MCV831 April 24th

WE LOOK BACK AT THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR’S AWARDS P11

PLUS SKYLANDERS VS DISNEY VS LEGO VS AMIIBO FABLE GOES FREE-TO-PLAY

IN PICTURES: MCV AWARDS THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES

ISSUE 831 FRIDAY APRIL 24TH 2015

by Christopher Dring

FEWER UK consumers are pre-ordering video games, MCV can reveal.

20 per cent of UK gamers say they are either pre-ordering fewer titles, or have stopped pre-ordering altogether.

This comes from a survey conducted by Ipsos Media’s GameTrack project on behalf of MCV.

Nine per cent of those surveyed said they had cut back on the number of pre-orders over the last 12 months, while 11 per cent said they had not pre-ordered anything despite doing so in the past.

The data also revealed that the UK is the No.1 territory across Europe for pre-orders (23 per cent of gamers say they pre-ordered a title in the last year), but it is also seeing the sharpest decline.

The reasons cited for this drop included consumers preferring to spend money on other non-gaming items and savvy gamers choosing to ‘wait for prices to come down’.

Declines in pre-orders are occurring across Europe, the survey showed. For UK, France, Germany and Spain combined, 12 per cent of gamers (10.3m) have either stopped or reduced the number of titles they have pre-ordered.

The UK is the No.1 European territory for pre-orders – but it is also seeing the sharpest decline.

Pre-order crisis looms as 3.4m UK gamers hold off

THE three biggest games of the year will all come out within weeks of one another.

Last week at the Star Wars Celebration in California, EA announced that Star Wars: Battlefront will launch on November 20th. The game will compete with Halo 5: Guardians (out October 27th) and Call of Duty: Black Ops III (due out in-between those two dates).

All three are tipped to be the must-have titles of 2015, but UK stores have warned that releasing them so close may put off some gamers.

“Absolute madness,” one leading retail buyer told MCV. “These games will be big sellers. But releasing them so close to one another will force consumers to choose, and they may hold-off pre-ordering. I’m excited, but with such a barren release schedule during the rest of the year, they could have spread them apart a little bit.”

Tesco games buyer Jon Ferdenzi added: “It’s certainly going to be a challenge at retail, but I’d rather have too many titles released than nothing at all.”

‘ABSOLUTE MADNESS’: RETAIL BEMOANS SHOOTER PILE-UP

CHEAT SHEET

02April 24th 2015 www.mcvuk.com

by Christopher Dring NINTENDO has admitted that the popularity of its Amiibo range took the platform holder by surprise.

The toys-to-life products are sold out at most UK retailers, with pre-orders of new models being snapped up in minutes.

Some retailers have even raised the price of the models to capitalise on their popularity.

“Right from the outset we hoped that Amiibo would be strong, but even our expectations have been smashed,” said James Honeywell, head of consumer marketing at Nintendo UK. “With a unique line-up of iconic characters

that are loved by so many people, it really has been unprecedented.

“We hope to do a better job of satisfying these needs in the future with more stock, and, while there are always going to be some times when we can’t on certain characters, I suspect that is also part of the appeal.

“What we hadn’t anticipated was the number of collectors wanting to get them all – this has seen demand exceed supply in some areas. Although, if you search around, you can still fi nd some of the more hard-to-fi nd Amiibo sitting on shelves.”

Nintendo now hopes to win over a larger number of younger fans with Amiibo.

by Matthew Jarvis EUROPEAN eSports organisation EGL has announced plans to launch in the Gulf and MENA regions.

The Middle East Gaming League (MEGL) arm of the group will be established in collaboration with local distributor Red Stallion Interactive.

MEGL will cater to all 18 countries in the Middle Eastern market in a number of ways, including Arabic language support. The prospective local audience is estimated to be around 20 million gamers.

The fi rst MEGL tournament is slated for launch at the beginning of July, with multiple online and physical competitions across a number of venues and cities to follow.

“We will work with EGL to make MEGL the undisputed leader in eSports in the region,” said Dr Mohamed Juman, chairman of Red Stallion Interactive. “The initial collaboration has already been very fruitful, with a bright outlook for the Middle East operation.”

Nintendo pledges more stock after Amiibo ‘smashes’ expectations

Middle Eastern eSports league launches

Amiibo have sold out at many UK retailers, says Honeywell

£15m

£10m

Market DataMortal Kombat X and Grand Theft Auto V on PC lift the market up from last week’s slump

Week EndingApr 11th

£8.2m297,186

units

Week EndingApr 4th

£13.7m475,487

units

Week EndingApr 18th

£10.5m338,760

units

UK RETAIL TOP 10

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

MORTAL KOMBAT X WARNER BROS12 Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar

3 Battlefi eld Hardline EA

4 FIFA 15 EA

5 Bloodborne Sony

6 Far Cry 4 Ubisoft

7 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Activision Blizzard

8 Minecraft: Xbox Edition Microsoft

9 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition Sony

10 Dying Light Warner Bros

AMIIBO GREEN YARN YOSHI (WII U) NINTENDO12 Star Wars Battlefront (PS4) EA

3 Amiibo Light Blue Yarn Yoshi (Wii U) Nintendo

4 Amiibo Pink Yarn Yoshi (Wii U) Nintendo

5 Amiibo Dark Pit (Wii U) Nintendo

6 Amiibo Zero Suit Samus (Wii U) Nintendo

7 Amiibo Ganondorf (Wii U) Nintendo

8 Amiibo Palutena (Wii U) Nintendo

9 Project CARS (PS4) Bandai Namco

10 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) Bandai Namco

SPONSORED BY

CHEAT SHEET

03www.mcvuk.com April 24th 2015

INDIE retailer GamesNation wants to open three new stores this year.

GamesNation opened its fi rst outlet in Paignton in 2014, and is now eyeing up locations in Torquay, Exeter and Plymouth.

“We’ve been open a little over a year and it’s surpassed all of my expectations,” store owner Joe Marshall said. “Expanding is

something that we’re looking into this year. If all goes to plan then we should hopefully have a third or even fourth store

open before Christmas.“We’ve also had talks

with a few companies regarding sponsorship for tournaments, We’ve seen a few venues that we like, so there’s a lot of potential if we decide to go down that route.”

Indie GamesNation details South West store expansion plans

Is it really any surprise gamers are becoming more reluctant to pre-order?Over the past 12 months,

there have been several examples of games that just didn’t live up to their expectations; games that launched full of bugs, and online games that couldn’t actually connect online.

We can recall at least four games released in October that had their prices cleaved in half less than a month later.

Day one customers are almost treated as testers these days, used to iron out the bugs – except they have to pay over the odds for the privilege.

Is this really worth that extra piece of DLC or that shiny limited edition case?

Pre-order data has become crucial to the games market. It helps publishers manage stock levels, predict results and ensure they have the online infrastructure to cope with the number of people that want to play their game. In a market devoid of accurate data, pre-order fi gures have become the best way of predicting how well a game will do.

Yet the real concern in the data we’ve obtained from GameTrack is that the top reason gamers are pre-ordering fewer games is because they’re spending their money on other ‘non-gaming’ products.

In other words, gamers are not excited enough to pre-order.

This might sound a little hollow in the wake of reveals for the likes of Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, LEGO Dimensions and Star Wars Battlefront, but

where are those big game announcements we were promised? With Uncharted, Zelda and Quantum Break already pushed out of Christmas, is this year going to be another wash out?

Whenever MCV asks these questions on social media, we receive a barrage of commentators naming unproven indie games such as No Man’s Sky, Rime, Below, The Witness and Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture. I am personally excited by all these games, but they’re hardly going to get gamers queuing around the block upon release.

E3 might hold some of the answers. Xbox is stirring up excitement about its event, while Sony, Nintendo, EA and Ubisoft are preparing their usual June showcases. (Plus, publishing powerhouse Bethesda has a press conference for the fi rst time, too.)

So perhaps we’re worrying too early. But in a week that has seen movies like Avengers, Star Wars, Batman vs Superman and Jurassic World steal the headlines, I can’t help but feel video games is being left behind during what has been a muted fi rst half of [email protected]

THE EDITOR

Day one customers are almost treated as bug testers – except they have to pay for the privilege.

PRE-ORDER? WHY BOTHER?

Battlefi eld Heroes is one of four free-to-play titles being shut down by EA

by Matthew Jarvis

EA has backed the free-to-play business model, despite revealing plans to shut down four of its biggest freemium games.

The titles – Battlefi eld Heroes, Battlefi eld Play4Free, Need For Speed World and FIFA World – will go offline on July 14th.

EA Studios boss Patrick Söderlund told fans that the games were being shut down because ‘how we play games has changed dramatically’ since their launch.

