MCV813 November 14th

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WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19TH 2014

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES

LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE

ISSUE 813 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14TH 2014

SPEAKERS AND SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK’S EVENT P27

Chips’ McCabe (above left) and Games Centre’s Lindsay (above right) say the CoD launch was confusing; Baffled consumers took to social media (far left)

NEW CALL OF DUTY DELIVERS DESPITE LAUNCH DAY ‘BALLS-UP’ Retailers slam ‘confusing’ Day Zero edition

O

by Alex Calvin and Chris Dring CALL of Duty: Advanced Warfare eventually did the numbers, despite a launch strategy that confused gamers and retailers.

The new Call of Duty was scheduled to launch on Tuesday, November 4th, but gamers that pre-ordered the title could receive it a day early. However, this resulted in consumers flocking to stores believing they could get the game, only to be turned away.

Meanwhile, some mass-market retailers refused to sell the title at all on the Monday, even to those who had pre-ordered, out of fear of selling early. Many perplexed gamers took to Twitter to find answers.

It was one of, if not the, most complicated launches I have ever seen [...] But in the end Call of Duty did it again.

But stores relieved by late sales surge Furthermore, online retailers sent the game out even earlier to guarantee customers would receive it on the Monday, which saw thousands get the title before the weekend. One website, Videogamer. com, bought the title so early it was able to complete and review it before the rest of the games media – who were still under embargo.

“It was one of, if not the, most complicated launches I have ever seen,” said the senior buyer at one major games retailer.

“It confused customers, store staff and in the end we just had to sell all versions of the game on the Monday.”

MD of indie retailer Chips, Don McCabe, added: “The launch was a complete balls-up.

“We’re in the industry and we’re not sure what was going on – the consumers certainly didn’t have a clue what was happening.”

Robert Lindsay, MD of Scottish indie Games Centre, said: “The split launch didn’t work. It was a good idea in theory but customers were left confused and Sunday evening is just not a good launch night.”

Despite early worries, sales did pick up as the week went on, and Advanced Warfare sales were 5.7 per cent up over last year’s Ghosts.

It’s important to note, however, that Ghosts arrived before Xbox One or PS4 had launched.

“We were nervous to begin with,” added the senior buyer. “But in the end Call of Duty did it again.”

PLUS BIG AMBITIONS FOR FAR CRY 4 THE BBC’S LATEST CRACK AT VIDEO GAMES

CHEAT SHEET

THE EDITOR

THE WEEK IN VIDEO GAM TAKE-TWO CEO: WE WANT MORE SALES DATA

WHERE HAS THE GAMES MEDIA GONE?

L

ast week The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was announced for 3DS. The N64 original remains my favourite game, so after the announcement I rushed to see what articles had been published about it. I was hoping for a few retrospectives, but a ‘Ten things we loved about Majora’s Mask’ would have been just fine.

But there was barely anything at all. What was worse, the various news items that covered the announcement featured less information than I eventually found on the original Nintendo Direct video.

I was getting my news directly from the source, not because I chose to, but because the press wasn’t doing a better job.

I don’t blame games journalists. Recently there’s been mass redundancies across the sector and they’re having to adapt to life with smaller teams. Yet as a consumer I was underserved. I am not of the YouTube generation, so watching videos to get my gaming content is alien to me. I read my media, either online or in print, and there’s fewer online writers and the last Nintendo magazine has closed.

There’s obviously a good reason for this. These media platforms are making less money. Marketing budgets are stretched over more mediums, and I know of at least one major publisher that has moved almost entirely away from booking ads on traditional consumer media. YouTube and other VOD platforms are the exciting new areas and a great way to attract a younger gaming audience.

November 14th 2014

In the race to attract the YouTube generation, is there an audience of cashrich, die-hard fans being ignored?

But we’re an ageing population and gamers are getting older. I’m almost 30 and TotalBiscuit just isn’t for me. Here’s a question that’s worth asking marketers and PR experts: In the race to attract the YouTube generation, is there an audience of cash-rich, die-hard fans being ignored?

COD DID IT, EVENTUALLY So the Day Zero edition caused some headaches. The Sunday launch night wasn’t ideal, and the midnight launches weren’t quite as noisy as we were used to.

It was surprising not because Call of Duty is a brand that wasn’t showing signs of weakening – it was – but because Activision’s launches are normally flawless.

Just look at Destiny.

Day Zero seemed a bold, preorder mechanic when it was revealed in August, but in reality it caused a multitude of issues.

Yet even with an early stumble, Activision and retail found their feet by the end of the week, and the figures that came through were encouraging.

Hopefully, with the game picking up plenty of critical acclaim, the title will prove crucial in the build-up to Christmas.

CDring@nbmedia.com

Market Data The UK games software market almost hit £50m following the triple-A blockbuster launch of Call of Duty £50m

£48.5m 1,265,418 units

£25m

£13.6m 438,666 units

£0m

04

Week Ending October 27th

£16.3m 534,183 units Week Ending November 3rd

Week Ending November 10th

www.mcvuk.com

CHEAT SHEET

MES TAKE-TWO CEO Strauss Zelnick has called for more publically available sales data so we can accurately measure the market.

This comes as digital spending drives Take-Two’s financial results for the quarter, resulting in higher than expected figures. The firm has revised its numbers for the fiscal year.

Digitally-delivered content made up $89.8m of the firm’s revenue, with the largest contributors coming from the likes of Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, Borderlands 2 and Civilization V. Revenue from recurrent consumer spending grew 45 per cent year-onyear – primarily driven by GTA Online.

“Recurrent consumer spending is up meaningfully in the quarter” Zelnick told MCV. “I’m chairman of the (US video game trade body) Entertainment Software Association, and in fact I think more sales data is of interest to us. We do feel that more information about the market would be a good thing.”

DOWN Sunset Overdrive drops six places after its debut week at No.2

‘PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF STARTING A CAREER IN VIDEO GAMES’

www.mcvuk.com

FIFA 15 Football Manager 2015

4

Alien Isolation

5

Destiny

6

Minecraft: PlayStation Edition

7

Skylanders Trap Team

8 9 10

2 Nintendo announces Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire bundle 3 No Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry 4 or The Crew on Steam in the UK, Ubisoft confirms

5 PS4 claims biggest slice of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare sales

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

3

1 EFF wants to grant players power to maintain abandoned online games

4 There is potential for Dark Souls II on PS4 and Xbox One

UK RETAIL TOP 10

2

Our biggest stories for the week ending Nov 11th

prepared to train people up from the ground.

“As a new UKIE Board member, I’m looking forwards to being able to make a difference in that area. It involves going to schools and universities, talking to those students and encouraging them.

“Having more people in the industry that can encourage others – whether you’re male or female – would help.”

HOSTILE gamers are dissuading people from starting a career in games, warns Helana Santos of indie dev Modern Dreams.

Santos told MCV that not enough was being done to encourage promising games creators to work in the industry.

“With all the negativity in the games industry, people are actually afraid of looking at the industry and are having second thoughts about starting a career,” she explained. “We need to combat that, because it’s a great place to work.

“As an industry there’s always more that we can do.”

