MCV923 11th August

MCV 923 THE GAMESCOM ISSUE 11.08.17

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The Gamescom 11/08/17 issue 12

The heart of gaming

We talk to this year’s exhibitors to find out why Gamescom is still the most important show of the year

Features

BGI: Brexit’s silver lining?

20

Ukie’s Dr Jo Twist and TIGA’s Richard Wilson discuss Rick Gibson and Ian Livingstone’s BGI

Switching tactics

24

We talk to Ubisoft’s creative director Davide Soliani about Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Take-Two: Engagement first

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As digital continues to boom, CEO Strauss Zelnick talks engagement vs monetisation

Page 5 The Editor • Page 6 On the Radar • Page 8 Opinions from the industry • Page 38 Margin Makers • Page 40 Sales analysis • Page 42 Big releases • Page 48 End Game – community and events August 11 MCV 923 | 03

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“Hearthstone fans, just like anyone trying to make a business decision in the UK at present, are getting upset because they’re desperate to predict the future.”

TheEditor Change of hearth Soon, myself, the MCV team, and this very issue, will be making the annual trip over to mainland Europe for Gamescom. I will be able to avail myself of the best pork products available anywhere. Katharine will once again disprove the myth that the Germans can’t make a decent white wine, and Marie, who is French, tells me she loves the country as much as Ubisoft, the upcoming Shadow of War and those tiny jaffa cakes from M&S – which is a lot. So it’s an all-round thumbs-up from us.

With last year’s event occurring soon after the referendum, and with next year’s occurring before the official Brexit date of March 2019, this year’s Gamescom falls awkwardly in the middle for commentators.

Still, it’s another noteworthy step towards the economic fallout of Brexit – whatever that may actually end up being for the industry. Here in the UK, Brexit has become something of a daily news staple, as a muddled drip-feed of misinformation leaks near-daily from within government. One day, the plan is to be fully out by 2019; the next day, free movement might last longer; the day after that, trade deals may take years to work through. Both supporters and opposition have little clue about what to expect come 2019.

All of which brings to mind what is quickly becoming my favourite topic: Hearthstone. The next expansion of 135 new cards is fast approaching, and Blizzard is drip-feeding these out one at a time. As each card announcement is made, players can be found on forums arguing if the game has been brilliantly saved or broken forever, based round their own personal preferences – sounds familiar?

Hearthstone fans, just like political analysts and anyone trying to make a business decision in the UK at present, are getting upset because they’re desperate to predict the future, but have insufficient information to do so.

In fact, it’s paltry: we don’t even know the will of the UK government, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that it doesn’t know it either. Trying to also guess the combined position of the EU negotiators, representing the other 27 EU nations, is anyone’s game.

Blizzard, at least, has seen all the new cards in its own expansion. But even then, it’s been shown that it can’t accurately predict how they will fare in the wild, with post-release nerfs to rein in overpowered cards being common. Let’s just hope that the eventual EU deal also allows for some post-release tinkering, as anyone who says they know how the UK will fare ‘in the wild’ is simply spouting an agenda, not a fact.

Seth Barton sbarton@nbmedia.com

TheTeam

Katharine Byrne News Editor

kbyrne@nbmedia.com

Marie Dealessandri Senior Staff Writer

mdealessandri@nbmedia.com

Sam Richwood Designer

srichwood@nbmedia.com

James Marinos Production Executive jmarinos@nbmedia.com

Sophia Jaques Games Sales Manager sjaques@nbmedia.com

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ontheradar

Gamescom 2017 August 22nd-26th, Cologne Are you ready for another week of wall-to-wall meetings, press demos and hot new announcements at this year’s Gamescom? Turn to page 12 for more information about what to see, where to go and why it continues to remain one of the most important gaming events of the year.

Insomnia 61

August 25th-28th, Birmingham

Ukie Gamescom drinks reception August 23rd-24th, Cologne

For the sixth consecutive year, Ukie will be managing the UK industry stand at Gamescom and invites everyone to join it for the Ukie drinks reception in Hall 4.1 on Tuesday August 23rd and Wednesday August 24th. The winner of Ukie’s UK Game of the Show Award will also be presented on the 23rd, with free beer provided.

The UK’s biggest gaming festival is returning to the Birmingham NEC this bank holiday weekend. As well as featuring the latest games and technology, top YouTubers including Syndicate and DanTDM will be in attendance for meet and greet sessions and live sets on the main stage. There will also be a brand-new Head2Head zone for competitive gaming, plus the usual dedicated VR, cosplay, retro and Minecraft zones.

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Mario + Rabbids tag team retail August 29th

Ubisoft’s debut Switch title will be landing on shop shelves later this month, marking Mario’s first foray into the turn-based strategy genre. It will also be the first time Rayman’s Rabbids have appeared on a Nintendo console since 2012’s Rabbids Rumble for the 3DS. Turn to page 24 for our interview with Ubisoft

Uncharted returns

Power Up heads to Manchester August 11th-28th

August 23rd Sony’s mega franchise returns this month in the form of expandalone The Lost Legacy.

Featuring returning heroines Chloe and Nadine, Naughty Dog’s action adventure title should be a highlight for PS4 owners.

See page 42 for more info

TIGA Games Industry Awards deadline August 11th

Today is the last day you can send in your entries for TIGA’s annual Games Industry Awards. It’s free and easy to do, so make sure you visit TIGA’s website and get your nominations in before the end of today. This year, there are 29 categories up for grabs, divided into two groups: the ‘Games Awards’ which are open to the entire industry, and the ‘Business of Games Awards’, which are reserved for TIGA members. The call for entries closes at midnight tonight.

SPONSORED BY

Following a successful run at the London Science Museum, the Power Up exhibition is now heading to Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry. Much like its London counterpart, it will feature over 160 consoles to play from the past 40 years, as well as activity workshops covering everything from composing chiptune music to basic programming.

If you’d like your product, event or upcoming news to appear in On the Radar, email Katharine on kbyrne@ nbmedia.com

PRE ORDER TOP 5 TW

TITLE

Publisher

01 02 03 04 05

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4) South Park: The Fractured But Whole (PS4) Super Mario Odyssey (NS) Destiny 2 (PS4) Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)

Sony Ubisoft Nintendo Activision Rockstar

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guestopinion

Andy Payne - Chair of Advisory Board, British Esports

Brexit threatens UK talent pool

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ames are global and for over ten years Government around ensuring we do not lose access to developers and publishers have been able that talent by introducing hard and harsh rules around to sell their games digitally pretty much who can come and live and work in the UK. everywhere around the globe, bar China, from The mood now seems to have changed at the top level their location of choice. and at last there seems to be an understanding of how The UK has a rich games development history, but has crucial this aspect is to our collective economic and also done much to encourage entrepreneurs and start social future. ups, through Video Games Tax Relief as well as the Seed High value jobs and sustainable growth are essential Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise to UK PLC and the games industry is the fastest growing Investment Scheme (EIS). sector within the Creative Industries, themselves the The UK has also welcomed the brightest talent fastest growing sector of our economy. And yet we are from around the globe and still having discussions about has a great legal system, the rights of EU citizens living which is the envy of the and working here.

Certainty and stability have world, and a financial So many games companies services ecosystem that I know have a diverse taken a back seat for now and rivals the US. workforce. These teams Certainty and stability we are truly headed into the realms need certainty and stability, were words that made the and above all want to know of the unknown.

UK stand out. But it hasn’t they are welcome here, not always been like this. Only just for the short term or a a few years ago, the UK specific contract, but to put was losing talent, most notably to Canada – where tax their roots down here, have families and contribute to our incentives attracted big studio investment – and things wonderful society. did not look so good for the UK games scene.

I hope we can move fast to reassure everyone.

Then along came Brexit. I think it is pretty safe to say Unlike other industries, talented games developers no one really knows what impact Brexit will have on the and publishers only really need access to the internet, UK, let alone our wonderful games industry. Certainty a connected device and an EasyJet account to do and stability have taken a back seat for now and we are their work. truly headed into the realms of the unknown.

The rules have changed now and our global games Talent drives our industry and we must not lose sight industry will thrive where they feel most welcomed and of that. I have been involved in discussions with the UK appreciated. Let’s hope that is the UK.

