MCV545 JULY 10TH 2009 by Intent Media (now Newbay Media Europe)

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THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

Issue 545 Friday July 10 2009 £3.25

17 The Disney Channel MCV speaks to head of Disney Interactive Studios Graham Hopper

WITH THIS

04 Gamerbase grows

ISSUE

Over 30 new ‘game experience zones’ to open in HMV stores this year

The essential guide to interactive entertainment agencies and service companies

08 Chart attack The Official Charts Company plans to include DLC sales in its music charts

EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY INDIE EVERY WEEK

INCORPORATING

Grainger Games goes nationwide Ambitious indie specialist kickstarts unprecendented expansion to 80 stores by snaring top Gamestation staff by Christopher Dring A NEW national games retail powerhouse is emerging to challenge the market dominance of GAME, Gamestation, HMV, CHIPS and the supermarkets. MCV can reveal that Grainger Games plans to quadruple its

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Former Gamestation regional manager Phil Moore has joined the outfit as sales director – and MCV understands that Grainger is keen to sign more top staff from the 60 employees made redundant at the GAME-owned specialist this year. Moore told MCV: “I can absolutely see a

It would be great to see our orange on the High Streets of the South. I can see a time when we’ll have 80 UK stores. Phil Moore, Grainger Games

presence in the UK to over 80 stores after snaring an experienced, crack team to mastermind its growth. The store burst will be initiated by Grainger opening its first outlets in the south of England.

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time when we have 80 stores. My long term plan is to grow Grainger Games into a nationally recognised brand that delivers real value to every customer, across every revenue channel.”

He added: “It would be great to see our orange on the High Streets of southern England, but we are not limiting ourselves to expansion in only one direction or location. There are currently a number of options on the table that Grainger Games is very excited about. “When I see how our customers interact with our proposition, and see how much value we deliver, I know that the Grainger Games brand will sit very comfortably in any UK location. As long as the right sites become available, and we remain in a strong enough position to expand into those sites, then we will do.” Grainger Games currently operates 22 stores in Scotland and the North of England.

DRIVING FORWARD: Grainger is plotting to expand into the South

CATCH US IF YOU CAN... Grainger’s growth will undoubtedly catch the attention of its rivals. But it will have to go some way to challenge the store count of the biggest entertainment retailers in the UK...

No. of stores

...............................443 ................................275 ................................253 ...................................31

ARE YOU READY FOR B&Q: THE GAME? HOME IMPROVEMENT giant B&Q wants to make its own video game, MCV understands. A reliable source close to the firm told MCV that it is on the hunt for a studio to create either an ‘instructional’ DS game or a ‘pure fun DIY title’ for Wii. “It may seem bizarre,” said a trade insider. “But when you consider how mainstream instructional games have become, suddenly B&Q’s plan doesn’t seem so wacky.”

However, an official spokesperson for the business claimed they had no knowledge of the plan.

PERSONNEL 28 RETAIL BIZ 29 NEW RELEASES 34 HIGH STREET 36 CHARTS 38

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[LEADER] MASS MARKET EFFECT Our cover this week offers yet more fascinating evidence of the increasingly wide acceptance that games are enjoying from ‘the world outside’. One small chain is looking to become a ‘super indie’, while a DIY retail giant wants to try both development and publishing. Good luck to both of ‘em. As ELSPA said in its announcement of the half-year charts this week, everyone’s interested in being a gamer these days. But in the stampede towards the mass market, the industry shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that video games have built their legacy and reputation on both inclusive experiences (ie the ones for my Wiiowning dad) and visceral, single-player entertainment (ie the ones for me). Yes, great family games – some of which, like Wii Fit and Professor Layton, stretch the definition of ‘video game’ – are raking in cash for retail. But so too are the games for more mature audiences. Resident Evil 5 is the biggest new release of 2009 so far, whilst Killzone 2 is the biggest single SKU released this year. Both are action-driven games for a specific audience (check the age rating on the box) – not ideal to crowd around and enjoy with your gran. The real measure of a grown-up industry is one that celebrates and champions its variety. And the industry needs to be prouder of the fact it doesn’t just excite one nebulous mass of people that likes Nintendo and party games, but serves a diverse set of players that want different things.

Gamerbase growth kicks off in Glasgow HMV to operate over 40 ‘games experience zones’ by 2010 HMV’s new Gamerbase zone in Glasgow (pictured) is already proving popular

LAND OF THE RISING FUN On page 14 we turn the spotlight on the rising power that Japanese publishers command in the UK. It’s turned out to be more topical than we thought given the news as we go to press that Square Enix is to merge its European operation with Eidos – despite originally saying the two would be independent. Call it what you will - a rebranding, a revamp, a closure - ultimately this spells both good and bad news. Yes, two respected publishing labels have found a way to stay strong. But the merger still puts a bunch of jobs in the US and Europe at risk. Here’s hoping those people whose roles are under threat find a new home quickly.

CHART THROB Our story that the Official Charts Company wants to start counting Guitar Hero, Rock Band and SingStar DLC towards the weekly singles chart is yet more evidence that people want a slice of the games pie. So there’s a chance that, when the brilliant The Beatles: Rock Band is released, players could net the Fab Four their 18th number one. But it’s only a slim chance. Fact is, until someone like Sony breaks the lengthy production cycle for DLC track releases and manages to get reactive content – like The X Factor winner single being released on the SingStore at the same time as it hits iTunes – this is a booming part of the industry that won’t get the kudos it deserves. Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk

by Tim Ingham HMV PLANS to launch over 30 new Gamerbase areas in its stores this year – starting with the opening of this week’s Glasgow branch. The Gamerbase ‘games experience zones’ offer multiplayer and online gaming

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founder Dominic Mulroy told MCV that he had big plans for Gamerbase’s growth. “We will be rolling out five of the larger Gamerbase centres this year, to join London, Manchester and Edinburgh,” he said. “We also plan to build smaller, scaleable Gamerbase experiences in around 30 stores

Gamerbase is a sign of HMV’s priority on providing a live experience for the consumer, akin to our live music venues. Dominic Mulroy, Gamerbase

in-store, and the initiative was voted the winner in the Retail Innovation category of this year’s MCV Awards. And after launching in Glasgow this week – the fourth major instalment in the project’s history, with others in London, Manchester and Edinburgh –

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nationwide. So by Christmas, HMV will have almost 40 Gamerbase experiences.” He added: “When we opened the first Gamerbase, we did not integrate retail at all. So when HMV acquired us, the challenge was to convert what we were doing into a retail experience.

“Since then, Gamerbase has proven to be a success in terms of the like-for-like sales of games across all platforms. Gamerbase also creates a gaming community for HMV, and we have found those gamers to be very loyal. “Gamerbase is a sign of HMV’s priority on providing a Live Experience for the consumer, akin to the MAMA live venues for music.” HMV plans to network all of the Gamerbase stores together this year, allowing gamers in one city to play against counterparts in another. “Our biggest plan is to form and launch nationwide gaming leagues of city versus city in a variety of games. HMV will be the place for gamers to represent their towns in a Premiership-style league,” added Mulroy. To read our full interview with HMV Gamerbase, turn to page 22.

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Killzone 2 stars in ‘09 sales data

THQ’s Rory Donnelly praises IDEF’s recent success and is already looking forward to the 2010 show

IDEF sets up Southern Europe for record Q4 Attendance up, mood good – but E3 date causes concern for 2010 event by Stuart Dinsey EVEN its unexpectedly close proximity to a resurgent E3 didn’t stop IDEF making more progress amongst international buyers and distributors last week. The strictly trade-only event was again dominated by French and Italians, but overall numbers were up and the market’s mood was overwhelmingly positive. Held in its popular Cannes venue, over 2,000 delegates attended – including 800 buyers. Overall, the show was up by 15 per cent. “There was a significant increase in the number of Spanish attendants this year, following 2008’s experiment,” THQ’s Southern Europe VP Rory Donnelly told MCV.