She adds: “It’s harder to get a job in the industry. Firms are looking for people with more experience, as they’re not

1 UP Alien Isolation sales spiked 120 per cent thanks to a GAME halfpriced offer

TOP ONLINE STORIES THIS WEEK

ACTIVISION

1

SPONSORED BY

GRAND THEFT AUTO V (PS4)

ROCKSTAR

EA

2

Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One)

Rockstar

Sega

3

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (3DS)

Nintendo

Sega

4

Assassin’s Creed Unity (PS4)

Ubisoft

Activision

5

Dragon Age Inquisition (PS4)

EA

Sony

6

Assassin’s Creed Unity (Xbox One)

Ubisoft

Activision

7

Far Cry 4 Limited Edition (PS4)

Ubisoft

Sunset Overdrive

Microsoft

8

Super Smash Bros + GameCube adapter (Wii U)

The Evil Within

Bethesda

9

Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix (PS3)

Minecraft: Xbox Edition

Microsoft

10

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Keyring (3DS)

05

Nintendo Square Enix Nintendo

November 14th 2014

NEWS

NEWS THIS WEEK FAR CRY 4 PRE-ORDERS ARE ALREADY AHEAD OF FAR CRY 3

By Alex Calvin Ubisoft believes its Far Cry franchise will cement its place among the shooter juggernauts.

The company predicts Far Cry 4 will beat Far Cry 3’s sales of 6m units sold in 12 months worldwide, and says that preorders have already surpassed its predecessor.

“Far Cry 4 has been received incredibly well amongst press and consumers alike,” said Ubisoft brand manager Wayne Greenwell.

“There is a real eagerness amongst gamers to get their hands on the final product and explore the beautiful environments of Kyrat on both new and old consoles alike.

“Our weekly pre-orders continue to track strongly and are above those of Far Cry 3, showing that Far Cry is now a brand which has caught the attention and imagination of the UK market.

“We are very much looking forward to kicking off our launch plans and the release of this hotly-anticipated title.”

Retail excitement for Far Cry 4 is huge, says Greenwell

NEW UK STUDIO DREAMS OF HOLLYWOOD WITH ITS FIRST GAME

Philip Oliver hopes SkySaga will go beyond games

By James Batchelor UK studio Radiant Worlds hopes new brand SkySaga will become a major franchise, up there with Skylanders and Minecraft – perhaps even winning a movie deal.

Announced this week, SkySaga: Infinite Isles is the first game from the company

PRESENTS

“We know that the game can grow and evolve for years to come,” said Radiant Worlds’ co-founder Philip Oliver.

SkySaga is being developed in collaboration with Korean online gaming giant SmileGate.

“We anticipate that the game will find global appeal, with a passionate community,” stated Oliver. “Our hope is that

co-founded by Blitz Games Studios’ Andrew and Philip Oliver. It is a fresh take on the Minecraft formula, with the action focused around quests in procedurally-generated worlds and dungeons.

The studio says this is a long-term investment for them, although all focus is currently on the inaugural PC game.

5 SECOND FACTS

SkySaga: Infinite Isles is the first in a rich offering of games across many platforms.”

He added his belief that the game’s success could pave the way for SkySaga to become a major franchise, with add-on toys and books.

“Hey, I’d even like to see a SkySaga movie one day – who wouldn’t?” he said.

Read and remember these stats so you can sound clever at the next Monday morning meeting...

14%

18

43%

£165

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s week one sales outnumbered the combined sales of Titanfall, Destiny and Wolfenstein by 14 per cent

The Tony Hawk skateboarding series will return next year with the 18th entry in the franchise

Square Enix’s Digital Entertainment arm has seen revenue jump by 43 per cent year-on-year, up to £238m

Elite Dangerous will launch on December 16th, costing £35. Access to the title’s alpha originally cost £200 for Kickstarter backers – £165 more

www.mcvuk.com

06

PDP design & manufacture the Energizer branded charging Doc for PlayStation 4 europesales@pdp.com

www.pdp.com November 14th 2014

eu.playstation.com/minecraftpsvita

Minecraft has arrived on PlayStation速Vita

also available on

and

MARKETING IN THEIR OWN WORDS

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

WILL GRAHAM Senior Product Manager, EA

THIS WEEK: DRAGON AGE INQUISITION

THE goal with upcoming PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC title Dragon Age: Inquisition is to usher in the next generation of role-playing games.

The game takes place within the largest world Dragon Age developer BioWare – which also developed the Mass Effect series – has created for an RPG to date.

Players will continue to experience the rich storylines and characters that they’ve come to expect from BioWare in an expansive world with huge open environments.

Existing fans of the Dragon Age franchise will also be able to experience an actionpacked dungeon-crawling fourplayer co-op multiplayer mode, which lets gamers play with their friends for the first time in the series.

[INFO] Released: November 21st IN order to push the latest entry in the Dragon Age series, Inquisition, EA has been targeting core fans of the franchise.

This includes ‘influencers’ across social and video sites such as YouTube and Twitch.

The publisher has been running a trade marketing campaign, informing retailers

Publisher: EA

about the latest Dragon Age game. Furthermore, GAME is exclusively receiving a special Deluxe Edition of the title.

Reviews for the game went live ten days ahead of its November 21st launch, with the title’s Metacritic score sitting in the high 80s at the time of writing, which should drive pre-orders.

Developer: BioWare Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388

MICROSOFT TAKES CONTROL OF TV AD MARKET IN OCTOBER This week, GameTime examines Microsoft’s efforts to be heard in the run-up to Christmas +1 Percentage Cover

600 Microsoft October Campaign Output

Individual TVRs

500 400 300 200

MICROSOFT has made its presence felt on TV in recent weeks with the release of two system exclusive triple-A titles: Forza Horizon 2 and the wellreceived Sunset Overdrive.

The last four weeks of consolidated TV audience data

25/10/14

23/10/14

21/10/14

19/10/14

17/10/14

15/10/14

13/10/14

11/10/14

09/10/14

07/10/14

05/10/14

03/10/14

01/10/14

00

29/09/14

100

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 00

RANK

1+ Percentage Coverage

Individual TVRs

CAMPAIGN

1

KING.COM – DIAMOND DIGGER SAGA

2

SUPERCELL – CLASH OF CLANS

298

3

MICROSOFT – SUNSET OVERDRIVE

293

4

MICROSOFT – FORZA 2

215

5

NINTENDO – SUPER SMASH BROS

186

6

SONY – PS4 CONSOLE

185

7

BETHESDA – THE EVIL WITHIN

105

8

EA – FIFA 15

98

9

2K – BORDERLANDS: THE PRE SEQUEL

91

10

WARNER – SHADOW OF MORDOR

85

commercial at least once in this time period – no mean feat in such a crowded pre-Christmas ad market.

In terms of TV market ad pressure, Microsoft provided 20 per cent of the Top 10 Games and Consoles campaigns in terms of

further illustrate how willing Microsoft is to make its voice heard in the TV ad market, with two Top 10 campaigns helping Microsoft to achieve 80 per cent one-plus coverage in just four weeks on air.

This means that eight in 10 UK individuals have now seen either

INDIVIDUAL TVRS

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individual TV viewer ratings (TVRs).

While this is less than that of King.com’s Diamond Digger Saga and Supercell’s Clash of Clans campaigns combined, Microsoft has been investing in more high profile, mass audience spots such as live Premier League football.

MCV GameTime is provided by Generation Media 0207 255 4650 | www.generationmedia.co.uk

www.mcvuk.com

08

November 14th 2014

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INTERVIEW RIKESH DESAI, BBC

CAN THE BBC GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME? This time last year, after a number of disappointing flops, the BBC closed its games division in Los Angeles and moved it back to the UK. Christopher Dring asks Rikesh Desai, director of Digital Entertainment and Games at BBC Worldwide, what’s different this time?

T

he BBC’s plan for the video games market regenerates almost as often as The Doctor.

Back in 2005 it closed its Multimedia division – after almost ten years of publishing titles – when the boxed games market crashed.

