MCV 926 September 29th 2017

MCV 926 THE PC GAMING ISSUE

BRINGING TOGETHER THE ELITE OF THE INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY INNOVATION, TRANSFORMATION & EVOLUTION 31st October – 1st November 2017 Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS

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IFC Say hello to some of our 2017 speakers Through a series of panels, roundtables and keynote discussions, Future Games Summit will bring together leading industry experts to help shape and define the future of this vibrant industry.

Adam Simmons, VP content and marketing, DingIt.tv

Benjamin Royce, senior recruiter, Ubisoft

Chris Bain, marketing director – central and eastern Europe, Xbox

Claire Sharkey, brands and community manager, Dingit.tv

Alex Moyet, marketing director, Curve Digital

Daniel Da Rocha, managing director, Toxic Games

Damian Burns, director of gaming EMEA, Facebook

Phil Mansell, chief operating officer, Jagex

Russell Brower, senior director of audio and composer Blizzard Entertainment

Lizzie Wilding, vice president – publishing, Dovetail

James Brooksby, chief executive, Edge Case Games

Lucas Liaskos brand community manager, 505 Games

James Griffiths, narrative director, Cavalier Game Studios

Marina Mello, commercial director, Bossa Studios

Rhianna Pratchett, award-winning scriptwriter and story designer

Mitu Khandaker, chief creative officer, Spirit AI

Ian Livingstone CBE, chairman, Sumo-Digital

Nikki Lannen, founder and chief executive, Warducks

For the full speaker line-up, please visit our website: www.futuregamessummit.com www.futuregamessummit.com @FutureGamesSMT #futuregamessummit

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www.instagram.com/futuregamessummit

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The PC gaming 29/09/17 issue

18

Desktop 2.0

We talk to hardware manufacturers Intel, Nvidia and Dell about the future of PC gaming

Features

Xbox: Making it all one

12

Xbox’s Harvey Eagle and Albert Penello talk about bringing the One X to market

FFXV: Window of opportunity

22

We talk to Square Enix’s Hajime Tabata about FFXV’s upcoming Windows Edition

Wargaming: Tanks a lot

26

“If a man sticks with our game for ten weeks, then he stays forever,” says CEO Victor Kislyi

Page 5 The Editor • Page 6 On the Radar – the next two weeks • Page 8 Opinions from the industry • Page 40 Sales analysis • Page 42 Big releases • Page 48 End Game – community and events September 29 MCV 926 | 03

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“The Bazalgette report has been launched onto the choppiest of seas.”

TheEditor Getting the best from Bazalgette Cast your mind back to the halcyon days of 2015 – that’s before Trump and before the Brexit referendum. That year, David Cameron won what now looks like a very convincing victory. Promised in his 2015 manifesto was an increase in free childcare hours – a pledge that I was in line to benefit from. Not that I voted for the Conservatives, and frankly in my home town of Lewisham there would have been little point anyway. The only political division in my part of London is whether you’re old Labour, new Labour, or Corbyn’s Labour.

Over two years later, the government (having been a tad busy shooting itself in the foot more times than I can recall) has finally implemented the additional free hours, so I’m off to pre-order a shiny new Xbox One X (see page 12).

Or rather I’m not, because the funding gap in implementing the policy is so huge that our modest nursery has had to hike prices up on everything in order to make ends meet. And our potential windfall has been whittled away to almost nothing.

It’s with this in mind that I greeted last week’s Bazalgette report with a certain hesitancy.

On the surface, it looks like the breakthrough the UK games industry has long awaited, with a proposed £23.7m of funding for smaller studios. Although, finally seeing games take their rightful place as a recognised cultural power in this country could prove far more telling in the long-term. If Brexit does have a silver-lining for the industry, then this is surely it.

However, to actually benefit from this newfound recognition, let alone that specific funding recommendation, the report must navigate numerous political pitfalls – and come through unscathed and fully-funded – something that has largely failed to happen with increased childcare. With a government that only operates in coalition and the pressures of Brexit building – both political and financial – the Bazalgette report has been launched onto the choppiest of seas.

Thankfully, we have some great individuals and organisations to help pilot the report to a safe port and unload our due rewards. You can read the opinions of two of them starting on page 10. I’m off to pick up the boy before I stung with any extra fees.

TheTeam

Seth Barton sbarton@nbmedia.com

Katharine Byrne News Editor

kbyrne@nbmedia.com

Marie Dealessandri Senior Staff Writer

mdealessandri@nbmedia.com

Sam Richwood Designer

srichwood@nbmedia.com

James Marinos Production Executive jmarinos@nbmedia.com

Sophia Jaques Games Sales Manager sjaques@nbmedia.com

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ontheradar

PLAY Expo Manchester October 14th-15th, Manchester

The biggest gaming show in the north of England returns for its sixth edition at Manchester’s Event City on October 14th. Play Expo Manchester attracted over 25,000 visitors last year, but 2017’s show is set to be even bigger, with almost 500 consoles, computers, handhelds and PCs running classic retro titles. There will also be a panel featuring members of the original development team for Goldeneye on the N64, and a Q&A panel with former members of Wipeout developer Psygnosis. Tickets and industry passes are available now.

PlayersXpo

October 28th-29th, Dublin

VR Awards 2017 October 9th, London

The inaugural VR Awards 2017 takes place in central London in just over a week’s time. Hosted by virtual reality comparison site VR Bound and presented by AMD, the ceremony will be celebrating outstanding achievement in the VR industry over the last year, with 12 awards to be handed out on the night.

PlayersXpo will take place at the Convention Centre Dublin at the end of October, and it promises to be the biggest show of its kind the country has ever seen.

20,000 visitors are expected across the weekend, filling 4,500 square metres of exhibition space as well as a 2,000-seat auditorium. Attendees will also be able to challenge YouTube celebrities and try plenty of unreleased console titles.

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Forza Motorsport 7 drives onto Xbox One October 6th

The next entry in Turn 10’s racing series rolls onto shelves next week, but gamers will have to wait until the Xbox One X launches on November 7th before they’ll be able to take advantage of its 4K HDR support.

Shadow of War storms retail October 10th

MCM London Comic Con October 27th-29th

The MCM London Comic Con returns to the London ExCeL on October 27th for a three-day pop culture extravaganza featuring everything from comics, movies, games and sci-fi to cosplay, anime and online video. Nintendo, PlayStation, Bandai Namco, Rising Star Games and Koch Media are just some of the exhibitors at this year’s show.

Warner Bros’ epic new action RPG launches in just over a week’s time. The publisher told MCV earlier this month it’s pulling out all the stops for this Q4 flagship title. It’s set to get even better, too, with PS4 Pro and Xbox One X support.

Ukie Student Conference: North October 25th, Stoke-on-Trent

Ukie’s fourth annual Student Conference: North will arrive at Staffordshire University in just under a month’s time on Wednesday October 25th. Over 200 Ukie student members are set to attend for a day of talks and exclusive workshops from UK industry insiders.

These will cover all areas of the sector, including creative game design, emerging business models, PR strategy, and building a successful career. Contact megan@ukie.org.uk if you’d like to get involved or submit a talk.

SPONSORED BY

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

PRE ORDER TOP 5 TW

TITLE

Publisher

01 02 03 04 05

Nintendo Classic Mini: SNES FIFA 18 (PS4) Super Mario Odyssey (NS) Call of Duty: WWII (PS4) South Park The Fractured But Whole (PS4)

Nintendo EA Nintendo Activision Ubisoft

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guestopinion

Jonathan Easton - Editor, PCR

O

A more competitive retail

been captured by staff who had used the peripherals and ver the past year or so, the effect that esports components being sold. The display was definitely on a has had on the PC retail channel in the UK is much smaller scale than what GAME had going on, but nothing short of remarkable. Beyond simple sales, esports has more or less changed the both are using the lure of esports either as a means of entirety of gaming retail from the ground up, from attracting new customers or engaging further with those approach to execution. it already has.

Take GAME, for example. The High Street retailer’s Outside of those established High Street names, foray into esports has been well-documented with its esports is playing a huge role for system builders in Belong gaming arenas in a variety of its stores (each particular. Overclockers, for instance, sells systems that having its own clan name and insignia), but that effort has are specifically branded for a particular game, and in also translated to its in-store setups as well. most cases these are competitive titles such as Overwatch, I was recently in a GAME CS:GO and Rocket League. in Kingston and, aside from But further up the Retailers are using the lure of the large chunk of the store foodchain, distributors dedicated to the arena, I was are also catering to the esports either as a means of surprised to find that a lot of growing demands of their attracting new customers or its floor space – I’d go as far retail partners’ customers. as to say almost half – was I remember speaking with engaging further with those it dedicated to PC gaming.

VIP’s MD Rich Marsden Everything from fullyand Target Components’ already has. fledged systems to mice and marketing executive Scott keyboards and everything in between was taking up space Frankling on separate occasions about how esports is that had previously been dedicated to boxed console a big driver in the UK retail channel, and will be for a games. And there wasn’t a lack of people interested. long time.

It was probably the busiest and most populated I’d As we’ve seen from the number of blue chip firms seen a GAME since the heyday of the Xbox 360 and wanting to get involved in the space – the $525m PlayStation 3. acquisition of Corsair by a private equity firm still fresh But it’s not just the traditional gaming retail world in the memory – there is plenty of money and long-term that’s benefitting from the surge of interest in esports. viability in esports.

Other more general tech retailers are also seizing the The UK may be a bit behind some of our European neighbours, such as Germany, but there is huge room for opportunity. On another recent visit to my local Maplin, growth, particularly for retailers.

I saw a screen playing footage from Overwatch that had

Jonathan Easton is the editor of PCR, the UK’s leading monthly magazine for the tech channel. His passions in tech include gaming, audio and virtual reality. He is currently hooked on Everybody’s Golf 08 | MCV 926 September 29

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guestopinion

Adam Simmons - VP, Content and Marketing, Level Up Media

Managing risks and rewards of UGC

A

Some influencers with huge numbers of visits use clickbait uthenticity has become a highly desirable techniques or deliberately create controversies and feature of brands’ marketing to millennials and hostilities that drive traffic. Get a good understanding for Generation Z, and influencer marketing and the level, quality and frequency of engagement. user-generated content (UGC) are increasingly Likewise, pick trusted partners. Programmatic vital bowstrings in the quest to achieve it. advertisers don’t have direct control of the content they The gaming world offers an interesting microcosm. appear alongside. They need to know their agency partners Streamers and video producers have become hugely are spending their ad budget judiciously and appropriately. important partners for publishers and brands looking They must also understand content platforms’ ways of to reach large, engaged, often affluent audiences. Take Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds. Still in Early Access, it’s hit working. Level Up Media’s sites, DingIt.TV and TheGamer.