Andy Payne OBE has over 30 years of industry experience. He is the founder of AppyNation, a Ukie board member, sits on the BAFTA committee, and also works with GamesAid, Special Effect and British Esports Association 08 | MCV 923 August 11

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guestopinion

Leo Zullo - Managing Director, Wired Productions

Supporting mental health awareness

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with severe depression and anxiety attacks. This is just my hree years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting circle, everyday people who are having to deal with mental Luca Dalcò, the founder of LKA, a small indie illness in silence. The biggest personal irony is that, had the developer from Italy. He presented a demo of Italian Government not closed down Volterra 30 years ago, The Town of Light. It blew me away and ticked so I would be going there to visit one of its patients today. many personal and professional boxes: an Italian developer Video games are a good medium to reach people with a great game – a huge Italian heritage tick – based on a suffering. If you really look at the video gaming community, real asylum whose building still exists in Volterra, Tuscany it is filled with troubled kids, not engaging but finding – a huge PR tick – and a game that brings attention to mental health (something I am personally interested in) and solace and escapism in a game or virtual world. We can try to reach out to them. highlights the atrocities of past treatments – tick, tick, tick.

I’ve asked this question a lot recently in my personal life.

Thankfully, Wired had the privilege of publishing it on “Why are we here on this planet if it isn’t to look after our console recently, and it became the catalyst for starting a year-long campaign to raise awareness of mental health. We friends and family and help people around us?”

Let’s all take a moment decided to give away proceeds Video games are a good medium to look around us and see if from our sales of The Town there is someone that needs a of Light, and raise money to reach people suffering. boost, some help, or even just through fundraising activities a chat. Talking does help a large majority of people. It also to support great charities like TakeThis and others in an helps get you the treatment you may require at the right time, attempt to ‘make some noise’. before it is too late. Help is out there… You are not alone.

The first promotion starts on August 16th for three weeks.

Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie, and the government’s 25 per cent of all net receipts from digital sales on all formats Disabilities Champion for the games sector, has also will be put into a fund to be distributed to the charities. supported the campaign, saying: “The games industry has So why pipe up now and start this? It’s funny how fate always been a hugely welcome place that is home to people moves, as without publishing The Town of Light and with all kinds of abilities. One in ten people working in the getting really deeply involved in the subject matter, we probably wouldn’t have gone this far. games sector reportedly experience some kind of mental health issue. To see the industry backing a campaign to But once you start delving, you realise this is a big issue. raise awareness about various forms that this may take is a When you look at your own life and circle, you realise hugely welcome move. Equally, interactive entertainment the extent of the situation. There have been lots of people and games are a fantastic medium to explore difficult issues. around me suffering, usually in silence. Friends have been sectioned, attempted and even committed suicide. I’ve It’s fantastic that Wired Productions is promoting games as a creative vehicle to explore these issues.” borne witness to people having psychotic episodes, dealing

Leo Zullo has been in the video games industry for over 20 years. In 2008, he co-founded Wired Productions and has been independent ever since August 11 MCV 923 | 11

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Welcome to the

h art of gaming Gamescom 2017 is the biggest game show on the planet. Katharine Byrne talks to some of this year’s exhibitors to find out how important the show is to the industry and why it’s the best place to do business in Europe

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very year, Gamescom gets bigger. Not only does its 345,000 public attendees make E3’s 15,000 punters look positively paltry, but this year the show will also be accommodating over 900 exhibitors, marking a 20 per cent increase year-on-year.

That’s over three times the number of exhibitors at E3 2016.

That’s great from a numbers perspective, but with more voices competing for the same amount of attention, it can be increasingly difficult to make your game stand out from the crowd.

However, after speaking to a number of this year’s exhibitors, it’s clear that Gamescom remains as crucial as ever. Whether it’s networking, announcing new titles or placing orders with key partners, Gamescom’s ever-swelling numbers only reflect its growing importance on the world stage.

Here’s what our exhibitors have to say about the show, including their top Gamescom survival tips, and why it continues to be such a critical date on the worldwide gaming calendar.

“While E3 is the big one as far as new announcements go, Gamescom is better for us as a business,” says Stu Taylor, owner and director of PR firm Dead Good Media.

“It’s also more condensed than E3, in the sense that you don’t find yourself having to grab a taxi from one conference to the next.”

Soedesco’s executive manager Hans van Brakel agrees, saying “it’s the only event where we can speak to so many people at once. [Without it] we would need to hire a lot more people to do the same amount of work.”

Soedesco’s new IP Real Farm Sim is one of the publisher’s big titles being showcased this year, with van Brakel saying its 4K graphics are so immersive that “it gives players the real farming experience.”

Similarly, Badland Games UK’s brand manager Andrew Hoyal tells us that “without Gamescom, we wouldn’t have met [director of Nosebleed Interactive] Andreas Firnig, and got to play his awesome game [Vostok Inc]. He signed with us and just recently published his game onto multiple formats.”

Badland Games UK’s country manager, Ben Stevens, adds that “not all our partners travel to E3,” making Gamescom “hugely important [for meeting] almost all of our business partners from across the globe. For me, it’s easily the number one show in the video games industry.”

“Gamescom is easily the number one show in the video games industry.”

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE E3 may generate the most headlines, but it’s Gamescom that offers the biggest commercial opportunities, our exhibitors tell us.

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There’s still room for making big announcements too, says Dingit.tv’s brand and community manager Claire Sharkey: “Gamescom allows Dingit.tv to further share our story and unveil exciting plans while also supporting developers and meeting content creators and fans. It ticks off passion and business, which is a positive and fortunate combo.”

Dingit.tv is the official gold sponsor for the Indie Arena Booth this year, and Sharkey tells us it will feature over 80 indie titles, as well as tournaments and an award for the best indie title on show.

“Teaming up with Indie Arena has been a solid process with a lot of communication and support and has really been integral to us setting up a presence at the event,” she says.

For Steve Powell, managing director of Maximum Games, Gamescom plays a key role in laying down the groundwork in the run up to Christmas: “It’s become a very important show as it allows us to meet with our partners and distributors from EMEA in the build up to Q4 and discuss how we might be able to help launch their products to a global audience.”

This year, Maximum will be showing off its new action IP Extinction, which sees players taking on huge ogres as they fight to save their homeland. Developed by Iron Galaxy, it releases for PS4, Xbox One and PC in Q1 2018.

“It’s challenging to manage both a business and consumer stand,” says Powell. “But we’re on the Ukie stand this year, which has been easy to organise and provides an effective way to have some presence at the show.”

The Ukie stand is becoming increasingly important for UK studios, with CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE telling us that “over £21m worth of business was completed on the stand in just three days” last year, making it “a focal point for trade.”

She continues: “There is no better B2B trade show in Europe. Gamescom is the place to find international partners. [The Ukie stand] attracts leading games publishers, developers, investors and media from around the world and showcases the outstanding creative output of UK companies. 2017 will feature a record 80 companies.”

The Ukie stand isn’t just a great place for UK development talent, however, as it’s also become an important contact point for PR firms, Renaissance PR founder Stefano Petrullo says: “Having a base of operations at the Ukie stand means I can run the business remotely while meeting all the people that count in a single location. It’s better than E3 as you can actually do business and close deals.”

He adds: “Just try to keep shoptalk out of the bars.

Networking is good in and out of the show, but the Irish pub, well… You know, right?”

ORDER UP Forming new business acquaintances is just one part of Gamescom’s appeal, though, as it’s also a great opportunity for publishers and distributors to strike up new sales partnerships for the coming year.

“It’s great for us trade exhibitors,” says Link Distribution’s sales director Fraser Blakemore. “It gives us a great presence, plus a forum for business meetings.

A lot of prep goes in so we maximise our time there.”

Boxed specialist Sold Out tells a similar story, with CEO Garry Williams calling Gamescom a great “selling show” where he can drum up new deals.

“You know you’re coming back with orders,” says Williams. “All our European partners are focused on the seasonal run-in, and this is the point where orders are placed, stock is topped up and forward planning turns into invoice generation, shipping and sales. Gamescom is a fantastic opportunity to get the orders and re-orders in writing. This year, we will be taking floor space outside the trade halls to showcase our new digital and retail releases.”

The same goes for online retailer Green Man Gaming: “We meet our partners at the show every year to update each other on any new games and further opportunities to work together,” CEO and founder Paul Sulyok tells us.

“The show has served GMG very well for years. The setup of separating the business and consumer areas allows us to discuss business in a dedicated area while enjoying the overall funfair of the gaming world within the consumer area. We also make it a point to make new friends and meet new publishers and developers that we can encourage to sell their games on GMG.” GOING PUBLIC Of course, with so many members of the public attending Gamescom, it provides valuable feedback for smaller publishers who don’t often get a chance to showcase their games at other times of the year.