In January 2010, MCV revealed that the firm would return in a big way with a new Los Angelesbased division. BBC Worldwide’s new games department existed for almost five years, and brought the Top Gear test track to Gran Turismo 5 and Forza 4, delivered the Stig in Forza 5, launched a number of ok game apps, and helped publish a few pretty dreadful Doctor Who boxed games.

It wasn’t quite working, and last year the BBC closed its LA games division and started again, this time back in Britain.

“Over the years the team has managed a range of successful games from the Top Gear Stunt School series, and establishing the partnership with Microsoft for Forza Motorsport,” says Rikesh Desai, director of Digital Entertainment and Games at BBC Worldwide.

“This set the foundation for games at BBC Worldwide and allows us internally to explore new concepts with the IP and discuss partnerships with exciting gaming companies.”

He continues: “In terms of ambition nothing has changed.

“But, since bringing gaming back to the UK we’ve restructured the team and are focused on creating a business to drive

November 14th 2014

quality that can deliver sustainable growth. The team has a wealth of experience starting with Grant Dean, our head of Top Gear Games, Pete Hickman, producer within the Digital and Entertainment games at BBC Worldwide, and our associate producer Kevin Jorge.”

THE BBC’S NEW FRIENDS A lot of focus may befall the BBC’s various video games, but arguably their most successful activity has been by teaming up with other big name brands, such as Forza, Minecraft and Gran Turismo.

Top Gear has been a regular presence in the Forza series, while in August the firm did a deal with Minecraft on Xbox 360 to introduce Doctor Who characters into the game.

And there has been plenty of benefits to the BBC for doing this, says director for Digital Entertainment and Games at BBC Worldwide, Rikesh Desai.

“Firstly, it’s just the opportunity to work with partners that are passionate about our brands as much as we are,” he explains. “I can’t stress how important this is when collaborating with developers as creative really comes through in the final game output. Secondly, with the games market continually evolving and rapidly growing, it’s important for us to forge

TOP GEAR LICENSING BBC Worldwide’s games division today is primarily about licensing its IP to the right partner, whether that’s Top Gear, Doctor Who, its various kids brands or other properties, such as BBC Earth.

“The current strategy is to deliver profitability by licensing and integrating our IP to major and global partners,” continues Desai.

“This does not mean we won’t ever commission game development at some point in the future but where the business is today it is prudent to follow the license strategy.”

Yet this approach has not been an overwhelming success thus far, with a number of poor quality titles launching from small developers.

But Desai insists this is something the BBC is acutely aware of.

“It is about identifying suitable partners that have a track record of delivering quality. That’s why we’re actively seeking developers for future products, particularly Doctor Who and BBC Earth,” he says. “The market is very unforgiving, we can’t be complacent because we have popular IP. It wouldn’t be fair.

“When we do get the formula right our fans and partners are very forthcoming with their views.

10

strategic partnerships with proven and established developers and franchises to succeed.”

And there’s more to come, too.

“I can’t say much at this point, but we have some very exciting partnerships planned for release over the next 12 months, which I believe fans will really enjoy,” insists Desai. “In addition to this we have innovative toy and game cross-over products, which is an area we are actively exploring.”

www.mcvuk.com

Wow!

Earlier this year, Xbox released a Doctor Who-themed content pack

When we announced our Doctor Who partnership with Minecraft we saw the highest ever response from the community.”

Although the BBC has struggled to find success on consoles, it’s had a bit more luck in the mobile market. Doctor Who Legacy, the free-to-play mobile puzzle game, has attracted some 1.4m gamers.

And its various Top Gear titles – including Top Gear Race – The Stig, and Top Gear Stunt School – have been well received.

“Mobile has become such a key market, driven by demand and many creative new releases each week,” says Desai.

“Doctor Who Legacy taught us how important it is to maintain a pipeline of new content to retain existing users and attract new fans.

“Also for the launch of Top Gear Race the Stig earlier this year, we learnt how important it was to prepare. It was great to see all this preparation pay off as we saw the fastest rate of daily installs for any mobile game we have launched.”

THE MAINSTEAM Mobile is in many ways a better fit for the BBC. Its brands are not ‘hardcore’ IP, but mass market propositions – which makes them suited to a mobile audience. These games are also easier and cheaper to make. But Desai says that the console space offers the BBC something that mobile does not.

“We have plans in place for further releases on consoles for our major brands,” he explains.

“Both mobile and console are important platforms for us as each allow us to create

Create a must-have product!

various gaming experiences that appeal to different audiences in different situations.”

We pushed Desai to announce some other upcoming BBC IP, but all he would say is that – in addition to Doctor Who and Top Gear – the firm “will release two Children’s mobile games” and that “further out we are discussing opportunities for BBC Earth and some of our global drama brands.”

Desai and his team are also looking to bring its brands to new markets, namely Asia. “That’s an important pillar in our strategy, and therefore searching for developers with experience in that region to build our global offering,” he says.

BBC Worldwide is saying the right things, which suggests that

The games market is unforgiving. We can’t be complacent just because we have popular IP. That’s not fair to our fans.

Rikesh Desai, BBC Worldwide

maybe it can start to achieve something in the games space. But then they said the right things to us when we interviewed an entirely different team in January 2010.

The early popularity of its mobile titles suggests its on the right track. Now it must try and translate that into the more complicated console market.

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11

November 14th 2014

MARKET MOVES

APPOINTMENTS

GAME VETERAN MCGINLEY MOVES TO KOCH New marketing man for publisher O O’Connell joins Lift London O Christian steps up to Dimensional Imaging chair KOCH MEDIA | The publisher has a new trade marketing manager.

KIERAN MCGINLEY joins Koch Media having spent 15 years at GAME. In his time at the firm he was general manager of the retailer’s flagship store on Oxford Street, and in the last two years became local marketing manager.

McGinley will report to head of marketing MARK FISHER. “I’m really happy to have joined Koch Media,” said McGinley.

“I’m looking forward to a new challenge and using my retail experience to help the team grow Koch Media’s brands”

DIMENSIONAL IMAGING | Industry veteran TIM CHRISTIAN has taken over as the chairman of performance capture company Dimensional Imaging.

Christian has had a 25-year long career in the games industry, having run Microprose Europe, Accolade Europe and Hasbro Interactive. He is also chairman of games analytics firm DeltaDNA. “I am delighted to have been appointed as Dimensional Imaging’s new chairman,” he said.

“The demand for high definition full performance capture solutions is increasing,

MICROSOFT | MARK O’CONNELL has moved to Microsoft mobile studio Lift London.

He has taken on the role of social and community manager for the developer. Previously he worked as social media manager for Koch Media’s film and game releases, and before that was a PR and online manager at The Creative Assembly for its Total War series.

“I am delighted to have joined Microsoft’s Lift London as social and community manager,” O’Connell told MCV. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best in the industry on exciting new projects.”

and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the potential of DI, and its excellent products, realised.”

The firm’s CEO COLIN URQUHART added, “I am very pleased to welcome Tim as the new chairman and delighted to be working alongside someone of his calibre. Having been involved in the games industry at the highest level for over 20 years, Tim will play a vital role in ensuring we capitalise on every market opportunity. Dimensional Imaging is renowned for providing high fidelity facial data for triple-A video games, and with Tim’s experience and invaluable industry knowledge, the company’s reputation will be second to none.”

AROUND THE INDUSTRY QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT ENTERTAINMENT | Six months after the collapse of his studio Silicon Knights, Denis Dyack has formed a new company. Silicon Knights collapsed in 2012 following a legal battle with Epic Games.

Dyack says that the developer will be working on more than just games, and aims to create TV shows and movies, too.

At Quantum Entanglement, Dyack is going to be working on his spiritual successor to Silicon Knight’s Eternal Darkness, Shadow of the Eternals, the game he has twice attempted to crowdfund.

MICROSOFT | Xbox Entertainment Studios has officially been closed and its last two employees – digital media president Nancy Tellem and EVP Jordan Levin – have been let go.

November 14th 2014

12

The closure of the division was announced in July as a part of a companywide restructure.

“We can confirmed that Xbox Entertainment Studios has closed as part of the company-wide restructuring announced

by Microsoft last July,” the platform holder announced in a statement.

“Nancy and Jordan were key members and visionairies for the XES team, and we thank them for their leadership and many contributions.”

Microsoft has also completed its $2.5bn acquistion of Minecraft publisher Mojang. Xbox boss Phil Spencer took to Twitter, saying: “It’s official, today we welcome Mojang to the Microsoft Studios family.

We’re excited for the possibilities ahead with the Minecraft community.” www.mcvuk.com

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

2014

Wednesday, November 19th

Full-day conference and networking event featuring expert advice from

WE ARE PLAYING...

Event Partner

My Xbox One needed an update. So I had to put down Sunset Overdrive and play a bit of Smash Bros on 3DS instead.

Christopher Dring, Editor

After being told that my entry last week was too niche, this week I’ve been pwning n00bs in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Alex Calvin, Staff Writer

cdring@nbmedia.com

acalvin@nbmedia.com

A bit of Advanced Warfare, Sunset Overdrive, Binding of Isaac and Forza but most importantly, NG+ in Dark Souls 2. Which is insanely hard.

Ben Parfitt, Associate Editor

I would have been playing other games, but I’ve been too scared to leave this locker in Alien: Isolation. Okay, I did play a bit of Binding of Isaac...

Matt Jarvis, Staff Writer

bparfitt@nbmedia.com

mjarvis@nbmedia.com

Publisher: Michael French mfrench@nbmedia.com

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Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England SG14 1JA Newbay Media specialises in tradededicated print and digital publishing for entertainment and leisure markets.

As well as MCV, Newbay publishes Develop, PCR, ToyNews, Music Week, MI Pro, Audio Pro International and BikeBiz. It also has two onlineonly brands: Mobile Entertainment, dedicated to the growing mass market smartphone sector, and Licensing.biz, for everyone in the global licensing industry. It also runs a number of events including the MCV Industry Excellence Awards, the London Games Conference and the Games Media Awards.

US Correspondent Erik Johnson ejohnson@nbmedia.com

Special Projects: Lisa Carter lcarter@nbmedia.com

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© Newbay Media 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

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ISSN: 1469-4832 Copyright 2014

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THE RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD MCV takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on the biggest issues in the industry. The current members are...

Charlotte Knight GAME

Steve Moore Simply Games

Jon Hayes Tesco

Ketu Patel Amazon

Sarah Jasper The Hut

Phil Moore Grainger Games

David Firth Shop Direct

Don McCabe CHIPS

Gurdeep Hunjan Sainsbury’s

Steve Thomas Xbite

Simon Urquhart Microsoft

Robert Lindsay Games Centre

Igor Cipolletta ShopTo

Dermot Stapleton Get Games

Niall Lawlor GameStop

Phil Browes HMV

Stephen Staley Robert Hennessy Gameseek John Lewis

Paul Sulyok Green Man

James Cooke Argos

Craig Watson Dixons Retail

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November 14th 2014

CHRISTMAS 2

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OPINION

INSIGHT

OPINION AND ANALYSIS FROM THE BRIGHTEST MINDS IN GAMES. THIS WEEK GAMES CENTRE’S ROBERT LINDSAY AND SUPER DATA’S JOOST VAN DREUNEN SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE

RETAIL

HOW INDEPENDENT RETAILERS CAN SURVIVE THE INDUSTRY TRANSITION GAME has transformed its business by going digital. But how can smaller stores, without the investment or scale of GAME, expect to compete?

Games Centre MD Robert Lindsay shares his thoughts

W

hile trying to grow our own business we continually look at our competitors, both large and small, to see which direction the industry is heading in. And as the market leader, it makes perfect sense to take note of GAME’s future plans.

Some ideas require levels of funding that are simply beyond the reach of most indies, but there are some concepts that can be modified and put into practice with some hard work and planning.

The traditional model of boxed video games will decline in the coming years. To what extent hasn’t yet become clear, so while we still have a strong performance in this area (largely thanks to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sales), it has become very important to bring through new products and services, particularly our digital and technology offerings.

The digital route was opened last year through Sony and DLCSoft, and that has been a resounding success with the product offering growing steadily as the year has progressed.

CentreSoft has also brought

November 14th 2014

additional publishers to the digital portfolio, while Microsoft and Exertis now have digital currency and subscriptions available with more content to follow. And there are other digital initiatives being rolled out.

Publishers are finally coming around to the benefits that retailers (big and small) can offer in this area as most of these digital sales are in addition to existing business. Customers can be better educated at store level than they ever could online, impulse purchases are a huge factor and the visibility of products in-store is a key driver for some titles. Our aim as a business is to engage with as many publishers as possible on digital and, with some hard work, 2015 should be a key year for us in this market.

2015 is going to be a key year for sales of digital content, says Lindsay

The introduction of tech and digital products into stores gives customers new reasons to shop with us.

TECHNOLOGY AND TABLETS Technology is another area where key competitors have expanded into, some even trialling standalone stores similar to the CEX model [GAME’s GAMETronics stores being the most notable example).

Robert Lindsay, Games Centre

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There will be very few customers coming through the door who do not own either a mobile phone or a tablet and as these products are upgraded on a regular basis, a trade in service can become an important revenue generator for any store. However, there is a lot of competition in this area, and not just within our retail sector either, which results in some aggressive trade-in prices, and this can be at odds with the gaming products.

The introduction of technology and digital products into stores gives customers new reasons to shop with us. The more reasons they have to come into our stores, the more secure our business becomes. And in an ever-changing retail environment, standing still is not an option.

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OPINION

ANALYSIS

ROVIO LAYOFFS SIGNIFY MATURING MOBILE GAMES MARKET Joost van Dreunen, CEO of market intelligence firm SuperData, on the challenges facing Rovio and what that says about the wider mobile games market

W

hen a CEO like Rovio’s Mikael Hed announces layoffs of “a maximum of 130 people” you know something’s up. Stating that the company had anticipated faster growth than it was able to realise, the firm is forced to reduce its headcount. But if one of the most successful mobile firms starts to cut back, you have to ask if we’re not looking at a larger industry trend. Is Rovio the canary in the coal mine?

Angry Birds is still going strong, but its 200m active players is 24 per cent down on its 2012 peak. Despite this, Rovio’s revenues have slightly increased year-over-year, from $192m in 2012 to $197m in 2013.

We’ve seen similar trends before with Zynga, where revenues initially stay at the same level as its user base declines, because the nonpayers are the first to move on.

Over the past two years, the mobile market has also seen the emergence of several big new companies, such as Supercell, which managed to generate $892m in 2013 with a total staff of 132, compared to Rovio’s $197m and 800 staff. Once the undisputed king of mobile games, Rovio no longer can claim this position.

EARLY BIRD. WORM. But Rovio wasn’t born yesterday.

It spent its early years developing games for the likes of EA and Bandai Namco. Once Angry Birds reached the success its did, Hed realised that replicating its success

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was nearly impossible and, instead, Rovio should focus on building a business around its hit title.