TV, employ human moderators who ensure brand safety. the very top of the Steam charts with over 1.5m concurrent Others use algorithmic moderation. Many take a Wild West players. The rise has been meteoric, and – best of all – it approach. Think about what you’re happy for your brand to feels organic. Sure, Bluehole will have made sure important be shown next to. creators had access to the game The best user-generated content is Finally, know your early on, but beyond that the boundaries. Content that’s best thing it’s done is ensure the effective because it’s human. broadcast live will never be game plays well. without an element of risk; whether it’s on the BBC or a On the other hand, influential content creators can be streaming platform. If swearing or anger are malware to liable to faux pas, particularly when livestreaming. This can be a brand safety danger across the board – to their your brand, it might be best to steer clear. If authenticity is your USP, they might be tolerated. sponsors, to the publishers of the games they play and The relentless evolution of technology will shift the to the brands whose adverts are shown alongside their ways brands interact with UGC. The algorithms used in content. So how can brands reduce the risks of UGC programmatic advertising and content moderation will without watering down the rewards? continue to improve. But could this cause aversion amongst Firstly, watch and learn. There’s really no substitute for knowing your influencers. Are they liable to get angry audiences who are voracious in their demands for more and more authentic content? Could unsafe content that under pressure? Do they switch between different types of does slip through the net cause greater brand damage in game or create ‘IRL’ content as well as gaming? What are future than it does now? their plans to grow their brand? All of this is need-to-know I’d argue that the best UGC is so tantalisingly effective information for publishers and advertisers. because it’s human. It therefore cannot be fully understood, Secondly, crunch the numbers. Don’t assume that the biggest numbers are the best fit for your brand or game. leveraged or de-risked with a tech-only strategy.

Adam Simmons is VP of content and marketing at Level Up Media and a gaming and esports enthusiast. Before joining Level Up Media, he was both a GB Paralympic athlete and a professional esports commentator September 29 MCV 926 | 09

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guestopinion

Dr Jo Twist OBE - CEO, Ukie

T

Funding the future

This kind of local focus empowers clusters to attract he government’s plan for a new Industrial Strategy international PR, finance and enables them to build came with a promise to deliver early “sector skills – and it could go further. The Review’s strong deals” to supercharge a modern, inclusive digital recommendation for a £500m fund for “key creative clusters” economy. The creative industries (and games) were is a sign that digital creative industries are harmonised. identified as key in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper.

Secondly, the Review made important links between the Since January, we’ve been gestating. The Ukie team has games industry and “immersive technologies”. Games are at been working hard directly with Parliamentarians and the cutting edge of AI, VR, AR, but we need the investment through multiple working groups as part of the Creative in skills that our sector requires and craves more of to make Industries Council, the Creative Industries Federation, the British Screen Advisory Council and more to feed priorities the most of these opportunities. The announcement of £39m through the Arts and Humanities Research Council into what a “sector deal” that will deliver a bundle of joy for is welcomed, and we believe games can play a key role. games looks like.

Finally, Ukie and others have consistently called for more The government simultaneously commissioned Sir Peter funding for games, most Bazalgette to do an independent There may be birthing pains, but recently in our Manifesto review of the creative industries.

We made sure he was fully unlocking growth in the we continue to push for progress. for across the opportunities offered games industry. We know by and for the sector. The review was published last week funding routes that lower the risk for creatives to take a and games were all over it. I was at the launch and it was chance on an idea and giving investors confidence is a fantastic to see the recognition of our value and what we missing link in our sector. This is how innovation, creativity, need coming from such a creative industries legend. portfolios, experience and knowledge, is nurtured.

His recommendations were issues we’ve been pushing for When government asked what the “opportunities of some time, notably via our 2015 Blueprint for Growth.

Brexit” were, the industry firmly answered via our State Firstly, building on the local cluster work kicked off with of Play report: reform inequitable cultural support and Nesta in 2014 – which now lives as the UK Games Map – funding. Independent endorsement of the need for more we highlighted early success stories showing how small proportionate support for games via an ambitious extension amounts of investment can deliver huge returns, such as to the UK Games Fund – beyond prototypes – is a step closer.

Games London, funded by the Greater London Authority.

We’re delighted to see other recommendations around Other examples included the work we did with the local esports, skills, trade, all of which provide the foundations industry and the Coventry and Warwickshire Local for all creative digital industries to deliver growth and jobs Enterprise Partnership, which has resulted in a funded local for the UK and the creators driving it. There may be some support programme. birthing pains, but we continue to push for progress.

Dr Jo Twist is CEO of Ukie, the trade body for UK games and interactive entertainment, making the UK the best place in the world to make games.

She is also deputy chair of the British Screen Advisory Council, London Tech ambassador and BAFTA Games Committee member 10 | MCV 926 September 29

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guestopinion

Dr Richard Wilson - CEO, TIGA

Bazalgette’s boost for UK industry

L

ast Friday saw the publication of Sir Peter reality to ensure the UK takes a global leadership role Bazalgette’s independent review of the creative in developing commercial, cultural and production industries. Encouragingly, Sir Peter’s review applications for these technologies. This is good news for recognizes the value, importance and potential of UK studios that have embraced immersive technologies. the UK games industry and proposes a range of measures Sir Peter’s recommendations, if enacted, would give a to grow the sector further. major boost to the UK games industry. Yet the Government Access to capital is one of the key factors holding back should also consider four further points. our sector. Sir Peter proposes that the Government should Firstly, strong institutions can potentially help to propel address this problem by investing £23.7 million over economic sectors forward. That is why TIGA has supported five years in our industry via the UK Games Fund and the proposal for a British Games Institute. Sir Peter appears Transfuser graduate development programme. This to recognise the validity of this argument, noting in his will help many developers to access capital and prepare review that “in the longer terms, Government should take graduates for the challenges of running a studio. a more strategic approach to fostering growth in the games Additionally, Sir Peter industry and highlighting its Sir Peter’s review recognizes the cultural impacts.” recommends that the British Business Bank and Innovate Secondly, the UK games value of the UK games industry. industry UK should invest more in the depends on a highly creative industries, including the video games sector. He skilled workforce to succeed. The industry primarily also sensibly calls on the Government to encourage the recruits UK educated graduates, but around 15 per cent of take-up of R&D tax credits by creative businesses and to our workforce come from other EU states. Our industry examine the definition of what constitutes R&D activity in needs to be able to recruit highly skilled people from the creative industries. overseas after Brexit.

Sir Peter advocates a £500m creative clusters fund to Thirdly, Government should consider establishing our maximize regional growth. This fund would support proposal for a Games Investment Fund (GIF). This would activities including the provision of creative workplaces, provide grants and pound-for-pound matched funding for knowledge exchange, export and investment promotion, developers. The GIF could be managed by the UK Games business mentoring and skills support. Our industry is well Talent and Finance Community Interest Company, or by placed to support regional creative clusters: 80 per cent of the proposed British Games Institute. Fourthly, Video the UK video games industry is based outside of London.

Games Tax Relief has had a dramatic impact on growth and The UK has a chance to be lead the field in AR and VR. should be retained and potentially enhanced.

Sir Peter explicitly calls for investment for cutting-edge, These four proposals, combined with Sir Peter’s review, business-led research and innovation projects in immersive will support, sustain and strengthen our industry.

Dr Richard Wilson is CEO of TIGA, the award-winning trade association representing the UK video games industry. At TIGA, Richard has successfully campaigned for the introduction of Video Games Tax Relief and introduced an accreditation system for university games courses September 29 MCV 926 | 11

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6TFLOPS 30x24x6cm

7 billion transistors 2.3GHz CPU

1TB HDD

4K

HDR 12GB GDDR5

130+ 1172MHz TITLES GPU HDMI 4K DOLBY 2.1 DVR ATMOS

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384-bit Memory Bus

Making it all One

The Xbox One X has an incredible technical specification of dizzying speed and complexity. Seth Barton talks to the Xbox executives tasked with turning all that potential into a sales smash hit

X

box hasn’t had the easiest ride this generation, with physical PS4 titles outselling Xbox One versions by a healthy margin in the UK – and that’s in a region which the Xbox 360 excelled in.

The Xbox platform is still performing strongly – far better than rumoured hardware figures might suggest – but it’s long felt like it’s been fighting back from a slow start, one that was in part due to the PS4’s technical edge.

The Xbox One X looks to turn around that deficit quite decisively. With a specification that is truly awe-inspiring, alongside a large number of ‘enhanced’ titles for the new console.

That’s just the beginning, though, as those impressive numbers must now be transformed first into impressive sales figures and then into increased market share.

It’s off to a great start, too, with the limited edition Project Scorpio version racking up the best initial preorders of any Xbox console to date.

With pre-orders of the standard One X now open, we talk to both Albert Penello, who leads marketing for Xbox consoles globally, and Harvey Eagle, the Xbox category director for UK and Ireland, about the potential of the new console to take back the initiative.

creating the world’s most powerful console,” he states. “We believe power is a means to make games look and play best on Xbox One X.” But is more power what UK gamers necessarily want or need? “The early indications we’re seeing with pre-orders are that so far that seems to be resonating very well, not just in the UK and Ireland, but all around the world,” Eagle replies. Of course, there’s no denying that the Xbox One X is the most powerful console ever made, but coming a year after the PS4 Pro, we wonder if Microsoft is worried that it’s going to be seen as a bit late to the party with its new hardware.

For his part, Penello is full of admiration for the PS4 Pro: “I give them a lot of credit for what they did there,” he says. “But for me, the most interesting observation is that we both arrived at a similar idea even if the execution is slightly different.

“This business tends to diverge and converge in interesting ways, and obviously we don’t know what they’re doing. We don’t have insight into what their plans are, so when they announced the Pro, I was as surprised as anybody else was,” he admits.

“They had a different idea in mind for what they wanted to build, so in retrospect it may seem like we were reacting to what they were doing. But people in the business know that this has been in the works for years, and we have to lock the specs years in advance.”

“With Xbox One X, we started out with the goal of creating the world’s most powerful console.”

THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE XBOX We first ask Eagle what the thinking was behind the new device: “With Xbox One X, we started out with the goal of

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Those specifications are built entirely around bringing 4K gaming into living rooms, with Microsoft claiming that its ‘True 4K’ console is a notably superior visual experience to the PS4 Pro’s ‘Dynamic 4K’. While both consoles are capable of the full, native 3,840x2,160 resolution, it’s Microsoft’s console that looks betterequipped to achieve that standard consistently on the biggest releases.

“We saw the 4K shift coming,” says Penello. “We don’t jump on every technology that comes along, we pretty much skipped 3D if you remember in the 360 era, so we really believe in 4K. We were convinced and we wanted to create a box that was the showcase device for 4K televisions. That was our design.”

Pictured above, from top to bottom: Xbox’s Harvey Eagle and Albert Penello

SELLING THE X-FACTOR That sort of uncompromising design doesn’t come cheap, though. At £450, the Xbox One X is priced exactly the same as the original, Kinect-laden, Xbox One. We ask Eagle if the high price is a concern, especially given the current economic outlook.

Eagle reiterates the box’s specification first, which is truly impressive, adding: “At the end of the day, it’s the gamers who are going to vote with their feet. If pre-orders are an early indication, then yes, we feel like we’ve got the price-value equation in a good place – but ultimately it will be the gamers who will be the judge of that.”