But EA has insisted to MCV that this does not mean the fi rm is

moving away from the sometimes-controversial business model.

“These changes only aff ect those four titles; we still believe in the free-to-play model,” a spokesperson said. “Star Wars: The Old Republic continues to be a dynamic live service with a growing player base, and more new content and updates are planned for this year. In Asia, FIFA Online 3 continues to grow as well.

“We are very committed to these experiences, and also exploring new concepts and ways to bring our games to more players around the world.”

EA ‘still believes’ in free-to-play, despite shutting down four games

WILL ANYONE WIN

THE TOY WAR?Skylanders, Disney Infinity, LEGO Dimensions and Amiibo. The lucrative toys-to-

life genre has never been more competitive and congested. But who will lose out? Christopher Dring speaks to the experts


ANALYSIS TOYS-TO-LIFE SHOWDOWN

GAME’s Simpson, Family Gamer’s Robertson, Nintendo’s Honeywell and Activision’s Taub discuss the four big players in the toys-to-life market

It’s a little known fact that the term ‘toys-to-life’ is actually an Activision trademark.The publisher coined the phrase

to describe its 2011 game and toy hybrid, Skylanders, and it has since been adopted by executives at Disney, Nintendo and Warner Bros.

At that time, Activision hoped Skylanders would go on to lead a new genre, but not even it could have predicted its popularity. The biggest names in entertainment are making toys-to-life games featuring Star Wars, Toy Story, Mario, Batman and Lord of the Rings. In the UK, 20.4m toys-to-life products have been sold, generating £318m.

But this genre is not an excuse to print money. In 2014, toys-to-life revenue declined five per cent – so the genre is facing some challenges. These are also expensive goods – starter packs range from £70 to £100 – so parents are unlikely to purchase more than one toys-to-life product.

And then there’s the shelf space. This Christmas there will be a hundreds of plastic toys vying for retail attention, including LEGO, Skylanders, Disney Infinity, Amiibo, Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Make no mistake, in the battle for toys-to-life supremacy, there will be losers. But who?

THE SKYLANDERS FIGHTS BACKActivision has yet to detail its 2015 Skylanders title, except to confirm there will be one.

Last October, MCV criticised Activision for failing to expand the brand outside of games and suggested the franchise would decline. We stand by that analysis, but just because Skylanders’ best years may be behind it, does not mean it is about to become the understudy in its own genre.

“Skylanders is the No.1 kids’ game franchise in the world and outsells all top action figure toy lines,” says Activision’s senior VP of product management Josh Taub.

“The secret to our success has always been our commitment to bringing new innovation to each game, and we can’t wait to unveil what’s next. The popularity of Skylanders has been unmatched even with new entrants.”

Activision boasts that Skylanders remains No.1 globally, yet in the UK it was Disney Infinity that ended 2014 on top. It will be a tough year for Skylanders, and with no recognisable characters to lean on, it will need to do what Taub said in his quote: offer something unique.

DISNEY’S FORCE IS STRONGVery little is know about the third Disney Infinity game, but if Disney’s 2015 movie slate is anything to go by, it should be huge.

With a new Avengers movie, two Pixar films and the anticipated new Star Wars blockbuster, there is certainly plenty of billion-dollar IP for Disney to capitalise on.

Disney’s biggest challenge will be in regards to its quality. Last year’s Disney Infinity 2.0 received a mixed reaction from critics, and the publisher must ensure the game doesn’t slip critically again.

But with Star Wars rumoured to be heavily involved this year, Disney Infinity has a very good chance of attracting a wider base of players, including an adult audience.

LEGO ENTERS THE FRAYSpeaking of older audiences, LEGO Dimensions was announced last month with a trailer featuring an adult and no children.

“LEGO games and toys have always served both young and adult audiences well,” says family gaming expert Andy Robertson. “Early excitement around LEGO announcements is usually from core gamers, but the long tale in sales comes from families and children. So, I expect we’ll see more child-focused marketing for LEGO Dimensions as it gets closer.

“Content in the game that we know about also courts these two audiences with LEGO Movie, Lord of the Rings and Batman

crossing a broad demographic, but the likes of Back to the Future more likely to excite gaming dads than children.”

GAME’s toys-to-life manager Lorna Simpson adds: “LEGO Dimensions has the potential to appeal to a wider audience than the traditional toys-to-life customer – just look at how many adults buy LEGO kits. With the introduction of Marvel to Disney Infinity in 2014, the toys-to-life market is not only continuing to appeal to children but more and more older gamers, too.”

LEGO Dimensions has the brands, plus a top quality developer in Traveller’s Tales. Yet its biggest

stumbling point is its price. The game’s starter pack will set players back £100, making it the most expensive toys-to-life product.

Robertson adds: “It does look like an expensive investment for families, although with the physical LEGO play aspect, comparative value is still reasonable. The biggest challenge will be persuading those already invested in Skylanders and Disney Infinity to buy another expensive plastic peripheral.”

AMIIBO SURPRISE CONTINUESNintendo sits in a unique position within the toys-to-life genre, as it’s not really a competitor at all. There is no direct game linked to

the Amiibo toys (instead, they work with multiple Wii U and 3DS titles), there’s no portal and Nintendo has tried to position its consoles as the ‘home for toys-to-life’ – Skylanders, Disney Infinity and LEGO Dimensions are all on Wii U.

Nevertheless, Amiibo has been a real success story for Nintendo since they arrived at the end of 2014. Toys are sold out nationwide, and there are even Twitter accounts set-up to help Amiibo hunters.

“We hope to be able to do a better job of satisfying these needs with more stock becoming available,” says Nintendo UK head of consumer marketing James Honeywell. “What we hadn’t anticipated was the level of collectors wanting them, and this has seen demand exceed supply.”

The collectible nature of Amiibo has attracted older players, too.

“The core audience for Amiibo at the moment is our older fans who have the love and disposable income, but increasingly we are seeing younger fans buying into the unique gaming experiences on offer,” says Honeywell.

Nintendo’s challenge is almost the opposite to the other three toys-to-life giants: it wants to take Amiibo to a younger demographic.

Key to this could be the creation of more toys-to-life video games. Perhaps Nintendo could even work with Activision, Warner and Disney and get Amiibo toys in their games.

Indeed, far from fearing the level of competition in the market, Nintendo seems to relish the opportunities it creates.

“Competition always helps grow desire for new products categories and I’m sure that having amazing new products from LEGO and existing offerings will do so again,” says Honeywell. “I’m sure it will give our retail partners some headaches in trying to find enough space on shelf but they are very experienced in this sort of thing, so it should be a bumper Christmas.”

Honeywell is right, this should be a big Q4 for toys-to-life. But exactly how big the genre is going to be will depend on where retailers place their bets and how big the publishers are prepared to go in pushing the products.

The toys-to-life market is not only continuing to appeal to children, but to more older gamers, too.

Lorna Simpson, GAME

www.mcvuk.com April 24th 2015

TOYS-TO-LIFE SHOWDOWN ANALYSIS

05

DATA ANALYSIS

April 24th 2015 www.mcvuk.com06

Source

Games and Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track

Warner Bros’ Mortal Kombat dethrones Battlefi eld Hardline after four weeks at No.1

MORTAL Kombat X shot straight to No.1 in the Top 40 All Formats last week.

The latest entry in WARNER BROS’ fi ghting series had the second biggest launch of the year to date, behind Battlefi eld Hardline. 61 per cent of sales of the bloody brawler were for PlayStation 4, while 38 per cent were on Xbox One.

EA’s shooter was deposed from the top spot after four weeks – the longest that any release this year so far has lasted – as sales fell 34 per cent.

In second place was Grand Theft Auto V. Its sales shot up 94 per cent week-on-week thanks to the launch of its long-awaited PC SKU.

Had digital sales of ROCKSTAR’s crime title been taken into account, it would have overtaken Mortal Kombat X.

Grand Theft Auto V was also top of the Steam global charts. Mortal Kombat X charted third. FRONTIER’s Elite: Dangerous came fourth.

Meanwhile in the Xbox Live Arcade Top Ten, COFFEE STAIN STUDIOS’ comedy physics-based title Goat Simulator launches as part of MICROSOFT’s ID@Xbox scheme. It goes straight to second place.

And back in the All Formats Top 40, Minecraft: PlayStation Edition returns to the Top Ten after a three week absence.

