vibrantly stylized characters, enemies, and environments, [and] elegant animestyle cut-scenes.” “Persona 5 is a game about the internal and external conflicts of a group of troubled high school students [...] who live dual lives as Phantom Thieves,” the publisher further explained for those who are unfamiliar with the series. The game can be played by newcomers though, as all Persona titles can be played independently from one another.

ONLINE reviews for Persona 5 are yet to hit but Official PlayStation Magazine UK had the exclusive in print and gave the title a perfect score. Jen Simpkins said the game is “an unabashed masterpiece.” She added: “Whether you’re a series fan, a JRPG evangelist or a total turn-based newcomer, this is an essential play. Persona 5 is packed with stuff to do, expertly put together and exquisite to the last pixel.” In his preview, based on around 20 hours on a final version of the title, Polygon’s Philip Kollar called Persona 5 “the most stylish game of the generation,” adding that “every aspect of the game is presented in this bombastic, colorful style that’s just a joy to look at.”

PERSONA 5 launched in Japan in September and is already the best selling game in Atlus’ history - the studio is also the game’s publisher for its home market. Persona 5 actually gained this status in only two weeks, after becoming the fastest selling game in the Persona franchise in just three days, selling 337k copies within this period. In November, it was revealed that the Persona franchise had sold a total of 6.9m copies (both physical and digital) worldwide since its first iteration in 1996. The first three games (Revelations: Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment) in the franchise didn’t release in Europe, but 2008’s Persona 3 and 2009’s Persona 4 were both big sellers.

DIGITAL RELEASES BLACKWOOD CROSSING

KONA

SNIPER ELITE 4: DEATHSTORM

DEVELOPER: PaperSeven PUBLISHER: Vision Games Publishing PLATFORM(S): PS4, XO, PC PRICE: £12.99 RELEASE DATE: April 4th

DEVELOPER: Parabole PUBLISHER: Ravenscourt PLATFORM(S): PS4, XO, PC PRICE: £13.59 RELEASE DATE: Out now

DEVELOPER: Rebellion PUBLISHER: Rebellion PLATFORM(S): PS4, XO, PC PRICE: £5.59 RELEASE DATE: Out now

GAMESCOM 2016’s UK Game of the Show, Blackwood Crossing, is finally releasing this April. This beautiful story-driven title revolves around the relationship between orphaned siblings Scarlett and Finn, as they’re going through a journey on an enigmatic train. There’s a rabbit-headed man involved and we’ve been dying to learn more about him ever since the game was unveiled.

PARABOLE’S debut title Kona is now coming to PS4 and Xbox One, courtesy of Ravenscourt. The game launched on Steam Early Access earlier this year, to very positive reviews. In this survival horror title, set in the 70s, gamers play as private detective Carl Faubert as he investigates surreal events in a city ravaged by a strange blizzard.

SNIPER ELITE 4’S first update just landed on PS4, Xbox One and Steam. Deathstorm Part 1: Inception is the first part of a new three-part solo or co-op campaign with a new storyline. It launched alongside the Night Fighter Expansion Pack, which includes new characters, weapons and skins. There’s also a new free multiplayer mode called Elimination and a new map.

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www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 15:10

BIG RELEASES GAMES

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 & 2.5 REMIX

DEVELOPER Square Enix PUBLISHER Square Enix DISTRIBUTOR Koch Media

WHAT THE PUBLISHER SAID...

WHAT THE PRESS SAID...

...AND HOW WELL WILL IT DO?

THIS PS4 remastered compilation features six titles: Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Re:Chain of Memories, non-playable cinematic retelling 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Birth by Sleep Final Mix and non-playable cinematic retelling Re:coded. This will “give fans the opportunity to experience all of their favourite moments from the series so far for the very first time on one platform,” Square Enix’s official blurb said. The publisher also reckons it’s the perfect opportunity to discover the series.

HAVING already released on PS3, the 1.5 and 2.5 remixes have gathered favorable reviews, with respective scores of 77 and 81 on Metacritic. But this PS4 remastered compilation launched in Japan earlier this March with a fair share of technical problems, with various press outlets reporting framerate issues and save crashes. Square Enix has already released a patch adressing some of these issues so hopefully it will all be fixed by the time the title hits UK shelves.

THE Kingdom Hearts franchise has always been well received in the west, with the most recent iteration in the series, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, debuting at No.3 in the UK weekly charts back in January. It also managed to enter the monthly charts at No.22 that month, despite only being out for four days when GfK closed its report. Having launched in September 2013 on PS3, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix debuted at No.11 in the UK monthly charts, while the 2.5 Remix entered the monthly charts at No.45 back in December 2014. Kingdom Hearts has sold over 25m copies worldwide since its inception in 2002, so this new compilation will doubtless find its audience.

PLATFORM(S) PS4 PRICE £34.99 RELEASE DATE March 31st

INCOMING TITLE

There’s plenty of games out today, courtesy of Rising Star Games, Sega, Kalypso Media, NIS America, Koei Tecmo and Maximum Games FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

88 Heroes

PS4

Action

Rising Star Games

01215 069 590

Advantage

Motorsport Manager

Simulation

Sega

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

Sudden Strike 4

PS4, PC

Strategy

Kalypso Media

01344 383 550

Open

March 24th

Touhou Genso Wanderer

PS4, Vita

RPG

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

Toukiden 2

PS4, PC, Vita

RPG

Koei Tecmo

01462 476130

Open

Troll and I

PS4, XO, PC

Adventure

Maximum Games

01480 359 403

Maximum Games

Vikings - Wolves of Migard

PS4, XO, PC

Action

Kalypso Media

01344 383 550

Open

March 31st God Wars Future Past

PS4, Vita

Strategy

NIS America

020 8664 3485

Open

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 & 2.5 Remix

PS4

RPG

Square Enix

01256 385 200

Koch Media

Rogue Stormers

PS4, XO, PC

Action

Soedesco

01902 861 527

Pavilion

PS4, PS3

RPG

Deep Silver

01183 345 700

Koch Media

April 4th Persona 5 April 7th ArmaGallant: Decks of Destiny

PS4

Strategy

Maximum Games

01480 359 403

Maximum Games

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition

PS4, XO, PC

FPS

Gearbox Publishing

01480 359 403

Maximum Games

LEGO City Undercover

PS4, XO, NS

Action-adventure

Warner Bros

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits

3DS

RPG

Nintendo

01753 483700

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March 24th 2017

22/03/2017 15:10

GAMES WEEKLY CHARTS

WEEKLY CHARTS TOP 40 UK PHYSICAL RETAIL 011

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

LW 01 03 02 05 07 04 08 10 12 15 11 13 18 06 17 RE 09 14 19 20 26 RE 24 22 23 25 RE 16 29 30 RE 37 33 27 28 32 NEW 31 35 34