With 4K at the core of what the One X wants to achieve, it’s somewhat reliant on the uptake of 4K TVs. The same could have been said of the PS4 Pro, of course, although Microsoft benefits from another year of 4K TV sales over its rival.

“It’s been an interesting marketing challenge,” Penello tells us. “We have momentum on our side, which helps.

The majority of TVs sold this year will be 4K TVs, there are all kind of analysts reports, and within the next few years everything will be 4K. So it’s coming, in terms of retail of displays.”

In fact, the TV manufacturers are very keen on Xbox One X, he continues: “There’s a mutual benefit. They need the content to drive uptake, so they are asking us how to [demo] Xbox One X on their TVs as they want to sell those TVs.” We ask Eagle how marketing the Xbox One X differs from say, the original Xbox One, or even the One S. “The challenge with any new product launch is that you need to articulate what make this product great, and why should people care,” he answers.

“With Xbox One, we have a product that delivers industry-leading power. That means games will play and look better on Xbox One X. Our job is to help people understand that Xbox One X is the most innovative, the

best engineered, the most beautifully designed console that we’ve ever created, and that games are going to look and play better on Xbox One X – that’s how you drive demand,” he states categorically.

Penello sees it as a fresh concept, but one that has many benefits.

“We’ve tried a lot of new things because it is a new idea in the video games space, in that it shares some elements of a next gen and some elements of a midgeneration upgrade, so it’s been interesting to watch the different consumer behaviours and retail behaviours. I think we’re building up a lot of the excitement of a new console launch, but we don’t deal with the challenges from a developer standpoint, from a retail standpoint, from a compatibility standpoint, so that was all by design of how we conceived the program.”

GENERATION X With the One X, the Xbox brand is offering a true ‘family’ of products for the first time. We ask Eagle how Microsoft is approaching this new situation and communicating it to retailers and customers.

“They cater for different customer needs, so Xbox One S represents better value in gaming and 4K entertainment. It’s got a built-in 4K Blu-ray player and offers HDR gaming – we think that’s an appealing option for family gamers who want 4K entertainment in the living room. It’s also a great entry level console for first time gamers.

“Xbox One X is really all about native 4K gaming for players who want the very best gaming experience, and, yes, of course, it has the built-in 4K Blu-ray too.

What’s also important is that all your Xbox One games, accessories, your Xbox Live account, work across both those devices. So you can decide when the right time is for you to upgrade.”

That’s an intriguing angle. Today, the direct upgrade for Xbox One owners will be tempting, when they may have been considering a possible move to PS4 Pro or even PC. It also gives buyers of the One S a roadmap for the future. Can it boost the brand as a whole, though?

“You’ll see that most of our marketing investment will focus on Xbox One X. The benefit, though, is that when you successfully create a desire around a premium offering, that creates a positive brand impact across all products in the range,” argues Eagle.

“I certainly hope so,” adds Penello. “I think that with the invigoration around Xbox that One X has been bringing this year, it will be interesting to see. We’re doubling down on One S, every game you see [at the preview event we’re attending] is on Xbox One S too.

We’re doing great new cool bundles, we’re putting a lot effort behind the S.”

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That effort is most clearly seen in the new Xbox One S Minecraft Limited Edition Bundle, which is undoubtedly the best-designed special edition console we’ve seen in a long time. We ask Eagle how it came about: “Minecraft is such a great community and they give us constant feedback on what they want to see from us, one of those requests was for a custom-designed Minecraft console, and they want that to be quintessentially Minecraft, so we’ve gone ahead and created it. We think it’s one of the best-looking consoles we’ve ever created. It’s got some fabulous touches that fans will appreciate such as redstone circuits on the back that light up, Minecraft system sounds and an iconic green Minecraft controller.”

The console is exclusive to Sainsbury’s and its Argos subsidiary, plus online directly from Microsoft. “I think this console will be very, very popular through the holiday period for Minecraft fans who are looking for that extra special touch. I think this console will appeal strongly to them,” Eagle adds.

STOCK IMAGE The One X itself is being sold more widely, of course, so we wonder how the stock will be targeted across the various channels, and if specialists and supermarkets will be treated differently?

“We will have different audiences for each of those consoles as I’ve just described,” says Eagle. “We want

retailers to stock both and we think there’s room for both on their shelves.

“The way we look at it is the Xbox One X is the premium console in the family of Xbox One consoles and we’re going to position it as such. It’s for the gamers who want to have the very best console on the market.

Ultimately, it’s about providing choice for gamers with both One S and One X, and that’s why we hope retailers will stock both products. And we expect them to do that.”

That begs the question of whether there will there be enough stock to go around. We ask if there will be stock on shelves to buy on Day One, but Eagle won’t be drawn to make any promises at this stage. Instead, he only comments upon the high demand to date.

“At Gamescom, we turned on pre-orders immediately at the close of our briefing, with the Xbox One X Project Scorpio edition. In a matter of days, that sold out in the UK and Ireland. It became our fastest-selling Xbox pre-order console ever, faster than Xbox 360, faster than Xbox One, faster than Xbox One S. We know gamers are excited to get their hands on one.”

Pictured above: Xbox One X’s Project Scorpio edition had the best initial preorders of any Xbox console to date

“Ultimately, it’s about providing choice for gamers with both One S and One X, and we hope retailers will stock both products.”

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Pictured above: The custom-designed Minecraft edition of the Xbox One S

From a technical standpoint, Penello believes there are upsides in the supply chain: “What’s interesting about this situation is that it is unique. It’s not a full console launch. It does share a lot of components with Xbox One S, and that helps a lot, as from a system level you’re not redesigning your Wi-Fi model, we’re using a similar power supply, and the compatibility has driven consistency.”

New consoles can often be limited in supply because of manufacturing yields on their core hardware, so might the new super-powerful chip in the One X be a limiting factor? Penello answers: “Yield is an issue as we’re pushing the envelope when it comes to clock speed and computing units on the chip. It’s better than a typical new console launch, though.”

On global stock levels, he says: “I think we’ll have not enough for the demand, but I don’t think we’ll be in a super limited [situation]. I’m very hopeful we’re not in a drought situation.”

Eagle adds: “It’s a long game. You have to think about not just what can you pre-order, what you can do in Week One, but how you sustain demand over a period of time and try and match the supply plan as carefully as you can to that demand.”

Of course, once initial stock is sold to early adopters, it will be essential that Microsoft explains the benefits of the new console over both its sibling and its rivals.

And when it comes to 4K, seeing really is believing, as Eagle tells us: “Yes, getting hands-on time with the X is definitely the best way gamers can experience the true power and benefits of the console. That’s why we’ve had a big presence at the consumer events so far, such as E3, Gamescom and EGX. I think the next phase for us now is to evaluate what the retail opportunities are for in store demonstrations, how those can help us tell our story in the lead up to the November 7th launch and beyond.”

THE X-MEN The mid-generation upgrade, or possibly the death of console generations altogether, is a new thing – and it remains to be seen how many gamers will take this opportunity. But the early adopters have certainly bought in, according to those pre-order figures, and Penello thinks One X is a natural fit for the brand and its consumers.

“Xbox gamers have always gravitated towards high-end – the Elite Controller exceeded our expectations. Even at the end of life on 360, we had this high-end Elite console and that always did really well and it seems that Xbox people tend to like tech, they tend to like gadgets.”

All of which could mean this mid-gen upgrade sits better with Xbox owners than it has with PS4 owners. We’ll be watching the market share figures keenly to see whether the new hardware can swing things back in Xbox’s direction.

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Desktop 2.0

With PC gaming going from strength to strength, Katharine Byrne speaks to Intel, Nvidia and Dell about what’s next for the hardware industry

N

aysayers have been ringing the PC gaming death knell for years, but take a closer look at the data and a different picture emerges.

Since 2012, global PC gaming revenue has been growing almost every year, hitting a peak of $31.3bn (£23.3bn) in 2015, according to data from Newzoo. That’s a growth of 18 per cent since 2012.

Admittedly, Newzoo’s projected revenue figure for 2017 is currently just $29.4bn – down two per cent from 2016’s $30.15bn – due to the ongoing shift from browser-based PC gaming toward mobile, but the hardware manufacturers we’ve spoken to couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of the platform. Indeed, Intel and Nvidia have both just reported record Q2 revenue figures for 2017, while Dell has just had its biggest Q2 since 2015.

“PC gaming has more momentum than it’s ever had,” Dell’s global product marketing director for Dell Gaming and Alienware Chris Sutphen tells MCV. “The number of innovations coming in is phenomenal – it’s no longer a niche. The market is extremely diverse; the range of PC hardware and peripherals available is better than ever.”

Nvidia’s sales director for GeForce EMEAI Richard Lee agrees, saying the PC gaming hardware market is currently “in great health.”

He continues: “The growth is simply incredible. Over 3,500 PC games were released last year, more than three times any other platform. With the explosion in MOBAs and esports, it’s the platform that everyone is looking to get into.”

Intel’s EMEA retail sales director Steve Shakespeare shares a similar opinion: “Not only are people really excited about PC gaming and growing their interest there, but they’re also increasingly looking to invest in the best platforms they can afford to give them the best

gaming experience. As games get more demanding and immersive, people will want to get a high-performing system to support that.”

LAP OF LUXURY The humble desktop tower may have been where PC gaming started, but now these high-performance systems are available all shapes and sizes, with recent advancements in laptop technology making modern day notebooks an equally viable platform for serious gamers.

“Laptops are incredibly important for Nvidia,” says Lee. “There were more than 10 million gaming laptops sold in 2016, making it the fastest growing gaming platform. With GeForce GTX 10-series GPUs, there is now no compromise required; desktop graphics performance is available in a laptop and as a result, we’re seeing more and more people choose a laptop as their main gaming machine.”

Of course, a powerful GPU is just one part of what makes a great gaming laptop, as Intel’s Shakespeare explains: “You want a system that delivers high performance processing with high performance graphics delivery, so you need a balanced system to do both. Our H-series of processor parts for notebooks give really high performance in a gaming notebook system. Pair that with a discrete graphics card, and it gives you a great mobile, portable gaming experience.”

That doesn’t mean desktop PCs aren’t also on the rise, though: “We’ve seen incredible demand for our Pascal GPUs – the GTX 10-series,” Lee continues. “Developers are really hitting their stride now with the latest hardware and pushing the graphical level even higher. Just take a look at titles such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which just looks beautiful; genuinely stunning with Hollywood levels of motion capture.”

“PC gaming has more momentum than it has ever had.”

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Dell’s Sutphen is also upbeat about desktops: “What’s exciting to see is the rejuvenation of the desktop market, specifically for PC gaming, which was sparked first by VR. Therefore, we expect significant growth to continue for both desktops and laptops.

“We know that some gamers prefer to have a more portable system for both work and home use, while some customers like the highest performing desktop systems such as the Alienware Area 51. These impressive systems are extremely simple to update and customise, and can be used for ‘mega-tasking’ – powerful enough for content creation, streaming, 4K game playing and everything in between.”