At its peak, Rovio would receive between 60 and 80 proposals to collaborate in some way. But the market has shifted.

Mobile gaming is big. It’s grown into a $21bn-a-year industry. And a failure to capitalise on the free-toplay mobile market, where players spend an average of $23.94 every month is costly (United States, August 2014). And it is here that Rovio has been unable to replicate its earlier success. Subsequent F2P Angry Birds games have done well, but none have come close to Clash of Clans or Candy Crush Saga.

To build a brand to the size of Mickey Mouse or Star Wars, two franchises that Rovio likes to invoke when outlining its vision, one needs a strong narrative economy. But in laying out the core values of its design, such as the need for wordless gameplay, Rovio has limited its ability to tell a narrative. Stories are what provides depth to characters, allows players to establish a connection to their avatars and the rules of their universe.

Because of its broad appeal, mobile gaming caters to a wide audience. Taking a wide approach, makes sense. But after an initial phase in which people surprise themselves by figuring out that “They’re gamers now!”, this same group will also start demanding more challenging and more

Rovio’s revenue increased from $192m to $197m between 2012 and 2013

sophisticated content. The same happened to social games, and the same is now happening in mobile.

Mobile gaming has grown into a $21bn -a-year industry.

And a failure to capitalise on the freeto-play mobile market is costly .

Joost van Dreunen, SuperData

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MOBILE ALL GROWN UP If Rovio is indeed facing a decline, the silver lining may very well be that we have entered the next stage in the evolution of mobile gaming.

Consumer expectations have shifted, marketing has become more challenging and development costs continue to increase – all of which results in a radically different mobile landscape. It means that mobile gaming is not a fad, as some initially suspected. It provides proof of the idea that mobile is a maturing games market, allowing big brands and innovative publishers to make long-term investments.

Many soon-to-be former Rovio employees will re-emerge. There’s a tremendous amount of belief in the ability of Finnish developers. These recent changes amount to a revised strategy as Rovio enters the next stage in its existence. It’s changed before and will again in the future.

Let’s see if they can navigate their brand through what comes next.

November 14th 2014

THE BIG GAME FAR CRY 4

November 14th 2014

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FAR CRY 4 THE BIG GAME

FAR CRY 4

VICTORY CRY Far Cry went from the fringes of the shooter genre into the mainstream with the blockbusting smash hit Far Cry 3. So understandably, publisher Ubisoft has high hopes for its sequel.

Alex Calvin reports

Release Date: November 18th Formats: PS4/XO/PS3/360/PC Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

F

ar Cry wasn’t always the blockbuster shooter franchise it is today.

The games were technically impressive, but until 2012 they hadn’t managed to break into the mainstream.

Then Ubisoft released Far Cry 3, and the series blew up.

The game has sold in the region of ten million units since it launched in November 2012, according to Ubisoft.

Even the standalone digital title Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, released in April 2013, sold 500,000 units in its first two months on sale, and went on to break one million copies sold within five months.

“We saw great success with Far Cry 3 when it launched in November 2012,” explains Ubisoft brand manager Wayne Greenwell.

“It went on to be the No.1 rated shooter of 2012 according to Metacritic and continued to see strong sell through into 2013, by which point Far Cry had established itself as a new contender in the first-person shooter market.”

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for Far Cry 4 you’d assume that Ubisoft has adopted the ‘more of the same’ template for this game.

You have an open world setting in an interesting location (this time Kyrat, a mountainous area in the Himalayas), complete with wingsuits and other over the top means of traversing the landscape. You even have the over the top and flamboyant villain, corrupt ruler Pagan Min replacing Far Cry 3’s pirate boss Vaas.

But the title’s creative director, Ubisoft Montreal’s Alex Hutchinson, explains that there is in fact a lot new with Far Cry’s core gameplay.

“Vast amounts of the game Alex Hutchinson, Ubisoft Montreal are new: co-op in the open world, a branching playerdriven narrative, new vehicles like the gyrocopter and the hovercraft, new weapons like the auto-crossbow and the mortar, new animals like the rhinoceros and the honey badger, new systems like the karma events and guns for hire, weaponised elephants, new side quests like rescuing

As a result, Ubisoft has high hopes for its sequel. In its recent investor call, the publisher predicted that Far Cry 4 will shift more than six million units in its first year on sale.

And judging by the buzz for the title, that’s not an unachievable goal.

“Far Cry 4 has been received incredibly well amongst press and consumers alike. There is a real eagerness amongst gamers to get their hands on the final product and explore the beautiful environments of Kyrat on both new and old consoles alike,” says Greenwell.

“Our weekly pre-orders for Far Cry 4 continue to track strongly and are above those of Far Cry 3.

“Once again this shows that Far Cry is now a brand that has caught the attention and imagination of the UK market, and we are very much looking forward to kicking off our launch plans and the release of this hotly anticipated title.”

In Far Cry 3 the hero was saying he needed to save his friends, but just ended up blowing stuff up. We wanted to stop that narrative disconnect in Far Cry 4.

IN WITH THE NEW Looking at the preview footage

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November 14th 2014

THE BIG GAME FAR CRY 4

Far Cry 4 swaps the tropical setting of Rook Islands for the mountainous Kryat region

Ubisoft Montreal’s Hutchinson (top) and Ubisoft’s Greenwell (above) say that Far Cry 4’s gameplay is identical between PS3/Xbox 360 and PS4/Xbox One

hostages and hunting rare animals,” he lists.

“And all of that is inside a brand new world, with a new set of characters, a new story and a new set of missions. About the only thing that isn’t new is that it still involves shooting in an open world.”

Shortly after the game was first announced, its narrative director Mark Thompson said he was keen to improve the game’s story. Interesting as it was, Far Cry 3’s plot was littered with problems, such as the post-colonial narrative (white man comes to save ethnic tribe from evil) and the cognitive dissonance between story and gameplay.

“We wanted to stop the disconnect between the narrative.

The protagonist was saying he needed to save his friends, but the player was actually just running around blowing stuff up and capturing outposts,” Hutchinson says.

“The main thread of the Far Cry 4 storyline is about how you shape the Golden Path to retake Kyrat, so what you’re doing and the story are much more closely linked.

“We also wanted a character who wasn’t so much of an outsider

November 14th 2014

this time, so we have Ajay Ghale who was born in Kyrat, and his name is famous in the country.”

But as well as the narrative making more logical sense, Ubisoft Montreal has said it would be interested in making Far Cry 4 more extreme to reflect its story with a hardcore mode. The mode would see players have to adapt to their hostile environment, dealing with animal diseases, hypothermia and no respawning.

“Hardcore is harder, but we didn’t end up creating any

Weekly pre-orders for Far Cry 4 continue to track strongly and are above those of Far Cry 3.

Wayne Greenwell, Ubisoft

custom survival content for the game,” Hutchinson says.

“In terms of whether people want it, there were some great mods for Far Cry 3 that included some of these ideas, which we

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liked so spent some time thinking about what we could do for 4 but we had so much else to do we couldn’t squeeze it in.”

CROSS-GENERATIONAL Like many games coming out at the moment, Far Cry 4 is being released on both PlayStation and Microsoft’s shiny new hardware, and their older machines, too.

And Ubisoft says it has gone to great lengths to ensure the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions as good as those appearing on the newer machines.

“In terms of gameplay, all the versions are basically identical but there are a few more random encounters on PS4, Xbox One and PC,” Hutchinson says.

“The big difference is in terms of art. We were able to build new lighting models, new fur shaders for the animals, new foliage systems for trees, and generally just make it a more beautiful game.”

He concludes: “We wanted to make one game, and to have as many people to playing it so we knew we were going to support all five platforms from the start.”