Title Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands LEGO Worlds Horizon Zero Dawn Grand Theft Auto V FIFA 17 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Rocket League Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Minecraft: Xbox Edition Forza Horizon 3 For Honor Resident Evil VII: Biohazard Overwatch Nier: Automata Battlefield 1 Forza Motorsport 5 1-2-Switch Sniper Elite 4 WWE 2K17 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Steep Homefront: The Revolution Just Dance 2017 Pokémon Sun Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Halo Wars 2 Rare Replay Hitman: The Complete First Season Minecraft: PlayStation Edition NBA 2K17 Ryse: Son of Rome Mario Sports Superstars Dishonored 2 LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens Mafia III Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege Styx: Shards of Darkness Fallout 4 Pokémon Moon Tom Clancy’s The Division

Format Publisher PS4, XO Ubisoft PS4, XO Warner Bros PS4 Sony PS4, XO, PC Rockstar PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA NS, Wii U Nintendo PS4, XO 505 Games PS4, XO, PC Activision XO, 360 Microsoft XO Microsoft PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PC Capcom PS4, XO, PC Blizzard PS4 Square Enix PS4, XO, PC EA XO Microsoft NS Nintendo PS4, XO, PC Rebellion/Sold Out PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games PS4 Sony PS4, XO Ubisoft PS4, XO, PC Deep Silver PS4, XO, NS, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii Ubisoft 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO Bethesda XO, PC Microsoft XO Microsoft PS4, XO, PC Square Enix PS4, PS3, Vita Sony PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games XO, PC Microsoft 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, PC Bethesda PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360 Warner Bros PS4, XO, PC 2K Games PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft PS4, XO, PC Focus Home Interactive PS4, XO, PC Bethesda 3DS Nintendo PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft

AFTER a few hectic weeks, things seem to have settled down in the UK charts, with only one new title entering the Top 40 last week: Focus’ Styx: Shards of Darkness at No.37. With so few new titles, sales decreased 53 per cent in revenue and 44 per cent in units weekon-week. Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon Wildlands managed to keep the top spot for its second week in the charts, with sales declining 73 per cent. Ubisoft is now the publisher with the highest number of weeks at No.1 in 2017, thanks to the additional two weeks For Honor spent at No.1 at launch. For Honor kept its eleventh place last week as well, despite sales dropping 38 per cent. Meanwhile, Warner Bros’ LEGO Worlds climbed to No.2 for its second week in the charts, with sales only decreasing 34 per cent. As a consequence, Sony’s PS4 exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn had to settle for No.3. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V and EA’s FIFA 17 weren't far behind, either, respectively coming in at No.4 and No.5. THE NINTENDO FRONT Things quietened down on the Switch front as well last week, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild falling from No.4 to No.6 after a decline of 72 per cent. Sales for the title are now equally divided between the Nintendo

Switch (51 per cent) and the Wii U (49 per cent) after two weeks of Switch being the more favoured SKU. 1-2-Switch charted at No.9 with a 50 per cent decline in sales, while Konami’s Super Bomberman R, which debuted at No.7 before landing at No.21 the week before, failed to keep its place in the Top 40 last week. On a more positive note for Nintendo, 3DS exclusive Mario Sports Superstars had a five per cent increase in sales for its second week in the charts, and climbed from No.34 to No.32. SWITCH TO XBOX ONE Last week saw a very good performance from the Xbox One, though, thanks to new bundles including older Microsoft’s exclusives. Forza Motorsport 5 re-entered the charts at No.16 with a 131 rise in sales, while Rare Replay landed at No.27 with sales for the title increasing 208 per cent. Ryse: Son of Rome was even more impressive, as it re-entered the Top 40 at No.31 with a huge 253 per cent growth in sales. Forza Horizon 3 also gained five places to No.10 with sales increasing 15 per cent – possibly related to the new Xbox One bundles. Meanwhile, retailer promotions also boosted Deep Silver’s Homefront: The Revolution, which charted at No.22 thanks to a 249 per cent sales increase.

Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon Wildlands remained at No.1 for a second week.

Source: UKIE/GfK Entertainment, Period: Week ending March 18th March 24th 2017

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22/03/2017 15:10

WEEKLY CHARTS GAMES

Market Data The market is back to where it was before the Switch and Horizon Zero Dawn hit shelves, with sales declining 44 per cent in units and 53 per cent in value week-on-week

£20m

£15m £15m

£17m 438,298 units

16.3m 446,616 units

£30m £10m

£7.7m 260,284 units

£7.7m 248,013 units

Week Ending March 4th

Week Ending February 25th

Week Ending March 18th

Week Ending March 11th

GLOBAL STEAM CHARTS (UNITS)

01 TW 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

LW 01 02 03 RE RE RE RE RE RE

Sponsored by

gaming merchandise uk

MARGIN MAKERS THIS WEEK: CONSOLE ACCESSORIES With new figures on the market now available, plus the recent release of the Switch, Marie Dealessandri takes a look at what’s new in the console accessories universe THE console accessories market has always been pretty healthy in the UK, but last week’s Ukie Consumer Spend Valuation report showed it took a hit in 2016, with sales in the Peripherals and Accessories category down 16.6 per cent year-on-year. However, this drop can traced to a number of factors. Firstly, part of the decline is due to VR now being considered as its own category and not part of accessories anymore. VR was worth £61.3m in 2016, but how much PSVR contributed to this figure is unknown, but before VR was split out, this particular headset would have been included as part of the console accessories category.

TURTLE BEACH ELITE PRO

still worth over £300m in 2016, which is healthy, and there are also plenty of accessories coming in 2017 (including a brand-new range thanks to the launch of the Nintendo Switch) that are going to boost the market this year.