Not everyone needs such a system, of course, which is why Dell is also diversifying its range with ‘gaming capable’ systems in its Inspiron lineup.

“This category defines any PC with an Nvidia GTX or AMD R9 or better graphics,” Sutphen continues. “While Alienware caters to the high-end, premium gamers, we recognised that there are more price-conscious gamers.

So we created a new team under the Inspiron brand to build products for this customer set. With Inspiron Gaming, we have a new line of game-ready systems that prioritise what PC gamers care most about, such as processor and graphic card units to push the latest PC games, dual-fan cooling for extended play, a high quality visual/audio experience – all at a modest price.”

Pictured above, from top to bottom: Dell’s Chris Sutphen, Intel’s Steve Shakespeare, and Nvidia’s Richard Lee

ESPORTS TECHNOLOGY Esports, in particular, have been a huge factor behind this growth in sales, especially titles with lower technical specifications that allow a wider range of PC owners to get in on the action.

“Esports is an important business segment for Nvidia, and GeForce GTX is the defacto gaming platform of choice for esports professionals worldwide,” says Lee. “GeForce GTX and [ultra-low motion blur] G-Sync monitors are also the official graphics platform of choice for [Dota 2 esports tournament] The International. If you include both the onstage and the backstage warm-up PCs, over 150 GTX 1080-based systems were used.

“Many games may not be technically demanding with regards to minimum specs, making it a great way for many gamers to get started, but when you demand refresh rates of over 144Hz, G-Sync monitors and the latest peripherals, you can see how important esports can be for the high-end.”

Shakespeare agrees: “We’re seeing [esports] drive highend gaming. Like any hobby, people like to buy the best and give themselves the flexibility to do whatever they want. I think that’s why we’re seeing a big sell-up to i7.”

Individual streamers have also been a positive force for Intel. “Consumers love to have celebrities in their

sport. In a way, they’re a representative voice of what the industry wants, so we try to respond and explain how our products support those interests. But they also feed into us about what we need to do in future products.

So for me, it’s a symbiotic relationship. We both benefit from that mutual collaboration.”

Dell’s Alienware business has also been involved in esports as far back as the Championship Gaming Series in 2007. “Today, we sponsor two of the oldest, most established professional teams in the competitive scene – Team Dignitas and Team Liquid – and provide more than 500 systems to various leagues, events and players across the globe,” says Sutphen.

Likewise, Alienware’s recently announced partnership with Eleague is yet further evidence of its commitment to esports. “We’ve really liked how Eleague has helped bring the love of gaming to more people, as it is the same thing we are trying to do with the introduction of our Inspiron gaming line. For this reason, the partnership makes a lot of sense.”

Virtual reality is another top priority for these firms, with Sutphen saying he’s “confident there’s good appetite from gamers to continue engaging with the current generation of VR-enabled games.”

For Nvidia’s Lee, however, the biggest problem is actually getting users to engage with VR in the first place. “The largest hurdle right now is actually neither pricing, nor content, nor hardware requirements – all of those are looking better than ever,” he says.

“It’s more down to the fact that you really have to try VR to understand the value that it brings to gaming and entertainment, but also to a broad range of industries, like architecture, design or education. Per a recent study from Newzoo, 70 per cent of all gamers have never actually tried VR, so there’s a lot of potential for growth.

We believe this growth will happen throughout 2018 and beyond, so we’re fully committed to a long-term engagement in the VR industry.”

I.T. LESSONS As with any hardware platform, however, there are still many hurdles that need to be overcome if the industry wants to keep moving forward at the same pace. For Nvidia’s Lee, “the challenge is always education,” he says.

“The perception has always been that hardware and PC gaming is ‘complicated’, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2017, a gaming PC is no more complicated than a console. We’ve worked hard to make our GeForce Experience app take the complication out of PC gaming by providing automatic driver updates, oneclick optimised settings and easy to use share options.

“No one wants to buy a new component only to find the game they have been eagerly waiting for doesn’t have

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driver support on launch day. That’s why we put so much time into our Game Ready Drivers. Nvidia actually has more software than hardware engineers and many of those are devoted to making sure our graphics cards support all games on the day of launch.”

Intel’s Shakespeare, on the other hand, sees VR as the next big challenge: “To support VR, you need a strong processor that can do all the physics, the AI, and all of the sound rendering to emulate the three-dimensional sound space, and you need a strong graphics card to render all of that, so you need a balanced system to do both. Over time, we see this as a spiral of growth. We deliver the platform, the software developers deliver better games, and it all walks up over time.”

Accommodating gamers’ increasing multi-tasking tendencies is also important, says Shakespeare: “If you think about what it takes to do all that – to play a game, stream it and have other messaging systems and apps going at the same time – all of that is compute intensive, so you’ve got to have the processor head room to do it.

We certainly see a good demand for that and we’re seeing a growth in demand for Core i7 worldwide.”

That said, manufacturers must also make sure users don’t get priced-out of these platforms, says Dell’s Sutphen: “Customers want options, whether it’s more mobility, higher screen resolutions or just more features. The biggest change we’ve seen is the ability to offer increased performance in smaller and smaller

form factors. All gamers are important, whether they’re gaming on a rig that’s worth over £5,000 or a gaming laptop they picked up for £800. It is crucial manufacturers bear this in mind and make sure nobody is left behind, while still innovating at the highest level.”

PC gaming clearly isn’t going anywhere, then, and as Lee puts it, “there’s so much to look forward to,” including continued innovations in VR and HDR. Shakespeare, too, is excited about what’s coming from Intel: “We are absolutely committed to the PC category,” he says. “Soon we’re going to ship our first 10nm technology part – we’re currently on 14nm – so that will bring even more performance, even lower power consumption and longer battery life.”

The same goes for Sutphen: “We’re constantly increasing our investment in research and development, leveraging our 17 global research and development centres worldwide. We’re delivering products that inspire creativity and productivity, make our customers’ lives easier, and give them the choice they desire. This applies to the products they buy from us today, and the concepts like VR, AR and AI that will shape their tomorrows.”

Pictured above: Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the current top-dog in the company’s 10-series lineup, costing around £700 at UK retail

“In 2017, a gaming PC is no more complicated than a console.”

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Window of opportunity Final Fantasy XV is getting a super-charged 4K Windows Edition next year.

Katharine Byrne speaks to Hajime Tabata about bringing the hit RPG to PC

A

fter one of the longest development cycles of this generation, you might have forgiven game director Hajime Tabata for taking a well-earned rest when Final Fantasy XV came out last November. After all, not only did the game shift a staggering 5m units during its first day on shelves around the world, but it also helped spark a 227 per cent rise in PS4 sales in its home market of Japan.

Tabata, however, clearly isn’t a man to rest on his laurels, as the next six months will see the release of not one, but two brand-new versions of the game: the episodic-based Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition for iOS and Android devices that comes out later this year, and a full-fat Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition for PC and Windows 10 in early 2018. That’s on top of its ongoing slate of DLC, too, which will shortly add a substantial multiplayer expansion to the game that enables up to four-player co-op.

All this and more will be made available as a free update for Windows Edition users when it launches next year, but that’s not the only reason why it’s set to be the biggest and best version of the game yet. With full support for both native 4K and 8K resolutions, high dynamic range (HDR) for deeper, more vibrant colours

and Dolby Atmos for all-encompassing surround sound, Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition will also feature user mods and a unique first-person mode. The latter was particularly important, Tabata tells MCV, as he’s hoping it will help broaden the game’s appeal beyond its typical RPG audience.

“We felt a necessity for a PC version right after starting the development of the console version, and we began strengthening our game engines with the help of Nvidia in 2016 in anticipation of any projects that might come after the console version,” says Tabata.

“The biggest reason [behind the first-person mode] was that we wanted players who only usually play firstperson mode games on PC to take an interest in FFXV. Currently, we have only reached about 50 per cent [completion] on this mode, but we feel the gameplay has a certain freshness to it and it’s been well-received among those in the development team. In providing this mode, we needed to make some large adjustments, like the player character’s VFX, displayed animations and camera movement. Even now, we’re still making small, daily adjustments.”

Despite these obstacles, Tabata admits that developing a PC version of the game has been an absolute cinch

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compared to FFXV’s console release: “The console version, which required reconstruction from the very start for both the game itself and the engine, was more than 100 times more difficult,” he says. Development on the Windows Edition, by comparison, only started this year.

HARDWARE MODE Of course, with the release of 4K-enabled consoles such as the PS4 Pro and upcoming Xbox One X, it’s perhaps not surprising that Square Enix has chosen to go all out on FFXV’s PC graphics options. However, while 4K HDR TVs are starting to become much more commonplace in consumer households, 4K HDR gaming monitors have been much slower out of the gate.

Indeed, the world’s first HDR monitor only went on sale earlier this summer, and even then it only had a 2,560x1,440 resolution. We’ve since seen HDR monitors with ultra-wide 3,840x1,080 resolutions come to market, but with prices starting from around £1,299, it will be some time yet before they hit mainstream PC gamers in the same way as their TV counterparts.

8K, meanwhile, is even further down the pipeline, making it highly likely that most users will be missing out on most of its graphical upgrades come launch day

next year. Tabata, however, isn’t worried about his team’s efforts going to waste: “Pursuing cutting-edge technology is at the very heart of Final Fantasy’s identity, and we want to evoke a new enthusiasm to play this game by displaying the world within it even more beautifully,” he explains.

“Our aim is to make players want to play the PC version, even if they know about the console version.

Moreover, by pursuing the PC version, it led us to improving our own development skills. By collaborating with Nvidia, we weren’t just able to make a PC version of the game; we were able to challenge ourselves in ensuring that we had the latest technological graphics.

“We saw this as an advantage for both the development team and the player. Players will expect the game to have evolved because we are providing a higher quality depiction than the current consoles out there. If we are able to meet such demands, then it gives meaning to doing this in the first place.”

Pushing players toward the PC version may sound odd considering the franchise’s console-heavy past, but it’s all part of Tabata’s plan to get as many people playing the game as possible.

“We always wanted to create multiple points of entry

Pictured above: The Windows Edition will make use of Nvidia GameWorks tech, including the in-game camera technology, Ansel, used to take this 4K screenshot

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games hold the largest portion, next is console, then PC represents the smallest of the game platforms. Therefore, we don’t expect to see a similar [sales] performance to the console version.”

Pictured above: Square Enix’s Hajime Tabata

through the FFXV Universe concept, some of these before the release of XV [such as the CG film Kingsglaive and animated Brotherhood series] and some after,” he says.

“All of these were designed to expand the audience beyond the traditional core audience and to move XV away from a typical game release and towards an entertainment event. This is why the PC and mobile platforms are important to us for growing the audience, reaching as many players as possible with the game, regardless of whether they own a console or not.”

Indeed, sales for Square Enix’s previously released Final Fantasy titles on PC have been “strong,” says Tabata, but the technical requirements to actually run the Windows version of Final Fantasy XV could prove to be a sticking point when it comes to shifting units, particularly in Japan where the PC market isn’t as large as mobile or console.