KEYS TO THE CASTLE ONE of the new features of Far Cry 4 is the Keys to Kryat.

Those who have bought the game can invite their friends along to join in the ‘Guns for Hire’ co-operative mode.

This mode is exclusive to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners. Consumers have ten ‘keys’ to hand out to their friends, who will then be able to play with them for two hours, even if they don’t own the game.

“We had a great relationship with Sony when we started talking about the game and it was a natural fit with how they saw players sharing games and content,” explains Ubisoft Montreal creative director Alex Hutchinson.

“For us it’s a way to give our fans an easy way to show their friends how much fun Far Cry 4 is and hopefully convince a few to buy the game. This time we worked with Sony, but we have an equally strong relationship with Microsoft and always will look for the best ways to showcase our games with partners.”

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MODERN DREAM INDIE INTERVIEW Sponsored by

CHASING THE MODERN DREAM Modern Dream is one of a new wave of British studios bearing the flag for a more diverse and progressive games industry. Matthew Jarvis talks to the developer’s Helana Santos and Ollie Clarke

“W

e thought the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage music video would make a great game.”

So says Ollie Clarke of the inspiration for PC title LA Cops, the latest game from studio Modern Dream, at which Clarke serves as artist and designer, alongside programmer and fellow designer Helana Santos.

Half ‘70s cop show homage and half pastiche of ‘90s top-down games, Sabotage is just one of LA Cops’ myriad influences.

Clarke highlights the other inspirational pillars of the game as works of art as diverse as: “David Hockney and Edward Ruscha paintings, the late ‘90s game Interstate ‘76, pop art and rock music from the early ‘90s like Rage Against The Machine and the way that fused with late ‘70s music like Led Zeppelin”.

He adds: “If the industry’s going to keep moving forwards, it needs to look at new avenues and become more diverse and creative.

“It’s something that players are hungry for. Publishers need to give players something more diverse. In order to do that, we need to explore the arts – music, film, books – draw from those rich mediums of entertainment and combine them into games.”

This diversity isn’t the only way LA Cops embodies the modern spirit of game creation. The title is also currently available on Steam Early Access, ahead of a PC and

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Xbox One release. Santos sees the pre-release service as vital: “It gave players an opportunity to contribute towards the game, say what they actually wanted and allow us to tailor it more towards that.”

Programmer and designer Helana Santos (above left) and artist and designer Ollie Clarke (above) of Modern Dream

SOWING FOR SUCCESS Santos fought her way into the games industry after attaining a computer science degree and is now a UKIE Board member, while Clarke was named one of BAFTA’s Breakthrough Brits in 2013. They say more needs to be done to nurture up-and-coming talent.

“More and more it’s harder to get a job in the games industry. Firms are looking for people with more experience, as they’re not prepared to train people up from the ground,” Santos explains. “But tools like Unity are opening the doors.

With all the negativity, people are afraid of looking at the games industry. We need to combat that, because it’s a great place to work.

Helana Santos, Modern Dream LA Cops (below) combines ‘70s style with ‘90s top-down gameplay

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In the past artists would just need pen and paper – all they need now is Unity and creativity.”

But just providing the right tools isn’t necessarily enough, she adds.

“As an industry there will always be more that we can do,” she states.

“With all the negativity, people are afraid of looking at the games industry and are having second thoughts about starting a career.

We need to combat that, because it’s a great place to work.”

Clarke agrees: “Great game makers can come from anywhere.

“We need to create opportunities for that to happen. People that are driven, determined, have creativity and really want to do it – those are the people that we really need to find, support and encourage.”

DIVERSIFY AND CONQUER One of the most oft-maligned topics of late is the dearth of female developers in the industry.

But Santos says that for progress to be made, the concept of a gender divide should be abolished, rather than highlighted.

“We need to start collaborating more; we don’t need to compete with each other, and right now it feels like we do,” she comments.

Santos adds that the problem should be seen as a universal issue, rather than one of sex.

“Having more people in the industry that can encourage others would help,” she suggests. “Selfdoubt is gender independent; it just becomes a bigger highlight if you put the word ‘female’ in there.

We need to help people without putting them in boxes.”

Clarke concludes: “Diversity is what brings new ideas, and what helps us go forwards. It’s where the excitement is; it’s a good thing.”

November 14th 2014

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EVENT GUIDE LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE

LONDON’S CALLING Next week’s London Games Conference will offer insight and analysis from key areas of the of the games industry about how to sell more games - and market them better. MCV explains what you can expect from the event

L

ondon Games Conference next week brings together some of the brightest minds in games media and marketing with one priority: to explain how you can sell more games and software .

We’ve tweaked the London Games Conference agenda for 2014 and not only focused it exclusively around engagement and reach in games marketing, but have built a full day conference that kicks off at 10am (registration 9am) on Wednesday, November 19th.

We’ve gathered some of the industry’s smartest marketers, online experts and community pioneers to discuss the key issues around getting audiences to discover, pay for and love games.

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Businesses on stage include digital powerhouses Buzzfeed, and Facebook, who will be talking about game communities and shareable content, games media giant Gamer Network, plus platform holder PlayStation. That’s in addition to consumer engagement advice from Google and marketing insight from renowned games industry analyst Nick Parker.

Ultimately, there are more games fighting for attention than ever before. And there are new, more complex distribution and marketing channels. London Games Conference 2014 will help you plot your course through it all.

T More games are fighting for attention across more complex marketing channels.

LGC will help you plot a course through it all.

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urn over for our detailed guide to this year’s conference, including the full event schedule, key event information as well as interviews with our speakers, and insight from event sponsors Respondez, Curse and IGN. If you haven’t booked your place yet, there is still time to grab one of the remaining tickets. To book your place at London Games Conference, head to londongamesconference.com or contact Sara Mather at Smather@nmedia.com Tickets cost £349 with discounts for UKIE, TIGA and Game Republic members.

November 14th 2014

LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE EVENT GUIDE

LGC: THE FULL SCHEDULE 09:00 REGISTRATION AND COFFEE

11:30 EGX 2014 FEEDBACK: SEE HOW GAMES AND GAMERS CONNECTED AT THE UK’S BIGGEST GAMING EVENT RUPERT LOMAN, CEO, GAMER NETWORK

09:50 CONFERENCE START AND INTRODUCTION JAMES BINNS, CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN

Gamer Network’s CEO will take the stage sharing the experience learnt from building EGX into Europe’s premier live gaming event. Loman will share detailed data about the benefits of live engagement with gamers. He’ll show changing trends in UK gamers, mapping direct feedback against Metacritic scores, examining changes year-onyear and detailing console ownership expectations.

Network N’s founder James Binns will set the scene on how games are sold and marketed in the digital age.

10:00 MORE THAN JUST GOOD – CREATING SHAREABLE CONTENT PHILIP BYRNE, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BUZZFEED

12:00 FROM LIKE TO LOVE. THE HUNT FOR THE C WORD. COMMITMENT. SARAH WELLOCK, LEAD COMMUNITY MANAGER, SONY XDEV STUDIOS

Buzzfeed’s creative director for the UK, Philip Byrne, will be speaking about the site’s approach to content.

The website has been a leader in native advertising and commercial content. Using real life examples from the games market, Byrne will share insights into engagement and reach.

PlayStation’s Wellock will focus on keeping your audience engaged once you have their attention. Having worked in social media and community for several years, Wellock will share some dos and don’ts when engaging an audience and how to build a thriving audience for your game or franchise.