The fact that the console hardware market declined 26.7 per cent year-on-year could also explain why accessories suffered from a fall in 2016. Overall, though, the peripherals and accessories market was

CREATED for eSports players, the Turtle Beach Elite Pro is designed to maximise comfort during long gaming sessions. It features what Turtle Beach calls the ‘ProSpecs Glasses Relief System’, which, as the name states, alleviates ear cushion pressure for gamers who wear glasses. SRP: £169.99 Manufacturer: Turtle Beach Distributor: Exertis Contact: 01282 776776

ZELDA CHAT EARBUDS These stereo earbuds (with in-line chat microphone) can be carried in style thanks to their Zelda-themed case. SRP: $19.99 (£16) Manufacturer: PDP Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

PREMIUM CONSOLE CASE ZELDA PDP’S new Switch range includes this officially licensed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild case, which can store up to 14 game cards and also comes with a cleaning cloth. SRP: $14.99 (£12) Manufacturer: PDP Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

March 24th 2017

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www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 15:11

MERCHANDISE GAMES

CHARGING STAND FOR XBOX ONE - PHOTON BLUE & ZEST ORANGE Controller Gear’s new range of charging stands for Xbox One is now available to pre-order. There are eight different colours available. SRP: £32.99 Manufacturer: Controller Gear Distributor: Lime Distribution Contact: limedistribution@limexb360.co.uk

TURTLE BEACH - STEALTH 520 THIS wireless gaming headset was designed for the PS4. It features Turtle Beach’s ‘Superhuman Hearing’ technology, which allows gamers to hear every enemy footstep and weapon reload from across the arena. SRP: £79.99 Manufacturer: Turtle Beach Distributor: Exertis Contact: 01282 776776

RAZER PANTHERA - ARCADE STICK FOR PS4 THIS is the ultimate PS4 arcade stick, designed with professional players in mind. The joystick and 10 buttons are entirely customisable and the inside of the platform is also easily accessible for even more customisation possibilities. SRP: £199.99 Manufacturer: Razer Distributor: VIP Computers Contact: 01925 286 900

LUCIDSOUND LS20 LUCIDSOUND’S LS20 compact, portable headset was designed for gamers who like to play on the go, making it a particularly good fit for the Nintendo Switch. It’s also compatible with other platforms, of course.

NINTENDO SWITCH STARTER KIT THIS is an essential accessory for anyone wishing to make the most of the Switch’s portability. Venom’s starter kit includes a case, which can also store game cards, a screen protector, a microfiber cleaning cloth and earbuds. SRP: £14.99 Manufacturer: Venom Distributor: Open Contact: 01763 284 181

SRP: £79.99 Manufacturer: LucidSound Distributor: Exertis Contact: 01282 776776

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March 24th 2017

22/03/2017 15:11

FEATURES XBOX GAME PASS

Xbox Game Pass? ‘No comment.’ The new service could be the ‘next big thing’ for console games, so why are publishers so reluctant to discuss it? Seth Barton reports

box Game Pass is the latest in a long line of services that have been branded ‘Netflix for Games’ - for better or worse. But with Microsoft and numerous heavyweight publishers behind it, Xbox Game Pass is the strongest contender yet. So why aren’t publishers keen to talk it up? In doing research for this article, MCV contacted several publishers for comment on the service. Every single one politely declined. Looking further, we couldn’t even find press releases from any of these publishers concerning the service. Not a single on-message enthusiastic soundbite from the likes of Warner Bros, 2K, Sega, Capcom, 505 Games, and Bandai Namco - all of which have titles on the service. We’ve been assured that it’s not some shadowy Microsoft diktat - with the platform holder happy to discuss the service (see right). And while it’s early days, it will be available well before we see Project Scorpio revealed, and many of these publishers have already promised support for that and even added logos to promotional material. So is there a wider unease about the new service and how it will affect games publishing? Once again, it looks like the service has summoned the much overhyped spectre of the ‘disruptive business model’. DISRUPTIVE INFLUENCE Disruptive is one of the more irritating business buzzwords of the past decade. Yes, the ability to download MP3s did change the music industry irrevocably, first with illegal downloads, then with legal downloads and now with streaming. However, the big record labels are still largely there, though their artists are far more March 24th 2017

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Just how many subscriptions services will gamers pay for?

reliant on touring, merchandise and other revenue streams. Xbox Game Pass, with its content reliant upon the same small group of publishers that sell full-priced titles, digitally and physically, isn’t about to violently rock anyone’s boat. If console games publishers don’t get onboard, consumers aren’t going to be pirating games in the void they leave, as happened with music and TV. Digital downloads have certainly changed the industry – just look at the 16.7 per cent drop in physical software sales last year – but Xbox Game Pass is a clearer threat to discounted digital sales than it is to full-priced physical games. After all, how many people will be picking up older titles in the online sales for under £10 if they have a big library of these titles already on tap? It’s not the first attempt at such a service either, says IHS Markit’s head of games research, Piers Harding-Rolls: “There have been many past attempts to provide a collection of games under a monthly subscription model

The console market has matured to the point where it now services a mainstream audience. Joost Van Dreunen, SuperData

stretching back to the late 1990s. Some have been moderately successful - although none have developed into a mass market opportunity as we have seen in the online video or music space.” Nor is it the only one around today, he notes: “Xbox Game Pass offers a different distribution approach to Sony’s expanding PlayStation Now service. Sony’s on-demand approach is laying the framework for the future and significantly allows it to target PC users as well as those gaming on PS4, which brings it more directly in competition with the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative.” “In the short term, Xbox’s approach is a more practical solution for those Xbox One users that do not want to stream the service and want to play natively.” So Xbox Game Pass doesn’t look that radical on the surface. So maybe it’s the closeness of the Game Pass’ download-and-play model to current digital retail, that is so unsettling? PASSING THE BUCK At first glance, then, Xbox Game Pass is simply an alternate way for platform holders and publishers to make money from older titles. Much of what’s announced of the 100 game launch line-up is older, mid-tier games. Yes, there are a couple of homegrown tentpoles, such as Halo 5, but it will be the likes of Mad Max that underpin the service - decent games with mass appeal that many might have passed on as full-priced releases. Content is king, says SuperData’s CEO Joost Van Dreunen: “The success of Game Pass and PlayStation Now depends on the consoles’ ability to negotiate top content from publishers. And, relatedly, it raises the question how Sony and Microsoft will differentiate their content offering to convince players to spend the extra $10$20 a month. All of this is likely to benefit audiences most, and I think that is a positive thing.” For publishers, the additional revenue stream is welcome, adding earnings to titles that have already had their day in the sun, if that. However, they will be keeping a very close eye on the impact it has on their digital sales. www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 15:11