“In entering the global PC market, it’s a requirement that games can be played on a wide range of specs,” says Tabata. “At this stage, FFXV is at the high end of these settings, and we are in the process of seeing how well we can push things out on a lower spec.

“Currently in the Japanese game market, mobile

FINAL COUNTDOWN The PC may be a better platform for graphical innovation, then, rather than driving hard sales, but that’s not to say the current console generation can’t also be a place for technical excellence.

“Personally, I don’t feel that we have reached the limit,” Tabata replies when we ask him if today’s consoles have reached the extent of their graphical capability, and he singles out the upcoming Xbox One X as a “highly attractive and wonderful console” for developers. “I feel like I have always been waiting for a powerful Xbox like this,” he continues.

Despite this, it’s clear there’s still some way to go before consoles can match the technical feats that are possible on PC, as even Tabata admits the eventual Xbox One X version of Final Fantasy XV “will implement checkerboard rendering of 4K and HDR” rather than proper native 4K gameplay footage like the Windows Edition. “I expect that we will have a frame rate of over 30fps as well,” he adds.

Still, with Tabata having already committed to continue supporting the game across all platforms well into 2018, it’s possible we may yet see further enhancements to the console versions of FFXV to help bring them closer to their PC sibling.

“We owe a lot to the players that have already purchased the game,” says Tabata. “By buying FFXV and showing us their support, we want to give back to these players and see how we can expand the lifetime of the game beyond the initial release. DLC is part of how we will keep them satisfied, but for us, the players that bought the game in the first place are the most important part of this, and we want to continue to support them.”

To this end, we ask if he’s thought of bringing Final Fantasy XV’s upcoming PS VR fishing spin-off, Monsters of the Deep, to Oculus or Vive?

“We would, of course, consider it if the demand is there and it would be meaningful for us to branch out in those ways,” he says. “After all, we want every single player that we can reach to play this game.”

That also means a Nintendo Switch version isn’t out of the question either: “It is possible [to bring FFXV to Switch], and we take how we will develop into other platforms very seriously.

“I think it is important to think about how we can make use of the characteristics of Nintendo Switch in order to provide such a game to its players. I’m still looking for a way of handling that one.”

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TANKS A LOT It’s had some rocky times but Wargaming is still thriving and upcoming launches look highly promising. Seth Barton talks to CEO Victor Kislyi about the more “disciplined and well-structured” company

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Y

ears before Battlegrounds was making headlines, World of Tanks (WoT) was one of the earliest games to smash through the 1m concurrent players mark. Wargaming is now a more diverse company, having added both Warships and Warplanes to its core roster of titles with mixed success, expanded WoT to Xbox and PlayStation and added a strong mobile title in WoT: Blitz. It’s soon to expand again, too, with the upcoming Total War Arena, in partnership with Creative Assembly.

We sit down with CEO and co-founder Victor Kislyi to discuss how the company’s now managing its wider spread of titles, while retaining players and acquiring new ones.

We first ask if WoT is still the company’s dominant title – Kislyi doesn’t share figures, but confirms it is, adding: “For us, it doesn’t matter which of our games you play. Even if you play other people’s games, we are fine. As long as you are a gamer, we will get you, you will come to us one day.”

He may believe it’s inevitable that many gamers – overwhelmingly male ones as Kislyi points out on more than one occasion – will be drawn to his game by their love of tanks, but Wargaming still takes player acquisition and retention as seriously as anyone in the industry.

ENLISTING PLAYERS “This is our biggest challenge still, despite all of our success. Statistically, there are a lot of players who love tanks – what man does not love tanks?” he asks us, to which we admit having visited The Tank Museum in Dorset more than once.

Attracting players and retaining them are two sides of the same coin, of course, with Kislyi telling us: “If a man sticks with our game for ten weeks, then he stays almost forever. This is psychological, it takes a man ten weeks to understand whether he loves this thing or not.”

That said, even after many years of ongoing support, improving the experience beyond those initial ten weeks is still key.

“We have to attack it from various angles, first of all the tutorial, and in [version] 9.20 we’ll have a very well done tutorial, which we did not have before,” Kislyi says.

But his efforts go much further than that, with the justlaunched WoT War Stories – the game’s first attempt at a solo campaign mode that is exclusive to console versions of the game. It’s based around a series of alternative history scenarios, such as German tanks landing on British soil.

“If a man sticks with our game for ten weeks, then he stays almost forever.”

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Pictured above: World of Tanks Blitz gathers 80m mobile users

“Most of the games are story-based and have a little bit of multiplayer. Here, it’s the other way around. The base of World of Tanks is PvP, that’s what attracts millions of players from around the world. But you play PvP everyday and you know how to play it, you have played tens of thousands of battles, you know it inside out, it’s like breathing, like walking. Now with these skills, you go into the story. I think it’s a nice twist.”

We ask about just how long-term an investment content like this is for the game? “We invest money into the entertainment of people joining today, but the money that gets into our bank account is from investment a year ago or two years ago. We are not in the beginning of the cycle, we are in a never-ending cycle. We invest today in players, which we’ll monetise – not all of them, but some of them – two years from now. But that’s fine, if you have the muscle to do this – players are happy, we’re happy.”

And why is it exclusive to console? “These campaigns are an especially good way to attract a western audience,” he replies, with the Russian market saturated and largely PC-based anyway. “In the west, we still have huge potential, and so that’s why these campaigns will be a good addition.”

CHURNING MUD Free-to-play can mean a big churn in players, so Wargaming’s ability to retain gamers is key,

Kislyi continues: “This is the everyday activity of our business intelligence department, looking at the big data. When you have around 180m registrations across your games, you have to utilise that data. There’s no one answer, every day people look at this cohort analysis, this churn rate, this winback campaign, where do we channel our advertising efforts, our PR efforts?”

We then ask what metrics he judges their success upon: “Many people measure it with money, but we found that very cynical. So yes, daily or monthly active users, but even more importantly core users.

“We have a stable franchise. We are a cultural phenomenon, at least in some countries. It’s a curse and a blessing, this stability – you have to fuel it with new updates that are exciting, though the base will stay there.

“Our slogan is: we deliver. The word ‘deliver’ means not just development or publish, ‘deliver’ means all of it, starting from the concept, prototype and testing, alpha and betas, releasing them, releasing updates, pushing them, advertising them. This is delivery.”

MOBILE BLITZKRIEG Moving away from the PC and console side of the business, we ask about the structure of its mobile efforts: “That’s actually a very relevant question,” Kislyi says. “At Wargaming, we have different mobile initiatives spread out here and there. It crystallized in Blitz being relatively

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successful. It’s not top three, but it’s a many millions of dollars a year franchise. Which is just on mobile platforms. 80m mobile users isn’t little, and it’s growing every day,” he explains.

“Mobile is now a very separate division,” he tells us, admitting that maybe it should have been sooner.

“No matter what you do with PC and console, those are huge projects with history and legacy, and a little bit of extra bureaucracy, and so they will always be a little slower. Whereas with mobile, you have to be extremely agile when it comes to mobile projects: prototyping, releasing, updating and killing. If something is not working, you just have to kill it.”

We wonder if the company is using Blitz as a gateway to draw players into its PC title?

“This is not a direct stream,” Kislyi says. “Our mobile games are products in their own right. Blitz is a fullblown, 3D, action-packed, tactical, strategic MMO. Some people never go to WoT – it’s longer. You have to have a more expensive computer, and maybe you don’t have a computer. My son plays only Blitz. Some companies may use this method, but not us. We want to make mobile games that people play for the sake of this game. Not for the sake of being transferred to PC.” That said, he does admit that there are holistic benefits in terms of “brand awareness and buzz.”

“We do not ignore traditional user acquisition channels, like advertising,” he adds. “In some countries, there are even TV adverts. But we’re happy to be in the place where we have a lot of word of mouth – and World of Tanks Blitz organic traffic is good. We’ve spent very little on advertising and we have 80m registered users.”

games. It does not come easy, but we are on the right track,” he adds. “Wargaming is staying here for many decades to come.”

TOTAL TANKS Which brings us briefly to Total War Arena, which we’ll cover more fully in a future issue. Kislyi tells us that, back in 2010, Wargaming was very purist about its aims, but now it has branched out a little more.

“Arena is not a tank game, but it is a military strategy game,” he says. “[Creative Assembly] spent a decade and a half building this franchise, but they obviously lack a free-to-play MMO experience and so we joined forces and saved ourselves five years. It’s a good example of what we can do.”

We ask if the company is actively pursuing more such partnerships? “Externally, yes, but also internally, if someone comes through our door and says, ‘Hey, I have this idea’ and shows a prototype of something that is not tanks, then we consider it.”

Coming back around to Battlegrounds, big player counts are certainly in vogue at present, and World of Tanks is about to launch its take on the trend. A new mode called Grand Battles is about to double its player numbers in the game – a 60-player fight, across huge maps, with thirty tanks on each side.

Kislyi is enthusiastic about the new mode, saying: “If you ask me one thing that I want right now, I want to play this.” If the community share anything like his enthusiasm for the game, even seven years on, then Wargaming is almost certainly here to stay.

Pictured below: Total War Arena was created in partnership with Creative Assembly

THROWING A TRACK After a being hit by a number of wider issues over recent years, the company now looks to be stable again, as Kislyi explains: “We have survived a couple of big crisis, banking crisis in Cyprus [where the company is based]; Russia and Ukraine; the ruble falling down; the Swiss franc losing 20 per cent; that was a lot of stuff. And somehow we survived, though at some points it was very scary.”

He points out there’s a lot more to business than just making the game and talking to the press: “It’s about what we do every day to build the company, like an army or a family. As well as family feelings and passion, you have to be disciplined and well-structured.

You have to find this balance between creativity and a little craziness, but structure and discipline when it comes to financial stuff and compliance.

“I think that right now we have a good balance between those things – [we’re] extremely stable and on a good trajectory to keep repeating our success with new

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Working Remotely Hailing from Germany originally, Remote Control Productions is now a Europe-spanning family of development studios handling projects from Angry Birds to Das Boot, mobile to VR. Seth Barton reports

R

emote Control Productions (RCP) is an independent, international firm that handles games production for a wealth of third-party clients. Founded 12 years ago, it describes itself as a ‘developer family’, one that currently represents 18 studios hailing from Germany, Austria, Finland and Romania.

We talk to Kalle Kaivola, COO at RCP, who previously held senior roles at Next Games and Rovio, about the unusual business model at RCP and the kind of projects that it’s looking to work on.

How do you describe your business?

Our motto is “you take care of development, we take care of the rest”, meaning that we provide services for the developers in the RCP family in the fields of business development, production, sales, marketing, creative services and research, so they can focus all of their energy and talent on the development of great, creative games.