TW LW Title Format Publisher 02 03 Grand Theft Auto V PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Rockstar03 01 Battlefi eld Hardline PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA04 02 FIFA 15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC EA05 06 Bloodborne PS4 Sony06 04 Far Cry 4 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft07 05 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard08 10 Minecraft: Xbox Edition XO, 360 Microsoft09 14 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition PS4, PS3, Vita Sony10 11 Dying Light PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros11 08 Borderlands: The Handsome Collection PS4, XO 2K Games12 12 WWE 2K15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 2K Games13 07 Forza Horizon 2 XO, 360 Microsoft14 09 Halo: The Master Chief Collection XO Microsoft15 16 Disney Infi nity 2.0 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii Disney16 17 Terraria PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge17 15 Dark Souls : Scholar of the First Sin PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco18 21 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros19 18 Ride PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC PQube20 22 The Crew PS4, XO, 360, PC Ubisoft21 24 Evolve PS4, XO, PC 2K Games 22 20 LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros23 34 The Last of Us Remastered PS4 Sony24 27 Skylanders Trap Team PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii, 3DS Activision Blizzard25 25 Assassin’s Creed Unity PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft26 19 The Order 1886 PS4 Sony27 23 Dragon Age: Inquisition PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA28 32 The Sims 4 PC EA29 28 Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA30 13 Destiny PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard31 31 Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Konami32 30 The Sims 4: Get to Work PC EA33 RE Final Fantasy Type-0 HD PS4, XO Square Enix34 35 Super Smash Bros Wii U, 3DS Nintendo35 33 Watch Dogs PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft36 26 Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Warner Bros37 40 Resident Evil: Revelations 2 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Capcom38 29 Mario Party 10 Wii U Nintendo39 38 The LEGO Movie Videogame PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros40 37 The Evil Within PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda

TOP 40 UK RETAIL01 MORTAL KOMBAT X WARNER BROS

FORMATS: PS4/XO/PC DEVELOPER: NETHERREALM STUDIOS

Week ending April 18thWeek ending April 18th

DATA & RESEARCH

TW LW TITLE PUBLISHER 02 N03 Counter-Strike: Global Off ensive Valve 03 NEW Mortal Kombat X Warner Bros 04 02 Elite: Dangerous Frontier Developments05 04 Cities: Skylines Paradox Interactive 06 RE Far Cry 4 Ubisoft 07 05 Pillars of Eternity Paradox Interactive 08 09 The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited Bethesda 09 07 H1Z1 Daybreak Game Company

01 GRAND THEFT AUTO VPUBLISHER: ROCKSTAR DEVELOPER: ROCKSTAR NORTH

TOP 09 STEAM (GLOBAL)

PRESENTS5 SECOND FACTS

PDP design & manufacture the Afterglow Communicator PlayStation

[email protected]

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

10%This year, Gamescom will be adding an extra ten per cent to its exhibition space.

This constitutes 16,000 square metres

155,000According to research fi rm SuperData, Sony’s

Bloodborne has sold 155,000 units digitally

worldwide

155mUS game trade body the ESA claims that

155m people play games in America

100Feminist Frequency creator

and game critic Anita Sarkeesian was included in this year’s Time 100 list of

infl uential people


DATA ANALYSISSource

TW LW Title Format Publisher 02 NEW Mortal Kombat X XO Warner Bros 03 NEW Grand Theft Auto V PC Rockstar04 01 Bloodborne PS4 Sony05 04 Grand Theft Auto V PS4 Microsoft06 02 Battlefi eld Hardline PS4 EA07 07 Grand Theft Auto V XO Rockstar08 03 Battlefi eld Hardline XO EA09 10 Minecraft: Xbox Edition 360 Microsoft10 05 Halo: The Master Chief Collection XO Microsoft11 12 FIFA 15 PS4 EA12 06 Forza Horizon 2 XO Microsoft 13 11 Far Cry 4 PS4 Ubisoft14 08 FIFA 15 360 EA15 09 FIFA 15 XO EA16 13 Borderlands: The Handsome Collection PS4 2K Games17 14 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare XO Activision Blizzard18 17 Dying Light PS4 Warner Bros19 23 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition PS3 Sony20 30 The Last of Us Remastered PS4 Sony

TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL FORMAT

01 MORTAL KOMBAT X WARNER BROS

FORMAT: PS4 DEVELOPER: NETHERREALM STUDIOS

TW TITLE PUBLISHER 02 Theory Test UK 2014 Focus Multimedia 03 The Sims 3 EA 04 Monopoly EA 05 Flightradar24 Flightradar 06 Tomb Raider Square Enix 07 The Chase Barnstorm 08 AllCast Premium ClockworkMod 09 Hazard Perception Focus Multimedia 10 Football Manager Handheld Sega

TOP 10 GLOBAL GOOGLE PLAY

TW TITLE DEVELOPER 02 The Chase Barnstorm Games 03 Tipping Point Barnstorm Games 04 Football Manager Classic 2015 Sega 05 Terraria 505 Games 06 Heads Up! Warner Bros 07 Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 Scott Cawthon 08 Five Nights at Freddy’s Scott Cawthone 09 Football Manager Handheld 2015 Sega 10 Geometry Dash RobTop Games

TOP 10 IPAD PAID

01

01

01

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITIONDEVELOPER: MOJANG

MINECRAFT — POCKET EDITION DEVELOPER: MOJANG

MINECRAFT – POCKET EDITIONDEVELOPER: MOJANG

TW TITLE DEVELOPER 02 Heads Up! Warner Bros 03 The Chase Barnstorm Games 04 Monopoly EA 05 Football Manager Handheld 2015 Sega 06 Last Voyage Semidome 07 Angry Birds Rovio 08 Geometry Dash RobTop 09 Tipping Point Barnstorm Games 10 Iron Ball Ride Croco Studio

TOP 10 IPHONE PAID

Week ending: April 12th

Week ending: April 12th

Correct as of April 20thWeek ending April 18th

TW LW TITLE PUBLISHER 02 05 Goat Simulator Coff ee Stain Studios03 06 SFG Soccer Stir Fry Games04 08 Avatar Warfare DigitalDNA05 07 CastleMiner Z DigitalDNA06 03 ApocZ Sick Kreations07 09 Monopoly Plus EA08 10 Survival Games Season One 2.0 Studios09 RE Terraria 505 Games 10 RE Murder Miners JForce Games

TOP 10 XBOX LIVE (UK)01 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION

MICROSOFT


MARKET MOVES

UBISOFT | The publisher has transformed its UK PR team.

PR vet STEFAN MCGARRY (top) has joined Ubisoft as senior PR manager after a 12-year stint leading Sega’s PR efforts. He is looking after upcoming Tom Clancy games: Rainbow Six: Seige and The Division.

Also joining as a senior PR manager is TOM

GOLDBERGER (second from top), who joins from Premier

PR’s games team. Before that he worked on EA’s shooter titles. Goldberger will be handling the Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance and Trials franchises.

This follows the departure of senior PR manager STEFANO PETRULLO (second from bottom, left) from the Assassin’s Creed publisher.

Meanwhile, OLLIE COE (bottom left) has moved from Ubisoft’s PR team to its brand management team, taking on the role of junior brand manager.

EGL | Industry veteran ANDY PAYNE has joined the Board of eSports firm the

European Gaming League (EGL)

This is on top of his duties as MD and chairman of publisher Mastertronic and chair of trade body UKIE. “I am honoured and flattered to be asked to join EGL,” Payne said. “eSports is an exciting and emerging sector which promises rapid growth and plenty of fabulous opportunities. The EGL team is super talented, highly experienced and passionate.”

ARS TECHNICA UK | The soon-to-be-launched UK arm of Conde Nast’s tech site

Ars Technica has hired GameSpot UK senior staff writer MARK WALTON as its gaming and hardware editor.

Walton spent five of his six years at parent company CBS Interactive working on the firm’s GameSpot brand.

TITAN BOOKS | ELLA BOWMAN has left the book publisher.

Bowman joined as Titan Books’ publicist in 2013. She has now moved to publisher Headline to be its publicity manager.

“I will remember my time at Titan fondly, and am sure it will continue to go from strength-to-strength,” Bowman told MCV. “My departure to Headline gives me the chance to work at one of the country’s leading publishers.”

UBISOFT UNVEILS NEW-LOOK PR TEAMPayne joins EGL Board Walton leaves GameSpot Bowman departs Titan Books

APPOINTMENTS

KOCH MEDIA | Sega’s products in the Benelux region will be distributed by Koch Media going forward.

“We are naturally delighted to have added the Benelux region to our existing multi-territory European deal with Sega. We look forward to representing them in the region,” said Craig McNicol, Koch’s Northern European MD.

IMPELLER STUDIOS | Former X-Wing and Crysis devs David Wessman, Jack Mamais and Coray Seifert have formed a new studio called Impeller.

The trio – along with 12 other members of staff – are planning on releasing a title that involves virtual reality. This game will be announced next month.

NCSOFT | The MMO publisher has invested $5m in

Vancouver-based mobile start-up This Game Studio.