XBOX GAME PASS FEATURES Currently in Alpha, the service will go live this Spring

At the same time as potentially impacting long-tail digital sales, Xbox Game Pass is promoting them. It’s providing discounts on titles on the service, so users can buy games before they rotate out of the collection. Alongside that is the possibility of bringing new players to your ongoing franchise. And in those terms, Xbox Game Pass is a very different beast from Netflix. While consumers may have to wait for the next series of Daredevil, when it does arrive they will get it on Netflix first, included in the price of the subscription. That simply won’t happen with Xbox Game Pass. The pricing model of games makes it essentially impossible to offer a catalogue of new triple-A titles at a price that consumers will happily pay month-by-month. So the latest titles look unlikely to feature on the service. While TV viewers may have different needs and budgets, Netflix has successfully cast a net over many of them, something that looks far harder with gamers. Harding-Rolls agrees that it’s a trickier proposition: “Unfortunately the economics of running a subscription service like this at a $9.99 price point and what type and age of content can be included because of that, means that its impact is likely to be similar to previous efforts in this space. “Having said this, today’s general pressure on retail catalogue sales means that third-party publishers could well be more open to turning over their titles more quickly to www.mcvuk.com

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a service like this - especially if it acts as a marketing channel for discounted catalogue sales - and the inclusion of more recent games would broaden its appeal. How the content portfolio develops and rotates is key to its success.” So, once again, content is king.

MICROSOFT SPEAKS... Publishers may have been shy to give their opinions, but Microsoft was happy to answer some of our questions about the service. We talk to Parimal Deshpande, who is director of marketing for Xbox Game Pass. What has held back subscription gaming services in the past? n When launching a new subscription service, it’s critical to start with the end customer experience in mind. We asked ourselves, ‘What would the top fan favourite features and benefits be?’ and then worked backwards from there. Then it’s about planning and execution to deliver on that customer experience. This means getting it right in terms of download and play vs streaming, catalogue, getting top industry publishers on board... All of these are pieces to the puzzle, and while the idea of subscriptionbased content isn’t new, we wanted to get it right in the world of gaming.

MAJOR BY-PASS SURGERY Xbox Game Pass is definitely looking to developing its offering in the future. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has already gone on the record to talk up the possibility via Major Nelson’s podcast. “I think there’s an opportunity for this to not just be about games that have already shipped. I’d like to see [shipped] games come into Xbox Game Pass [at launch] as a way that they get distributed,” Spencer said. “You’ve seen this in the TV space with Netflix... At first, [it] was really about movies or TV shows that I might have missed. Now some of the best TV out there is actually being created as Netflix Originals.” And it will likely evolve beyond downloads, too, says HardingRolls: “In time, as full streaming of games content becomes more commercially robust, I think it’s inevitable that Microsoft will look to implement its own streamed, on-demand solution.”

Why launch the Pass now? After all, EA has run something similar on Xbox for years. n We’re always committed to offering our fans choice and value when it comes to gaming. Our fans cited the right balance of selection, quality, and value as key factors when considering a game streaming service. Did you have a good idea of which titles you wanted to include or was that mainly down to your partners? n Our goal has been to deliver the best-possible gaming experience and give our fans great games of every fashion, from triple-A to ID, and from hits to hidden gems from Microsoft Studios as well as top industry publishers. We know that what will make a successful service is the quality of the titles – and I think fans will see that when we launch to the wider public later this spring. Are you looking for more publishing partners at present? n We plan to add few titles each month, so there is always something new to play, and we’ll continue to work with our publishing partners to grow the library and add their titles. How often will you rotate titles? n Games are added to the catalogue each month, so there is always something new and exciting to play. When a game rotates out of the Xbox Game Pass catalogue, fans will be notified a few weeks in advance before it is removed from their library.

MAIN-STREAMING Xbox Game Pass could well appeal to mainstream consumers as well as core gamers, says Van Dreunen: “The console market has matured to the point where it now 17

March 24th 2017

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FEATURES XBOX GAME PASS

services a mainstream audience. No longer confined to a narrowly defined demographic, platform holders like Sony and Microsoft are now in the position to expand and explore with new business models, including subscriptions.” With both consoles now available for around £200, it’s still a considerable buy-in for the consumer; unlike Netflix, which now appears on practically every consumer device that you already own, be it phone, tablet, laptop or TV - or can be picked up for £30 via Google’s Chromecast. Still, if Microsoft gives away a trial month with new console hardware, it could quickly become a default choice for Xbox gamers, and it would also allow for the gifting of a console, without any actual games, for the first time. Xbox’s Phil Spencer had a dream scenario in mind: “Best thing for me, parent walks into the store, they buy a console. For a fairly minimal monthly amount, they’re able to get access to a hundred games for everybody in the family. That’s great.” Though that could describe a nightmare for some. That said, Harding-Rolls can see it pushing console sales: “It aims to drive engagement and help sell Xbox One consoles to those that haven’t made the jump from Xbox 360 or a later console adopter that is comparing the offer between Xbox One and PS4.” FREE PASS? Microsoft looks to be the big winner in all this. If the pass can maintain a strong catalogue then it could be a strong reason to buy an Xbox One over a PlayStation 4, especially for a mass-market consumer that prioritises convenience and value for money. When Xbox Game Pass was announced, shares in GAME and GameStop fell. The service isn’t an alternative for heavily preordered, must-have titles, but will impact the lucrative pre-owned segment of those businesses. Xbox Game Pass will be providing a similar library to the bargains that fill shelves at GAME, CEX and others. If gamers can have a constant library of rotating titles without the faff of having to head to the shops to trade-in and buy, then it will eat into what has March 24th 2017

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Titles will be added to Xbox Game Pass’ catalogue each month

become a big earner for bricks and mortar stores. Bad for retail then, but a win for publishers, who currently see no income from pre-owned sales. If they can monetise their back catalogue at the expense of the

pre-owned market, and without overly cannibalising their own digital sales. If they can do it while picking up a few converts to key franchises along the way, then it’s a big deal. It shouldn’t hit big titles too much, as gamers will still be unable to resist the lure of new titles in their favourite franchises. If people acted that way, cinemas would have shut down decades ago, as we all waited patiently for the latest film to make its way to the small screen. A strong library of rotating back catalogue titles might, however, jeopardise the production of exactly the kind of mid-tier titles that currently populate the service. It’s also worth considering just how the new service will impact existing subscription services. Harding-Rolls reckons there’s only space for so many: “There remains a few challenges for Microsoft to overcome with this subscription approach. Xbox One is already home to EA’s subscription service EA Access, as well as Xbox Live Gold, which makes the launch of Xbox Game Pass a more complex purchase decision for end users.” “With the roll-out of more subscription services, it becomes increasingly becomes a question of ‘How many games subscriptions can console companies expect the average gamer to pay for?’ and if a gamer has already reached his or her limit, which services will they