10:30 A PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE GEOFF INNS, INTERNATIONAL MD, ZIFF DAVIS

12:20 MARKETING INVESTMENT ACROSS MOBILE, PC AND CONSOLE. HOW MUCH ARE PEOPLE INVESTING AND WHAT WORKS? NICK PARKER, CEO, PARKER CONSULTING

IGN boss Geoff Inns will be talking about the issues in the games media that affect both the press and games publishers.

CEO and founder of Parker Consulting, Nick Parker, will share the level of marketing investment made by the games industry and what this has delivered.

11:00 COFFEE AND TEA NETWORKING BREAK

November 14th 2014

12:50 NETWORKING LUNCH

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EVENT GUIDE LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE

13:50 SPEAKING TO GLOBAL GAME COMMUNITIES WITH LOCAL SENTIMENT NATHAN LINDBERG, VP OF GLOBAL SALES, CURSE

15:50 POST-RELEASE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT JAY PATEL, DIRECTOR, RESPONDEZ Respondez director Jay Patel will be speaking about how the company has worked with Ubisoft to deliver brilliant customer service.

Curse’s talk will be concerned with how to further relationships with the global gaming community with a focus on UK market needs.

16:10 HOW YOUTUBE HAS REDEFINED GAMES DISCOVERY RICH KEITH, GM, YOGSCAST

14:20 THE ART OF GROWING YOUR GAME - HOW YOUR ADVERTISING CAN COST LESS BY ENGAGING MORE RICK KELLEY, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF GAMING SALES, FACEBOOK

Yogscast’s general manager will talk about how YouTube has created a direct link between content and games sales. He’ll use real life examples and data to describe the opportunities and challenges in the video medium.

Facebook will be represented by Rick Kelley and will be speaking about how your advertising can cost less by engaging more.

16:30 DRIVING DISCOVERABLITY ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS PAUL SULYOK, CEO, GREEN MAN GAMING

14:50 GET DISCOVERED AND REACH MORE USERS RUPERT WHITEHEAD, DEVELOPER RELATIONS REGIONAL LEAD, GOOGLE

Green Man Gaming boss Paul Sulyok on how PlayFire is reinventing social shopping.

Google’s Rupert Whitehead on getting your game discovered in a world of increasing competition. He’ll look at what you can do to lift yourself from the rest of the noise.

16:50 CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS: CONFERENCE CLOSE JAMES BINNS, CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN

15:20 COFFEE AND TEA NETWORKING BREAK

17:00 NETWORKING DRINKS

www.mcvuk.com

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November 14th 2014

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Start right from the very beginning and enjoy Halo: Combat Evolved, jump straight into the fully revamped version of 2004’s Halo 2, or pick a favourite chapter from Halo 3 and 4.

For the nostalgic, players can even play the game as nature intended, with a ‘Classic Mode’ that switches to the original visuals on-the-fly at the touch of a button. The inclusion of the all-new Master Menu lets users seamlessly navigate all four campaigns from start to finish, or jump around as they choose.

Multiplayer fans are in for a treat, too, and can easily find their favourite multiplayer maps and modes. With more than 100 maps to play, there is unbeatable choice, and as an added bonus, six of Halo 2’s maps have been fully re-imagined and brought bang up to date, including fan favorites’ Іvory Tower, Ascension and Lockout.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is the ultimate collection, and is available only on Xbox One. As a special added bonus, purchasers of Halo: The Master Chief Collection will gain exclusive early access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta. Set to go live on December 27th 2014, the beta will give players the first chance to experience the next epic chapter in the series before its full launch later in 2015.

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LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE EVENT GUIDE

LOOK WHO’S TALKING Meeting the eleven top class speakers from the worlds of publishing, games media, online and social media, plus retail who are going to be sharing their knowledge at this year’s London Games Conference

SARAH WELLOCK PlayStation

RICK KELLEY Facebook

RUPERT LOMAN Gamer Network

PHILIP BYRNE Buzzfeed

WELLOCK is a senior community manager at SCEE’s XDev studio with over ten years of experience in digital marketing. Prior to working at PlayStation, she was community manager at Batman Arkham studio Rocksteady.

HEADING up Facebook’s games sales in North America, EMEA and APAC, Kelley has a wealth of experience in building, scaling and leading sales teams. Prior to his time at Facebook, Kelley spent seven years at Yahoo.

LOMAN co-founded Gamer Network in 1999. The firm is behind a number of games websites such as Eurogamer and GamesIndustry. biz, as well as events EGX, Rezzed and GameHorizon.

THE man in charge of Buzzfeed’s growing UK creative team, Byrne is heading up one of the biggest websites in the world. He joined the firm last year with a wealth of experience in social media, digital PR and community management.

GEOFF INNS Ziff Davis

NATHAN LINDBERG Curse

PAUL SULYOK Green Man Gaming

NICK PARKER Parker Consulting

INDUSTRY veteran Geoff Inns has been involved in online media for his entire career. While he is now the international MD of Ziff Davis, he has worked at CBS Interactive, running both CNET and GameSpot.

CURSE is an online media giant and is behind a plethora of games websites.

The firm’s VP of global sales, Nathan Lindberg has had a long career in sales and has worked at Curse since 2009.

SULYOK founded online retailer Green Man Gaming in 2009. Over the years he has evolved the firm’s offering, first with the purchase of social network PlayFire, and more recently with the opening of publishing arm Green Man Loaded.

WITH a wealth of experience in the games industry as a strategic planning consultant, first at Nintendo and then Sony, Parker has become the go-to consultant for research, business planning and strategic services.

JAY PATEL Respondez

RICH KEITH Yogscast

RUPERT WHITEHEAD Google

RESPONDEZ’S director Patel has been working with the games industry since 2006 on postrelease strategies. He has worked in the software and service industries, and has been active in developing customer service strategies.

PRIOR to heading up YouTube sensation Yogscast, Keith had a long career at Future, serving as editor of the likes of Official PlayStation Magazine, before becoming publisher for Edge, PC Gamer and OXM for six years.

WHITEHEAD is developer relations regional lead at Google, for the UK, Ireland, Nordics and the Netherlands. He is tasked with helping developers and startups become more successful with Google’s APIs.

November 14th 2014

32

www.mcvuk.com

EVENT GUIDE LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE

LGC: THE KEY FACTS DATE: November 19th, 2014 LOCATION: One Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE London Games Conference is a focused games industry conference that starts promptly at 9:50am (registration opens at 9am). The last session ends at 5pm, followed by networking drinks.

HOW TO ATTEND BOOK online at londongamesconference.com or contact Sara Mather at SMather@nbmedia.com or call on 01992 535 646 to book your place. Tickets cost £349 and there are just a few seats remaining.

WHO IS ATTENDING Execs from the following companies will be attending this year’s London Games Conference Future Games of London GAME Retail Gamer Network Google Green Man Gaming Hauppauge Digital Heaven Media IGN Indigo Pearl Installation MCV Multiplay (UK) NetworkN Nordic Games Onlive Parker Consulting

101 London 505 Games Activision Blizzard arvato Entertainment / Sonopress UK Bad Management Brand Culture Sport & Entertainment Ltd BuzzFeed Carbon Digital Catapult Business Solutions Crave Online Curse Curve Digital Develop Drum

Plan of Attack Playstation Purewal & Partners LLP Reach Rocket Stainless Games Tangentix Team Dignitas Testology TVBEurope Twitch Twitter Ubisoft Wikia

PARTNERS Event Partner

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SERIOUS ABOUT

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Web: www.venomuk.com Phone: +44 (0)1763 284181

www.mcvuk.com

Email: darren.scott@venomuk.com sam.phipps@venomuk.com tom.hodge@venomuk.com

Venom UK Gaming @VenomGamingUK

33

w w w. v e n o m u k . c o m

November 14th 2014

LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE EVENT GUIDE

TALKING TO YOU Director of customer service firm Respondez, Jay Patel, tells MCV about how the company’s business has changed and why publishers should continue to outsource their customer service needs

Tell me a bit about Respondez.