“Being able to meet over 90 per cent of our Southern European trade partners in one place in a professional atmosphere is key for us attending IDEF. “We managed to show some of our key upcoming properties, such as WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010, Drawn to Life, Up, Cars: Race-o-Rama, World of Zoo, Marvel Super Hero Squad, Darksiders and MX Vs ATV Reflex amongst others.” Few strategic changes are likely to be made to the event, with the prohibition of media and shell scheme booths remaining the order of the day in 2010, although next year’s date will take into account E3’s shift to mid-June next year. THQ: 01483 767656

SONY IS celebrating after Killzone 2 became a star performer in the GfKChartTrack/ELSPA’s official sales data for the first 26 weeks of the calendar year. In a surprise result, the PS3 FPS was confirmed as the biggest-selling single SKU released so far this year. The top four sellers were all Nintendo titles released in previous years: Wii Fit, Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii and Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Killzone 2 took fifth spot, ahead of Resident Evil 5 on Xbox 360. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training on DS came in seventh – as it surpassed the three million sales mark to become the most successful game in the UK’s history. In the All Formats chart, Wii Fit again came in at No.1 – ahead of FIFA 09, Call Of Duty: World At War, Resident Evil 5 and Wii Play. “Our PR team ensured that the title received some unprecedented coverage from both

specialist and mainstream press alike,” said Sony Computer Entertainment product manager Phil Lynch. “We had a very healthy marketing budget and our roster of communication partners came together with impassioned responses to our marketing briefs, which really hit the mark with consumers. “Of course, we wouldn’t be anywhere without the huge push from our sales team to ensure that the game had plenty of exposure at store level.” Nintendo’s Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii enjoyed 1.65 million combined sales in the period. Sony: 020 7859 5000

TOP 10 UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES PS3 SONY

2. MODERN WARFARE 2 360 ..................................ACTIVISION

3. MODERN WARFARE 2 PS3 ..................................ACTIVISION

4. GRAN TURSIMO 5 PS3 ..........................................SONY

5. HALO 3: ODST 360 ..................................MICROSOFT

6. OP. FLASHPOINT: DRAGON... 360 ..............................CODEMASTERS

7. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010 PS3........................................KONAMI

8. TEKKEN 6 PS3 ............................NAMCO BANDAI

9. WII SPORTS RESORT WII ....................................NINTENDO

10. ASSASSIN’S CREED 2 PS3 ......................................UBISOFT Week ending July 3rd Source: SHOPTO.COM

‘Toy Story 3 title will wow gamers in 2010’ WE MIGHT only be halfway through 2009, but Disney’s games boss is already naming his firm’s games as key titles for 2010. In an interview with MCV, Disney Interactive Studios head Graham Hopper says new IP Split/Second, Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned and Toy Story 3 will all be big hits next year. Toy Story 3 is the firm’s first internally produced game based on a Pixar movie after the firm snatched the rights back from THQ. “That decision was made by management at Pixar, co-

[PRE ORDERS]

founders John Lasseter and Ed Catmull,” Hopper told MCV. “Really, it was about quality – that is what Disney stands for. The game itself is really unlike any other movie licence game. It is going to be very innovative and will garner a lot of attention when it comes out.” Read the full interview with Graham Hopper on page 17

[MARKET VALUE]

£20.1m 25

£20.2m

£20.3m

£20.1m

873,096 Units

851,924 Units

836,461 Units

Week Ending June 19th

Week Ending June 26th

Week Ending July 3rd

Total UK Software Sales Source: ELSPA/ChartTrack and Intent Media

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ELSPA: The real work starts now After success with PEGI, body turns its attention to lobbying Government, on tax breaks, piracy and more by Tim Ingham ELSPA wants to take advantage of its strengthened relationship with the Government to get more important issues for the industry discussed in Parliament. After the body’s success in lobbying the Government to choose PEGI as the UK’s only age classification system, it has

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piracy and tax breaks. We still face both physical piracy and criminal piracy online – with organised groups making money from both. “Without question, we need to continue to stop both in their tracks – and show no tolerance, regardless of who it is repeatedly stealing from our members.

We need to stop both online and physical piracy in their tracks - and show no tolerance to either. Michael Rawlinson, ELSPA

now turned its attention to tax breaks, piracy and other issues – as well as ensuring the smooth transition away from a BBFC-led system. Speaking in MCV’s exclusive new ELSPA update director general Michael Rawlinson said: “The two biggest priorities for us are

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“On the tax breaks issue, we’re getting closer – as you can see from the open discussion with the DCMS that MCV reported on the other week. “We’re working with the right solution that supports British creativity and inward investment.

RAWLINSON: ELSPA boss is talking to Government about piracy

“However, achieving tax breaks is obviously going to be difficult, given the budgetary constraints that will face whichever party that makes up the next administration.” However, Microsoft’s senior regional director for northern Europe Neil Thompson said that ELSPA would also be fixated on assisting retail with the new age ratings: “We will listen to any concern retail has and collectively focus hard on ensuring we overcome those. “The feedback we’ve had is that the new system and symbols are clear and understandable and although the transition from today’s world to the new system will inevitably create some work, we are confident the intuitive nature of the new approach will help retail.” Thompson added that ELSPA could help curb unfair coverage in the national press. Turn to page 24 to read our new ELSPA Update in full

Brand new look for Develop online Leading games development industry portal reborn at www.Develop-Online.net Site sees record traffic MCV’S SISTER publication Develop has relaunched its leading online site. Develop also has a new URL, at www.develop-online.net. The sleek upgrade reinforces the site’s position as the leading news source for the global games development community, featuring breaking stories, industry comment, interviews with leading names, company spotlights and indepth profiles. The new website also brings with it a number of new features, including a customisable news feed page, an improved comment system, and a regularly updated blog written by both Develop’s on-

staff writers and its many industry contributors. News content is also now grouped into categories specific to each major games development territory and

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month rise in unique users, up to 101,490. Page views also grew during the month, up to 201,072. Develop’s online editor Rob Crossley, the former UK online

The relaunch follows record monthly figures for the site, which enjoyed 101,490 unique users in June.

subject, so readers can find news relevant to their region or interest. The relaunch follows record traffic figures for the site. In June Develop saw a month on

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editor for Edge, is the main point of contact for the new site. He can be reached via telephone at 01992 535646. The Develop site also offers an increased number of

NEW HIGHS: Develop has a revamped site after record traffic in June

advertising and sponsorship opportunities. MCV readers can discuss options by emailing

Katie.Rawlings@intentmedia.c o.uk for more details. www.develop-online.net

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HOTLIST

Exclusive TV programmes on the way to Xbox 360? Platform holder Microsoft suggests it wants to be first to show football, movies and more by Tim Ingham MICROSOFT believes that securing exclusive televised content can be the next step in Xbox 360’s growing domination of UK living rooms. The firm signed a partnership deal with Pay-TV

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Exclusive TV content would be very cool. We have nothing to announce, but we’re focused on partnerships. Chris Lewis, Microsoft

broadcaster Canal Plus in France last week – in a similar agreement to that reached with BSkyB last month in the UK. Both deals will see Xbox 360 ‘mirror’ certain broadcasts from both channels. But European Xbox boss Chris Lewis told MCV this week that the firm is keen to eventually acquire exclusive rights to a major broadcast– which could be movies, TV

Out Now

shows or football games. When asked if Xbox could ever bid for exclusive televised content, Lewis told MCV: “Now that would be very cool, wouldn’t it? We’ve shown our focus on getting people to think about Xbox 360 as a destination vehicle in

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the home. We’re fixated on it. We want to offer the kind of entertainment experiences that are both unique and exclusive. “People are very demanding in what they consume. I’ve got nothing specific to announce, but Xbox 360 increasingly will be the place consumers go to get their entertainment. He added: “Football’s something of a religion in Europe, and we’re undoubtedly

NDS, WII, PS2, PS3, X360, PC Join Ice Age’s unlikely herd of prehistoric pals for their wildest, wackiest, most exciting adventure yet! For the first time, play as six beloved Ice Age characters as they embark on a rescue mission across melting snow to the mysterious Dinosaur World - an all-new, fur-raising jungle of carnivorous plants, lush foliage and fierce dinosaurs.