With the roll-out of more services, it becomes a question of ‘How many games subscriptions can console companies expect the average gamer to pay for?’ Piers Harding-Rolls, IHS Markit

drop to make room for Xbox Game Pass?” GAME ON Despite its huge user base, Netflix is aiming to make a profit for the first time in 2017, though even that’s far from certain. While Netflix benefits from astronomical growth and financial backing, neither Microsoft or its partners are in the same boat. These are mature businesses with keen competitors, that need to show profits this quarter, not in some vague future. Xbox Game Pass is certainly no Netflix, then. Despite that, it’s an exciting and highly unpredictable next step in the way the industry sells games to consumers. And it’s that unpredictability that’s likely the cause of tight lips around the industry, compounded by publishers wanting to keep traditional retailers onside. While Sony’s PlayStation Now was here first, its PS3-titles-only launch and streaming approach blunted its appeal to core gamers. Xbox Game Pass, while it has mass-market ambitions, could still appeal to gaming’s core market, and early adopters are key to getting momentum, wherever you plan to end up. Xbox Game Pass could be the start of something huge, one day spanning downloads and streaming, Xbox and PC, new titles and library content. But if it’s not, then it’s certainly another exploration down an inevitable road, and surely that’s worth talking about. www.mcvuk.com

22/03/2017 15:11

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28/02/2017 16:59

FEATURES KOEI TECMO

Journey to the west Following the successful release of Nioh in the western market earlier this year, Marie Dealessandri catches up with Koei Tecmo’s general manager Yasutomo Watanabe to discuss the Japanese publisher’s strategy going forward and how it intends to repeat Nioh’s success

ioh’s success was never set in stone. The title’s chaotic development started back in 2004, but it only hit shelves this February. An even bigger surprise was director Fumihiko Yasuda’s assertion that the concept of the game had “remained the same throughout development.” So how could a game whose life began 13 years ago still be relevant to the 2017 market? Well, it appears that players of today do, indeed, want to play the same games as players back in 2004 (with better graphics, naturally), because Nioh has just surpassed 1m units worldwide - a feat it’s managed to achieve in little more than a month. “Nioh has been particularly challenging, as it’s a brand new IP we’ve been working on for years,” Koei Tecmo’s general manager Yasutomo Watanabe tells MCV. “It utilised all the resources of our company. We received unequivocal support from our western publisher, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Nioh is performing very well so far so we are very happy with it.” Watanabe also tells us that Nioh is Koei Tecmo’s “most successful title in the west.” He adds: “This position essentially validates our strategy to expand our brand and user-base in the long term and proves that our titles can reach the highest spots in the charts. With overall positive player feedback and media reception we are very pleased by this result and hope to repeat it in the near future.”

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Could this mean a revivial of Koei Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden series? After all, it’s arguably the most likely Koei Tecmo title to repeat Nioh’s success in the west, and developer Team Ninja’s creative director Tom Lee did recently say that Nioh was a “gateway into the next chapter for Ninja Gaiden.” Watanabe wouldn’t be drawn, however: “We know a lot of our fans in the world have been waiting for the next Ninja Gaiden and it is

attracting a wide audience. “From a development standpoint, the approach Team Ninja chose yielded very important results, as they essentially included the wider public on development decisions from an early stage with the release of the Alpha demo,” Watanabe explains. “Being so open, [as well as] incorporating feedback from the fans certainly helped increase interest in the game and shape

Koei Tecmo’s Toukiden 2 is releasing in the UK today

players’ expectations.” Localisation was also key to Nioh’s success, he adds: “With the help of our western publisher, SIE, we were able to release the game in an impressive 15 languages; something that opened up Nioh to an entirely new and wider audience. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, Nioh is a title reflects a lot of creativity and a lot of soul, and is a reflection of what made Team Ninja a successful studio in the first

one of the most important projects for us as well,” he says. “At the moment, we are not in a position to announce anything, but we are hoping to share good news with you once we are ready.” AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Whatever the next big thing in the west is for Koei Tecmo, Watanabe says the Japanese developer and publisher learned a lot of lessons from Nioh’s release, particularly in

place. It’s a triumphant return to the studio’s strengths and media and players reacted very positively.” GOING WEST Releasing games in the west hasn’t always been this easy for Koei Tecmo, though. Back in 2015, the publisher was caught up in some controversies regarding the representation of women in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. “We always try to develop and release our games with the utmost consideration of each territory’s culture,” Watanabe prudently answers when asked if Koei Tecmo keeps this issue in mind when it releases a game in the west. “This is the main reason we did not release Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 in the western regions, as we felt it didn’t represent the values of the west and so would not appeal to western players.” So what is Koei Tecmo’s strategy to appeal to western players then? “One of the most important things is to conduct solid market research to identify global and regional trends that can be incorporated in our own development engines,” Watanabe says. “We would also like to pursue partnerships with established brands or IPs to appeal to a wider audience and to grow our brands further.” He continues: “Personally I’m happy to see a lot of Japanese games hit the charts in the west, however there’s no border for entertainment and most people don’t care where a game comes from; they only care if it’s fun.

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22/03/2017 15:12

KOEI TECMO FEATURES

Next year, we plan to release big titles for the western market.

Nioh is Koei Tecmo’s most succesful title in the west

“We are proud to be a Japanese game publisher with unique content and approach and will continue to strive for success in the western regions. Thanks to A.O.T. Wings of Freedom and Nioh, a lot more gamers are now aware of our company and are interested in our releases. Next year and going forward, we plan to release big titles for the western market.” KEY TERRITORY For now, in addition to the continued support to Nioh, Koei Tecmo’s hard at work on more eastern-centred titles that will

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Yasutomo Watanabe, Koei Tecmo

also release in the west, such as Toukiden 2, hitting shelves today, and Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, which is due in May. In the past weeks, Koei Tecmo also released Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey and Berserk and the Band of the Hawk. While these titles aren’t likely to be as successful as Nioh and A.O.T. Wings of Freedom here, Watanabe still expects them to find an audience, even if it’s a niche one. “Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is a long-running Japanese comic and has recently enjoyed success in the west via a new

version of the anime. We have created an interactive experience for our fans and I would expect people who know this IP will find it thoroughly enjoyable. The initial reaction to the game has been very encouraging and it’s one of the best collaboration titles we’ve done to date,” he says. “Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is another long-running series produced by Gust and forms the second part of the Mysterious trilogy. The prequel, Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Book was the first release of the series for the PS4

so we’re glad to see the series has picked up interest on this platform.” With Koei Tecmo’s native market narrowing down, though, looking west seems to be a natural, next step for the publisher: “The Japanese market is very strong so far as mobile games are concerned. However with the console games market there are some issues and currently it’s not the key territory for console game sales,” Watanabe concludes. “Simultaneously, the western and Asian regions have been growing in importance and so our focus is gradually shifting towards them.”

