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INDIE CHARTS - ALL FORMATS THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
1
TITLE/FORMAT
PUBLISHER
SKATE 2 FORMAT: 360
DEVELOPER: EA BLACK BOX PUBLISHER: EA
2
1
LORD OF THE RINGS; CONQUEST 360
3
5
WII FIT Wii
EA NINTENDO
4
2
CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR 360
5
3
LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST PS3
6
NEW
7
4
CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR PS3
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8
12
CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE 360
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
9
13
DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING DS
10
8
PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE DS
11
RE
CALL OF DUTY 4: WARFARE GAME OF THE YEAR ED PS3
12
RE
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2009 PC
13
9
MARIO KART WII Wii
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD EA
SKATE 2 PS3
EA
NINTENDO NINTENDO ACTIVISION BLIZZARD SEGA NINTENDO
14
RE
TOMB RAIDER UNDERWORLD PS2
15
16
SAINTS ROW 2 360
16
10
LEFT 4 DEAD 360
17
RE
BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EDITION 360
EIDOS THQ EA
18
15
GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK 360
19
6
NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERCOVER 360
20
RE
MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES Wii
ROCKSTAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
Charts compiled by Game Guide/Complete EPOS Solutions. For more information about Complete EPOS Solutions call 01543 370002. For more information about the Game Guide call 01606 836347.
EA SEGA
SKATE 2 TRIUMPHS OVER LORD OF THE RINGS EA’S SKATE 2 has debuted at No.1 in the Indie Charts after its first week on sale, pushing Lord Of The Rings: Conquest down to No.2. The game is the second EA title in as many weeks to take the top spot. While the 360 version of Skate beats Lord Of The Rings on Microsoft’s platform, the Tolkien brawler has the upper hand on PS3 as Skate 2 enters the chart at No.6, just below Conquest at No.5. Elsewhere, EA’s other titles slip several places, with Left 4 Dead down to No.16 and Need For Speed: Undercover plummeting 13 places to No.19. Activision Blizzard’s Call Of Duty franchise fares well this week, with the 360 and PS3 versions of both World At War and Modern Warfare all present in the chart, spread between No. 4 and No.11. As can be expected, the 2008 iteration is outselling 2007’s Call Of Duty 4.
“Activision Blizzard’s Call Of Duty franchise fares well this week, with both World At War and Modern Warfare present in the chart.” The PS3 edition of Modern Warfare is the highest of five reentries this week, outperforming the likes of Football Manager 2009, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Bully: Scholarship Edition and Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games. Nintendo still dominates its own platforms in the Indie Charts with four first-party titles in the Top 20, but only one third-party game present: Mario & Sonic, the company’s joint venture with Sega. Despite topping the mainstream charts, Wii Fit only achieves fifth position at independent retail. James.Batchelor@intentmedia.co.uk
week’s Frontline interviewee is Shabir Hussain FROM THE FRONTLINE This of Oxford indie U-Play Games Exchange… What challenges are facing your store at the moment? There’s a lot of uncertainty out there, with lots of businesses coming in and going out. It’s the uncertainty of not knowing what is around the corner, even on the larger scale of the UK’s economy in particular, but particularly in our industry. It keeps us on our toes, which I think is a good thing because it means we’ll take measures to stay in the game. We’re determined to keep up with our rivals and keep our customers happy. What does your store offer that others don’t? We’ve got a more customer-orientated approach. We know our regulars well, so we’ll do a better deal for them. We’re a
local branch so we know the people in the area well and they trust us. That’s built up over the last six years, and it’s something you don’t get from indies with multiple branches because they have higher turnovers of staff and customers. How do you expect business in 2009 to compare to last year? I believe games manufacturers are going to be more cautious, especially with supplies. We’ve already had problems with Skate 2, where fresh stock hasn’t been freely available. I think that will become a trend as publishers are more cautious and take fewer risks in terms of stock. There may even be fewer titles this year – the industry could be on a bit of pause this year.
ble at a l i a v All A
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TO TAKE PART PLEASE CONTACT: JAMES.BATCHELOR@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK