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WWW.MCVUK.COM
NEWS
[LEADER] FRESH BLOOD FOR BIG MEDIA MTV GAMES HAS until now been a confusing games firm. It’s not quite a fully-fledged publisher. EA looks after its distribution and sales. But it’s not ‘just’ a developer. While its biggest games gesture has been to pay almost $200m for US studio Harmonix, MTV Games’ tendrils dig deep into entertainment parent Viacom’s marketing muscle. News that it plans to open a UK-based sales office for Europe prove once and for all that it wants to be taken seriously as a publishing force. And MTV Games understands that to do so it doesn’t just have to address the challenging ‘razor and blades’ model its music game heartland is built upon. No, it first and foremost needs a local team to oversee its interests – hence the appointment of Roy Campbell as VP for international. MTV Games’ boss Guthrie is right to say the UK is the world’s toughest software market. It’s hard not to disagree after the middling success of dad-pleaser The Beatles: Rock Band. If you can’t succeed when
Fresh UK focus as IGN hires new MD Former EA and Ubisoft veteran Ian Chambers recruited Media giant to grow through digital space, social media, retail and events DIGITAL DRIVE: Chambers will focus on bringing cohesion to the many facets of IGN UK
“The games industry might be attracting the attentions of global giants, but there’s still no substitute for local talent.” relying on one of GB’s biggest exports, then clearly you’re doing it wrong. Our market here needs the right treatment, or you just shouldn’t bother. It’s clear that while the games industry might be attracting the attentions of global media giants like MTV, there’s still no substitute for local talent. *** THE SAME THING is going on at IGN UK, which we reveal this week has signed up digital guru Ian Chambers as its new MD. He should help bring strong leadership to a clutch of diverse interests – from editorial to digital distribution and middleware – that are sick of being seen as ‘just a media company’. You can hardly blame them. To many, ‘IGN’ just means screenshot galleries and 8/10 reviews. But in fact IGN Entertainment’s offer includes a set of niche and territory-specific editorial sites plus things like Direct2Drive (digital distribution), FilePlanet (free downloads) and GameSpy (multiplayer middleware). Although grown together over time via acquisition and expansion, it’s an impressive array of services that touches most parts of the games industry, from consumer to developer. Say what you want about corporate daddy Murdoch – the evil Gepetto behind some mass-media assumptions that last week’s election would be easily won – but the NewsCorps-owned games properties are a formidable bunch. Pushing a message out to remind people of that makes sense. And it’ll be interesting to hear how the otherwise online-heavy IGN plans to make itself known at retail level. Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk
by Christopher Dring IGN HAS recruited industry stalwart Ian Chambers as its new UK MD. Chambers arrives from marketing consultancy Digital 12 as IGN plans to take its UK battleplan to the next level and
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Prior to this, he worked at Ubisoft as head of digital and relationship marketing, where he pitched the idea for the publisher’s UPlay service. In his new role Chambers has been tasked with linking IGN’s media business, digital distribution platform and
Our investment in big hitters like Ian should be a signal of our intention to challenge and develop the UK market.
wants to be seen as more than just a media company. Chambers is an expert in the digital space. Most recently he has worked as senior manager for console digital distribution in the UK – working on the launch of FIFA Ultimate Team and Battlefield 1943 at EA.
Chris Ellis, IGN
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community engagement to drive value for the UK industry. The firm wants to have a presence ‘everywhere where games are played’ in the UK, from iPhone and social networks to events and retail. “Ian has worked at the very heart of European publishing
having held senior positions at both EA and Ubisoft,” IGN’s international senior vice president Chris Ellis told MCV. “His experience in building major brands whilst mastering new routes to the consumer will help us develop our partner and consumer offerings in the coming months. “Our continued investment in big hitters like Ian should be a clear signal of our intention to continue to challenge and develop the UK market.” IGN first entered the UK market in August 2006, and boasts a dedicated editorial team for the territory. It moved into live events early this year with FirstLook, where competition winners can try games ahead of their release. IGN also owns the digital distribution platform Direct2Drive. IGN: 0203 077 4000