“We usually don’t have the budget to do major events for our games or fly people around to see us,” says PQube’s senior PR executive Peter Fury. “Gamescom is our best opportunity to see our friends from all over Europe and meet new people we would normally not cross paths with.”

THQ Nordic’s global PR manager Florian Emmerich echoes this statement: “It’s the best chance to show our games to the players before they are in stores, as well as a great way to interact with literally hundreds of key press members and influencers.”

THQ Nordic has a jam-packed line-up this year, too, with open world RPG Elex on show, along with underwater shooter Aquanox: Deep Descent, a multiplayer beta of RTS title Spellforce 3, the Switch

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version of RPG Battle Chasers: Nightwar, racing game Wreckfest, plus historical sim The Guild 3 among others.

Likewise, Milestone’s CEO Luisa Bixio says the show’s “perfect” for her studio and comes along at “just the right time” for showing off new titles. “It’s a unique opportunity to feel the status of the market and have prompt feedback about new products.”

The sheer size of the show still presents a few problems for some exhibitors though, with PQube’s Fury saying “you can wander the show for a day and miss entire halls’ worth of goodness.” However, managing partner and owner of merchandise firm Rubber Road, Ben Grant, who will be featuring his new official Destiny 2 range this year, argues the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages: “It’s a logistical challenge each year, especially organising to have your stand there, but it’s well worth it in the end. It’s the best games show on the planet for our business.”

For others, the size of the show simply reflects its growing importance as a worldwide gaming event.

“It helps put Europe on the map,” says Dan Long, head of communications at merchandise firm Insert Coin.

“We’d certainly love to bring an Insert Coin store there one day, too.”

Daedalic’s COO Stephan Harms agrees: “It’s a great event that demonstrates how big and important the gaming industry is for Germany – and globally. It’s really important for us, not only because we are a German developer and publisher, but also as it’s the biggest gaming event in the world. Every year it feels like a class reunion.”

Frontier Developments’ PR and communications Micheal Gapper concurs, calling Gamescom “everything a modern gaming convention should be – a public show at a colossal venue in a beautiful city, great opportunities to see and play new titles for gamers, with a dedicated industry day and separate business halls. It gets all the pieces right, with great access for everyone.”

“Over £21m worth of business was completed on the Ukie stand in just three days last year.”

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Gamescom survival guide “No meetings before 10am, wear trainers and do not go to the consumer area after Tuesday. Actually, do not go, period!”

Stefano Petrullo, Renaissance PR “If you like to huddle for comfort with the British contingent, the Corkonian ‘Irish Pub’ is your venue. Otherwise, all-you-caneat Brazilian restaurant Pantanal Rodizio (Maybachstraße 22, Gegenüber vom Mediapark) keeps the expenses bill low and is ideal for team dining.”

Garry Williams, Sold Out “Make sure you’re safely on a booth when the doors open for the first consumer day. The horde (aka the Serengeti Stampede) don’t care about you or your Corkonian hangover.

Also, Papa Joe’s has creepy mechanical mannequins that bang out pop hits, oompah style (thanks to Bethesda’s Mark Robins, I can never hear ‘Sex Bomb’ the same way again).”

Stu Taylor, Dead Good Media “Don’t plan meetings after 5pm, that’s when the real work starts.”

Hans van Brakel, Soedesco

“Your expo pass gives you free use of local trains and trams. Also make sure you go to the Ukie drinks receptions on the UK stand in Hall 4.1 on Tuesday and Wednesday!”

Dr Jo Twist OBE, Ukie “After your busy Gamescom day, make sure to stop and have a Kölsch and eat some pork knuckles!”

Stephen Harms, Daedalic

“Remember to take a bottle of water, hand sanitizer and your comfiest shoes.”

Dan Long, Insert Coin

“Gaststaette Bei Oma Kleinmann serves the best Schnitzel in Cologne. Try it.”

Ben Grant, Rubber Road

“Have a big breakfast and make sure you set a time to eat lunch and stick to it. Otherwise you’ll not get any and be drained towards the back end of the day.”

Fraser Blakemore, Link Distribution

“Google ‘Mr. Cake’ and book a chair at his bar if you have an hour and about 900 calories to spare. His cupcakes are the nicest thing you’ll eat in Cologne.”

Michael Gapper, Frontier Developments

“Check out Haxen Haus for some traditional Cologne food and drinks to recover after all the walking at the show.”

Paul Sulyok, Green Man Gaming

“It’s a cliché, but go to Früh Brauhaus am Dom – unfriendly waiters who barely speak English, lousy food and Kölsch beer. I love it!”

Florian Emmerich, THQ Nordic

“Queues for triple-A games can take a while, so come by the Indie Arena zone where you can try more games a lot quicker!”

Claire Sharkey, Dingit.tv “Try not to accept the first beer you’re offered – it could make for a long day!”

Steve Powell, Maximum Games

“Make a snack to bring with you. My hastily assembled ham and cheese sandwich I smuggled from the hotel continental breakfast has saved me more than once.”

Peter Fury, PQube “Take a walk across the Hohenzollern Bridge (the one with all the love padlocks) that links the town to the venue. If you’re staying close to the city centre, then it’s also a good way to get to the venue each day.”

Ben Stevens, Badland Games

Pictured left to right, top to bottom: Paul Sulyok, Claire Sharkey, Florian Emmerich, Steve Powell, Peter Fury, Ben Stevens, Dan Long, Stefano Petrullo, Stephen Harms, Fraser Blakemore, Garry Williams, Michael Gapper, Stu Taylor, Hans van Brakel, Jo Twist

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Pictured: Developed by Polyslash and published

by Krabater, We. The Revolution is due to launch on Steam in 2018

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Advertorial

Rough justice Presiding over a courtroom during the French Revolution looks to be a political balancing act of the highest order, with Madame Guillotine awaiting those who fail. MCV talks to Polyslash and Klabater about their cutting-edge indie title, We. The Revolution

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he courtroom has long been a favourite setting for drama. Everyone enjoys seeing justice meted out or a wrong put right with a crucial stay of execution after all. Games have dabbled with the setting too, most notably in the Phoenix Wright series, but We. The Revolution is a far darker take on the subject.

The game hails from Poland, developed by Polyslash and published by Krabater. The setting, though, is Paris during the French Revolution, where the player sits as a judge of the Revolutionary Tribunal. That position comes with the power of life or death, though given the turmoil of the times, truth and justice will not be the only considerations in your deliberations.

The judge must work with the case files of the accused put before the court – and varied they are too, from the lowliest parisians to the the once high-and-mighty.

The game promises not only complex cases, but also complex outcomes, as the player’s decision will have an impact on revolutionary Paris and its story.

Dawid Cislak, the game’s director, says: “One of the most important elements is the plot, which will put the player in morally ambiguous situations – there are no easy answers.

Having power over life and death is both a heavy burden and a force that can turn the tide of the revolution.”

It’s an intriguing idea and the gritty setting and heavilyweighted moral choices are more reminiscent of indie smash hit Papers, Please than Capcom’s courtroom capers.

Like Papers, Please, the title has a standout graphical style, which looks to achieve emotional impact, while taking a small step away from the full brutality of Paris in that era.

The game extends well beyond the courtroom too, as Cislak explains: “Every faction in Paris wants [the power of the court], so the player will have to keep that in mind each time when passing sentence, all the while using their agents to control the city, and weaving political intrigue behind the scenes.

“Thanks to such tools as the intrigue-building system, the player will feel they have tangible influence over their surroundings – the city, the citizens, and, most significantly, their political enemies. We want the player to feel the emotional impact of reaching for power in Paris ablaze with revolutionary fire,” comments Patryk Polewiak, the game’s designer.

Lucas Jozefowicz, head of marketing at Klabater, adds: “The way in which different gameplay mechanics are interwoven creates a title that’s always fresh and gets you invested in its emotionally challenging story.”

And with randomized game events and over 100 unique court cases over which to preside, it looks to have plenty of replayability.

We have yet to see actual gameplay of We. The Revolution, which will launch on Steam in 2018, but it’s an enticing prospect from a team that has developers drawn from Two Worlds’ developer Reality Pump and The Farm 51, creators of Get Even, among others. Indie publisher Klabater, which this year launched Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs, will also be bringing Heliborne to Steam this summer.