March 24th 2017

22/03/2017 15:12

FEATURES YOOKA-LAYLEE

A rare achievement With just over two weeks to go until launch, Katharine Byrne sits down with Playtonic’s managing director and creative lead Gavin Price to see how Yooka-Laylee’s winning fans on both sides of the nostalgia divide

ostalgia is a valuable currency in the games industry, but there’s one UK studio that knows this better than most. Formed by several ex-Rare employees, many of whom worked there during the firm’s iconic N64 years, Playtonic Games is just over a fortnight away from releasing its debut title, Yooka-Laylee, a 3D platformer whose DNA can be traced all the way back to titles such as Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Indeed, when Playtonic first announced the game on Kickstarter back in 2015, it took less than an hour to reach its initial funding goal of £175,000, and less than a day to hit £1m. Yooka-Laylee ended up raising over £2m. There’s clearly an appetite for titles harking back to the N64’s heyday, then, but for Playtonic’s managing director and creative lead Gavin Price, Yooka-Laylee isn’t just about bringing back the 3D platformer days of yore. “I think first of all we’ve tried to capture the core audience, the people who backed us and the people who fit the profile of what our backers are,” Price tells MCV. “There are those who didn’t back us at the time and took a wait and see approach, but with Playtonic as a whole, we’re trying to be a company which provides games for anyone, anywhere broad appeal, mass market.” “Even if a young gamer can’t complete an objective in the game, they can just sit and hold the controller and run around with the characters and have fun. We introduced the co-op mode to help get younger players in, so I think that’s how we plan to grow the audience and get YookaMarch 24th 2017

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Laylee to reach new players who don’t remember the content we’ve done and have been credited with in the past.”

themselves] to when the family is all there and everyone can pick up a pad and everyone can play as something to do. “With the Kickstarter campaign, we’ve always had a massive single goal of delivering on what that campaign promised, and hopefully we’re doing enough alongside that with a really nice colourful game, approachable characters, to attract a whole new audience as well.”

TWO OF A KIND In addition to its digital release on PS4, Xbox One and PC on April 11th, Playtonic and publisher Team17 are also partnering with Sold Out to bring Yooka-Laylee to retail – a move Price says is the perfect fit for its familyfriendly gameplay. “I think for the kind of gamer we’re attracting and hoping to attract, they’re still very much physical retail buyers,” Price explains. “It’s a family that has to go in to a store and be educated by what they see on the shelves, and they’re not going to be someone who spends two hours surfing the web for hardcore gaming websites and the latest news. They still rely on retail to get an understanding of what’s going on.” Price is also hoping YookaLaylee will catch the eye of more traditional gamers who perhaps don’t have 50-odd hours to spend playing single player games anymore. “Even though we’ve inadvertently made a much bigger game than we realised when we actually started sitting down and playing through it, we’ve always built the game from the ground up with content that can be accessible to someone who isn’t time-rich and who doesn’t have a lot time to spend [playing games],” says Price. “Features such as the co-op and couch multiplayer [are also aimed at] family gamers who are looking for that game where parents can perhaps play it when they’re just around [by

I don’t think a game that’s independently developed means it has to fall into a certain price bracket. Gavin Price, Playtonic

YOO AND ME With a large number of YookaLaylee’s Kickstarter backers hailing from Nintendo consoles, we wondered whether Playtonic has had to work extra hard to attract players from rival platforms? “Looking at our backers and information about them, we can definitely see there’s a huge Nintendo audience there,” says Price. “A Nintendo fan seems to be more open to different types of gameplay experiences and genres as long as it’s fun, so while there wasn’t perhaps 3D platformers, they always had the Marios, and so on. “For PS4, Xbox One and PC owners, we’ll hopefully convince them in the marketing we do that, outside the genres they’re more familiar with, there are game experiences like Yooka-Laylee which [might] look like they’re one type of experience, but when you get hands on, you see some of the challenges in the game are very much attuned to a core gamer’s skill level. “Hopefully they can come in and appreciate that some of the more industry-wide approaches we’ve taken can apply to 3D platformers, too. We’ve de-linearised the experience, we’ve added a bit of a player www.mcvuk.com

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YOOKA-LAYLEE FEATURES

SOCK IT TO ‘EM

Playtonic expects to appeal to both core and casual gamers with Yooka-Laylee

customisation to their approach by equipping the perk system via the [stat-boosting drink] tonics, that kind of thing. So there’s been a definite effort on our part to try and think of features that appeal more outside of the genre to draw those players in.” LAY DOWN THE LAW Of course, after the backlash over the price of Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky, deciding how much Yooka-Laylee should cost at retail inevitably became a bit of a minefield. “The word ‘indie’ is a label now that means one thing and www.mcvuk.com

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yet price-wise, I don’t think that a game that’s independently developed means it has to fall into a certain price bracket,” says Price. “It should all be judged based on the game quality and length itself. I can certainly see why there’s value for games at a variety of different prices and it would be great to see more indie content have physical releases and it be a viable business for them, and the price structures at physical retail be flexible enough to allow that. I’d certainly buy it myself,” he enthuses.