Having such a large and diverse pool of talent also makes us a very attractive partner for publishers, and even companies outside of the traditional games industry, looking for original IP or work-for-hire projects. Our smallest studio consists of just five people, our largest, Chimera Entertainment – the developers of Angry Birds Epic and Angry Birds Evolution – now has more than 60 employees, meaning that not only do we have a large number of studios, all with their individual strengths, but also that we can handle projects of almost any size.

traditional publishers and developers. Bizdev is an important means of doing so, but it’s just one example of the many services we provide to our teams. Our account managers are helping them with communication, our HR and finance departments are supporting them in regards to all things legal and managing their staff, and the brand crew provides services such as designing websites and creating trailers.

Unlike financial investors who are looking for a quick and lucrative return, we become minority shareholders in the studios. We call ourselves a developer family and we live to that: in turn we invest our extensive expertise, making sure that the studios can both work on their own projects as well as receive work-for-hire jobs to keep them going and grow together with us.

The opportunities to collaborate within the family are numerous and we encourage this in any possible way, for example with two summits a year, where we all come together to share ideas.

“We have produced over 100 games with more than 50 clients over the course of the last 12 years.”

How did RCP come about?

Our CEO, Hendrik Lesser, started out doing business development and production for Take-Two back in 2001. He used the profound knowledge he gained during this time to start his own company, ML Enterprises in 2005, which he renamed to Remote Control Productions shortly thereafter. Chimera Entertainment, co-founded

by Hendrik as well, was the first developer to join in 2006, and many others followed over the next decade.

How does it differ from a traditional publisher?

We typically don’t act as a publisher, but as a mediator between

What kind of companies are you looking to work with and what expertise can you bring?

We typically work with young companies – start-ups or small teams working on their very first project or are ready to take their company to the next level. We consider ourselves as equal partners.

We want to grow sustainably together with our developers, foster their talents and make sure that they always have the next game to work on.

RCP seems to work primarily on PC and mobile titles – are console titles something you’d like to work on more?

We have worked on console games, including Zeit², an Ubisoftpublished Xbox 360 title by Brightside Games, but the focus in recent years was indeed on PC and mobile titles. PC will remain a focus, but we’re becoming increasingly active in the console space again.

Aesir Interactive is currently working on ports of their successful Ostwind/Windstorm game for PS4 and Switch, and our own production Das Boot is considered for consoles as well as for PC. Console games require a bigger effort from smaller teams, but we clearly see opportunities in this field: there’s less competition and greater visibility than in the overcrowded PC and mobile markets.

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Where is RCP going?

The two biggest areas of focus currently are international expansion and project diversity. More than a year ago we started our internationalisation efforts by opening a subsidiary in Finland and have since grown steadily.

This year we opened RCP Romania, and are looking to expand. Secondly, with so many studios in our family we’re working with all of them to tailor their projects to their particular strengths, resulting in many diverse products. Our increased activity in working with partners from other entertainment areas like movies, TV shows and comics is also showing great results.

What games has RCP produced internally?

We typically produce games for and with external partners – more than 100 games with more than 50 clients over the course of the last 12 years. That said, we are starting to look into self-publishing more-and-more these days.

Pictured right: Kalle Kaivola, COO at RCP

Push the boot out RCP’s biggest project at present is its VR interpretation of German U-boat drama Das Boot, originally a bestselling novel that spawned one of Germany’s most successful movies of all time. Kalle Kaivola, COO at RCP, answers our questions about the new VR title

Why and how did RCP acquire the Das Boot license?

It’s part of our strategy at RCP to work with TV and movie IP that crosses over well into games. We are leveraging our strengths from working with major IP from the gaming space, such as Angry Birds, and movies, Burg Schreckenstein and Ostwind/Windstorm [both popular youth IPs in Germany].

Once we learnt that the rights owner, Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, was working on a new TV show,

we put our heads together to develop a game concept.

Bavaria was convinced that not only does a game make a lot of sense, but we will do justice to this huge IP. What’s the development schedule for the title?

And how big is the team?

We haven’t locked down dates, but are planning to take into account the new TV show’s schedule. The team size will be flexible based on the number of platforms, so we don’t have an exact number.

Suffice to say it’s likely we will use our family of studios to collaborate on this game, to scale up as needed and tap into their individual strengths.

Why did you choose VR for the game?

To us, this was a key part of the vision. VR as a gaming platform still needs more titles that play on the strengths of the technology instead of obsessing over overcoming its weaknesses. The closed environment of a submarine, the immersion VR provides and the pressure of naval warfare is a beautiful combination that we were instantly

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Pictured above: Das Boot will be “closely tied” to the new TV series produced by Bavaria, Sky and Sonar

attracted to. And the positive feedback we’ve received from many partners so far is proving us right.

We’re currently considering all non-mobile VR platforms. But there’s clearly an appetite to take this game beyond VR, too. That’s why we’re actively looking for partners to make this happen. I mean, it’s the submarine IP to build a game around to appeal to global audiences.

Are you concerned by the relatively small install base of VR? We’re quite happy about the growth of the market and where it’s going. We expect to see the release coinciding with a solid install base of VR devices – I’ve even seen recent reports predicting a $30bn market for VR in 2020. In any case we’re expecting the shelf life to be quite healthy for a high-quality title with a strong brand, as new VR owners will keep entering the market and search for the cream of the crop.

It seems that the setting has unique challenges, especially in terms of ‘seeing out’?

That’s definitely true. We recognised early on that peering from a periscope is a far cry from, say, the canopy of an airplane. And even that view is unavailable

when diving. That said, the limited views actually enhance the immersion. To this end, we’ve focused a lot of our early work on exploring the atmosphere and tension of being trapped in a sub to get an understanding of how you can relate to the oppressive claustrophobia.

We are currently exploring different solutions on how to complement this feeling with other emotions during a longer play session.

How closely are you following the plot of the novel, film or TV version?

We are closely tied together to the new TV series that is currently in production by Bavaria, Sky and Sonar. Telling the exact same stories in games doesn’t really work, but the game will feel a part of the Das Boot universe.

Theme-park style VR installations are growing, would it be possible to create a version of the game that would work for this kind of audience?

That is definitely a possibility we are interested in. We don’t have any plans to announce yet, but we’re definitely exploring the space and are already evaluating partners.

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27/09/2017 16:57

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FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE AT

The second Future Games Summit is just around the corner, taking place from October 31st to November 1st at London’s Congress Centre – and with a jampacked lineup of top industry speakers, it’s an event you won’t want to miss

1

YOU’LL HEAR SOME GREAT KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Kicking things off on day one of the Future Games Summit is Facebook’s director of gaming EMEA Damian Burns, who will be discussing how companies can connect with gaming communities all over the world.

“Wherever you sit on that spectrum, there is one common theme – and it’s change,” Burns tells MCV. “We’ve never seen such momentum around new technologies, and there’s much to discuss about how the world’s leading gaming, technology and entertainment companies are thinking about this change. There’s so much to discuss and lots of insights to be shared.”

Other keynote speakers include Blizzard Entertainment’s senior director of audio Russell Brower; Ina Fuchs, the EMEA gaming director at YouTube; and Bill Roper, chief creative officer at Improbable.

2

THERE’S A HUGE RANGE OF TALKS AND PANELS ACROSS THREE TRACKS With three different tracks covering tech, business and game development, this year’s Future Games Summit covers a huge range of topics. This includes console tech development, AI and robotics, publishing pitfalls, talent retention from indies to majors, data insights on how to get to know your audience better, how to navigate the unknown future of the industry in the wake of Brexit, and the next generation of narrative storytelling in AR, VR and mixed reality.

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Pictured: Ukie’s Jo Twist (left) will again be speaking at Future Games Summit this year, while Blizzard Entertainment’s Russell Brower (top) and Facebook’s Damian Burns (above) will also be delivering keynotes

3

NETWORK WITH THE BIGGEST AND BRIGHTEST MINDS IN THE INDUSTRY Catching up with fellow industry members is always a highlight at big conferences and events, but Future Games Summit’s speed networking sessions will also be available to help attendees break the ice and connect with other delegates through fast-paced, one-minute exchanges. Taking place on both days of the summit, meet up to 20 people in just 20 minutes, leaving you plenty of time to follow up afterwards on those all-important meetings. And to wrap it all up there’s a drink reception at the end of the day.

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Silver Partner:

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27/09/2017 16:16

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Games Centre at 25

Scottish retailer Games Centre celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this month. Katharine Byrne catches up with managing director Robert Lindsay to discuss its industry milestone

What’s changed the most in games retail over the last 25 years?

The internet and digital have created the biggest changes in games retail.

How we play games and how they are purchased has evolved from playing together on a shared console with a physically purchased copy of the game, to individuals around the world playing together online with a game that could have been purchased digitally or physically.

Have there been any surprise developments in the sector during that time?

You could point to any number of developments that have been a surprise at the time, but for me, one that stood out was the launch of the Nintendo Wii, which brought the mainstream audience to our sector for the first time.

Looking back, it now seems like such a simple concept.

How has Games Centre as a company changed since it first started?

Sales for the first fifteen to twenty years were predominantly made up of games, consoles and accessories. Now our product range is far more diverse, partly in response to the changes within our industry and the decline in physical sales, but also because the gaming sector has evolved to cross over into other related products such as collectibles, trading cards and merchandise.

And, of course, online sales weren’t a consideration initially and now generate a significant percentage of our business.

Are you doing anything special to celebrate?

We have had fantastic support from our key publishers and suppliers to help support our anniversary with spike promotions running over the coming weeks. A 25th birthday party at the end of the month will give our 40 plus team a chance to let their hair down and enjoy the milestone.

Pictured above: Games Centre’s Robert Lindsay

What do you make of the ongoing retro trend?

Retro holds a special place in everyone’s heart, whether it’s gaming, music or films. I’m surprised it has taken our industry so long to capitalise on the rich heritage it has created. The success of the Mini NES and SNES have highlighted this, and I’d be surprised if others don’t follow suit over the coming months and years. Mini PSX anyone?

What are the challenges facing games retail today and are these any different to when you first started out?

How we go about it may have changed markedly but in many ways, the challenges are exactly the same. Keep your customers happy, keep your staff happy, keep evolving and make a profit.

What’s next for Games Centre?

Planning the next 25 years.

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27/09/2017 15:49

Pictured right: Managing director of the 2K Esports League, Brendan Donohue

NBA’s esport bank shot The NBA’s Brendan Donohue talks to Jake Tucker about how the 2K League is doing esports right

T

he NBA 2K franchise has been an incredible success for publisher Take-Two. Not only does NBA 2K17 continue to be the top-rated sports game of the current console generation, but it’s also the best-selling sports title in Take-Two’s entire history, with more than 8.5m units sold to date.

It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that the publisher recently joined forces with the NBA to take on the growing world of esports, with its inaugural 2K Esports League set to commence competition next May. It will be the first esports league to be operated by a North American professional sports league, and will feature regular seasons, playoffs and finals. Its inception, however, comes from two passions of the 2K Esports League’s managing director, Brendan Donohue.