LEWIS: Microsoft boss says Xbox 360 consumers want exclusive TV content

Out Now PS3, PSP, PS2, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, NDS (autobot and decepticon skus)

aware of people’s desire to access live Premiership and Champions League football – which are both available to us through our Sky deal. “Exclusivity is a part of that. There’s nothing specific we

have to say right now, but you can be sure we’re focusing on the right partnerships to give that sort of exclusivity. That’s what our consumers are going to want from us.” Microsoft: 0870 601 0100

Become the ultimate Autobot ™ or Decepticon™ in TRANSFORMERS™: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, the official game of one of 2009’s biggest blockbuster films. Unleash your power to determine the fate of Earth as the ultimate war rages across the globe. Every second counts as you experience TRANSFORMERS like never before!

UK games retail joins Twitter revolution TOP UK RETAILERS have taken to social networking service Twitter to promote their latest games offers and communicate with customers. High Street and online giants including GAME, Gamestation, HMV, Amazon and Play are already using the service, with many working the social networking website to gather feedback from its customer base. “Communication is crucial to maintaining close relationships with customers,” said GAME’s online general manager Steve Wind-Mozley. “Our aim is to ensure that we

meet our customers’ needs to the best of our abilities, regardless of channel. Clearly social media gives us a fantastic opportunity to

participate in conversations with our customers in a dynamic manner. “We can offer advice and product recommendations and receive a wealth of

feedback and opinion extremely quickly.” An Amazon spokesperson added: “We know that many of our customers like being

informed of new releases and great value offers and this is another effective way of providing that information.” Twitter, which launched in 2006, is one of the fastest

growing websites in the world. The games industry has been quick to make use of the social networking site, with developers, publishers and even the trade’s media (including MCV) making use of the service. “Twitter helps people find out what is happening right now, whether it’s among a group of friends or the whole world,” said Twitter founder and creative director Biz Stone. “As a real-time network of information, Twitter is becoming a relevant tool to more people every day.”

Out Now X360, PS3, PS2, Wii Guitar Hero’s most explosive game yet! Take to the stage as Metallica, with the band fully motion captured, and on some of their most iconic stages. With 28 of Metallica’s definitive tracks, plus 20 guest acts - and with the new ‘Expert+’ mode, that supports 2 bass pedals, you can drum like Lars or play as the full band. This May, rock with Metallica to an explosion of metal!

Activision.com

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Official Charts firm to count game music? Company in charge of UK singles chart hopes to include Guitar Hero and SingStar DLC sales in weekly lists by Michael French VIDEO GAMES could shape the outcome of this year’s UK singles Christmas No.1. The Official Charts Company has told MCV that it wants to see music games’ DLC sales counted in the muisc charts it compiles. Provided a deal is thrashed out between publishers and format holders, music downloaded to play in the likes of Rock Band, Guitar

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data in the weekly Top 40. Since then there have been numerous artists which have topped the charts based on download sales –- but now the Official Chart Company wants to make its listings more accurate by monitoring the rock and pop songs sold through video games. “We have been in discussion with record labels and the various games companies that host games which allow users to download master recording

Guitar Hero and Rock Band generate a significant volume of downloads that we would like to capture in our survey. Omar Maskatiya, Official Charts Company

Hero, SingStar and upcoming games like DJ Hero, will be combined with the current download charts. The Official Download Chart started in 2004 and from the following year included that

La Roux, Lily Allen and Leona Lewis have topped the download charts. Can games shape the list too?

”

versions of artist tracks. In theory they could be eligible to be combined with downloads of the same tracks that take place from the wide range of digital retailing services that currently make up our chart

panel,” said Omar Maskatiya, chart director at the Official Chart Company. Over 2m downloaded tracks are sold a week via iTunes and other similar services. Globally, some 40m tracks have been downloaded by Guitar Hero fans according to Activision; over 30m are thought to have been downloaded on Rock Band,

and millions more have been downloaded for the PS3 version of SingStar. Maskatiya added: “Our brief is to ensure that the charts are the most accurate barometer of the best selling tracks or singles in the UK. And the information we have to date suggests that the incredibly successful Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises can generate significant volume

of master recording downloads that we would like to capture within our weekly survey. “We are at various stages of discussion in terms of capturing these additional downloads so we are not talking about inclusion from next week, but it is certainly high on our agenda to follow through between now and the end of this year.” www.theofficialcharts.com

Hysteria builds for Oxygen Koch expands East PUBLISHER Oxygen is preparing a marketing blitz for its upcoming Hysteria Hospital, as the game continues to rise up the pre-order charts. The DS, Wii and PC title currently sits amongst the most anticipated games on Amazon, Play and GAME’s websites, and Oxygen is expecting anticipation to grow further with its PR and marketing push. The publisher has booked several competitions, online MPU and banner advertising, as well as in-store visibility, videos and e-mailers.

Hysteria Hospital is shaping up to be a smash hit on each format

“We are really pleased with how well Hysteria Hospital is pre-ordering and the support we are getting from retail,” said Oxygen CEO Jim Scott. “The title’s potential is huge and we have high expectations for its success this summer.” Hysteria Hospital is a strategy management title in which players work to become the nation’s best nurse. It is due for release on July 17th. Oxygen: 01933 442660

KOCH MEDIA is expanding into the Benelux region with a dedicated office in the territory. The HQ will be headed up by industry veteran Hans Lange, who has previously worked for the likes of Davilex, Samas and Rebo Publishers. Directly supported by Koch Media’s UK office, the Benelux sales and marketing office will look to open key accounts in the region and focus on Koch Media’s own Deep Silver publishing label. “The Koch Media Group has seen tremendous growth over

the recent years and is fully committed to expanding the Deep Silver label,” said Hans. “Establishing our own office in Benelux and interfacing with customers directly is a natural next step in the evolution of the company and the brand.” UK MD Craig McNicol added: “The Benelux market is one of strategic importance to Koch. We are focused on initially supporting our own Deep Silver products and, with Hans on board, feel we have the right man to achieve this.” www.deepsilver.com.

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Sponsored by

Tomy starts publishing in UK Mastertronic brings toy giant’s first boxed title Lovely Lisa to High Street shelves by Tim Ingham TOMY HAS published its first video game in the UK – the initial step in its quest to steal significant sales share in the DS and Wii market. Lovely Lisa, a DS mini-game collection based on the popular Japanese doll Licca-Chan, has

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commented: “We are extremely proud to be working with Tomy on this title, who, for over 80 years have delighted children and their parents around the world with their toy brands. “We are looking forward to bringing Lovely Lisa on DS to the UK market – its success

We are extremely proud to work with Tomy, who for over 80 years have delighted children around the world. Kirsty Payne, Mastertronic

been released through Mastertronic, with a price point of £19.99. MCV revealed in November last year that Tomy – which already distributes its Naruto games in Europe through Nintendo – plans to raid its 50-year IP catalogue to quickly help it dominate the familyfriendly, casual marketplace. Marketing and PR manager at Mastertronic Kirsty Payne

[IN BRIEF] WARNER: The proposed buyout of Midway has been given the green light and is expected to be closed some time next week. Warner will acquire the Mortal Kombat IP, the unreleased This Is Vegas and Midway’s sports and arcade brands. MICROSOFT: The public beta for Xbox Live’s quiz show style trivia game 1 Vs 100 begins on July 10th.