This Game Studio’s core team is comprised of former Kabam employees.

DENA | Japanese publisher and Nintendo’s mobile partner DeNA has made a number of layoffs from its North American offices.

In a statement, the firm said: “DeNA is continually evaluating its development operations to ensure that it’s structured in the best possible way to deliver high-quality mobile games.

“As part of this process, we have decided to reshape the structure of our North American studio operations along with a reduction in workforce. We appreciate their contributions to DeNA and are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them.”

AROUND THE INDUSTRY


EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

Production Executive: Elizabeth [email protected]

Head of Operations: Stuart Moody [email protected]

Circulation: Lianne [email protected]

Finance Manager: Michael Canham [email protected]

Head of Design and Production:Kelly [email protected]

US CorrespondentErik [email protected]

THE RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

MCV has an exclusive media partnership with Famitsu – Japan’s leading video

games analyst and news source

ISSN: 1469-4832

Copyright 2015

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

Charlotte Knight GAME

Steve Moore Simply Games

Jon Hayes Tesco

Sarah Jasper The Hut

Phil Moore Grainger Games

Igor Cipolletta ShopTo

Dermot Stapleton Get Games

Niall Lawlor GameStop

Phil Browes HMV

Craig Watson Dixons Retail

David Firth Shop Direct

Don McCabe CHIPS

Gurdeep Hunjan Sainsbury’s

Simon Urquhart Microsoft

Robert Lindsay Games Centre

Stephen Staley Gameseek

Robert Hennessy John Lewis

Paul Sulyok Green Man Gaming

James Cooke Argos

Christopher Dring [email protected]

Alex Calvin Staff [email protected]

brandhere

PROMOTE YOUR JOB EVERY WEEK THROUGH MCV PRINT AND ONLINE

CONTACT CONOR TALON FOR MORE INFORMATION

01992 535 647 OR EMAIL [email protected]

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Last week, more than 500 industry figures gathered at the MCV Awards to hail 16 different winners – including a jubilant Warner Bros

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER


THE WINNERS MCV AWARDS 2015

For any of you out there who said we couldn’t make a good Middle-Earth game, we’ve done it. This is for Monolith who made a great game and our retail partners who backed it.

Jonathan Edwards, Warner Bros Games UK

Big thanks to Premier PR who supported us. We produced some amazing campaigns thanks to them. It’s been an amazing year, and hopefully next year will be even better.

PR TEAMWB GAMES UK

Thank you very much. It’s been a long time coming – thank you all our partners – retail and distribution teams. But most of all, thanks to the staff.

Spencer Crossley, Warner Bros Games UK

SALES TRIUMPHMIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR

(WB GAMES UK)

GAMES PUBLISHERWB GAMES UK

Mark Ward, Warner Bros Games UK

It was an honour for us to receive this award last year and so to be back again is incredible. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this.

PERIPHERALS & ACCESSORIES BRANDTURTLE BEACH

Keith Hennessey, Turtle Beach

An absolutely massive thank you to everybody. This means a lot to the guys back in the stores and in the office back in Basingstoke. Thank you very much.

GAMES RETAILERGAME DIGITAL

David Howard, GAME


MCV AWARDS 2015 THE WINNERS

This goes to everyone on the UK team and everyone from our agency. We have a great team and this is such a great industry. Everyone on the nominee list deserved to win tonight. Thank you.

MARKETING TEAMPLAYSTATION UK

I’d like to thank our UK team for driving our digital campaigns and our internal team in North America who buy on our behalf. And a special thanks to the studios for an amazing line-up.

Matthew Birkby, EA

DIGITAL MARKETING TEAMELECTRONIC ARTS

Richard Keen, PlayStation UK

Thank you very much. Thanks to all the panel who voted. Graciously I’d like to accept this on behalf of Bungie. We have plenty more to come so thanks very much.

Keith Cox, Activision

NEW GAMES BRANDDESTINY (BUNGIE/ACTIVISION)

I’ve had the privilege of collecting this award several times in the past. But this year it means so much to me personally and to the company - just as much as it did the first time around.

DISTRIBUTION TEAMCENTRESOFT

Margaret Pearson, CentreSoft

What makes our community so great is the raw passion, both in-store and at a management level. They are amazing people to work with and I want to stay with them for the rest of my career.

COMMUNITY TEAMGAME

Mark Hanson, GAME



Thank you, this is such a massive surprise. Thanks so much for this award and to all who voted for us. I always knew I had the best team, but I guess this makes it official.

Rosemary Buahin, PlayStation UK

I’d just like to say thanks. This is for all the team back at Head Office and in the stores. They’ve worked really hard to push the business forward year-on-year.

INDIE RETAILERGAMES CENTRE

We are absolutely delighted to win this award and get this recognition from the industry we love. And to walk up and collect it in a room full people we know and admire is an amazing feeling.

Caroline Miller, Indigo Pearl

TRADE MARKETING TEAMPLAYSTATION UK

AGENCY TEAMINDIGO PEARL

Robert Lindsay, Games Centre



Export is a very difficult business. We’re just lucky we have excellent retailers and distributors, a great line-up and an amazing team. Thank you to everybody.

Darren Bowen, Ubisoft

As always with Twitch we’re very fortunate to work for a great company with a great product and a great community. This means a lot for us.

MEDIA TEAMTWITCH

A massive thanks on behalf of the team – this is one we have been waiting for. Thanks.

Jennifer Sewell, Xbox UK

EXPORT TEAMUBISOFT

SALES TEAMXBOX UK

Michael Thomas, Twitch

We like to let our products do the talking. So, on behalf of all of the 505 team past and present and the studios who have been on this journey over the last nine years, thanks.

Tim Woodley, 505 Games

We had incredible support from Activision, our agency and retail partners, so thank you all. But it comes down to the game that Bungie made, which was absolutely incredible.

GAME CAMPAIGNDESTINY (BUNGIE/ACTIVISION)

INDIE GAMES LABEL505 GAMES

Keith Cox, Activision

Just a massive thanks to the buying team, the entire team back at GAME and an amazing thanks to your marketing and sales work. Everyone is amazing. Thank you.

Jamii Layton, GAME

BUYING TEAMGAME


OUR SPONSORS

MCV AWARDS 2015 THE WINNERS

To know I’ve been nominated and won this – it’s a great achievement. It’s not a testament to me – but to Games Centre. Thank you very much for this – this is for you .

STORE MANAGER OF THE YEARCRAIG KENNEDY, GAMES CENTRE

Craig Kennedy, Games Centre

Thanks for this. 20 years in the industry, I know many people here have been around for as long. I’ve enjoyed every day – I’ve only worked at Nintendo. This is a huge honour. Thank you.

UNSUNG HEROJAMES HONEYWELL, NINTENDO UK

James Honeywell, Nintendo UK

I officially have the best job in the industry. The people we work with are all everyday people. They are living the dream and so am I. My team – and the indies we’re working with - this is for you.

PERSON OF THE YEARDEBBIE BESTWICK, TEAM 17

Debbie Bestwick, Team 17



When Lionhead Studios decided to make its latest Fable game free-

to-play, it knew one thing: not everyone was going to love it.

Much like Fable: The Journey’s shift to on-rails motion-controlled gameplay in 2011 and 2012 beat ‘em up Fable Heroes’ side-scrolling cartoon world, Fable Legends’ embrace of free-to-play is sure to raise eyebrows among some fans of the original Fable trilogy’s conventional open-world RPG gameplay.

“Lionhead has always done innovative things with the Fable series,” explains business and strategy director Emmi Kuusikko. “Every game has been completely different to its predecessors. They don’t all cater to every single fan.”

Game director David Eckelberry clarifies that going free-to-play does not mean the firm is ignoring its fans in favour of new users.

“You can’t action everything players ask for, because there are millions of people on the internet and they all want different things,” he comments. “That said, we do listen to our audience – both existing fans and newcomers.

“Free-to-play can be a great thing and it can be a bad thing if it’s abused or done poorly. Players were largely concerned about a fair playing field.”

When announcing the free-to-play transition, Lionhead pledged that Legends could be completed ‘without spending a penny’.

“You can get all of our content and there’s no pay walls or energy meters,” says Eckelberry. “We don’t allow the business side to affect the game that’s happening in the middle.”

PC LEGENDSLionhead is keen to prove that going free-to-play is not just about catering for newcomers – but attracting new players is, of course, a major aim.

One big step in this regard is Legends’ launch on Windows 10 on the same day as its Xbox One counterpart. It even allows cross-platform multiplayer between Xbox One and PC.

“When we think of things that have been asked for, PC has had been asked and requested for a long time,” Kuusikko recalls. “Launching on both platforms lets us have as many people as possible play the game without the barriers to entry.”

