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MCV 06/02/09 5
NEWS
flyer in 2009 ‘We are beating Japan’ says ChartTrack
DS’S MARCH TO 9 MILLION
attributed to the cheap sales at stores such as Zavvi. He added: “We need to wait until the middle of the year and have a firm date for DSi’s launch. Then we’ll really know what sort of year we’ll have.”
GfK-ChartTrack director Dorian Bloch has revealed to MCV that the Nintendo DS is teetering on the edge of a nine-million installed base in the UK. He also says that the imminent launch of successor the DSi will give those numbers yet more of a boost. He told us: “We’re approaching nine million DS units sold in the UK. It was at 8.8 million at the end of ‘08, so should pass that number by the end of ’09. That’s a hell of a lot of DS handhelds already in the market, and there are quite a few publishers successfully exploiting those numbers, especially Ubisoft. The DSi launch will stimulate more growth.”
Activision joins the Wii family revolution Publisher unveils new Fun4All games label TV marketing push planned PUBLISHER Activision Blizzard has launched a new label of Wii family games. Kicking off next week with six Wii exclusives, the Fun4All range includes Pirates: Hunt for Blackbeard’s Booty, Monkey Mischief, Block Party, Pitfall: The Big Adventure, Little
“This is a market segment where Activision Blizzard already has significant strength, including some of the largest kids’ movie licences. However, we are committed to making this part of our portfolio even stronger in the future and the Fun4All sub-brand will
TOP 10 KILLZONE 2 LIMITED ED BOX PS3 SONY
2. KILLZONE 2 PS3 ..................................................SONY
3. SOCOM: CONFRONTATION PS3 ..................................................SONY
4. STREET FIGHTER IV PS3 ..............................................CAPCOM
5. RESIDENT EVIL 5 PS3 ..............................................CAPCOM
6. RESIDENT EVIL 5 League World Series Baseball and World Championship Sports. More titles are also set to follow, with the firm hoping to strengthen its family and kids line-up. “The Fun4All range is being launched exclusively for the Wii platform and focuses upon the social element of gaming and bringing family and friends together,” said David Tyler, Activision marketing director.
be one of the platforms we use to achieve this.” Underlining Activision Blizzard’s commitment to the new range, the firm is set to launch a dedicated marketing campaign, including TV and in-store advertising. A two-week TV campaign starts on February 13th and targets children and housewives, supported by a PR campaign focusing first on children and on parents.
‘Major milestone’ for amBX SPECIAL EFFECTS hardware firm amBX this week took a step closer to wider acceptance after signing up as a tools provider for the PlayStation 3. The agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment means that amBX – which recently spun out of Philips via VC funding – can develop its light, sound and colour tech for the PlayStation 3. Developers can also look to build amBX functions into upcoming titles for the format, setting up the chance for the technology to find a userbase beyond the PC – until now the only amBX hardware and games were available for
[PRE ORDERS]
360 ..............................................CAPCOM
7. STREET FIGHTER IV 360 ..............................................CAPCOM
8. RACE PRO 360 ..................................................ATARI
9. ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES 360 ..................................................SEGA
10. HALO WARS: LIMITED EDITION 360 ..........................................MICROSOFT Week ending January 31st Source: SHOPTO.COM
[MARKET VALUE]
£27.0m 35
30
25
20
15
PlayStation titles will benefit from amBX special effects, says marketing boss Jo Cooke
home computers. A recent free SDK has also been launched to make amBX more accessible to the industry. Last year the firm said it planned to closer align its offer with the success of brands like Guitar Hero.
“This is a major milestone in the development of amBX as a ubiquitous standard for entertainment sensory experiences,” said Jo Cooke, chief marketing officer, amBX. “The technology has already proven incredibly popular
within the PC games, music, movies and apps markets. The Tools & Middlware License agreement with SCEI will allow us to bring amazing light, rumble, sound and air movement experiences to game users.”
10
5
£29.2m
£28.9m
£27.0m
1,247,905 Units
1,353,433 Units
1,257,280 Units
Week Ending January 17th
Week Ending January 23rd
Week Ending January 30th
0
Total UK Software Sales Source: ELSPA/ChartTrack and Intent Media