”

and popularity is on a par with the Barbie series in the United States and we are confident that the brand will be a hit in the UK.” Tomy also told MCV that it plans to bring boxed games to Xbox 360 and PS3 in the future, as well as Nintendo hardware peripherals. The company has already branched into digital downloads as well, with a WiiWare edition

SQUARE ENIX: Highly anticipated fighter Dissidia Final Fantasy will arrive on the PSP on September 4th.

of its popular children’s game, Pop-Up Pirate. The firm will rely on its own Japanese development team to remain self-sufficient and maximise profit. In 2005, Tomy merged with fellow Japanese toy firm Takara, which became known in the

mid-‘90s for porting SNK Neo Geo games such as Fatal Fury to Nintendo and Sega consoles. Takara also owns the rights to toys such as Transformers and BeyBlade – which are both distributed globally by Hasbro. Mastertronic: 0845 234 2467

Antigrav aims for new retailers SPECIALIST distributor Antigrav is targeting new and non-traditional retailers in order to drive the company’s growth. The firm’s managing director Robert Orchard told MCV that the recession has prompted it to look beyond the usual games outlets. “We have all experienced some very difficult trading conditions recently, and we have tried to be as flexible as possible,” he said. “However, the games industry as a whole seems to be doing better than other industries

and we have noticed that a lot of non-traditional retailers are looking at entering the market. We feel that these are the type of customers we will be targeting with our specialised peripherals distribution.” The distributor has also moved to strengthen its relationship with independent retailers. Heena Lakhani joined the team in April to develop Antigrav’s product channels through indies. “We see this segment as being slightly overlooked in the past and we can offer them

Antigrav’s Robert Orchard highlights retail opportunities

access to a larger product portfolio, with many items in our warehouse,” said Orchard.

The economic downturn has seen the distributor seize a variety of other opportunities as it continues to expand both its product range and portfolio of clients. Antigrav has added seven new ranges over the last year, such as Ferrari, Ben 10 and Disney-licensed products. The company now boasts 17 partners and a line-up of over 500 products. “We are continuing to grow the business and looking out for new products.” Orchard added. Antigrav: 01932 454 929

NINTENDO: Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training has surpassed sales of three million units in the UK, making it the most popular game ever. 2K GAMES: Steam users can currently pick up £140 worth of 2K Games titles for an impressive £35.99. The download pack 2K Huge includes BioShock, Civilization IV, Freedom Force and more. SEGA: Obsidian has confirmed on its official forums that the Aliens RPG it was working on had been cancelled.

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

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NEWS

Tide turns towards Brighton conference EVENT PREVIEW: Over 1,000 will flock to Develop Conference & Expo and Develop Awards next week by Michael French NEXT WEEK over 1,000 of games developers will descend on Brighton for the fourth Develop Conference. Taking place from Tuesday, July 14th to Thursday, July 16th, the event is a three-day conference which covers every discipline of games development. The first day consists of a new event: a one-day conference called Evolve dedicated to emerging areas

for games devleopment. An accompanying one-day event also looks at games education. The main conference runs on the Wednesday and Thursday. Keynote speakers include GTA creator and Realtime Worlds’ Dave Jones, and the co-founders of Media Molecule. Other key talks will be provided by the teams

at Sony and Microsoft, plus Intel, EA, Crytek, LucasArts, Channel 4, and Playfish. “This year’s programme is the strongest we’ve had to date,” Andy Lane of the conference’s organiser Tandem Events told MCV. “We’ve once again got some top class speakers from around the globe who are guaranteed to deliver

ground-breaking and insightful sessions.” One of the key networking events is the Develop Industry Excellence Awards on the Wednesday evening. Over 500 are set to attend, and tickets are now limited. For last minute seats email Jodie Holdway or call her on 01462 456780.

DEVELOP CONFERENCE When: July 14th to 16th Where: Hilton Metropole Hotel, Brighton www.develop-conference.com

DEVELOP AWARDS When: July 15th Where: Hilton Metropole Hotel, Brighton Contact: Jodie.Holdway@bhpr.co.uk, Tel: 01462 456780.

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NEWS ANALYSIS: JAPAN’S EURO INVASION TARGET EUROPE: Japanese publishers Square Enix, Namco Bandai and Tecmo Koei have made significant moves into Europe

GOING WEST Last week Tecmo Koei joined a long list of Japanese companies planning to grow their business in the West. Christopher Dring takes a closer look at how Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Capcom, Konami and so forth all plan to become Europe’s next top games publisher… JAPAN’S GAMES market is in decline. During 2008, Europe and the US enjoyed record-breaking game sales, but over the same period in Japan the market shrunk by 15.3 per cent to YEN 582.61 billion (£3.7 billion) according to Famitsu data. Hardware sales also plummeted, dropping a worrying 24 per cent, while software fell by 7.9 per cent. It’s a trend that has continued well into 2009, and has been a cause of concern for the Japanese video game superpowers, including Nintendo, Square, Namco, Sega, Capcom and Konami. “The Japanese console market is the least robust in the world today,” Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has admitted. “In the US, the home console market is very robust. If the US sold two or three times as much as Japan, it would be tolerable. Yet, I feel that something is wrong when the US is selling ten times as much as Japan on a weekly basis.” There does indeed appear to be a problem, and while the likes of Nintendo try to come up with a solution, the rest of Japan’s leading publishers have shifted their gaze towards the West. But not, as you would expect, to the US – the world’s biggest games market – but instead to Europe, the region that saw game sales grow the most during 2008. “One of the features of our industry in recent years has been the way Japanese publishers are realising the potential of the European games market,” explains SCEE vice president Jim Ryan. “A number of Japanese publishers have established separate organisations, both here in the UK and throughout Europe.”

Indeed, Europe has become a battleground for Japan’s biggest games companies. Square Enix initiated the arms race back in April by acquiring Eidos. The Final Fantasy publisher instantly secured itself some muchneeded Western IP, while boosting its European sales and marketing teams. “The Japanese market has stagnated,” Square Enix’s global president Yoichi Wada told MCV. “Other companies will not be able to find such a good arrangement. “Could Capcom now merge with Take 2? Absolutely not. It would not work and they would always be arguing. Eidos is a missed opportunity for our rivals.”

“

ROUTES TO MARKET Despite Wada’s claims, Square’s Japanese rivals have found alternative opportunities of their own. Shortly after the Eidos acquisition, Namco Bandai began the process of taking over Atari Europe’s distribution business, providing the Tekken-publisher with an established European base. Meanwhile, just last week Tecmo and Koei pulled together to launch a new European initiative, Tecmo Koei Europe. “The European games market is expanding very rapidly,” says Tecmo Koei president Kenji Matsubara. “Ten years ago the European market and Japanese market was almost equal. During that decade the European market has almost doubled, while the Japanese market has stayed the same.

“Our European business is not so big at the moment, but we see many opportunities for us to expand, and this is why we’ve launched Tecmo Koei Europe. Our goal is to establish ourselves as a major publisher in this market.” Like its contemporaries, Tecmo Koei is working on several new titles targeted at European consumers, including Warriors: Legends of Troy and Quantum Theory. Yet one of the biggest challenges for these firms is increasing sales of their established Japanese IP in the West.

In terms of games consoles, the Japanese market is the least robust market in the world today. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo Capcom is one Japanese publisher that already enjoys big sales in Europe with the likes of Street Fighter and Resident Evil. However, Monster Hunter, which was the biggest selling game in Japan last year, has so far failed to make a successful transition to the West. And so the publisher has launched a big budget marketing campaign for the latest Monster Hunter, which takes in TV advertising, a ‘Gathering Hall’ in London and a PSP bundle. Konami too, another publisher that enjoys global success with Metal Gear Solid and Pro Evo, is looking to grow its other franchises in the West by making use of European development talent.