A NEW AGEFree-to-play has often had a bad rap among core gamers, but

the success of PC games like Dota 2 has

proved that the business model can have a place outside

of mobile. Lionhead hopes that

Legends will help usher in a similar acceptance on PS4 and Xbox One.

“There haven’t been that many free-to-play examples in the console space,” Kuusikko observes. “The previous generation of consoles really wasn’t up to service-based gaming or free-to-play.

“Definitely with the newest generation of console hardware, it’s a much more viable business model. We’re trying to show what free-to-play can mean on a next-gen triple-A title.”

Product manager Ian Griffiths concludes: “We’ve all seen a lot of bad examples of free-to-play.

“But there’s been a lot of developments industry-wide that have shown that free-to-play can be done right and can be done fairly, and that’s where we’re trying to be.”

PRICELESS LEGENDS: TAKING FABLE FREE-TO-PLAY

Over more than a decade of releases, action RPG Fable has taken some experimental turns, dabbling with motion controls and side-scrolling gameplay. Now, the series has turned its eye to free-to-play. Fable Legends game director David Eckelberry, product manager Ian Griffiths and

Lionhead Studios business and strategy director Emmi Kuusikko tell Matthew Jarvis more

Above, left to right: Lionhead’s Eckelberry, Griffi ths and Kuusikko say there’s huge potential for free-to-play on console

XXX XXX


INTERVIEW LIONHEAD STUDIOS

For almost a decade, Relentless was the go-to studio for Microsoft and Sony

looking to expand into the casual games market.

“We’ve been around the block a bit,” says CEO Andrew Eades. ”We started on PlayStation 2, made the Buzz series of quiz games, which some people might still remember.

“It feels like a long time ago now. We worked exclusively for Sony for a long time, then spent a few years making games for Microsoft focusing on its Kinect platform.”

Relentless’ time as a console developer seemed to have come to an end in 2013 when the firm closed its console division. It decided to focus on mobile games, bringing its PS3 title Blue Toad Murder Files to smartphones and tablets.

“Back then consoles were struggling,” Eades says. “They were very expensive to develop for. There was only an opportunity if you were ambitious enough to publish your own stuff – which we did on PlayStation Network. We just got the feeling that we didn’t want to be in that game anymore.

“It was a diminishing market. There were fewer people going out and buying our kind of games. The PS2 era was amazing because people were playing SingStar and Buzz – those more mainstream titles. It was the end of an era, so we thought we’d move on and do mobile.”

But this shift was anything but easy.

“The transition to mobile was hellish,” Eades admits. “You make console games in a different way

to how you approach a mobile game. We know how to make software and games, but mobile is a bit more agile. You need smaller teams and budgets aren’t as high.

“And the tech is different. If you can see the evolution from Blue Toad Murder Files, which originally launched on PS3 back in 2009, to where we are with our most recent release, The Trace, there’s been a refinement in understanding how to use the controls. On mobile it’s a touch interface rather than any kind of controller.”

RETURN TO CONSOLE Now, Relentless has decided to return to console, and is working on a currently-unannounced game for PS4 and Xbox One. This move was inspired by the huge sales of these platforms. “The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have done really well, much to my surprise, and the surprise of myself and many others,” Eades explains.

“There are people saying the consoles were always going to do well, but it wasn’t that clear. We make really good console games. Both Sony and Microsoft have an open invitation to indie developers to come to their consoles, which I really appreciate and we wanted to do that. And we also felt that it was easier to make a console indie title than a bigger PS3 game. The opportunity was there, but we have to invest quite a bit of money to make a really great console title.”

CASUAL CONNECTIONWhat’s more, with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sales already huge, Eades believes the time is approaching when developers can once again make titles for a broader market for in the console space. Games like the firm’s own Buzz.

“In the next couple of years, there will be more console games aimed at a different kind of audience – one which Relentless has always been about,” Eades says. “We make games for everybody – they’re for people who want to be entertained – not necessarily just by a TV programme – but some interactive entertainment. They’re not necessarily a hardcore gamer. All our titles are aimed at that kind of person, and that’s another reason why we want to get back into console earlier rather than later.”

He concludes: “It seems the cycle is going faster this time around and I’m sure there’s an opportunity for mass market content and games on console very soon.”

BUZZ WORDSRelentless, famous for its Buzz PlayStation 2 quiz games, abandoned consoles in

2013 in favour of mobile. Two years later, it’s coming back. Why? Alex Calvin asks studio boss Andrew Eades

The transition to mobile was hellish. You make console games in a very different way to mobile ones.

Andrew Eades, Relentless Software

Relentless’ most recent game was mobile mystery game The Trace


INDIE INTERVIEW RELENTLESSSponsored by


MARKETPLACE

How has business been for you recently? It’s been phenomenal. Since the last time we spoke we’ve changed locations. Now we are near enough back on the local High Street in our local town.

Is there less competiton where you are now?HMV and Blockbuster closed a year or two ago, so there’s no national competition on the island now. Just indies, like us.

What has been selling particularly well?Well we’re not just a games shop – we sell CDs and DVDs as well. But in games, the triple-A titles like Battlefi eld have been selling well. Bloodborne has done fairly well, but not as well as we thought it would.

How has games hardware been performing?The PS4 is defi nitely the best-selling bit of hardware. We’ve

seen a dip in the last month or two, based on the last month of trading. But the consoles are still up there and we’re still selling a surprising amount of hardware.

Have you done any events for some of the bigger launches?Not recently. Pre-orders come in at the last second for us; literally the day before the game comes out we’ll have a surge. But we’ve had a few pre-orders for Rainbow

MCV speaks to Christian Le Cornu, store manager of Jersey-based Seedee Johns, about how the new Rainbow Six is breaking the pre-order trend, the benefi ts of changing location and why he may give LEGO Dimensions a pass

SHELF LIFE

TOP 10 PRE-ORDERS

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

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5. Amiibo Splatoon Squid BundleNintendo ............................................................. Wii U 6. Amiibo Splatoon GirlNintendo ............................................................. Wii U 7. Amiibo Zero Suit SamusNintendo ............................................................. Wii U

8. Amiibo Splatoon BoyNintendo ............................................................. Wii U

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PRICE CHECK: GUILDFORD

ONLINEIN

STORE

DARK SOULS II: SCHOLAR OF THE

FIRST SINBandai Namco, XO

BLOODBORNESony, PS4

LORDS OF THE FALLENSquare Enix, PS4

THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS ENHANCED EDITION

Bandai Namco, 360

£39.99 £49.99 £13.99 £23.85

£34.99 £47.99 N/A £34.99

£34.85 £44.18 £12.19 £23.99

£29.99 £42.75 £10.97 £20.21

£33.95 £43.95 N/A £19.95

UPLOADINGThe latest digital releases coming

to market

SHOVEL KNIGHT

Yacht Club Games’ retro-themed platformer has come to PlayStation

Jagex’s new Minecraft-themed online shooter launches on PC next week

The standalone expansion for last year’s The New Order is out shortly

BLOCK N LOAD WOLFENSTEIN: THE OLD BLOOD

OUT MAY 5TH OUT APRIL 30TH OUT NOW

1. AMIIBO GREEN YARN YOSHINintendo, Wii U


MARKETPLACE

Six Siege already, so we’ll probably do a launch event for that.

What is your digital off ering like at the moment?We’re partnered with CentreSoft, so we do the download and play section for PlayStation, as well as Nintendo eShop content. We’ve just moved to digital for Xbox. That’s through Exertis, so it’s just memberships and subscriptions for now.

This year sees four toys-to-life brands come to market, alongside Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Is shelf space a concern? I was in two minds about whether or not to stock LEGO Dimensions purely because of the exuberant price of the starter pack. We are going to stock them, because we are going to be asked for them. But asking for something and then seeing how much it costs are two entirely diff erent things. It’s going to turn a lot of customers away.

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV?Contact [email protected] or call 01992 515 303

Seedee JonsHalkett Place,Jersey

Phone: 01534 769 405Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Seedee-Jons/207169702660848Twitter: @SeedeeJonsLtd

INCOMING After three delays, Bandai Namco’s graphically-impressive racing title Project CARS fi nally hits PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One early next month

TITLE FORMAT GENRE PUBLISHER TELEPHONE DISTRIBUTOR

May 8th

Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies (Digital) Wii U Shooter Nintendo 01753 483 700 Open

Teslagrad Wii U Platformer Sodesco 01902 861 527 Pavilion

The Last Tinker: City of Colours PS4/XO Platformer Sodesco 01902 861 527 Pavilion

May 1st

Omega Quintet PS4 RPG Idea Factory 020 866 43456 Creative

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Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush Wii U Platformer Nintendo 01753 483 700 Open

Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros Edition 3DS Puzzle Nintendo 01753 483 700 Open

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Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster PS4 RPG Square Enix 01216 253 388 CentreSoft

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PS4/XO/PC RPG Bandai Namco 01215 069 590 Advantage

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Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed Vita RPG Idea Factory 020 866 43456 Creative

Steins; Gate PS3/Vita RPG PQube 01216 253 388 CentreSoft

May 29th

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Splatoon Wii U Shooter Nintendo 01753 483 700 Open


BETHESDA

This year could see the return of hit franchises Doom and Fallout, as well as The Elder Scrolls and Wolfenstein.