Regardless of its boxed cost, though, Price remains confident that Yooka-Laylee’s appeal will be strong enough to even tempt lapsed gamers back into the fold as well: “We’ve been speaking to some of my friends I’ve known since school, but the one that got me into video games doesn’t play games anymore. As soon as he saw Yooka-Laylee, though, he was like ‘Wow, I’ve got to go and buy a console to play this. I didn’t think games were like this anymore.’ So I guess we’ll hopefully be bringing a few more people back as well.” 23

WITH their bright, colourful looks and wide, googly-eyed expressions, Playtonic’s managing director and creative lead Gavin Price says that both of Yooka-Laylee’s chief protagonists have very strong merchandise potential. “There are socks,” he enthuses. “Another company [Bryt] asked if they could do a [limited edition] Yooka-Laylee design and we said yes. We’ve seen the characters have got strong appeal, and what’s been done so far has mostly been in reaction to what we’ve seen fans consistently ask us for. “We never set out to have this merchandise business and a game business. We’re literally just a bunch of gamefocused developers, and it’s kind of this added bonus that’s occurred in that people have really taken to the franchise and the characters and they want to see things like more T-shirts, soundtracks, socks, badges, plushes, collectible toys, and Amiibo. “Lots of things are constantly being asked for. Funnily enough, it’s the same kind of stuff we’re always online ordering into the office of other people’s franchises as well, so we can see the appeal and that people are asking for these things, so fingers crossed we’ll have more announcements to make in the future.” Indeed, the studio’s already announced that the game’s official soundtrack is coming to vinyl, CD and digital platforms on April 7th courtesy of Laced Records. “We saw a lot of backers ask for vinyl,” explains Price. “Even to non-vinyl users, it’s quite a decent collectible piece where we’ve created a bespoke art inside cover as well. So yes, most of it’s been in response to other people asking for it, and other companies coming to us. “The support from backers has been great, but other companies saying ‘Hey you guys have developed something really cool, do you want to talk about doing this and we’ll handle it,’ it was just very unexpected for us, so it’s been a really nice thing.” March 24th 2017

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30 March to 9 April At venues across the city

The London Games Festival is an 11-day celebration of interactive entertainment across the capital, including exhibitions and showcases of the latest and most exciting new video games. We’ve got informative summits and lectures examining areas like cutting-edge virtual reality plus fun outdoor events including a live music concert and even a closing-day parade. It’s all part of an exciting new project backed by the Mayor of London to make London the games capital of the world. Head to www.games.london for the latest updates and to buy tickets.

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Schedule Highlights EGX Rezzed 30 March to 1 April Tobacco Dock

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Head to www.games.london for the latest updates and to buy tickets.

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21/03/2017 16:23

INSIGHT ACTIONCY

The gap in your market(ing): Grab data early for big wins down the line Don’t miss out on easy data gathering strategies that can get your marketing push off to a flying – and more economical – start, says Actioncy’s Christian-Peter Heimbach

he games industry, of all places, has long been switched on to the benefits of mining user data for development ends – but how is this approach valuable for marketing and publishing? The extent to which devs and publishers utilise (or even glean) the precious user data on offer can vary dramatically. There’s a big difference, for example, between collating a mailing list of users who sign-up for your latest news, and leveraging the data connected to those addresses to create tailored performance media campaigns. Nowhere is this more evident than in the earliest stages of a marketing push, when the pressure of simply finishing a teaser trailer or landing page can relegate all other promotional activities to the “nice-to-have” column. From a data-gathering point of view, however, such early campaign oversights represent a tragic waste of what could have been your most valuable and informative data. Take the aforementioned example of an email sign-up form. Few of us would send a landing page into the wild without such functionality these days, but the process should be resulting in more than a database of addresses. Just by adding a thirdparty tracking pixel to the same page, or by manually uploading the email addresses you gather to Facebook, you can amass a wealth of informative data not only about who signed up, but also how many more people are like those who did. By passing that data back to the big networks – YouTube, Facebook, Google and gaming specialist channels – they are able to match your audience data March 24th 2017

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against their vast amount of data points. This in return allows for targeting so precise that it is unprecedented by traditional demographics and interest definition. Such advice isn’t likely to strike you as earth-shattering, but it’s not uncommon for such simple steps to slip through the net around game reveals. Moreover, this initial data should flow straight into the next step of your campaign: of those users you targeted on YouTube, who watched your video right to the end? Who engaged most by sharing and commenting? And can you further connect with those clearly-interested users via a feedback or pre-order engagement, or drive them to

By setting goals right from the start, and planning data points every step of the way, you can quickly build a very refined picture of your target audience cluster. Christian-Peter Heimbach, Actioncy

another campaign asset to gauge the specifics of their interest? By setting goals right from the start, and planning data points every step of the way, you can quickly build a very refined picture of your target audience cluster. This way, by the time you come to launch, all of the guesswork will be left to your competitors. Not only does this approach yield results, it also minimises spend, as more refined user data allows for more tailored output. Instead of splashing your budget far and wide, you’re allocating it on key areas that will broaden your knowledge of who to approach next. Of course, if money is no object, you can swap this sniper-like approach for a spot of data dynamite fishing – spend broad for a start and use the real engagement data to refine following spends. Either way, the role of data remains. In the regular industry client workshops we run at Actioncy, none of above pushes anyone out of their comfort zone as far as process and understanding is concerned. But even marketing veterans have been quick to admit that their approach to leveraging data can be scattergun at best, and miss out on the essentials: early collaboration and definition of which actions happen at which milestone, and the data purpose they fulfill.

Christian-Peter Heimbach is director of Actioncy, which is developing a marketing planning framework (actioncy. io) to increase the efficiency of marketing campaign planning and deliverables tracking. Previously at Warner Bros and NCSoft, Heimbach also provides consulting for games marketing operations and programmatic media. www.mcvuk.com

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FEATURES SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE

Collective thinking The Square Enix Collective is about to enter its most ambitious year yet, but to meet its goals the team’s had to suspend Kickstarter support. Katharine Byrne catches up with Square Enix’s director of community and indie development Phil Elliott to talk about its upcoming changes

The Collective just announced it will be publishing Deadbeat Heroes

hen publisher Square Enix launched its indie game pitching program, the Square Enix Collective, back in 2014, it did so with the aim of helping small teams get their games to market, whether it was raising awareness through its community of fans, running Kickstarter campaigns or providing support during a title’s release. Now, as the Collective enters its fourth and most ambitious year yet, change is afoot. Its core goal remains the same, but with just four staff and a slate of seven titles to publish this year, Square Enix’s director of community and indie development, and head of the Square Enix Collective, Phil Elliott decided to suspend Kickstarter support entirely last month, prompting a wider debate about whether Kickstarter, and crowdfunding in general was possibly on its way out. March 24th 2017