Last year’s GTi Club+ was made in the UK, and the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is being worked on by Spanish studio MercuryStearm, marking the first time a Castlevania game has been developed outside of Japan. “Europe plays a major part for Konami,” says Europe president Kunio Neo. “Games such as PES were so strong, that Japan created versions tailored to European tastes, and we have a big say on all future titles. “Better still, we are now contributing to the development pot with a raft of great titles, and – as shown with GTi Club and New International Track and Field – we are being entrusted with the future of respected Konami titles, and charged with taking them forward.” Each of Japan’s gaming giants have a clear strategy on how to be Europe’s biggest publisher – be it via marketing, acquisitions, or developing new IP. Meanwhile, smaller Japanese firms are releasing games via the likes of Rising Star, the self-proclaimed ‘home of Japanese games,’ a slogan that could soon be applied to the whole of Europe. “These organisation have people on the ground that really understand the European consumer,” concludes Ryan. “And we are now seeing games being developed for the European palate. This is great news for platform holders, it is great news for retailers and great news for consumers as a whole.”

”

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evolve Evolve is a new one-day event which will open the Develop Conference on Tuesday 14 July, and a new track within the conference on Wednesday 15 July.

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Evolve will focus on how to develop games for new platforms including mobile, iPhone and XBLA, new technologies and new markets like social and casual gaming. It will help game developers tackle the issues arising from emerging platforms and digital marketplaces, connected gaming, usergenerated content and cross-over between games and Internet services.

A Game is a Game is a Game Dave Thomas, Denki Whose Quiz is it Anyway?: Bringing User-Generated Content to the Buzz! Franchise Dan Croucher and Caspar Field, Relentless Software 20 Great Innovations Casual, Social and Mobile Games That You Should Steal Stuart Dredge, Pocket Gamer Case Study: A Browser-Based MMORG on Every Desktop Jim McNiven, Kerb

Who’s Speaking? Resetting the Game. David Perry, Creative Director of Acclaim Games KEYNOTE

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10 Things Nobody Tells You About Digital Distribution and Self-Publishing That You Must Understand to Succeed Martyn Brown, Team 17

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Infectious: How Viral Games Capture an Audience of Millions Jeff Coghlan, Matmi

Moving Games to a New Beat: The Development of Nokia's Dance Fabulous. Mark Ollila, Director X-Media Solutions, Media and Games, Nokia

Panel: The Fight For Playtime: What Do Social Networking Sites Have To Offer The Games Industry? Tom Armitage, Schulze & Webb; Limvirak Chea, Google; Mark Ollila, Nokia; Chris Thorpe, MySpace Panel: After the iPhone Honeymoon:Where Next for Apple's Mobile? James Brooksby, doublesix; Chris Byatte, Chillingo; Paul Farley, Tag Games; Mathew Kumar, Journalist; Michael Schade, Fishlabs; Alan Yu, ngmoco

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MCV INTERVIEW GRAHAM HOPPER, EVP & GM, DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS

Disney’s determination With its family brand and popular franchises, Disney sits where gaming hits mass market acceptance. Here, games boss Graham Hopper talks to Michael French about the recession, new IP and tween consumers… At E3 many publishers were talking about tween gaming, but Disney has been in that space for a while. What are your thoughts on that sector? I’d like to think that we were part of the creation of the tween gamer space. It was completely unattended by publishers before. We got into it slowly, with a little on GBA and then on DS, and over time have put a lot of energy into developing content girls like. It’s not easy to do, for sure: it’s about thinking about what girls enjoy, what content they want, how they might play games differently, how the gameplay evolves and the difficulty grows. You have to talk to that audience – we have done a lot of focus testing. I’m glad other publishers are finally waking up to it and realising that there is a whole generation of gamers out there that will play provided we make games for them. Likewise, Disney and others are eyeing the racing game space at the moment. What’s your strategy? What we are trying to do is expand the market for racing games by bringing innovation to the category. So Split/Second has all the racing fun you’d want to have from a premier racing developer. That team, Black Rock in Brighton, UK, has really built on what they achieved with Pure, which was one of the highest rated games we’ve ever made and won lots of awards last year. A number of publishers have said that it’s too hard to launch new IP at the moment given the generational cycle and the recession... There is no doubt that a tougher economic climate makes consumers cautious. But cautiousness doesn’t mean they are not buying – they are just being more selective about what they are buying. So what’s happened is that launching something that is just a ‘good’ IP isn’t good enough. You need something that performs at every level – that’s why we are excited about Split/Second. Because whether we launched in this economy or a better

which are relatively cheap compared to a holiday or trip to a restaurant. Our games, which have wide appeal and take in both original IP and franchise properties, put us in in a good position. Does that mean you have to take a bigger gamble, spending more than you might have before on marketing to ensure games are successful? Often there is this idea that it’s all about marketing. Marketing is important, but the product has to stand up first. If it’s a great game, gamers will come to it, they will tell their friends and make it special – marketing is about communicating that to the broader audience.

HOPPER: Disney boss says the new Pirates of the Caribbean game is a key title for 2010

one, the pressure to get consumers up out of their chair and walk down to the store to pick the game up doesn’t stop. One of the big stories in the industry at the moment is how games are out-stripping other mediums. Does Disney – which has a vast number of media interests – see that ‘distraction’ happening? We definitely live in a time when there are more and more ways for people to entertain themselves, and companies in that climate have two options: you put your head in the sand and ignore it, or you embrace it. Embracing it is what we’re doing, and we’re finding that more choices isn’t leading to a decrease in the consumption of media it is leading to an increase in the amount of media consumers want. If they happen to spend their time in games, that’s

“

The Toy Story 3 game will be unlike any movie licence game that has been made before. It is very innovative and will get a lot of attention. Graham Hopper, Disney

”

great. If they watch films or TV – well, we’re there too. In the current climate consumers are happier to spend the money they have on entertainment like movies and games,

New IP aside, which are the key brand-based Disney games for you? A big one for us will be Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned. The last Pirates game was a big success, it sold 3.5m units. Armada is not tied to a movie and really opens up the world. It’s an action RPG but has broad appeal. We’ve also got Toy Story Mania coming out on Wii later this year. It’s based on a theme park ride that usually has a one-hour waiting line. We’ve taken the ride to Wii – the ride itself is a midway shooter and is interactive, so it’s a perfect fit. It also has 3D elements. We’re hearing a lot of retail excitement about that title. It’s good timing, too – Toy Story 3 is due in 2010 and the first two Toy Story movies will be re-released. And what about the Toy Story 3 game? Isn’t it the first Pixar-related game to be handled internally? Yes, Toy Story 3 will be published and developed by Disney Interactive [instead of THQ]. The decision to do that was made by management at Pixar by cofounders John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. Really, it was a decision about quality. The goal for the game itself is to produce something that is really unlike any movie licence game that has been made before. It is going to be very innovative and will garner a lot of attention when it comes out.