IN terms of commercial and critical success, there are few publishers that can match up to the creative output of Bethesda.

Founded in 1986, the company’s perhaps best-known IP, The Elder Scrolls, was established in 1994 with The Elder Scrolls: Arena. Four direct sequels followed, as well as numerous spin-offs, including last year’s The Elder Scrolls Online.

The fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim, shipped seven million copies worldwide within

its first week of release, generating revenue of around $450 million (£306m). By mid-2013, the game had sold more than 20 million units.

Launched on April 4th 2014 on PC, The Elder Scrolls Online was the top-selling game in the UK individual retail charts for the week of its release, claiming second place in the All Formats chart. The game will see a second launch on PS4 and Xbox One this June, plus transitioning to free-to-play on PC.

FALLOUT 3 TRANQUILITY LANE VAULT BOY WATCH

This second-edition timepiece is based on the world of Fallout 3’s fan-favourite virtual reality simulation mission, Tranquility Lane. The watch is plated in 43mm gold ion, complemented by a genuine leather band. Inside, the hands – literally, as they take the form of Fallout 3’s Vault Boy’s arms – boast battery-powered Japanese quartz movement. The watch is protected thanks to a scratch-resistant mineral crystal lens and 30-metre water resistance.

SRP: $60 (£40)Manufacturer: BethesdaDistributor: BethesdaContact: 020 7389 1100

Wolfenstein, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored – Bethesda has produced some of the most talked-about titles in games. Matthew Jarvis investigates the publisher’s impressive repertoire

THE EVIL WITHIN ASYLUM OFFICIAL T-SHIRT

This top displays artwork from the creepy asylum setting of Bethesda’s 2014 horror title, The Evil Within.

SRP: £15.99Manufacturer: Gaya EntertainmentDistributor: Gaming Merchandise UKContact: [email protected]

DOOM PAIN ELEMENTAL SIX-INCH PLUSH

One of Doom’s most recognisable enemies, the Pain Elemental is more huggable than horrible in plush form.

SRP: £22.99Manufacturer: The IP FactoryDistributor: Gaming HeadsContact: [email protected]

WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER MILITARY CAP

This headgear is branded with the logo of the 2014 Wolfenstein title. Not guaranteed to protect against headshots.


BETHESDA


Sponsored by

gamingmerchandise uk

BETHESDA

Three other enduring hit franchises created decades ago will also see a return in the near future, thanks to Bethesda.

The follow-up to 2014’s Wolfenstein: The New Order – itself a continuation of the alt-history shooter IP created way back in 1981 – Wolfenstein: The Old Blood hits PC, PS4 and Xbox One on May 5th. The New Order was the 22nd-best-selling title of 2014 in the UK, and was a pleasant surprise, according to critics.

Beyond The Old Blood, Bethesda is hosting its inaugural press conference at this year’s E3 event.

A reboot of horror shooter series Doom has already been announced, and the upcoming game could see some gameplay demonstrated for the first time at the show.

Plus, 2015 marks five years since the last Fallout title, New Vegas – leading some observers to believe a Fallout 4 announcement may be in the works.

SKYRIM DEAD MAN’S DRINK BEER GLASS

Inspired by the local tavern Dead Man’s Drink, which can be visited by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim players exploring the virtual capital of Falkreath, this beer glass features the logo of the famous watering hole on both sides.

SRP: £12.99Manufacturer: Gaya EntertainmentDistributor: Gaya Entertainment UKContact: [email protected]

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM ARMOUR WALLET

Tri-folded, with a coin pouch and windowed pocket, this is the ideal vessel for Skyrim fans’ Septim coins.


FALLOUT VAULT BOY BOBBLEHEADS

Fans of the post-apocalypse can gain +10 skill points thanks to these recreations of Fallout 3’s in-game collectables.

SRP: £16.99Manufacturer: The IP FactoryDistributor: Gaming HeadsContact: [email protected]

DISHONORED: THE DUNWALL ARCHIVES

A companion publication to the 2012 game, this 212-page book includes art and text from throughout Dishonored’s world.

SRP: £29.99Manufacturer: Dark HorseDistributor: Diamond Comic Distributors UKContact: 01928 531 760

26

HOT PRODUCTS

April 24th 2015 www.mcvuk.com

Sponsored by

HOT PRODUCTS

LOGITECH G303 DAEDALUS APEX GAMING MOUSE

NAMED after the Greek mythological craftsman who fathered Icarus and created working wax wings, Logitech’s new Daedalus mouse is designed to keep up with rapid movements from gamers.

The peripheral is built around what Logitech claims to be its best-ever optical sensor, the PMW3366. Coupled with the fi rm’s Delta Zero technology, the sensor is optimised to boost accurate tracking and minimise mouse acceleration, even at high speeds. Responsiveness is improved further by the elimination of smoothing and fi ltering, regardless of which DPI (dots per inch) setting the user has selected. There are fi ve DPI settings, from 200 to 12,000 DPI, which can be changed on the fl y.

Users can tune the sensor to their preference to match an

accompanying mouse surface, adjusting factors such as LED intensity. Outside, the mouse features programmable RGB lighting, which can display up to 16.8 million colours. Various patterns, including ‘breathing’ illumination, can be enabled.

On top, the Daedalus’ left and right mouse click buttons are backed by a metal spring tensioning system to keep the components aligned, as well as to reduce pre-travel and backlash. The buttons have been tested for a durability of up to 20 million clicks – roughly equal to 10 hours of daily use, every day for two years.

Six additional programmable buttons are included, which can be set up to operate as one-button triggers for in-game settings that normally require digging through menus. Three custom profi les can be saved.

TURTLE BEACH TRACTION TEXTURED CONTROL SURFACE MOUSEPAD

DESIGNED to give players the best control possible when gaming with a high-end mouse, Turtle Beach’s Traction mousepad is constructed from a textured weave surface.

On the bottom of the pad lies a 100 per cent natural rubber anti-slip base, which should ensure the mat

remains fi xed in place during heavy use.

The Traction is available in four diff erently-sized SKUs – Medium (270x220mm), Large (350x250mm), Extra Large (450x350mm) and Wide (900x300mm) – meaning there are options to suit a variety of playing spaces.

The four sides are additionally created with anti-fraying stitched edges to increase durability and extend lifespan.

The Wide version of the pad (pictured) lives up to its name, providing an area big enough to fi t a mouse, keyboard and gaming keypad all at once.

[INFO]

RRP: £8.99 (Medium), £11.99 (Large), £16.99 (Extra Large), £29.99 (Wide)Release Date: April 30thDistributor: ExertisContact: 01279 822 822

MCV takes a look at the best accessories heading to UK retail. This week, Logitech’s Daedalus gaming mouse takes fl ight and Turtle Beach’s upcoming mousepad gives it something to land on

[INFO]

RRP: £54.99Release Date: Out NowDistributor: Logitech UKContact: 01753 870 900

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LIS WELSH SEARCH & SELECTION LTDTel: +44 (0) 7968 114812www.liswelsh.com

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

SPECIALMOVE CONSULTANCY LTDTel: +44 (0) 141 530 4555www.specialmove.com

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

WAYFORWARD RECRUITMENT LIMITEDTel: 020 7734 4664 (London) 0117 966 6038 (Bristol)www.way-forward.com ........................................................................................................

CURSE, INC.Tel: +1 415 856 0056www.curseinc.com........................................................................................................

IGNTel: 0203 701 5682www.ign.com........................................................................................................

DIRECTORY


CREATIVE Fink ................................................................. info@fi nkcreative.com

DISC REPAIR Total Disc Repair ..................................+44 (0) 1202 489500

DISTRIBUTION Click Entertainment ............................ +44 (0) 203 137 3781

Creative Distribution ......................+44 (0) 20 8664 3456

Curveball Leisure ................................... +44 (0) 1792 652521

Enarxis Dynamic Media ............................. +302 1090 11900

Sony DADC ............................................ +44 (0) 207 462 6200

GAMING ACCESSORIES L3I............................................................................+ (0)1923 471 020

Venom ............................................................... +44 (0)1763 284181

MCV DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS

RATES £70 per two column box (100mm x 75mm). To run weekly for a minimum of 1 year. Please phone for other size and/or position requirements.