“We want the player to feel the emotional impact of reaching for power in Paris ablaze with revolutionary fire.”

For more details head to www.polyslash.com and www.klabater.com

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W

e think it’s fair to say that the UK games industry was largely opposed to Brexit. While the EU wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the alternative is far less palatable – businesses like to make plans and that’s kind of tricky when the currency is volatile. Your staff might want to leave the country and trade tariffs past 2019 are all up in the air.

However, there’s usually a silver lining to any cloud, and Brexit may just help shake up some long held beliefs to the games industry’s advantage – and more specifically to the benefit of the proposed British Games Institute (BGI).

For those who haven’t come across the proposal, the BGI would function for games in a manner roughly analogous to the BFI for film.

It would champion the sector as a cultural heavyweigwht, provide funding for games and help improve skills, both in development and commercialisation. Now, of course, there are already organisations that do those things, but we’ll tackle that a bit later.

Helmed by Ian Livingstone and Rick Gibson, the proposed agency is currently undergoing a consultation process with the industry. As a part of this, both men, along with Ukie’s CEO Dr Jo Twist and TIGA’s boss Richard Wilson appeared together to talk publicly about the idea at Develop:Brighton, where we caught up with them and posed some questions.

Brexit will bring huge upheaval to the UK, but it might just be what the industry needs to muscle its way up the Government’s pecking order – and the BGI looks to be timing its run just right. Seth Barton reports

STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL While the details of Brexit may be uncertain, the government’s plan to invest in UK industry post-Brexit is far more concrete thanks to the Industrial Strategy policy the government unveiled back in January.

This is the first point Gibson addresses when we question him on Brexit: “When we ran the proposal past some people in Government, they said ‘hold fire until the industrial strategy is announced, there might be something in there for you’.”

That turned out to be true, says Twist: “For the first time in that strategy, games were actually name-checked, and creative industries were one of the ten key strategic pillars. Brexit is an opportunity. I think everything now has to be reviewed, and if they want to make sure we’re still a competitive, innovative, creative economy, they need to take us seriously – and they are.”

Gibson agrees: “I think there is an unprecedented opportunity to add new funding for our sector,” he says. “The industrial strategy is trying to trigger growth across the country in existing industries that are already world class. [Minister of State for Digital & Culture] Matt Hancock describes a nexus between creativity and technology and there’s no better poster child for that than our sector.”

Twist is pretty damning about what the games industry, and the UK sector in particular, received from the EU in the past: “We’ve banged on for a long time about how ridiculous the criteria for qualification of Creative Europe funds is, how ridiculous some of the red tape and the old fashioned criteria is around narrative and storytelling. They just don’t get it.

“This is a real opportunity to rip that up and start again potentially, because the film and TV industries benefit greatly from that fund – while we get €2m spread across Europe.”

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Pictured above, from left to right: Jo Twist, Richard Wilson, Rick Gibson and Ian Livingstone

She continues: “I think the Government is very mindful that it needs to reinvest in skills, that it needs to reinvent the immigration system, make it more flexible and agile for 21st century businesses like us, and it needs to invest in the talent pipeline in primary school, let alone secondary school. So it’s an opportunity, but we have to really push for this.”

Gibson agrees that this isn’t a battle that’s already won: “The creative sector includes 12 different stakeholders, and the result of all those discussions is likely to be pretty levelled down, like a blancmange.”

(BR)EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP While Gibson and Twist may agree that Brexit is the industry’s chance to level the playing field somewhat between games and other screen industries such as TV and film, they aren’t yet singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to the approach.

Gibson reckons a new organisation could stand out in the battle for attention: “What we’re trying to do with the BGI is create a very simple, strong, powerful idea for a brand new organisation that can solve multiple different challenges with a pretty discrete amount of money – we’re asking for £8m. That’s an accounting error for most government departments but it would have a massive impact on our sector.”

To make that happen, though, Gibson believes the BGI will need near-universal support: “It’s important that we produce something that has unprecedented support from the games industry.”

Twist is engaging with the debate around the proposal, but is not yet ready to throw Ukie’s full support behind the BGI, saying: “Should we be forcing the hand of cultural institutions to take games seriously or should we be building something separate? For me, that’s still a question that needs to be answered, because I’m still in the middle.”

She highlights a possible alternative – a “networked approach, a virtual organisation” – but then suggests

the industry could also be “pulling together all the efforts and really supporting the wonderful organisations such as the National Videogame Arcade and Foundation, the UK Games Fund” to name just a few pre-existing organisations.

“I’m still not sure, but I believe the timing is right, and timing is everything,” she adds.

TIGA stands more clearly behind the proposed BGI, with Wilson in full support of its games funding proposals: “For a number of years, we’ve supported measures to improve access to finance,” he says. “Games Tax Relief is the obvious example, but we’ve also been pushing for the Games Investment Fund since 2010. So we’re very pleased to see this idea incorporates in the BGI proposal.”

On Brexit, Wilson states: “[As a country] we must look at those sectors where we have a competitive advantage, and in that case it’s very opportune. Bearing in mind the economic, political and constitutional challenges we face, I think now is a good time to be looking at those industries that the UK can really be successful in – and games is one of those.”

He does add a cautionary note, though, regarding the current situation in parliament: “Because we have an unstable government, one that may not last the five years, it’s even more incumbent upon that we speak effectively when we engage with ministers and civil servants to put games on the political agenda.”

Everyone’s in agreement, then, that Brexit could give the industry a huge chance to make up lost ground when it comes to funding, particularly compared to the TV and film industries – ridiculous though that may sound for a sector that’s been culturally and commercially active in the UK for over 35 years. What remains to be seen is whether these efforts will be spearheaded by the BGI or a broader grouping of organisations. Gibson and Livingstone have stated they need industry-wide support to get the BGI off the ground, and Ukie and its 350 members will surely be key to achieving that.

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Switching tactics After its rollercoaster reveal, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle finally hits shelves on August 29th.

Marie Dealessandri talks to Ubisoft Milan’s creative director Davide Soliani about one of the most hotly-anticipated Switch games of the year

L

ast January brought us a piece of information no one expected and, let’s be honest, a lot of people didn’t actually believe. When the rumblings of a Mario and Rabbids crossover spread across the internet like wildfire, the general response ranged from disbelief and excitement to curiosity and, in some case, outright anger.

The usual smattering of crazy rumours and insane controversies ensued and, while a last minute pre-E3 leak rather spoiled the inevitable final surprise, its official unveiling will no doubt go down as one of the greatest moments in E3 history.

Not only did Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot stand side by side on stage – a momentous occasion in anyone’s books – but they also gave us the photo opportunity of a lifetime, brandishing specially-created arm cannons taken directly from the game. However, it was arguably Mario + Rabbids’ creative director, a tearful Davide Soliani, who really stole the show, tugging the heartstrings of millions of viewers who tuned in to watch Ubisoft’s E3 livestream with his overwhelming response to Miyamoto’s kind appraisal of his work.

That initial leak, however, had a huge effect on both him and the team, Soliani tells MCV. “The leak did not impact the reveal, as we were taking our time to make sure the game was good and satisfying,” he says. “For sure, the leak affected the

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morale of the team. After three years of silence and the commitment of the whole team, seeing the leak all over the internet was quite discouraging, but we kept our focus and we worked hard.

“Finally, at E3, with the first real reveal of the game, we had a very good reaction from the audience. It was a big reward for the team. When I returned from E3, I returned to a completely different mood. The team was so proud of the general reaction and their individual contributions. They could not wait to keep working. The positive energy that players can create is something that can really drive teams to do their best.”

Ubisoft Milan’s work on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle looks to be paying off too, as previews for the game so far have all been extremely positive. However, when we ask Soliani about how he’s been handling players’ expectations, the reaction is immediate: “With a lot of stress.”

He continues: “However, I do hope that players will see how much passion we put into Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, and I do hope that, along with the players’ feedback, we will be able to create a bright future together.”

we decided it was about time to propose something directly to Nintendo. For this reason, we started to brainstorm with the intention of offering something new and unique that could surprise both the players and Nintendo.”

And of all the surprising paths Mario + Rabbids could have possibly followed, Ubisoft eventually settled on the turn-based strategy route – a move that would see Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi teaming up with Rayman’s wacky Rabbids to save the Mushroom Kingdom.

“Honestly, we wanted to propose something unique and something that Nintendo was not already doing on their own,” Soliani insists.