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© 2009 Id Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. under license. Wolfenstein™ is a trademark and ID® is a registered trademark of Id Software, Inc. in the United States and some other countries. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. ‘2’ and ‘PLAYSTATION’ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and ‘Games for Windows’ and the Windows Vista Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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TERRITORY REPORT: FRANCE

The French Evolution [THE FACTS: FRANCE] Population: 65,073,482 Capital: Paris Currency: Euro GDP: (per capita) $33,334 Language: French Distributors EMC Groupe Casino Innelec Multimedia Key Retailers GAME GameStop Fnac Carrefour Saturn Media Markt

France is one of the world’s video game superpowers, with established retail channels, huge publishers and a wealth of development talent. Christopher Dring takes a closer look at the territory…

ACCORDING to GfK, the games “The Wii is undeniably a clear leader market in France generated an in the French market,” explains impressive €3.21 billion during 2008 – Ubisoft France managing director a 20 per cent year-on-year rise. Geoffroy Sardin. It was a triumphant time all-round for “Historically, France has always been Europe’s second largest video games attracted to Japanese culture, and we market. French publishing giant Ubisoft see that in the sales charts every week. posted annual revenues of over €1 billion during the The Wii is on top in France, financial year, while in but Sony and Microsoft are October US retail giant doing well. We’ve always liked Gamestop acquired French Japanese culture. chain Micromania, taking control of 332 stores for Geoffroy Sardin, Ubisoft €480 million. It was a year of growth driven “Ubisoft France is thrilled to see that by the runaway success of Wii, with our beloved Rabbids have become such titles such as Mario Kart, Wii Fit and a huge cultural icon in France and on France’s very own Rayman topping the top of it all, they're on Wii. However, software charts. the Wii may be top in France, but Sony

“

and Microsoft are also doing well. DS is also a huge market in France.” FRENCH CONNECTION

So far in 2009 the French games sector has seen a slight slide. Compared to 2008, the first five months of the year is down 14 per cent, with sales of software falling 12 per cent. But remember that last year saw major new releases including Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and GTA IV, and the market is still well ahead of the results posted during 2007. And despite the recession, games retail remains robust, with GAME continuing to expand, hypermarkets increasing their presence and GameStop’s lucrative buyout of MicroMania.

”

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TERRITORY REPORT: FRANCE FRANCE’S TOP TEN CONSOLE GAMES 1. Wii Fit (Wii) 2. Mario Kart Wii ( Wii) 3. Resident Evil 5 (PS3) 4. Professor Layton And the Curious Village (DS) 5. Wii Play (Wii) 6. Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360) 7. Street Fighter IV (PS3) 8. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Wii) 9. Pokémon Platinum (DS) 10. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

LOUVRE ANY MOUNTAIN: French retailers seem to have fared better than their UK counterparts during the recession

“Micromania is a terrific brand,” says Micromania’s boss Pierre Cuilleret. “I am particularly pleased that the GameStop management team recognised the impassioned quality and importance of our sales advisors and senior managers. With GameStop as a partner, and with their history of seeking out new growth opportunities, I am very enthusiastic about our potential to expand a brand that has been built for over 25 years.” Managing director of GAME France Philippe Wehmeyer adds: “GAME has grown fast – tripling the number of stores and quadrupling sales in just four years. This has been driven by a combination of factors, including the increasing number of mass market customers, the consumer understanding of pre-owned, the reach of the GAME brand, and the competition against supermarkets and other specialists. “The hypermarkets are very strong in France, and there are a number of retailers selling video games. “There are similarities to other territories, and each of GAME’s specialist services is maximised to ensure we can compete hard and grow our presence in the market. Our strategy has worked well – we’ve grown from 37 stores in 2001 to 198 today.”

“

The country is filled with quality level of recognition as our Montreal developers too, from Asobo Studios to studio has achieved in Canada.” Ubisoft Montpellier, past Eden Games, Even with a slide in sales the future Darkworks and Lexis Numérique. of the French games market looks Developers responsible for titles such as strong. Developers in the region are Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, XIII, Red already working on big new titles, Steel, Test Drive Unlimited, Beyond including I Am Alive, Red Steel 2, Good and Evil and Rayman. Beyond Good and Evil 2, and Tin Tin, “The main advantages of working in while Ubisoft are publishing some of France includes access to a very good this year’s biggest new releases, educational system,” continues Sardin. including Assassin’s Creed II and “Also, France has a rich cultural Splinter Cell: Conviction. history, which helps us feed And that’s not mentioning growing our studios with very highdigital distribution outfits such as French retailers have tackled profile talent. These studios Metaboli, who recently bought up the the economic challenges well have invented Rayman, US-based Gametap. so far. There have been no worked with the greatest Midon concludes: “We still believe serious casualties. filmmakers like Peter Jackson the software market will grow over the and Steven Spielberg. next couple of years. And that’s despite Fleur Midon, IDEF “We must highlight the the economic challenges we are all strength of our French expertise in currently facing and the levelling out of “We then moved to Cannes, which is game development, reaching the same the market in general.” the town of the movie industry with Cannes Film Festival, music industry CHANNEL HOPPING with Midem as well as TV and video with MIP TV. GfK has just released data for the French games market in 2009, “The retail sector is quite robust with factoring in sales between January and May. Below are the highlights: a varied cross-section of different types Total hardware and software sales sales are down 11 per cent, while PC of retailers who have coped well with reached e914 million, a 14 per cent fall games sales have dropped 20 per the economic challenges so far with no compared to the same period in cent. Despite the fall, the software serious casualties.” 2008. market between January and May France has always been home to a well-organised retail and publishing community. As well as a wide-variety of thriving outlets, the country has housed several key trade shows, including the Cannes-based IDEF, which is continuing to grow and attracting users from throughout Europe. “France was at the origin of the trade show with MEDPI, which took place over ten years in Monaco,” says IDEF project chief Fleur Midon.

”

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

But there’s significantly more to France’s games market than a strong retail base and successful publishers.

Sales of consoles have fallen 19 per cent compared to the same period in 2008 to e318 million. Sales of games have fallen 12 per cent to e501 million compared to the same period last year. Console game

2009 is well up over 2007, where sales were at e409 million. In better news, accessories sales are up one per cent to e95 million compared to the same period in 2008.

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MCV INTERVIEW DOMINIC MULROY, FOUNDER, HMV GAMERBASE

Gamerbase touches base After picking up an MCV Award this year, HMV’s Gamerbase is going from strength to strength – playing a key role in the retailer’s healthy financials last week. As the retailer opens a new Glasgow branch, Tim Ingham interviews head of the division, Dominic Mulroy… Let’s start simple: for the uninitiated, what is Gamerbase? Gamerbase is a pay-to-play gaming venue which is built into the games department of selected HMV stores, and which offers 50 to 60 seats offering networked PC and console gaming for customers to play games across the LAN or online. Gamerbase is staffed by dedicated gaming evangelists, there to offer instruction and encouragement to gamers of all backgrounds to experience multiplayer gaming. How big can Gamerbase get for HMV – and do you have expansion plans for this year? We will be rolling out five of the larger Gamerbase centres this year, to join London, Manchester and Edinburgh – Glasgow is the latest of those. In addition, we plan to build smaller, scaleable Gamerbase experiences in around 30 stores nationwide. So by Christmas, HMV will have almost 40 Gamerbase experiences. Why did HMV buy Gamerbase and what benefit does it provide? When we opened the first Gamerbase, we did not integrate retail at all. So when HMV acquired us, the challenge was to convert what we were doing in to a retail experience. Since then, Gamerbase has proven to be a success in terms of the like-for-like sales of games across all platforms. Gamerbase also creates a gaming community for HMV, and we have found those gamers to be very loyal. Does Gamerbase have an international presence? Are you planning on giving it one? We would love to extend the promotional opportunities that Gamerbase provides to the games industry in other parts of the world, but we have no plans as yet. We have made contact with some of the best gaming venues across the world and are currently exploring opportunities.

Do you think that being the first to launch something like this will win you customer loyalty if any other retailer attempts something similar? You have to look at what it is that we are doing and ask: “Could another retailer actually replicate this?” I don’t just mean the store space required, but also the skillset needed to develop the technology behind Gamerbase. HMV hired Sujoy [Roy] and I because we have been running these type of centres for nearly ten years, and we brought that knowledge and established customer loyalty to their business. I’ve already seen other attempts over the last few years by some big names, and all of them have failed in realising the fundamental strategy of Gamerbase. Which is? Ironically its not about selling more games – at least, not in the first instance. It’s fundamentally about building a community. Gamerbase is the next generation of social clubs that were successful back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. All we’ve really done is to swap pool tables

and dart boards with PCs and consoles. The reason that it's within a games department of HMV is just convenience.