TOTAL DISC REPAIR DISC REPAIR

Tel: +44 (0) 1202 489500 Web: www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

DIRECTORY


ENQUIRIES

CONOR TALLONTel: 01992 [email protected]

SONY DADC DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 207 462 [email protected]

www.sonydadc.com

Empowering your creative business

Tel: +44 (0) 207 462 6200 Web: www.sonydadc.com

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 (0)203 137 3781 email: [email protected]

FINK CREATIVE

Artworking Mastertronic Brand Identity Ukie Localisation Rising Star Games Advertising BBFC Website Design Deep Silver Exhibition Bethesda Illustration Appynation Digital Media IntentMedia Charity GamesAid Banners & Takeovers Konami Packaging Design Just Flight

Just Flight

Email: info@fi nkcreative.com Web: www.fi nkcreative.com

CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 (0) 208 6643456 Web: www.creativedistribution.co.uk

CURVEBALL LEISURE DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 (0) 1792 652521 Web: www.curveball-leisure.com

ENARXIS DYNAMIC MEDIA DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +302 1090 11900 Web: www.enarxis.eu

DIRECTORY


L3I GAMING ACCESSORIES

Tel: + (0)1923 471 020 Web: www.logic3.com

VENOM GAMING ACCESSORIES

Web:www.venomuk.com

Phone:+44 (0)1763 284181

Email:[email protected]@[email protected]

Venom UK Gaming

@VenomGamingUK

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

New officially licensed products

“ ”, “PlayStation” and “DUALSHOCK” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Also, “ ” is a trademark of the same company. All rights reserved.

DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controllers sold separately.

Rechargeable Battery Pack

Fully recharges the DUALSHOCK®4 wirelesscontroller for up to 20 hours of gameplay.

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 Web: www.venomuk.com

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN OUR DIRECTORY?

ADVERTISE WITH US

CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535647 OR EMAIL HIM AT [email protected]

33www.mcvuk.com April 24th 2015

INSIDER’S GUIDE

Tell us about your company.Sounding Sweet is an audio post-production company, which specialises in sound for video games as well as the TV, film and broadcast industries. Our range of services include: sound design, field recording, technical implementation, voice recording, ISDN ADR, sound mixing, music composition, casting and localisation, to name but a few.

What is your biggest success so far?Having worked in-house on some of the biggest triple-A gaming franchises, including Forza Horizon, F1, Grid and Dirt, our biggest accomplishment to date has been leaving the security of full time employment to start a business from the ground up. We built an industry-standard recording and production facility and pushed ourselves to work outside of our comfort zones on all aspects of post-production – not just racing games and car recording, although we still do a fair bit of that.

What are the biggest challenges you face?Every product and every client presents a new set of challenges, but nothing to date has proved too great to overcome. It is these fresh challenges, and keeping up with the ever-changing elements of the technology that we use, that we think keeps us ahead of the competition. We draw from our experience in the games

industry and apply our technical problem-solving attitude to the challenges we face in the film world – and vice-versa.

Tell us something about your company no one knows.Our studio is situated right in the middle of Shakespeare Country, not more than a five-minute taxi ride from the RSC within Stratford-upon-Avon. As a result, we have entertained the likes of Patrick Stewart and David Tennant in voice recording sessions whilst they have been in the local area performing The Bard’s works.

Sounding Sweet’s Ed Walker discusses the audio specialist’s work with triple-A racing franchises

Specialism:Sound recording and productionLocation:Tiddington,nr Stratford-Upon-Avon

Contact: P: 01789 297 453W: soundingsweet.comE: [email protected]: @sounding_sweet

INSIDER’S GUIDE

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT:

SOUNDING SWEET

Epic Games .................................................. www.epicgames.com/careers

To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and now every week in MCV) contact [email protected]

WWW.DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET

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

DIRECTORY WHO?

FOR GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT ALEX [email protected]

PLEASE CONTACT [email protected] OR CALL 01992 515 303

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR COMPANY IN INSIDER’S GUIDE?

We apply our technical problem-solving from the games industry to the film world.

Sponsored by


AUSTRALIA has long been notorious for the costly price of games. A report from the government House of Representatives Infrastructure and Communications Committee found that of 20 recent titles, only one was priced close to its American counterpart, with the rest costing anywhere between 40 and 90 per cent more. Digital was hit even harder; some Steam titles had price tags two to three times bigger than in the US. The commission hypothesised that the relative difficulty of distribution and addition of sales tax could be reasons for the disparity.

Another point of contention is the region’s censorship laws. Until late 2012, no R18+ rating existed, meaning any game exceeding MA15+ would be refused classification and effectively banned from sale. Despite the introduction of R18+, some games

deemed to be excessive in their depiction of explicit content can still be outlawed.

In addition to this, Grand Theft Auto V was pulled from Target and Kmart shelves late last year, in response to a consumer petition signed by over 40,000 people.

Triple-A studios have struggled in Australia. BioShock 2 developer 2K Australia was the

last blockbuster studio in the region, but that closed this month.

Despite this, independent and mobile firms have flourished; one example is Brisbane-based Halfbrick Studios,

which created iOS hit Fruit Ninja.The region’s Labor government

established a $20 million initiative titled the Australia Games Fund in 2012, which aimed to grow the country’s games development sector over three years. However, the fund was brought to a premature end in mid-2014, with $10 million left unspent.

Some Steam titles have price tags

two to three times bigger in Australia

than in the US.

FACTFILE AUSTRALIA

FACTFILE: AUSTRALIAPopulation: 23,810,800Capital City: CanberraCurrency: Australian dollarGDP (Per Capita): $62,822

KEY RETAILERSEB Games, JB Hi-Fi, Gametraders, Kmart, Big W, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, Dungeon Craw

TOP DISTRIBUTORSAll Interactive, Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty, Turn Left, QV Software, Five Star Games

TOP DEVELOPERSHalfbrick Studios, Big Ant Studios, Tantalus Media, Panther Games

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGIONBandai Namco, Nintendo, EA, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Sony, Activision Blizzard, 2K Games, Tru Blu Entertainment, Wargaming

INTERNATIONAL

MEANWHILE IN... CHINA

APPLE’S Asian strategy has seen Chinese iOS owners download more apps than their American counterparts for the fi rst time, according to a Q1 report from mobile tracking fi rm App Annie.

“China’s ascendance was primarily driven by downloads of games and photo/video apps,” the report stated.

App Annie proposed that a preference for larger screens among users may have been the catalyst for the uptake, following the launch of the bigger-sized iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last year.

“In Q4 2014, shipments of smartphones with screen sizes between

fi ve and seven inches constituted roughly 60 per cent of total smartphone shipments in China, compared to roughly 40 per cent worldwide and in the US,” it said.

“Thanks to this, iPhone’s share

of the smartphone install base crossed seven per cent in 2014.”

China is also growing in terms of revenue, but continues to trail behind the US and Japan.

Chinese iOS app downloads have overtaken those of the US for the fi rst time, with a local preference for large-format phones the possible cause


AUSTRALIA FACTFILE

35

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

WORLDWIDE

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT LIMITEDEmail: [email protected]: www.click-entertainment.comPhone: +44 (0)203 137 3781

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION PLEASE CONTACT [email protected]

MCV WORLDWIDE

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

SWEDEN

GAME OUTLET EUROPE ABPO Box 5083, S-650 05 Karlstad, SwedenSales dept: [email protected] dept: [email protected] dept: [email protected] dept: [email protected]: www.gameoutlet.se

AUSTRALIAAFA Interactive, Bluemouth Interactive, Five Star Games, Mindscape, Namco Bandai Partners, Turn Left DistributionBENELUXCLD Distribution, Koch Media, Gameworld Distribution B.V.CANADAE One, Importel, Just4Games, Solutions 2 Go, VidéoglobeCYPRUSAccess, Gibareio, Zilos, Nortec MultimediaCZECH REPUBLICCenega, Conquest, Comgad, Playman, ABC DataDENMARKBergsala, Elpa, Impulse, Koch Media, Nordisk Film Interactive, Nordic Game Supply, PAN VisionFRANCEBig Ben, Innelec, Koch Media, SDO, SodifaGREECEZegatron, CD Media, Namco Bandai Partners, IGE, Nortec, Enarxis, BeaconHUNGARYCNG.hu/Cenega Hungary, CTC Trading, Magnew, PlayON, StadlbauerICELANDSena, Myndform, Samfilm, OrmssonINDONESIAMaxsoft, Uptron, Technosolution IRELANDMSE Group, BaumexJAPANAjioka, Happinet, JesnetNORWAYBergsala, Game Outlet, Koch Media, Nordic Game Supply, Nordisk Film, Pan VisionPOLANDCD Projekt, Cenega, Galapagos, LEMPORTUGALEcoplay, Infocapital, Koch Media, Namco BandaiROMANIABest DistributionSERBIAComTrade, Computerland/Iris Mega, Extreme CCSPAINDigital Bros, Koch Media, Namco Bandai Partners, NobilisSWEDENBergsala, Koch Media, Namco Bandai, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision, Wendros, Ztorm (digital)UAERed Entertainment Distribution, Pluto Games (LS2 Pluto), Viva Entertainment, Gameplay Entertainment, Geekay Distribution