Still, Nintendo kept a close eye on how Ubisoft used its flagship characters: “At the beginning, we kept going to their headquarters in Kyoto to present the various prototypes of the game – each time more complete and advanced – until we received the final ‘GO’ from them, in order to really produce the game. At that point, we established daily exchanges of emails and weekly conference calls, with face-to-face meetings every six months or so to further discuss the new versions of the game together.”

WHEN KYOTO MEETS MILAN That bright future Soliani wants to create is based on an equally bright partnership between two legendary publishers. “Nintendo and Ubisoft have a great relationship that started more than 20 years ago, with titles such as ZombiU, Just Dance and Red Steel,” he recalls.

“We always had the intention to create something together with Nintendo, but we never had the opportunity until about three and a half years ago, when

CONTROLLED CHAOS Soliani doesn’t lack ambition for his game, either, which he hopes will contribute to the evolution of the strategy genre as a whole. However, rather than take inspiration from other well-known turn-based strategy games, Soliani tells us he looked to other Nintendo IPs.

Pictured above: Ubisoft Milan’s creative director Davide Soliani

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“Our intention is to demonstrate that turn-based games are incredible fun and not niche at all.”

“We are tactical fans here at the studio, and we discussed the opportunity to renew the genre of the turn-based games, and to move them away from the perception of niche games,” says Soliani.

“We worked hard to make the game look and feel almost like an action game, which is why we used Mario Kart as one of our first reference points. We wanted to translate the dynamism of Mario Kart into our combat system. One of the reasons why the weapons in our game are not just there to damage the enemies is because of that. We have ‘Super Effects’ that truly add an unpredictable layer to an otherwise solid and predictable combat system – a sort of controlled chaos.”

That hasn’t stopped the wider gaming population from drawing other comparisons, however, with many labelling the game as ‘Mario meets Rabbids meet XCOM’. This doesn’t bother Soliani though.

“It’s not an issue at all. I am a big fan of XCOM since the very first installment, which was made by Julian Gollop and his brother,” he enthuses. “I am also a big fan

of Jake Solomon and his new XCOM. I wish them all the best, as I want to keep playing XCOM as a player.

“During E3, I also saw Jake Solomon commenting over a video of Mario + Rabbids and it was awesome to see that he was happy with what he had seen. It was also encouraging for our team. I cannot wait to send him a copy of our game and some collectible figures.”

Indeed, alongside the release of the game on August 29th, there’s a collection of figurines created by Ubicollectables hitting shelves. “They’re 3in and 6in versions of Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Yoshi,” Soliani explains. “I hope everyone loves them as much as I do.” There’s also a collector’s edition of the game that includes Rabbid Mario, as well as a set of collector cards and the game’s soundtrack.

Sadly, though, Soliani can’t tell us what the next step is for Mario + Rabbids, simply stating his team has “all the intention to support the game as much as possible, but, for now, I cannot comment on any official post-release plan.”

Mario + Rabbids represents an incredible opportunity for both Nintendo and Ubisoft, particularly when it comes to building the Switch player base. “We are concentrating on developing a very strong title, which is both accessible and deep,” says Soliani. “Our intention is also to demonstrate to as many players as possible that turn-based games are incredible fun and not niche at all.”

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Thriving in a

Post-Brexit World When the UK departs the EU, the games industry must be ready. Here, TIGA CEO Richard Wilson presents its new report on what must be done to ensure a smooth transition

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V

ideo games as a medium offer creators a fascinating tool to explore politics. From Positech’s Democracy series to Surprise Attack’s Orwell, numerous titles have done a fascinating job of proving that games and politics make compelling bedfellows.

The games industry itself, meanwhile, must court a more careful relationship with governments, parliaments and policy makers. It is through engaging with policy makers that we have secured boons to our industry such as Video Game Tax Relief (VGTR). And when perennial issues like games and violence make it to parliament, we in the industry must reach out to inform Whitehall, giving perspective from our side of the fence.

Which brings us to Brexit. Many of those involved in making and distributing games will have voted differently in the referendum over UK’s departure from the EU, but now is not the time – at least in our professional lives – to focus on the decision itself. It very much looks like Brexit will go ahead, and as such it’s a time to come together and focus on how we can make the best of the move away from the EU. Some in games will be fearful of what Brexit itself will mean, and others will look forward to its completion. Regardless, we must all work together to make an opportunity of the future.

And that opportunity is immense. We all know that the global games industry is on track to become a $100 billion sector by 2018, and the UK has been one of the leading innovators in the sector.

As we leave the EU, a favourable tax environment and enhancements to the existing VGTR available to developers will prove important. Equally, ensuring that developers can access finance and talent is critical. Fortunately, all of those things are entirely possible.

WHAT CAN BE DONE? At TIGA, we believe that it starts with maintaining, and potentially increasing, the Video Games Tax Relief rate from the current 25 per cent to at least 27.5 per cent, and potentially, up to 30 per cent. This will give UK developers in a post-Brexit world the opportunity to excel at the forefront of the global stage.

Where funding and investment is concerned, not only should we work to assure that the start-up-orientated UK Games Fund is maintained, but Government should also introduce a Video Games Investment Fund. This would be structured to provide pound-forpound match funding. If that fund could offer such support up to a maximum of £200,000, we would undoubtedly see a wide variety of studios continue to flourish and grow.

Presently, the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme funding in the UK has worked tremendously for many teams, but the current maximum a company can raise – £150,000 – should be increased to £200,000 in the wake of our departure from the EU. Making games is about more than just money, of course. While financial robustness is essential, so are the skills and experience needed to craft quality games. As such, it is essential that EU workers currently living and working in the United Kingdom stay in our industry and our country.

Beyond those core issues of tax relief, funding and talent, there is much else to be considered as the UK games industry prepares for Brexit. That is particularly the case as the sector and its markets are globe-spanning.

Adjustments to intellectual property law, for example, may be necessary. We may need to extend or convert EU trademark or registered community design, with a view to covering the UK. Furthermore, where fiscal policy is concerned, UK Government must move quickly to strengthen infrastructure across the region, especially where fibre optic broadband and transport are concerned.

This move will, of course, benefit numerous businesses and communities within the UK, and not only those employed in games.

There is also swift action needed to foster skills and talent more broadly, through increased support for apprenticeships, more appropriately qualified graduates from universities, fostering diversity, and initiatives such as the Skills Investment Fund. Additionally, assisting the future workforce with better financial literacy around the likes of tax relief will provide a stable foundation for a booming games industry post-Brexit. Part of that effort could fall under the remit of higher education; a realm which itself must have access to employing the best staff – and students – from around the globe. On that latter point, an effective and efficient visa system is equally essential.

Games themselves also need to be free to cross borders. The EU does not currently impose tariffs on computer games produced outside of the EU and the UK should aim to ensure that this remains the case. If the UK leaves the Single Market and the Customs Union, then we will want to secure a trade deal with the EU that avoids tariffs and other non-tariff barriers to trade to the greatest possible extent.

There also are less obvious areas that merit attention, that some may not immediately associate with the Brexit process. Data protection and its associated laws, of course, are vital to both games companies and their customers. For the UK games industry to maintain its global games industry presence, TIGA believes that UK Government must adopt the General Data Protection Regulation, which will allow UK studios and publishers to continue to do business across the EU after a deal with the Union is finalised.

BREXIT AND BEYOND The list of priorities and actions outlined here may be intimidating.

Brexit is an extremely complex business, as is the EU itself. That fact demands a nuanced and multifaceted response from our industry, as detailed above. The UK games space, however, has proved itself highly capable of guiding and influencing high-level governmental decisions before, as seen with Video Games Tax Relief, and its role in securing a prototype fund.

Here at TIGA, one key element of implementing some of the agenda above would be through the establishment of a new British Games Institute – to increase industry productivity, promote the superb culture of British games, and to manage our longstanding proposal for a Games Investment Fund.

For those keen to learn about the finer details of the above proposals, and an outline of what the British Games Institute can be, TIGA’s new report, Brexit and Beyond: Priorities for the UK Video Games Industry, offers a deep dive into the opportunities, options and challenges.

Those interested in obtaining a copy of the report should contact suzi@tiga.org

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Make a splash in Poland with

Some great games come out of Poland these days, but it’s a huge market in itself and CDP is the most experienced distributor and localiser with which to partner

P

oland’s most famous gaming export is undoubtedly Geralt of Rivia, everyone’s favourite monster hunter in The Witcher series.