“I’ve spent the last 20 years working in the NBA and I’m very passionate about it,” Donohue tells MCV. “I’ve also been a video game man my entire life. I got more into games with my son, who doesn’t get the chance to compete on the athletic field as much, so we’ll lock in our gaming chairs and sit for hours on the weekends playing games together.”

For Donohue, it’s this feeling of camaraderie that’s behind much of his forthcoming work in the league. The first year will see 17 NBA teams compete in a five-on-five tournament with every digital player on the court controlled by some of the top NBA 2K franchise players.

“The exciting thing is that there are four or five more teams that want to get in, that we’ll probably introduce in Year Two,” he says. “It’s already growing and we haven’t even started yet.”

The NBA has been one of the first big sports organisations to really leap into esports. The NFL has also been a big investor, but it’s struck a particular chord with NBA veterans. NBA players already own, either in whole or in part, several endemic organisations and many more have invested in esports businesses across the board. The move to embrace NBA 2K as an esport, however, is largely being driven by a desire to engage with fans and create a new channel for audiences to interact with: “We have a giant fanbase that, quite honestly, doesn’t have the chance to go to games in the US much,” Donohue says, adding that two-thirds of the NBA’s audience on social media is based outside of the US. “So this is a great opportunity to engage with them. Esports is exploding, and we saw the success League of Legends and Dota were having and, based on the success of the 2K games, we thought there was a spot for us in the esports space.”

For the NBA, this has offered “almost endless” commercial opportunities, says Donohue: “We have a media rights opportunity to show our content on linear TV or streaming on multiple different platforms. But it goes deeper than that. We’ve been approached by a number of new sponsors that really want to test the esports waters, and I think they may view us at the NBA as a safer transition. In the years following we want to be playing in the arenas all over the world. So we see ourselves growing to that – and that’s just a couple of opportunities.”

With over 75 years of experience in writing player contracts, organising tournaments and selling sponsorships, not to mention a serious amount of cash at its disposal, the NBA could also have a key stabilising influence on esports, offering financial security for players and a professional level of production for fans. Donohue hints that other games and leagues could appear in the future, too.

“Right now, we’re super focused on the 2K league, but in the future we could definitely see other games in our portfolio. We want to be respectful to this community and not just treat it like any other esports contest. We also can’t just take the NBA model and place this over the top of it, which would be a big mistake. We’re in a unique spot where everyone knows what basketball is, which means it’s easy to watch and appreciate. I love League of Legends and Overwatch, and they’re awesome games, but what works for them isn’t going to work for us, and if we decide to take a swing on titles like this later, we’ll have to mix up our approach again.”

Donohue’s knowledge and enthusiasm for competitive gaming should go a long way to calm fears that the NBA might be going into esports half-cocked. There are several themes he keeps returning to during our chat: a focus on players and the clear commercial prospects of an NBA league that could be good for both the NBA and esports in general.

He also admits that while the basketball league doesn’t have all the answers right now, it’s vowed to do its very best in providing the best experience to existing fans and the new casual audience that Donohue hopes will be drawn in. It may not rise the same level as Dota 2’s The International, for instance, but there’s a clarity to the NBA’s vision for digital basketball that has substance and depth, and it’s hard not to see it growing to run in tandem with the physical NBA – something that’s great for the profile of esports even if it’s not personally interesting to all of its fans.

“We could definitely see other games in our portfolio.”

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27/09/2017 17:02

chartanalysis

Driving Miss Destiny

Destiny 2 took a third consecutive No.1 last week, while Project CARS 2 failed to match its predecessor

F

or its third week on shelves, Destiny 2 held on to No.1 in the weekly charts, with sales declining just 47 per cent. This made it Activision’s eleventh top spot this year across three titles: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Destiny 2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. The latter made it to No.7 last week, gaining two spots compared to the week before with sales only decreasing eight per cent.

Despite a wealth of new titles in GfK’s Top 40 last week, however, retailers didn’t benefit from any particular boost. The market was down 16 per cent in units week-on-week and 18 per cent in value, sinking to £8.2m.

There’s still a future for the racing genre; it just has to bend with the wind if it wants to ride high at the top of the charts.

Bandai Namco’s Project CARS 2 debuted at No.2.

The first entry in Slightly Mad Studios’ franchise made it to No.1 back in May 2015 – and sales figures for the sequel were disappointing in comparison. GfK noted that the original game “had a very successful Week One, with 35 per cent of lifetime sales in that week.” So CARS 2 doesn’t look likely to bounce back.

Project CARS 2 isn’t the only racing title to struggle at retail lately, as we’ve also seen Dirt 4 do middling business, while F1 2017 isn’t the big-seller it once was and we doubt this week’s release of WRC 7 is going to set the charts alight. All those will be tailgated into retail by the platform exclusives: Forza Motorsport 7 and GT Sport.

That’s six track-based racers over the space of a few months, and it’s hard to think of any other genre that’s been so well served, despite not having a single UK Top Ten game in the final tally of 2016’s sales.

The only driving game that did make the Top Ten last year was Forza Horizon 3 – a game whose roadtrip aesthetic, married with ludicrous challenges, is more akin to Top Gear’s hijinks than straight racing. So there’s still a future for one of gaming’s most venerable genres; it just has to bend with the wind if it wants to ride high at the top of the charts.

THE HIGHS AND LOWS Meanwhile, the Switch port of Nintendo’s Pokkén Tournament DX entered the rankings at No.5, with

UK WEEKLY PHYSICAL CHART TOP 10 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Title

Format

Publisher

Destiny 2 Project CARS 2 NEW NBA 2K18 PES 2018 Pokkén Tournament DX NEW Grand Theft Auto V Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Forza Horizon 3 Lego Worlds

PS4, XO PS4, XO, PC PS4, XO, PS3, 360 PS4, XO, PS3, 360 NS PS4, XO, PS3, 360 PS4 PS4 XO PS4, XO, NS

Activision Bandai Namco 2K Konami Nintendo Rockstar Activision Sony Microsoft Warner Bros

Source: Ukie/GfK, Period: Week ending September 23rd

sales a bit lower compared to the Wii U version that launched back in March 2016. Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite debuted at No.12, while Nintendo’s re-releases of Pokémon Gold and Silver on 3DS made it to No.18 and No.21 respectively. As GfK specified, the original Gold and Silver titles on Game Boy Colour remain the fourth and sixth best-sellers of all Pokémon games in the UK to date, after Yellow, Red and Blue.

The last new entry in the UK charts last week was the boxed version of Telltale’s Season 2 for Minecraft: Story Mode, debuting at No.25. Sales have drastically declined compared to Week One figures for the first season, though.

Elsewhere, NBA 2K18 lost one place to No.3, with sales decreasing 40 per cent week-on-week. Having debuted at No.3 the week before, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 fell to No.4 with sales declining 62 per cent. A bit further down the charts, Capcom’s Resident Evil VII: Biohazard had an impressive 152 per cent boost in sales following retailers’ promotions.

Bandai Namco and Slightly Mad Studios’ Project CARS 2 debuted at No.2

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27/09/2017 15:50

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12/09/2017 09:54

biggamereleases

Release date:

10/10

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Developer: Monolith • Publisher: Warner Bros • Distributor: CentreSoft • Platform(s): PS4, XO, PC • Price: £54.99 (PS4, XO), £44.99

Shadow of War "feels like a true step forward for open world action RPGs."

The publisher says...

The press say...

How well will it do?

"Shadow of War is a true Q4 triple-A flagship," Warner Bros' SVP international for games Olivier Wolff told MCV at Gamescom, adding that it was the company's "key pillar" for late 2017.

It's the sequel to 2014's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which has built a big fanbase, partly due to ongoing critical acclaim.

Warner Bros' has been using the tagline 'Nothing will be Forgotten', with the returning Nemesis system providing an evolving personalised story as you make allies and foes of the game's orcs. This pushes the game beyond a typical thirdperson action title. n

The new game is "three to four times bigger in every dimension," developer Monolith told Polygon's Charlie Hall, who said the new fortress sieges "feel like the battle of Helm's Deep," which sounds incredibly cool.

He added: "No two fortresses in that demo room looked quite the same," which is the Nemesis system at work again.

Trusted Reviews' Alastair Stevenson summarised his take: "Shadow of War feels like a true step forward for open world action RPGs. If Warner Bros can deliver on its promise to let you truly leave your mark on Mordor, Shadow of War could well be a contender for game of the year." n

When it launched back in September 2014, Shadow of Mordor charted at No.2, beaten only by FIFA 15's second week.

We think it will hit that spot again, but move more units.

The franchise has grown considerably since launch, with a Game of the Year edition, some strong digital discounting and a 4K update for the PS4 Pro all helping to build the fanbase.

Marketing spend for the new title has been hefty, too, especially at Gamescom where it was the most heavily promoted title. We expect it to be in the top five launches of the year to date, with titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Breath of the Wild in its sights. n

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biggamereleases

Release date:

Forza Motorsport 7

03/10

Developer: Turn 10 Studios • Publisher: Microsoft • Distributor: Exertis • Platform(s): XO, PC • Price: £49.99

"Forza Motorsport is the bestselling racing franchise of this console generation."

The publisher says...

The press say...

How well will it do?

This is actually the tenth instalment in the Forza racing franchise, including the openworld spin-off series, Forza Horizon. Microsoft says players will "experience the danger and beauty of competitive racing at the limit with the most comprehensive automotive game ever made."

It goes on to say that "players can collect over 700 Forzavista cars, including the new 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS cover car and the largest assortment of Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis ever."

The game has a digital-only Ultimate Edition as well, which works on Xbox and Windows 10 – a first for the series. n

The Verge's Sean O'Kane cuts straight to the chase, saying: "It’s the most beautiful Forza Motorsport ever. The cars look life-like, the tracks look good enough to walk around, and the skies were so picturesque I occasionally had a hard time watching the road."

Digital Trends' Will Fulton said: "All this window dressing only matters because the underlying driving mechanics are solid. The gamepad controls felt incredibly responsive."

Stuff 's Robert Leedham also added: "The Forza Motorsport games have always been made by racing nerds for racing nerds, and this year’s edition is no different." n

Forza is "the best-selling racing franchise of this console generation," Microsoft stated based on US NPD data.

The game has also gained coverage due to its Xbox One X support. Indeed, it looked stunning in early demos running in 4K with HDR, so that might mean those planning to buy the new console choose to get onboard early with their current console. However, while its predecessor launched at No.2 in the UK in 2015, that was a little earlier in September when it had less competition.

As a result, we think this latest outing will struggle to repeat its predecessor's placing and Week One physical sales. n

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biggamereleases

Release date:

13/10

The Evil Within 2

Developer: Tango Gameworks • Publisher: Bethesda • Distributor: Advantage • Platform(s): PS4, XO, PC • Price: £49.99 (PS4, XO), £39.99

The Evil Within 2 will "enter a twisted world filled with anxietyinducing thrills and disturbing horrors."

Announced at its E3 event in June, Bethesda has been quick to bring this follow-up to 2014's The Evil Within to market, but this time legendary director Shinji Mikami has stepped back from the sequel to produce the game and supervise its development. The thirdperson survival horror title brings back Detective Sebastian Castellanos, who Bethesda says must "enter a twisted world filled with anxiety-inducing thrills and disturbing horrors around every corner." Lucky him.