“

Gamerbase is a sign of HMV providing a live experience for the consumer. It has live venues for music, cinemas for film and Gamerbase for games. Dominic Mulroy, HMV

”

Is Gamerbase a sign of games becoming HMV’s priority? Gamerbase is a sign of HMV’s priority on providing a Live Experience for the consumer. Over the last few months HMV has outlined its strategy for the coming years: MAMA live venues for music, the Curzon cinema partnership for film and Gamerbase for games. HMV’s priority is building upon all its strengths, and games is just part of that. No-one else can reach those other audiences and connect them all up. What plans do you have for Gamerbase in the next 12 months? All of these stores will be networked so that a gamer in HMV Liverpool can play against a gamer in HMV Glasgow. Our biggest plan is to launch nationwide gaming leagues of city versus city in a variety of games. HMV will be the place for gamers to represent their towns in a Premiership-style league.

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TRADE UPDATE

A touch of classification Board member Neil Thompson, senior regional director of Xbox, discusses PEGI… As a platform holder, does having PEGI as the UK’s single classification make you more confident that less games will reach an inappropriate audience? The beauty of having one standard that has cross industry support is that it will make it easier for publishers and retailers to help educate parents on the nature of the content they are producing and selling. That encourages parents to ensure the content their children are interacting with is appropriate. As we explained many times to members of the Byron team and subsequently the Government, we need a tri-party approach to child safety, where the industry works effectively with retail and Government to educate parents on the appropriate use of interactive content. Do parents still need to be educated about consoles such as Xbox 360 being an entertainment machine for all – rather than just a kids’ toy? What can ELSPA do to help achieve this if so? The simple answer is yes. As a platform holder we take our responsibility of enabling parents to make the right decisions for their children very seriously. This is why we build technologies into the platform that allow parents to switch content on or off as well as allowing them to control the amount of time the products can be used. The key for us is to make the setting of these controls very easy and ensure we’re also playing a leading role in publicising age ratings and their importance to parents and retailers alike. Every responsible member of the

The new Governmentbacked PEGI ratings will aid both retailers and consumers, says Thompson

ELSPA NEWS TAX BREAKS: The DCMS has called on the industry to provide evidence for a culturally-based tax break for UK studios. In a letter to the Tiga and ELSPA, the DCMS asked for evidence to demonstrate how the issues currently facing developers can be resolved with financial help. UK CHART: EA’s Fight Night Round 4 has become the first ever boxing title to top the ELSPA/GfKChartTrack All Formats chart, knocking Activision’s Prototype off its perch at No.1.

video games industry needs to step up and play as active a role as we can to keep this education process front of mind. It’s ELSPA’s job to corral the industry around this agenda and ensure we’re all doing everything we can reasonably do. How do Microsoft’s developers and marketing

“

Will the new ratings act as a useful shield against the misunderstood press allegations the industry has suffered in the past? When certain elements of the media choose to take a less than balanced approach to issues that arise, a rating system in itself is unlikely to have a major impact on the headline they will lead on.

One of ELSPA’s key roles is to bring factual balance to the press – and avoid the hysterical hyperbole. Neil Thompson, Microsoft

guys feel about the changeover? Does it make their job easier? We simply view the new PEGI classification decision as a way to make it easier for us to help protect children from unsuitable content, be it online or offline. We work in an incredibly dynamic industry and having one standard across a wide range of countries will certainly help in our desire to be a responsible industry that creates content for all.

”

In the search for controversial stories it sometimes feels like balance and reason are quickly put aside. One of ELSPA’s key roles during these times is to bring balance and objective viewpoints so that over time the story becomes more of an educated debate rather than just hysterical hyperbole. Our actions as an industry are the things that will define people’s view of us and we need to continue to build on the good work to date and keep focused on enabling

parents to make the right decisions for their children. What would you say to a retailer who is uneducated in the PEGI debate – so who doesn’t read MCV! – and is concerned about the amount of work or explanation the new ratings will require? Firstly, I’d say I can’t believe you don’t read MCV… then I’d say the industry is here to help you. All the platform holders and major publishers are committed to ensure this system is effectively communicated both to retail staff and to consumers. We will listen to any concern retail has and collectively focus hard on ensuring we overcome those. From a retail perspective, the feedback we’ve had is that the new system and symbols are clear and understandable and although the transition from today’s world to the new system will inevitably create some work, we are confident the intuitive nature of the new approach will help retailers and their consumers clearly understand the content being sold.

FRONTIER: Independent game developer Frontier has become the latest company to join ELSPA. The Cambridge-based firm, with a staff of more than 200, has notched up a string of gaming hits including BAFTA-nominated Dog's Life and Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo. It also made bestsellers RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 and Thrillville. DEFEATING PIRACY: A trader from Hull has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, after being found guilty of selling counterfeit games for PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii and PC at Walton Street Market, Hull. Paul Richard Thornill, 36, was sentenced for offenses under the Trade Marks Act (1994) and the Video Recordings Act (1985), following a prosecution brought by Hull Trading Standards, local police and ELSPA. MARKET VALUE: According to MCV calculations, based on GfkChartTrack/ELSPA data, the UK market hit £20.2 million for the weekend ending June 20th. Unit sales dipped four per cent to 873,096. The result followed the previous week’s dip of nine per cent, the first weekly fall in over a month.

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MCV 03/07/09 25

TRADE UPDATE

ELSPA’s new approach Our relationship with Government has changed – along with our attitude, says the trade body’s director general Michael Rawlinson… PEGI’S ascent to becoming the sole ratings system for games was a momentous achievement for the industry – and just goes to show how we can really get the Government’s attention when we get our approach right. We’ve deliberately become more professional in terms of our dealings with Government. We’re strategically planning what we do – we don’t just bowl up to meetings, answer questions then leave. We not only had to convince Government that PEGI was the right solution for protecting children – we also took our arguments much wider, taking in the whole of Westminster, as well as the devolved parliament in Scotland and the regional assembly in Wales as well as the European parliament. Retailers, children’s charities and more were also covered. All of these groups had different needs we had to meet. ‘HOLISTIC STRATEGY’ Having gained the broad support from of all these areas, it gave Government the confidence to make the rather difficult decision in favour of PEGI. This hopefully gives our members an idea of the sophistication of our approach when lobbying on these important policy areas. Our success came about because ELSPA and the industry isn’t just shouting anymore – we’re actually delivering solutions. Turn the clock back 18 months, to professor Tanya Byron’s original report. It was inconclusive, but talked about a BBFC/PEGI combination. The Select Committee that followed recommended a BBFC solution. It wasn’t an easy situation to face. But in the subsequent months – with a holistic, measured strategy – ELSPA and the industry managed to demonstrate the strength of an enhanced PEGI solution for child protection. And we convinced the people that mattered. We need to continue this model of ELSPA leading the industry position, with involvement from people across the trade – because

FULL LIST OF MEMBERS 505 Games Activision Blizzard Avanquest Software CD Team CDV Software Capcom CentreSoft Codemasters D3Publisher of Europe Ltd Disney Interactive Studios Eidos Electronic Arts Fidelity Investment Services Focus Multimedia Ltd Fox Point Capital Management LLC Frontier Future Publishing GAME Group Gamebridge Hasbro Intent Media Intuit Limited Kingdon Capital Management Koch Media Koei Konami Lago SRL

there are still plenty of issues on the agenda. Some of these were covered in the Government’s Digital Britain report. For example, is the 2MB universal broadband target sufficient for the

“

both. Without question, we need to continue to stop both in their tracks – and show no tolerance, regardless of who it is repeatedly stealing from our members. Achieving tax breaks is obviously going to be

ELSPA and the trade will continue to address Government. There are plenty more issues on the agenda. Michael Rawlinson, ELSPA

industry? Are the proposals for ISPs becoming more involved in tackling peer-to-peer filesharing the right way forward for us – and how will they work practically? There’s also the skills agenda. We need to help the Government have a knowledge-based economy – and a highly trained workforce is paramount in that. We have the best creative games talent in the world, and we need a skilled workforce to ensure that continues. And then there’s the latest thing: The supporting evidence that’s required for culturally-based tax support for interactive software. Of those, the two biggest priorities for us are piracy and tax breaks. We still face both physical piracy and criminal piracy online – with organised groups making money from

”

difficult given the budgetary constraints facing whoever makes up the next administration.