But the game is just as popular, if not more so, in its home nation. There, the game is distributed by CDP, which makes sense as the distributor and developer CD Projekt Red used to be one and the same company.

The distribution arm of the firm, which dates back to its foundation in 1994, was separated off back in 2014, when joint CEOs Michal Gembicki and Robert Wesolowski performed a management buyout. The company, then CDP.pl, changed names to just CDP in April this year, with a new strategic focus, as Gembicki explains.

“Our company had three business pillars until April: retail distribution unit, ecommerce unit, and a global indie games publishing unit. Earlier this year, we came to a conclusion that we needed to streamline our business and concentrate efforts on what we are best known for.”

The ecommerce arm of the business was then acquired

by Merlin Group, leaving Gembicki and Wesolowski to focus on the company’s main strengths. “Now we are CDP, a publishing and a distribution company that helps developers publish their games and publishers to distribute their titles in CEE region countries,” says Gembicki.

In that respect, the company is incredibly strong and experienced, with an enviable portfolio of big, medium and indie labels – which this autumn will include localised versions of massive titles, notably both Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WWII from Activision, as well as Dontnod’s highly-anticipated vampire RPG Vampyr, and Elex, the ambitious looking, open world RPG from Piranha Bytes.

CDP also handles the rest of Activision Blizzard’s triple-A catalogue including World of Warcraft, Diablo,

Starcraft, Overwatch and Crash Bandicoot. Also key is Giant Software, with the Farming Simulator series being incredibly popular in the CEE region, and of course, there’s CD Projekt Red in the mix, too. Beyond those “crown jewels,” CDP also works with Focus Entertainment, THQ Nordic, Anuman/Microids, and has recently started a cooperation with Koch Media.

CORE STRENGTH CDP is also a key player in localising titles across the CEE region. While the company’s HQ is located in Warsaw, with Poland being “by far the biggest market that [CDP] works on”, the company also operates through a network of trusted partners in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and beyond.

That’s not to say CDP’s home market isn’t healthy in its own right, however: “The Polish retail games market is relatively big and still it holds strong on the physical-retail side. We are one of the few markets where PC games still sell well in brick and mortar shops, and you can find those games on lots of store shelves,” says Gembicki.

“A Polish localisation is a must for every triple-A title now.

We are a fully developed market and our customers demand being treated equally to those in western Europe or the US.” To that end, CDP localises 90 per cent of all the games that it publishes or distributes. Beyond distribution and localisation, the firm also has its own indie publishing arm, Klabater (see page 18). It can also offer financial, marketing & PR and trade marketing services.

Contact distribution manager Maciej Turski if you want to see your game published in Poland at: maciej.turski@cdp.com.pl

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Advertorial

Pictured left: CDP also organises big events, such as its Diablo launch party, to promote the games it distributes

Pictured right and below: CDP’s offices in Warsaw

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“Engagement first, As Take-Two’s digital business continues to boom, Katharine Byrne speaks to CEO Strauss Zelnick about what GTA’s ongoing success might mean for Red Dead Redemption 2 and how the company has ‘high hopes’ for Switch

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T

ake-Two kicked off its financial year in style last week, reporting yet another “better than expected” first quarter for fiscal 2018 despite a lack of major new releases.

Instead, it was usual suspects Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online that once again led the charge, with the latter delivering its best first quarter yet almost four years after release. Not only was GTA Online the biggest contributor to the publisher’s recurrent consumer spending for a second consecutive quarter, but June and July were also the two biggest months ever for monthly active users, prompting the title to “substantially exceed” Take-Two’s net sales expectations.

For CEO Strauss Zelnick, however, GTA Online’s “gratifying” continued success is merely a by product of keeping players engaged, which he says is far more important to the company than monetisation.

“If you create the highest quality titles and a limited number of them, which has always been our strategy,

So can we expect Red Dead Redemption 2 to have a similarly robust online component?

“Well, what Rockstar Games have said is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will have an online component, and what we said as a company is the intent to create ongoing opportunities for consumers to engage with all of our titles that can yield recurrent consumer spending for us,” Strauss states.

“Remember, our goal is first and foremost to delight consumers and make a great entertainment experience.

And after we do that, we then seek to modify it appropriately. So that reflects the way in which we work and I think the right way to look at Red Dead Redemption 2.”

SWITCHED ON Looking forward to Take-Two’s more immediate releases, Zelnick tells us he has “very high hopes” for the Switch versions of this year’s NBA 2K and WWE entries.

monetisation second” consumers like to stay engaged for much longer periods of time than perhaps we or anyone else expected just a few years ago,” says Zelnick.

“Now, of course, they stay engaged only when you give them great new content. Consumers are engaged with GTA Online because Rockstar keeps creating new content for consumers.

“I do think there’s been a sea-change, though, and I think some of our competitors are seeing that it’s appropriate to focus on a limited number of titles and make sure those titles are the highest quality and create a relationship with your consumer and seek to keep that consumer engaged. From our point of view, that’s the point at which monetisation comes. Engagement first, monetisation second.”

And it definitely seems to be a plan that’s working.

Net revenue is up 34 per cent year-on-year to $418.2m (£321.4m) – $268.2m of which was delivered digitally – and net sales is up 28 per cent to $384.3m (£295.3m) – with digital making up $280.9m.

“We’re believers in the Nintendo Switch platform and we want to be supportive and we do have high hopes. We believe in the platform sales, which have been excellent, even though supply has been a little constrained. But that’s typical of Nintendo’s successful launches.”

He also has big plans for space sim title Kerbal Space Program, which the company recently acquired the IP rights to back in May. The title has already sold 2m units to date, and its Making History expansion is planned to launch for PC later this year. For Zelnick, however, this is just the start.

“The Kerbal acquisition was done via our independent games initiative,” Zelnick explains. “We are quietly building up a presence in the independent games market.

We have several titles in development, about which we’re very excited. We’re excited that Kerbal Space Program continues to delight consumers, and continues to sell, and we do see it as being a powerful new franchise for the company. While we’d like to do more of that, we have to keep ourselves disciplined and opportunistic.”

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With the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy on the horizon, Marie Dealessandri catches up with the best merchandise in Sony’s flagship franchise

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Drake’s Climbing School T-shirt

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Vinyl Soundtrack

Insert Coin released this T-shirt alongside Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End last year, and it is fans’ last chance to grab it before it’s discontinued.

We Buy Your Kids designed this beautiful collection of vinyl in collaboration with Iam8bit. Officially licensed by Sony, it features the soundtrack from the first three entries in the Uncharted franchise, composed by Greg Edmonson. The artwork can also be purchased as posters.

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Uncharted: The Lost Legacy poster This poster will release alongside The Lost Legacy on August 23rd and features the game’s lead characters Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross.

SRP: £8.99 Manufacturer: GB Eye Distributor: GB Eye Contact: uksales@gbeye.com

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Pin Set Collection This Uncharted 4 pin set collection includes the Shoreline logo, a pirate coin and two variations of the fearsome skull symbol.

SRP: £6 Manufacturer: Gaya Entertainment Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

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chartanalysis

N.Sane summer feud

Nintendo and Activision fought for the top spot this July, with Crash Bandicoot and Call of Duty on one side, and Splatoon 2 and the New Nintendo 2DS XL on the other

A

s the summer months roll on, the charts show few signs of change. For its second month on shelves, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has once again taken the top spot in the monthly UK rankings, with sales declining just 21 per cent, proving to everyone that Activision’s remasters weren’t just a flash in the pan.

Unsurprisingly, this allowed Activision Blizzard to retain its top spot in the publishers’ charts in terms of units, with a 19.2 per cent market share.

The firm’s position was also helped by a strong comeback from both Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which landed at No.4 with sales up 52 per cent, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, which finally launched on Xbox One as a standalone boxed

Activision Blizzard was No.1 in terms of unit sales in July, but Nintendo took the top spot in terms of revenue. title. It entered the charts at No.45, with PS4 sales also up 117 per cent as the title launched on Sony’s console at the end of June. Initially bundled with Infinite Warfare in its Legacy Edition, Modern Warfare Remastered releasing at retail surely had a positive impact on sales for Activision’s 2016 FPS hit.

However, Activision was beaten by Nintendo in terms of revenue, thanks to Splatoon 2 landing on the Switch last month. The colourful shooter debuted at No.2, allowing Nintendo to score No.1 in the publishers’ rankings in terms of value with a 21.2 per cent market share. Sales for Splatoon 2 were up 4.6 per cent compared to the original Wii U title, which launched back in May 2015.