UAE

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

NORDIC

WENDROS AB SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK & FINLANDJakobsdalsvägen 1712653 HägerstenSwedenPhone: +46 8 51942500Fax: +46 8 7466790Email:[email protected]@wendros.seWeb: www.wendros.se

CYPRUS

G3 GREAT GAMES LTD4 Gregoriou Papafl essa Street, Offi ce 101, Engomi, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus.Tel: +357 22 666612 Web: www.greatgames.com.cy

BRAZIL

Sony Music Entertainment Brasil# 1 Physical Distributor in BrazilRua Lauro Muller n°. 116 – 40°. AndarSalas 4001 a 4003 BotafogoRio de Janeiro RJCEP. 22.290-160Tel. +55 21 2128-0771Fax: +55 21 2128-0747Email : [email protected]: www.sonymusic.com.br | www.day1e.com.br

NETHERLANDS

SOEDESCO B.V.Koddeweg 13, 3194 DH RotterdamThe NetherlandsTel: +31 104722462Fax: +31 104722893Email: [email protected]: www.soedesco.com

IRAN

DC GAMES GROUPNo.9, Hemmatian St.,Takestan St., SattarkhanTehran, IranTel: +98-912-1014090 +98-21-44228670Email: [email protected]: www.Doostan-Co.com

WWW.MCVPACIFIC.COM

Editorial: + 61 (0)424 967 263Leigh.Harris@mcvpacifi c.com

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


MORE DISTRIBUTORS

Sponsored by

BELGIUM

CLD DISTRIBUTIONRue du Grand Champs 14 , B 5380 Fernelmont BelgiumTel: +32 81 83 02 02Fax: +32 81 83 02 09Email: [email protected]: www.cld.be home of www.dragonwar.eu & www.mawashi.eu

OFF THE RECORD

OFF THE RECORD This week, there was only one thing on our minds – the 2015 MCV Awards. Oh, and Star Wars.

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Well, what an MCV Awards that was.There was confetti, alien ray guns, a

magician with a taste for balloons, silly string, lightsabers and the ‘hot’ pants of Curse’s Nathan Lindberg.

There was even a little on-stage romance: comic host Romesh Ranganathan complimenting Dan ‘two glasses of vanilla’ Kilby as he stepped up to hand out the Marketing Team trophy on behalf of IGN.

We’d say it was certainly a night to remember but, having seen the enthusiasm of the games industry for the free bar, there’s probably some people out there with their heads full of ache, rather than memories.

So we’ve included some pictures of the evening to help.

Want to see more? Take a look at the full album on the MCV Facebook page by visiting http://on.fb.me/1G0KHLP.


OFF THE RECORD


Irfan Iskandar @Irfan__Iskandar

Bowling in Grand Theft Auto IV with everyone’s favorite cousin, Roman!

Joni-Mikko Löytynoja @JonskuwithZerro

3; my computer couldn’t even run it back then, but man was it beautiful.

GRAND THEFT AUTO V IS FINALLY OUT ON PC.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE #GTAMEMORY OR MOMENT

FROM THE SERIES? #GMGASKS

Alastair Robertson @Judgebredd

‘Wasted’ on the original GTA.

Antonio Salazar @mappedoutgamer

Had to be #GTA3: using the tank to jump the bridge.

@Drangir

Human hot dogs from GTA 2. Creepy, disturbing and sick, but also so weird and unrealistic it seems comical.

Silver Xatu @SilverXatu

Walking into a club in #GTAViceCity. The game just captured the era so, so well and was far ahead of its competition.

wasptube1@WASP2145X

GTA 4: Me and 3 others formed a convoy on 64-player server, I was in a Buzzard (used to be a Heli Pro) and they were in APCs.

Robert Gleaden @Kingbobski

Myth-hunting in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas trying

Brian Demodulated @demodulated

Burying a foreman in a porta-potty with a huge construction vehicle to the tune of White Wedding.

Collin@Zook024

Flying the jet across San Andreas, blasting Freebird on the radio until I crashed into a pine tree that popped in.

@gjones243 @BAFTAGames @GoldenJoysticks and now @MCVonline award wins under the old belt. #achievementunlocked #chuff ed

Greg Jones, 505 GamesFriday April 17th

@Skellylicious Morning after the night before and the team newbies are yet to show their faces...#capcomtowers #MCVawards

Laura Skelly, CapcomFriday April 17th

@Shakacarnage Fantastic night last night, but I am not hungover. #MCVawards you have failed this city.

Gareth Williams, Premier PRFriday April 17th

@Joukisan Based on previous experiences, don’t call anyone, anywhere in the games industry today. #MCVawards #cocktails

Joseph Walsh, Nintendo LifeFriday April 17th

@Sreadology Congrats to all winners and nominees of the #MCVawards2015! You all deserve the recognition. Retail has driven this industry.

Sam Read, TestologyFriday April 17th

@gamerlaw The #MCVawards are a good reminder the UK games industry employs hundreds upon hundreds of folks in sales, distribution, marketing, PR...

Jas Purewal, Purewal and PartnersThursday April 16th

@fevington Watching the people who win the special awards shows how much you’ve got to do to be a legend in the games industry. #MCVawards2015

Mike Fethers, The Hut GroupThursday April 16th

@TheRealNate Note to self: same joke twice at #MCVawards won’t work. Going to need to work on new material (as well as new trousers) for 2016!

Nathan Lindberg, CurseThursday April 16th

@follioe Bloody hell, these #MCVawards are like buses: you get none for ages and then two come along at once!

Eric Folliot, ActivisionThursday April 16th

@SvendJoscelyne Now that I work behind a desk most of the time, @MCVonline’s #MCVawards are like an awesome high school reunion of sorts.

Svend Joscelyne, Ziff DavisThursday April 16th

THE WEEK IN 140 CHARACTERSThe Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days

OFF THE RECORD

39

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

BEAT OUR CHALLENGE AND WIN AN XBOX ONEWIN GREAT PRIZES BY TAKING PART IN MCV’S #ALLFORONE COMPETITIONXBOX has teamed up with MCV to run a series of new weekly challenges.

Every Friday, Xbox will test gamers and pose key questions based around upcoming events.

Just for industry folk and retailers, there’s a way to take part via MCV which could win you some fantastic prizes.

Here’s how it works: every week, MCV will print a challenge on this page. You simply need to show us your answer - tweet it to us, email us or post on our other social feeds.

MCV XBOX CHALLENGE NO.4:

DEAD AND LOVING ITOpen-world zombie smash hit State of Decay shuffles onto Xbox One this week, so we’re ‘dead’ excited to off er another Xbox One console up for grabs.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is zombify yourself with whatever’s to hand – face paint, fake blood and so on – then snap a ‘selfi e’ and send it to us using the instructions on the right.

The best undead poser will win a brand new Xbox One – simple.

HOW TO ENTER Tweet us with a picture or

video of your entry (if relevant) to @MCVonline - don’t forget to use #AllForOne with your entry. Make sure you use both!

You can also send entries to off [email protected] - use #AllForOne in the subject

Alternatively tell us via Facebook - you can fi nd us at facebook.com/MCVonline

Deadline for entries is 5pm on Monday, April 27th

WIN!


HAVE YOU ENTERED ANY OF OUR PAST CHALLENGES? STAY TUNED – THE FIRST WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON

WHEN STARS COLLIDE

The MCV Awards did happen to clash with a slightly smaller event: the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California.

As well as causing multiple games industry members to politely excuse themselves from conversation to go and watch The Force Awakens trailer, the timing coincidence also meant that GAME Digital staff attending the Celebration were able to gather a host of Star Wars fans to thank those responsible for its three MCV Award wins on the night.

2016 award winners, be warned: the bar has been raised. We expect Harrison Ford. Or, at the very least, one of the Ewoks.

New AAA titles.

New mobile games.

New distributionchannels.

New trends.

New technologies.

New players.

New deals.

Your opportunity is now.

Register for E3 2015 todayat www.E3Expo.com to

experience the best in video games and hold the future

in your hands.

EXPERIENCETHE EVOLUTION.

Register today.

Documents

MCV831 April 24th