Bethesda is now the dominant publisher for gorier fare (with Doom and Wolfenstein as well), so fans should know what to expect here. PC Gamer's Joe Donnelly said it had greater choice and variation than the original, but "retains the first game's engagingly oppressive tone." The original charted at No.2 (behind only FIFA) back in October 2014. The sequel will have tougher foes in its first week, but should still sell well. It's by far the strongest horror title launching in late 2017. n

Release date:

06/10 Lego Ninjago Movie Game Developer: TT Games • Publisher: Warner Bros • Distributor: CentreSoft • Platform(s): PS4, XO, NS, PC • Price: £49.99, £24.99 (PC)

Having had great success with The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie, this latest Lego release is timed to coincide with the Lego Ninjago Movie on October 13th. It's the first film to be based around one of Lego's own properties, albeit one that has spawned over 100 Lego sets since 2011 and a seven-season TV show. The game will also be available in a limited Minifig edition with the movie's main character Lloyd bundled in at no extra cost, which should encourage

physical sales. The game might not fly out of the gate, but with the movie coming out at the same time, it should do steady numbers between now and Christmas. In fact, its main competition will come from Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 on November 17th.

Tom Stone, managing director at TT Games, said: “Enhanced movements will help players traverse Ninjago with the fluidity and grace of a secret ninja warrior and improve their combat skills.” n

The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game will alllow "players to traverse Ninjago with the fluidity and grace of a secret ninja."

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biggamereleases

Digital releases The pick of the crop from upcoming digital downloads Arcade Archives: Mario Bros Developer: Hamster Publisher: Hamster Platforms: NS Price: £6.29 Release date: Out now OUT NOW

Raiders of the Broken Planet

03 10

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

Developer: MercurySteam Publisher: MercurySteam Platforms: PS4, XO, PC Price: £9.99 (per campaign) Release date: Out now OUT NOW

After finding critical success on Steam, Xbox One and PS4, Asteroid Base's colourful couch co-op game is finally arriving on Switch next week. "It's the perfect platform for Lovers," the developer said, and players can even share their Joy-Cons with friends for instant, onthe-go space battles.

Heat Signature

Developer: Suspicious Developments Publisher: Suspicious Developments Platforms: PC Price: £11 Release date: Out now

Developer: Asteroid Base Publisher: Asteroid Base Platforms: NS Price: $14.99 (£11) Release date: October 3rd

The first in a planned series of digital-only arcade classics, Mario Bros and the rest of its upcoming cohort will feature "subtle differences that can’t be found in their NES counterparts," says Nintendo.

Players will be able to give one of their Joy-Cons to a friend so they can join in the action, too.

OUT NOW

Fresh off the back of Metroid: Samus Returns, MercurySteam's latest is a narrative-driven, 4v1 online shooter-brawler with a twist – the opposing player has an entire army of AI enemies fighting alongside them. Even better, each campaign costs just £10, letting players easily dip in and out as each one is released.

Heat Signature comes from the developer of Gunpoint, where the aim is to "break into spaceships, make terrible mistakes, and think of clever ways out of them." Armed with an array of stylish gadgets, players must tackle randomlygenerated missions. It also features "lovely space music."

Release schedule Title

Format

Genre

Publisher

Telephone

Distributor

September 29th 8-Bit Armies Blue Reflection Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Demons Age FIFA 18 Gundam Versus Nintendo Classic Mini: SNES One Piece Unlimited World Red Pharaonic Shoppe Keep The Girl and the Robot Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters

PS4, XO, PC PS4 PS4, Vita PS4, XO, PC PS4, XO, NS, PC PS4 N/A NS PS4, XO PS4 PS4 3DS

RTS RPG Visual novel RPG Sports Action Hardware Action RPG Simulation Adventure RPG

Soedesco Koei Tecmo NIS America Funbox Media EA Bandai Namco Nintendo Bandai Namco Soedesco Excalibur Soedesco Nintendo

01902 861 527 01462 476130 020 8664 3485 01246 810623 01216 253 388 0121 506 9585 01753 483700 0121 506 9585 01902 861 527 01869 338 833 01902 861 527 01753 483700

Pavilion Open Open Open CentreSoft Advantage Open Advantage Pavilion Contact Pavilion Open

October 3rd Battle Chasers: Nightwar Forza Motorsport 7 The Hunter: Call of the Wild

PS4, XO, PC, NS XO, PC PS4, XO

RPG Racing Simulation

THQ Nordic Microsoft Astragon

01279 822 822 01279 822 822 01902 861 527

Exertis Exertis Pavilion

October 6th Culdcept Revolt Layton's Mystery Journey

3DS 3DS

Board game Puzzle

NIS America Nintendo

020 8664 3485 01753 483700

Open Open

46 | MCV 926 September 29

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09/08/2017 15:17

endgame

This week, EGX had its biggest show ever, Ukie elected its new board and SpecialEffect held a charity football match

EGX 2017 EGX had another record-breaking show last weekend, with nearly 80,000 visitors passing through its doors. Attendees got to go hands-on with the Xbox One X as well as several of this year’s biggest blockbusters, including Assassin’s Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII and Star Wars Battlefront II. Headline sponsor Virgin Media also brought a huge Destiny 2 experience to the show, while Nintendo was out in full force with Super Mario Odyssey. Gamer Network founder and CEO Rupert Loman said: “Ten years ago, our dream was to create a show about games for the gaming community, and we’ve now seen half a million visitors playing thousands of different titles. EGX has successfully championed the industry as it has evolved over the last ten years. We’re proud to have brought together so many like-minded gamers together and are looking forward to next year’s shows already.”

Special delivery In the run-up to SpecialEffect’s One Special Day fundraising event, which takes place today, the charity held a special football match at Barnet FC last week where ex-England players Nigel Winterburn and Dean Ashton managed two teams of industry stalwarts. Winterburn was in charge of a First Touch Games and Sheridans combo, while Ashton led a team of Xbox, Rare, Devolver, Playground Games and Sega Select members. A closely fought battle ensued, but it was Winterburn’s team who emerged victorious, winning 7-4. Over £1,000 was raised on the day, all of which will go towards the charity’s final total.

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thedraft industry appointments

Attaba will be responsible for growing economic activity on the Twitch platform in the EMEA region. He said: “Twitch is an ecosystem where viewers, creators, and game publishers work together and support one another. With that, my goal is to ensure that European content creators continue to benefit from Twitch and the growing portfolio of monetisation tools we provide.”

PlayStation UK is pleased to welcome Gameloft’s TOBY DAWSON (top) as product manager on the software team.

In his new role, Dawson will oversee campaigns for future first party titles and handle third party relationships. He will also report to group marketing manager for software Lauren Bradley.

Meanwhile, PlayStation UK’s NEAL MCCANN (above) has also been promoted from marketing assistant to junior product manager. He first joined the team in 2014 and has since worked across the likes of PlayStation 20th anniversary, PaRappa the Rapper Remastered, Knack 2 and Farpoint. He will now be leading on the forthcoming PlayStation VR titles Bravo Team and The Inpatient.

Twitch has appointed Wargaming’s global marketing director RAHIM ATTABA as its new director of commerce EMEA. Reporting to VP of game commerce Matt McCloskey,

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has named JEN MACLEAN as its interim executive director following the departure of Kate Edwards. “Jen’s experiences in game development, managing the IGDA Foundation, and serving as a member of the IGDA board of directors make her uniquely suited to lead the association into a new era,” said David Stelzer, chair of the IGDA board of directors and manager of business development and engine licensing at Epic Games for the Americas and Australia.

PC Gamer has named Rock Paper Shotgun’s PHILIPPA WARR as its new deputy editor.

“I’m truly excited to be joining PC Gamer and working with a bunch of such talented people to bring cool ideas to fruition,” said Warr.

“I’m also keen to help bolster the number of people called Phil on the team. The multitude of Toms have had their day.” UK editor-in-chief Samuel Roberts added: “We’ve been huge fans of Philippa’s work for years, and we’re delighted she’s joining the PC Gamer team. She’s a true original in games media, and her ideas for the magazine are incredibly exciting.”

Journalist WILL FREEMAN has been appointed editor of Ukie and the VSC Rating Board’s newly-relaunched age rating guidance site AskAboutGames.

Freeman said of his appointment: “I’m thrilled to get on board with AskAboutGames for at least two reasons. Firstly, I adore sharing the potential of games with people, and AskAboutGames is a brilliant way of doing just that.

Secondly, the diversity of the game medium’s content today is perhaps the best thing about it. That does mean, however, that we have to be careful and

responsible in making sure game content is appropriate to the audiences that consume it. Game age ratings are not a matter of stifling or censoring the medium; quite the opposite, in fact. Knowledge is power, and information about game content gives audiences, the industry and games themselves the potential to flourish all the more.”

Venatus Media has welcomed two new employees: former Evolve Media strategic partnerships and publisher services manager SERENA PASION (top), who joins as publisher relationship manager, and Spotad’s EMMA HENDERSON-WILLIAMS (above), who joins as its new business development manager.

Pasion will be supporting the company’s portfolio of publishers, including Mobafire, Xbox Achievements and PlayStation Trophies; while Henderson-Williams will be onboarding new gaming and entertainment sites and apps.

Venatus CEO Rob Gay said: “Both Emma and Serena bring experience of supporting publishers across platforms and international territories and I am delighted to welcome them to the team.”

September 29 MCV 926 | 49

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Uni Sans SemiBold

endgame

Who’s who?

Seth Barton Editor sbarton@nbmedia.com

Above board

Katharine Byrne News Editor kbyrne@nbmedia.com Marie Dealessandri Senior Staff Writer mdealessandri@nbmedia.com

Ukie held its yearly AGM at EGX last week, where it elected its new board of directors for 201718. Revolution Software’s owner and COO Noirin Carmody will act as chair, Playmob’s chairman Ian Livingstone CBE will act as vice chair, and Take-Two Interactive’s senior director of sales UK and export Dave Gould is now treasurer (the full board is pictured below).

Sam Richwood Designer srichwood@nbmedia.com James Marinos Production Executive jmarinos@nbmedia.com Sophia Jaques Games Sales Manager sjaques@nbmedia.com Charlie Gibbon Account Manager cgibbon@nbmedia.com Caroline Hicks Events Director chicks@nbmedia.com Mark Burton Managing Director mburton@nbmedia.com

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How much the government should invest in games over the next five years, according to last week’s Bazalgette review

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The latest data from Famitsu shows Japan’s physical game market was up year-on-year this August. And 82.5 per cent if you include hardware sales

Bossa Studios has raised a further $10m in Series A investment, which it’s using to open a new studio in Seattle

The number of games, to date, that will be ‘enhanced’ for the Xbox One X when it launches on November 7th

Final Fantasy XV has now sold 6.5m units worldwide, with a completion rate of 60 per cent according to director Hajime Tabata

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