Consequently, the Switch’s market share had a notable boost in July, growing from 5.7 per cent in June to 9.7 per cent (in units), and from nine per cent to 16.3 per cent (in value). Both Sony and Microsoft suffered as a result of Nintendo’s Switch games doing so well, with PS4 software sales declining 6.5 per cent in value and revenue from Xbox One sales decreasing 18.4 per cent.

The Switch wasn’t the only console that helped Nintendo to sell games last month, though, as the New Nintendo 2DS XL hit retail on July 28th – one day before GfK closed its report for the month.

Of its three launch titles, Miitopia put in the best performance, debuting at No.35 in the monthly charts and at No.2 in the 3DS rankings. Hey! Pikmin and

UK MONTHLY PHYSICAL CHART JULY

Title

Format

Publisher

01 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy PS4 02 Splatoon 2 NEW NS 03 Grand Theft Auto V PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 04 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare PS4, XO, PC 05 Final Fantasy XII: TZA NEW PS4 06 Overwatch PS4, XO, PC 07 FIFA 17 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 08 Horizon Zero Dawn PS4 09 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe NS 10 Forza Horizon 3 XO

Activision Nintendo Rockstar Activision Square Enix Blizzard EA Sony Nintendo Microsoft

Source: Ukie/GfK, Period: July 2nd to July 29th

Dr. Kawashima’s Devilish Brain Training, however, failed to make last month’s Top 50, with the former only managing to make it to No.8 in the 3DS charts.

Meanwhile, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age debuted at No.5, allowing the publisher to jump nine places in the publisher charts to No.3 in terms of value. Alternative Software’s Rugby League Live 4 also entered the charts at No.39.

Apart from Crash Bandicoot, the rest of June’s new titles didn’t perform well in July. Tekken 7, for instance, dropped 24 places to No.26 with an 86 per cent decline in sales, while Arms only managed to get No.27, with sales decreasing 66 per cent.

Overall, it was a half hearted month at retail, with sales falling month-on-month, but increasing yearon-year. Compared to June, unit sales were down 26.3 per cent, while revenue decreased nearly 28 per cent.

But year-on-year, the market was up 18.5 per cent in value and 16.3 per cent in units, thanks to a more even spread of releases.

Splatoon 2 debuted at No.2 with sales up 4.6 per cent compared to its predecessor

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04/08/2017 14:28

biggamereleases

Release date:

23/08

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Developer: Naughty Dog • Publisher: Sony • Distributor: CentreSoft • Platform(s): PS4 • Price: £29.99

The Lost Legacy brings "that sense of a surprise around every corner."

The publisher says...

The press say...

How well will it do?

Announced at PSX 2016, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a standalone title in Sony's flagship franchise, though it was initially intended to be singleplayer DLC for Uncharted 4.

This spin-off features Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross as the lead characters and is set six to 12 months after Uncharted 4.

It brings "beautiful, big landscapes to traverse and explore [and] that sense of a surprise around every corner," creative director Shaun Escayg said. It also features "the biggest [area] ever" for an Uncharted title, game director Kirt Margena added. The Lost Legacy supports PS4 Pro and full HDR. n

In her preview, IGN's Alanah Pearce said that The Lost Legacy's villain Asav, combined with having two women as lead characters, "make a solid entry point for someone who has never even played an Uncharted game." She added: "As a longtime fan of the franchise, though, I’m both excited and curious to dive into a story that has so many possible points of conflict between our main characters."

TIME's Lisa Eadiciccon said the game "retains the spellbinding, processor-pushing graphics that Naughty Dog's action-adventure series is known for" and she's hopeful The Lost Legacy will be "as energetic, comprehensive and riveting as its predecessor." n

The Lost Legacy is an almost guaranteed success for Sony.

Though it's shorter than Uncharted 4, this is reflected in the game's price, so it shouldn't be a problem for fans or newcomers, as the game still features hours of content. The Lost Legacy is also another good opportunity for Sony to attract new players to the series, much like 2015's Uncharted Collection.

However, it seems unlikely The Lost Legacy will sell as many copies as Uncharted 4 – 2016's fifth best-selling game in the UK – especially when its star Nathan Drake is missing in action, both from the game and on the cover. n

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biggamereleases

Release date:

25/08

F1 2017

Developer: Codemasters • Publisher: Codemasters • Distributor: Koch Media • Platform(s): PS4, XO, PC • Price: £49.99 (PS4, XO), £39.99 (PC)

The F1 2017 cars "are incredibly fast but wider and heavier."

The publisher says...

The press say...

How well will it do?

This year's entry in Codemasters' F1 franchise will see the return of classic F1 cars, an enhanced career mode, new types of events to compete in and new cars to match the changes that happened in the real-life sport this season.

Creative director Lee Mather commented: "We know our fans have loved seeing the classic cars being revealed in the recent weeks, but […]the 2017 cars present their own unique challenge as they are incredibly fast but wider and heavier than before." He continued: "We had to completely rework the physics system to refine the balance between aerodynamics and tyre grip." n

Having played the game at E3 2017, Trusted Reviews' Michael Passingham noted that Codemasters adapting the changes from the real-life F1 cars to the game makes the vehicles "much more challenging to drive and have a tendency to snap into oversteer."

He added: "But playing the game with a wheel and all assists turned off, I had an absolute blast." He noticed improvements in the AI system as well.

Digital Trends' Matt Smith was also impressed by the vehicles' "sense of speed" and praised the new types of events, which "should provide some variety, and make the season mode less of a slog."n

F1 2016 launched to critical acclaim and great sales last year, debuting at No.1 in the UK weekly charts and No.2 in the monthly rankings. However, Week One sales were down 32 per cent on its predecessor.

F1 2017 is optimised for both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, so even if launch sales don't reach initial expectations, the title can expect a boost in sales in November when the Xbox One X actually hits shelves.

The comeback of classic cars in this year's entry, combined with Codemasters' various improvements, is also likely to be a big draw, so we're expecting it to sell better than its 2016 predecessor. n

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biggamereleases

Release date:

29/08

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Developer: Ubisoft Milan • Publisher: Ubisoft • Distributor: Exertis • Platform(s): NS • Price: £44.99

Mario + Rabbids is "secretly the most exciting thing coming to Switch."

The publisher says...

The press say...

How well will it do?

The most unexpected crossover of the year is finally hitting shelves in a couple of weeks, after months of rumours and much talked about leaks. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was developed exclusively for the Switch by Ubisoft Milan, with only one 'instruction' from Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto: "Whatever you do, don't make a jump game or Mario platformer." So Ubisoft did an 'XCOM meets Mario meets Rabbids' game, and it got everyone really hyped at E3.

Xavier Poix, an MD at Ubisoft, said: "It was very important to us to stay true to the characters Nintendo has created, but also to create a new experience for fans of Mario and the Rabbids alike." n

'Bizarre', 'weird', 'oddity'... Critics all agree on one aspect of Mario + Rabbids: it's a strange, often bewildering game. But it also appears to be a really good one, with GamesRadar+'s Matt Elliott writing: "The individual parts of Kingdom Battle shouldn't slot together, but they do. The Switch is healthy enough that weird ideas like this are allowed to flourish. Nintendo has always been about making wild ideas work; what could be wilder than a Ubisoft developed, turn-based Mario title that’s secretly the most exciting thing coming to Switch?" Wired's Matt Kamen added it's "shaping up to be thoroughly engaging, and far deeper than anyone imagined." n

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has all the ingredients for a great success story: characters from beloved IPs, a launch on an exciting, new console, and gameplay that's both welcoming to strategy newcomers and appealing to long-time fans of the genre.

Plus, who can forget that E3 reveal? It might fall flat with more casual players, especially given its incongruous mashup of genres, but with Mario leading the charge on the front cover, Nintendo's trusty mascot should be enough to convince them otherwise. After all, Mario games always sell well, so it's highly likely Kingdom Battle will follow suit. n

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Digital releases The pick of the crop from upcoming digital downloads Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 1 Developer: Telltale Games Publisher: Telltale Games Platforms: PS4, XO, PC Price: £18.99 Release date: Out now OUT NOW

The Enigma, the first episode of Batman: The Telltale Series' second season, landed on PS4, Xbox One and PC earlier this week. Much like the first season, Telltale's game will get five episodes. A mobile version is due later this year, while a Season Pass Disc is due to launch at retail in October.