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For Elliott and his team, though, it was simply a matter of refocusing the Collective’s efforts where they’re needed most. “As we’ve grown our functions, we’re mindful of what we can achieve well as a small team,” Elliott tells MCV. “To that end, trying to support the Collective website feedback campaigns, a full calendar of commercial releases and a number of Kickstarter campaigns too... it’s a lot to manage, so we took the decision to focus, and not risk being spread too thin.” Indeed, Elliott’s belief in the power of crowdfunding couldn’t be stronger, but he’s still very much aware of its faults and pitfalls: “It’s a very strong, pure form of funding that enables developers to get support as well as resource – and in a way that doesn’t compromise revenue or business shares later on. So while it’s a very hard

process, when it works, it can be really rewarding. “But it’s also a relatively volatile space. In the end, all crowdfunding is a risk, and you’ve probably seen some people only realise that through having a bad experience. I’m pretty confident that crowdfunding will continue to be a viable form of development funding, but video games have a tougher time when compared to, for example, board games – because a campaign for a board game can show off a prototype of the finished product. With a video game, that’s very hard to do, and of course, so much is down to the subjective ‘feel’ of a game.” SUPPORT CAST The lack of a prototype certainly hasn’t stopped some highprofile titles from continuing to find success on crowdfunding platforms, such as Obsidian 28

www.mcvuk.com

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SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE FEATURES

Bulkhead’s The Turing Test released last August through the Collective

Entertainment’s Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and Stoic’s Banner Saga 3, but the games the Square Enix Collective deals with present an altogether different kind of challenge: “The projects we’ve supported have almost all been original IP, and have all been with small, likely unknown teams,” says Elliott. “That’s probably the hardest category of campaign to support – but for us, trying to help newcomers achieve their funding targets and go on to be able to release a game has been a big part of our plan to help create sustainable businesses. So what role does the Square Enix Collective play now? “We still help teams to build initial awareness of a project – we do this on the Collective website where we publish one pitch every week,” explains Elliott. “We drive traffic from the Square Enix community, www.mcvuk.com

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and ask gamers to evaluate those pitches – and whether or not they’d support a project in the future. “Beyond that, we’re of course publishing more games. That includes a range of elements, from production funding in some cases, to marketing, PR, community, platform relations, QA and sales. Different games need different levels of support, but we believe we can help make a difference with the scale of the Square Enix business.” Elliott hasn’t ruled out a return to Kickstarter campaigns in the future, however. “At the moment, we’re confident we’ve learned a lot from the range of games we’ve supported in the past few years. We’ve helped around twelve teams raise over $1.2m (£1m) in total, but we’ll continue to monitor how the environment changes, and I’m sure we’ll make some small tweaks in

our approach as and when we start to support campaigns again.”

We can help make a difference with the scale of Square Enix. Phil Elliott, Square Enix

HARD PRESSED Even now, though, the crowdfunding landscape is a very different place to what it was when the Collective was just starting out, with one of the biggest changes coming from how the scene’s been reported on in the press. “Probably the thing that surprised us the most was how little media coverage actually makes to crowdfunding campaigns these days,” says Elliott. “I think it was different a few years ago, when key media reported more regularly on the sector – but now they’re very wary to write too much. “At the start, we assumed that sending out a press release would result in automatic coverage; and that, in turn, would lead to awareness and backing. It didn’t – so very quickly we realised that March 24th 2017

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FEATURES SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCH

Battalion 1944 reached its Kickstarter goal in three days last year and will be published by Square Enix Collective

our best approach was to focus on marketing more directly to the community. This has been a key pillar ever since. I think it’s partly down to some caution about whether a developer is going to deliver on their promise – what tools do journalists have to be able to realistically judge that, especially if a team isn’t working on an established IP, or doesn’t have a track record to speak of? “I also think readers started getting fed up with hearing about games that might never even get released. It’s totally fair enough, and I think it just reflects a wider trend that maybe gamers are a little more circumspect about crowdfunding at the moment than perhaps they were. But it’s entirely reasonable to believe that can improve again in the future.” BRAIN TRUST Elliott is also hoping the team’s ‘Collective Approved’ badge will start gaining more traction as a seal of approval: “We’re still proving what Collective is really there for,” he says. “When a global publisher – a listed corporation – gets involved in areas like indie development March 24th 2017

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and crowdfunding, I don’t think the standard response is to assume the best intentions. I think, historically, publishers haven’t had a good reputation in the eyes of core gamers, and while I think that’s changing (slowly), it means we have to work harder and prove our intentions first. “That just takes time, and we’ve known that would be the case from the start. This year, we’ll be much more consumer-facing, because we’re ramping up the release plans – and as people see the projects we release, and hear more about how we work, and why, then in the future I think that badge can resonate more.” “The first step is doing the best job we can for our developers in 2017. That’s going to keep us very busy, and it’s going to be a hugely exciting time. In the coming months, we’ll also be looking to sign projects for early in 2018, and beyond. “Our broad intention is to publish up to ten games each year, and while I’m keen that we’re always supporting new talent on smaller projects, I’m expecting that we’ll also work on a few bigger games as well in time.”

When a global publisher gets involved in areas like indie development and crowdfunding, I don’t think the standard response is to assume the best intentions. Phil Elliott, Square Enix

THE Square Enix Collective opens submissions for new game pitches on the 20th of every month, with successful applications going online every Monday for fans to vote on. Here’s the head of the Square Enix Collective, Phil Elliott, on what makes a great pitch: “The best pitches are the ones which do the best job of communicating what it’s like to play the game in a really efficient way,” he explains. “From my perspective, I’m looking to understand that game – to imagine what it’s like to play, and then to think about who the audience is for that game, how to reach them, and so on. Combine that with strong visuals, and mix in an angle on design that I’ve not seen before (but that I can really imagine playing through), and I’ll be very happy. “The most common mistake is just not knowing what kind of deals we offer. We try to make sure that kind of information is available, but sometimes it’s a little frustrating to spend time working through a pitch only to discover that the team is looking for something very different.” We also wondered whether, because the Collective is primarily publicising these games to Square Enix fan communities, certain types of games were more likely to succeed than others? “I think it’s a fair expectation, although the Square Enix community is split across a lot of varied franchises now,” says Elliott. “We have, obviously, the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts fans – but also the Tomb Raider, Hitman, Deus Ex, Just Cause, Life Is Strange communities, so we don’t just try to communicate with one side or the other – and we want to support new talent regardless of genre. “That said, I think there are definitely times that we can take great advantage of our wonderful lineage. Games like Tokyo Dark and Children of Zodiarcs were, I’m sure, heavily supported by the JRPG fanbase – and I think that’s a fantastic strength to have.”

www.mcvuk.com

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