‘WHAT’S A BRITISH GAME?’ But then there is this vast other area – where normal citizens are sharing files like they used to do with discs in the playground. Does anyone want to make those people criminals? Probably not. Then again, I’ve heard figures of internet traffic increasing six times over because of the popularity of illegitimate online activity. Nobody gets paid for that – not even the ISPs. It is clearly not right and a responsible Government should want to deal with it. If you increase the M25 by three lanes to deal with traffic, and no-one’s paying for it... you’ve got a problem that needs a solution.

On the tax breaks issue, we’re getting closer – as you can see from the open discussion with the DCMS that MCV reported on the other week. We’re working with the right solution that supports British creativity and inward investment. What makes a culturally British game? It is an important question and one which needs a definitive answer so that ELSPA’s members know exactly where they stand. As our scope increases, a wider variety of companies stand to benefit from ELSPA membership. With the success our members can demonstrate, we’re confident other businesses will see the value in being part of our organisation – and just how effective we can be at every level.

Lovells LucasArts Majesco Europe Manches Mastertronic Microsoft Midas Interactive Namco Bandai Games Europe NCSoft Europe Nintendo UK Nordic Games Publishing Oxygen Interactive PlayV Rising Star Games Roxio Incorporated Sega Europe SCEE Sony DADC Square Enix Symantec (UK) THQ International Take Two The Game Factory The Stationery Office Twentieth Century Fox Ubisoft Warner Bros Zenimax Europe /Bethesda Zushi Games

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< JOIN TODAY...

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON JOINING ELSPA GO TO

WWW.ELSPA.COM

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YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ALL INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT SERVICE COMPANIES

sourcebo Access sourcebook online at: www.intentmedia creative and promotional SErvices 3DI Tel: 0845 4582898 www.threedi.net

Indigo Pearl Tel: +44 (0)20 8964 4545 www.indigopearl.com

The Audio Guys Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1926 813546 www.theaudioguys.co.uk

AN.X Ltd. Tel: 020 7785 7156 www.anxagency.com

JR DESIGN Tel: +44 (0) 7824 506436 www.joeryandesign.co.uk

The Pixel Tel: 0800 043 1040 www.thepixel.com

Ark VFX Ltd. Tel: 0114 268 4999 www.arkvfx.net

Media Safari Tel: 01225 731 388 www.mediasafari.co.uk

Über Tel: 0114 278 7100 www.uberagency.com

Barrington Harvey Tel: +44 (0)1462 456780 www.bhpress.co.uk

More Creative Tel: 020 7561 6010 www.morecreative.co.uk

gaming accessorieS

Bastion Tel: +44 (0)20 7421 7600 www.bastion.co.uk

Multiplay Tel: +44 (0)20 7100 1337 www.multiplay.co.uk

AntiGrav Media Ltd Tel: 01932 454929 www.antigrav-media.co.uk

Gfk Chart-Track Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 20 8741 7585 www.chart-track.com

Parker Consulting Ltd Tel: 07771571639 www.parkerconsulting.biz

Hubb Accessories Tel: 01642 204343 www.playwithhubb.com

Dilute Recordings Tel: 01483 306834 www.diluterecordings.com

PMA Marketing Tel: 020 7483 0568 www.pmamarketing.com

Logic3 plc Tel: 01923 471000 www.logic3.com

Eye-D Creative Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20 7407 1440 www.eye-dcreative.co.uk

RAINBOW PRODUCTIONS Tel: +44 (0)20 8254 5300 www.rainbowproductions.co.uk

Pebble Entertainment GmbH Tel: +49 (231) – 477 927 0 www.pebble-entertainment.com/en

FEREF Tel: +44 (0)207 292 6330 www.feref.com

RealtimeUK Tel: 01772 682 363 www.realtimeuk.com

Pinpoint Consumer Elec. Tel: +44 (0) 1606 558 428 www.pinpointce.co.uk

FINK Creative Ltd Tel: 01480 302350 www.finkcreative.com

Richard Jacques Studios Tel: 07831 756977 www.richardjacques.com

international distribution

Fluid Tel: +44 (0)121 212 0121 www.fluidesign.co.uk

Shorewood.Blueprint Tel: 020 7183 9666 www.shorewood-blueprint.com

ComputerLand doo Tel: +381 11 309 95 95 www.computerland.rs

Freeform.London Tel: 020 7183 6664 www.freeformlondon.co.uk

Side Tel: +44 (0) 207 631 4800 www.side.com

CURVEBALL LEISURE Tel: 01792 652521 www.thegamecollection.net

Frontroom Tel: 020 7384 5400 www.frontroom.com

SKYSKRAPER® Tel: +44 (0)20 7252 3288 www.skyskraper.net

Funtastic Tel: +61 3 9419 5444 www.funtastic.com.au

Game Frontier Ltd Tel: 0870 420 2424 www.gamefrontier.com

Studio CO2 Tel: +44 (0) 1483 414 415 www.studioco2.com

GameStreamer, Inc. Tel: 001-813-527-0383 www.gamestreamer.net

TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE PLEASE CONTACT: ROB.BAKER

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In association with

.co.uk/sourcebook LOCALISTATION QA AND TESTING 4-Real Intermedia GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 69809088 - 0 www.4-real.com Absolute Quality Tel: +44 (0)141 220 5600 www.absolutequality.com ANAKAN GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 30531420450 www.anakan.de Babel Tel: 01273 764100 www.babelmedia.com Cenega Poland Sp.Zo.o Tel: +48 22 574 2578 www.cenega.com Enzyme Labs Tel: +1 (450) 229-9999 ext.312 www.enzyme.org

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Tel: +44 1 480 210 621 www.usspeaking.com

software development ChaYoWo Games Tel: +1 917.650.0010 www.chayowogames.com Crytek UK Tel: +44 115 949 0808 www.crytek.com Data Design International Tel: +44 0 1384 44 79 00 www.datadesign.uk.com xaitment GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 6897-600 80-0 www.xaitment.com

uk distribution and logistics Discstribution Tel: + 44 (0) 845 4308735 www.discstribution.com

Orange Studio Tel: +39 051 588 04 50 www.orangestudio.it

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Meroncourt Europe Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1462 680060 www.trade.meroncourt.co.uk

Testronic Laboratories Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1753 653722 www.testroniclabs.com

Game Options Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1382 731909 www.gameops.co.uk

Trilogy Logistics Ltd Tel: 0845 456 6400 www.trilogy-uk.com

Universaly Speaking Tel: +44 1 480 210621 www.usspeaking.com

Specialmove Consultancy Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 141 585 6491 www.specialmove.com

U-TRAX Tel: +31 30 293 2098 www.utrax.com

legal services Harbottle & Lewis Tel: +44 (0)207 667 5000 www.harbottle.com

manufacturing services Arvato digital services Tel: 0121 502 7800 www.arvatodigitalservices.com

Marriott Harrison Tel: +44 (0)20 7209 2000 www.marriottharrison.co.uk

@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK OR 01992 535647

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