Thumper

15 08

Developer: Drool Publisher: Drool Platforms: XO Price: £15.99 Release date: August 18th

Sonic Mania

Developer: Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games Publisher: Sega Platforms: PS4, XO, NS, PC Price: £14.99 Release date: August 15th

Sonic is back for new adventures in Sonic Mania, which features both reworked levels of classic titles from the franchise and entirely new designs. Sega's title is also available as a boxed collector's edition, featuring a Sonic statue among other collectibles, but is exclusive to Amazon in the UK.

31 08

18 08

Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Episode 1

After a successful launch on PS4 and Steam last October, and later on Switch, 'rhythm violence' hit Thumper is finally hitting Xbox One later this month. The title is debuting on the Windows Store on the same day, with creator Drool also hinting at Xbox One X compatibility come November.

Life is Strange's highly-awaited prequel is coming at the end of the month, with a first episode entitled Awake. Before the Storm will be shorter than the original game, with only three episodes instead of five. However, there's a Deluxe Edition available to preorder, which features a bonus chapter called Farewell.

Developer: Deck Nine Publisher: Square Enix Platforms: PS4, XO, PC Price: £13.99 Release date: August 31st

Release schedule Title

Format

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Publisher

Telephone

Distributor

August 11th Sudden Strike 4

PS4, PC

RTS

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0121 506 9585

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Paradox 01256 385 200 Maximum Games 01480 359 403

Koch Media Open

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PS4

Shooter

Sony

01216 253 388

CentreSoft

August 18th Agents of Mayhem

PS4, XO

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Deep Silver

01256 385 200

Koch Media

August 22nd The Escapists 2

PS4, XO

Strategy

Sold Out

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August 23rd Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

PS4

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August 25th F1 2017

PS4, XO, PC

Racing

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01256 385 200

Koch Media

46 | MCV 923 August 11

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endgame

This week, BBC Three jumps into live esports, Ustwo goes to BAFTA and Jellymedia hosts a charity livestream

Match of the day BBC Three’s live esports coverage kicked off a couple of weeks ago, with Gfinity’s Elite League Series One now in full swing. The series, which focuses on Street Fighter V, Counter-Strike and Rocket League, will be aired over the next four weeks in collaboration with BBC Sport, with viewers able to tune in for four hours of coverage every weekend.

Over 160 pro gamers are currently battling it out for the £225,000 prize fund, and an overall team will be crowned along with three individual champions at the end of it.

Settling the score UK creative agency Jellymedia hosted a charity livestream for Cancer Research UK at the end of July, fronted by YouTuber Shogun FC. The livestream, which was part of the Score Against Cancer football gaming-inspired cancer awareness event, took place in Jellymedia’s brand new studio space, and raised over £1,100 for Cancer Research UK’s Bobby Moore Foundation. The stream, which was broadcasted on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook, reached a combined audience of around 2m viewers. JellyMedia told MCV it was “very grateful to receive support from Konami UK, Pro Evolution Soccer, Asus Republic of Gamers, Intersport UK and Cancer Research UK” and it would also like to thank streamer Bateson87 for their social support on the night of the stream.

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thedraft industry appointments

true leadership since his first day with us and I’m looking forward to working with him even closer during the exciting times ahead in the burgeoning UK esports industry”.

MCV is delighted to announce the promotion of MARIE DEALESSANDRI to senior staff writer. Editor Seth Barton said: “Marie works very hard on MCV every minute she’s in the office.

As well as writing great articles, she’s a great subeditor and she always knows instinctively how the latest issue is progressing, acting as a kind of human barometer for MCV. It’s a welldeserved promotion for someone who really cares about both the big picture and the small details,.

Congratulations, Marie.”

After joining ESL UK two years ago, ROB BLACK has been promoted to COO. He will now be responsible for developing business processes, the company’s continued efficiency and maintaining its sustainable business model. ESL UK’s managing director James Dean commented: “I’m hugely proud of the UK team and our amazing achievements over the past five years. Rob has demonstrated

Former Network N sales director DEAN SMITH has joined Europe’s leading gaming ad sales house Venatus Media as its new head of international sales, where he’ll be looking after VideoGamer, Mobafire and Xbox Achievements. Venatus CEO and co-founder Rob Gay said: “It’s fantastic that Dean has chosen to lend his vast experience of international markets to Venatus during this very exciting phase.

He has been very successful at some fantastic companies in the past and we look forward to working with him to realise our international sales hopes.”

MATT PURSLOW has been promoted to games editor at PCGamesN, while former Official Xbox Magazine staffer

JAMES NOUCH has joined as commercial editor. Purslow will now oversee the site’s content team, while Nouch will aid Network N’s expansion into contract publishing and producing editorial-led content. Editorial director Joel Gregory commented: “James has an excellent pedigree and a great reputation in the industry, and is the perfect person to lead our commercial editorial effort. Matt has also proven himself in a number of different roles and his increased responsibility is a reflection of his talent and hard work. I’m sure his crack unit of #content #creators will help PCGamesN get bigger still. After all, you can’t spell ‘increased traffic growth’ without (the letters) SEO.”

Following the departure of Julian Benson, Kotaku UK has appointed LAURA KATE DALE as its new news editor. Previously, Dale ran her own site, Let’s Play Video Games. Acting editor Rich Stanton commented: “Laura has a great instinct for news gathering, follows up on reports like Beelzebub’s own bloodhounds, and brings a wide-ranging interest in the games scene to Kotaku UK. Myself and [editor] Keza MacDonald are delighted and excited to have her on board, and can’t wait to work with her.”

Sega Europe has appointed CHRIS BERGSTRESSER (pictured top) as its new COO and president. JOHN CLARK (pictured above, middle) and TIM HEATON (pictured above), who were recently promoted to executive vice president of publishing and executive vice president of studios respectively, will support him in his new role. Bergstresser said he was “delighted to be joining the incredible Sega Europe team” at this “pivotal moment” in the company’s history, while Sega West CEO Tatsuyuki Miyazaki said Clark and Heaton “have been at the forefront of Sega Europe’s continued growth.” He also thanked them “for their hard work over the years” and congratulated them on their promotions.

August 11 MCV 923 | 49

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Uni Sans SemiBold

endgame

Who’s who?

Seth Barton Editor sbarton@nbmedia.com Katharine Byrne News Editor kbyrne@nbmedia.com Marie Dealessandri Senior Staff Writer mdealessandri@nbmedia.com Sam Richwood Designer srichwood@nbmedia.com James Marinos Production Executive jmarinos@nbmedia.com Sophia Jaques Games Sales Manager sjaques@nbmedia.com Charlie Gibbon Account Manager cgibbon@nbmedia.com

Monumental achievement

Caroline Hicks Events Director chicks@nbmedia.com

Monument Valley developer Ustwo Games discussed its awardwinning mobile titles last week as part of the BAFTA Crew Games Programme, hosted by games journalist Ellie Gibson. Senior games programmer Manesh Mistry, senior artist Lauren Cason and game designer Florian Veltman talked extensively about their development process, as well as their approach to level design in creating Monument Valley 2.

Presents

Mark Burton Managing Director mburton@nbmedia.com

NewBay Subscriptions: The Emerson Building 4-8 Emerson Street London - SE1 9DU e: subs@mcv.com www.mcvuk.com

FIVE SECOND FACTS

5 Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy claims the most weeks at No.1 for a PS4 exclusive, as well all other games this year

$100bn

20%

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

34m

9%

NewBay Media Europe Ltd is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

ISSN: 1469-4832 Copyright 2017

SuperData says the global games market will hit $100bn for the first time in 2017

How much physical game sales fell last quarter, according to Kantar Worldpanel

Rocket League reaches a new milestone with 34m players worldwide

Chinese giant Tencent has acquired a nine per cent stake in UK studio Frontier Developments

MCV is published 24 times a year by NewBay Media Europe Ltd, The Emerson Building, 4th Floor, 4-8 Emerson Street, London SE1 9DU

The Emerson Building, 4th Floor 4-8 Emerson Street. London, SE1 9DU All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

The contents of MCV are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems.

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Merge Games Ltd

Tel: +44 01565 651558 www.mergegames.com sales@mergegames.com

Advantage Distribution

Tel: +44 0121 506 9585 www.advantagedistribution.co.uk sales@advantagedistribution.co.uk

Š 2017 Nintendo. Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con are trademarks of Nintendo.

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MCV 923 THE GAMESCOM ISSUE

© 2017 Nintendo. Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con are trademarks of Nintendo.

11.08.17

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