We are a multi-lingual contact centre based in the North East England and in Poland. With other subsidiaries in India and US, we offer the best shore solution to our clients. Between Hartlepool and Poland, we provide support in English and 12 European languages with native language agents.

What does your company offer to the games industry?

We provide outsourced postrelease customer support services to publishers. Our service to the industry includes multi-lingual technical support to gamers across multiple platforms: voice, email handling, web chat, community management and forum moderation.

How has the your business changed recently?

Our business has changed continuously over the past three years to meet the ever-changing needs of the customers. The demands of community for immediate support and its increase use of web platforms has led us to invest in both technologies and processes to support this demand.

We have also seen emergence of free-to-play titles with in-game support and greater emergence of online community management.

What effect has social media had on your business?

This has had some impact on our business because it is a channel that you cannot ignore, but gamers on social media are not necessarily looking for company interaction. By and large, we find that our clients prefer to manage it themselves because it is also a marketing channel for them.

November 14th 2014

Firms like Respondez can off er more fl exibility in customer service, says Patel

As companies cut costs, a lot of them are bringing their customer services in-house.

Why should they continue to outsource through companies such as Respondez?

Customer service is core to our business and we invest heavily in technology, people and processes. Good customer service across multiple channels needs considerable investment and we find that not all publishers are interested in setting up their own team of support agents. We offer flexibility where companies have low volume of queries or unpredictable contact volume.

We can also offer multi-lingual capability that is not easy to develop. In terms of cost, outsource companies like ours have developed efficiencies in delivering support, which can compete with internal cost, so companies are making decisions to bring customer service in-house for strategic reasons and not cost.

Customer service is core to our business and we invest heavily in technology platforms, people and processes.

Jay Patel, Respondez

34

You work across a number of different languages. Have you started to serve new markets recently?

Besides English speaking markets we support 12 European languages including, French, German, Spanish and Nordic languages. More recently we have seen growth in the Russian markets and as well as across Asia and Australia What are Respondez’s plans for the coming year?

We have very exciting plans ahead over the next year with the launch of our customer support Lab. We are beginning to find that there are so many products and technologies available today that many companies are confused on the best setup for their requirements and they are also looking for better use of analytics so that support is tailored to the individual. This requires smarter use of the right data.

www.mcvuk.com

EVENT GUIDE LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE

IGN FIRST LOOKS TO THE FUTURE IGN UK’s editor-in-chief Alex Simmons tells MCV about how the site best makes use of its editorial teams around the globe

A

n Englishman, an American and an Australian...’ sounds like the start of a joke, but it is in fact the foundation of IGN’s biggest innovation in the last 12 months.

IGN First is our equivalent of a magazine front cover, with fourweeks of coverage dedicated to one game. It has been hugely sucessful over the six months we’ve been running it.

This would be nothing without the collaboration between our UK, US and Australian editorial teams.

The IGN First for Forza Horizon 2 showed how IGN’s editors work to

produce the best games content in the world. We draw on our collective expertise, which is why our Forza coverage was led by a Sydney-based racing pro, even though it was created in the UK. All video production was done in the UK, while the US masterminded the project. Content was shared with teams around the world and translated into 16 languages so our audience had the best experience, no matter where they live.

Working collaboratively is a mantra that informs all we do at IGN. Reviews are given to the editor best suited to cover a specific game; news teams hand the baton from one time zone to the next so we don’t miss a thing. When

We draw on collective expertise, which is why our Forza coverage was led by a Sydney-based racing pro.

Alex Simmons, IGN UK

we previewed GTA V, we divided coverage, with three editors each tackling a different aspect of the game. The article on its first-person mode by UK games editor Daniel Krupa was read by over 1m people in less than 24 hours.

That applies to publishers, too.

We continue to work closely with our UK industry partners to offer a global platform that benefits readers, and sees our combined effort reach its true potential..

When IGN UK first started I wanted the English accent to be heard louder than our American colleagues. In a time when IGN is read by 56m people around the world each month, it’s not the accents that matter but our voice.

56 million users* | 16 languages One voice

For editorial opportunities please contact Alex Simmons (asimmons@ign.com) *Google Analytics, September 2014 All imagery was captured directly from www.ign.com and its local edition sites.

www.mcvuk.com

35

November 14th 2014

LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE EVENT GUIDE

CURSE’S NEW VOICE Curse VP of sales Nathan Lindberg tells MCV about the media firm’s successful new services

2

014 has been an innovative year for Curse. We are a community-focused media firm that has found not only growth in its web properties, but also strategically diversifying our offerings with one of the largest multi-channel networks (MCN) on YouTube and the launch of our latest product, communication service Curse Voice.

“This year has been anything but short of innovative” says Curse CEO Hubert Thieblot. “Our website investments have grown drastically, we’ve launched one of the most exciting products in PC gaming with Curse Voice and we have one of the top global MCN’s on YouTube. When I looked at this year, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to achieve so much, but our team continues to impress.”

Curse’s web properties have seen mighty growth this year, in particular, its FIFA Ultimate team website FUTHead. The website continues its skyward growth, according to digital analytics and measurement company comScore.

FUThead had a record 400m pages viewed in September, 180m of which occurred in the UK. These numbers show the dedication, excitement, and fanaticism of FUT fans. Our only job here is to give everyone, regardless of platform, the tools they desire and a place to discuss and debate, and we believe we’ve done just that.

This success hasn’t stopped there, our investment in YouTubers, and providing one of the fairest MCN’s on YouTube has put the revenues squarely back in the hands of content creators with our

November 14th 2014

FUTHead had 400m views in September, 180m of which were from the UK

guaranteed 90:10 rev share split.

The MCN has grown from zero partners in December 2012 to over 3,100 partners as of last month.

“It is just the right thing to do” Hubert says. “We value these content creators, we want them to have the funding to continue to create great content. We feel our program does just that to the benefit of creators and Curse.

It’s what everyone wants and continue our motto that we want gamers to ‘Enjoy the Game’.”

Our only job here is to give everyone the tools they desire and a place to discuss and debate.

COMMUNITY INSPIRATION With that ethos in mind, Thieblot’s relentless desire to do more for the gaming community lead to a simple idea from the development team.

“I was talking to coworkers and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome if Voice would connect to my games and provide more than just voice?” said Tyler McDowell, lead developer on Curse Voice.

From that conversation, Curse Voice was born. The voice platform has ignited a passion amongst the

Nathan Lindberg, Curse

36

gaming communities for popular titles like League of Legends, Smite, Strife and most recently Evolve. The voice platform has over 5m global downloads and over 37m hours of chat to date.

“Voice is a game-changing platform” says Curse CTO Michael Comperda. “It protects a consumers IP and yet delivers best in class voice solutions, but add-in game specific integration?

You’ve got a voice platform that is truly revolutionary.”

Thieblot adds: “Based on our success in 2014, we have two main things we want to grow in addition for 2015: Mobile content and premium programmatic.

“We will have world class mobile solutions for our partners in 2015, as well as access to a best in practice premium programmatic solution. These, along with our current offerings in influencer marketing, video and targeted banners, will make us a strong marketing solution for all publishers in 2015.”

www.mcvuk.com

MARKETPLACE

SHELF LIFE Steve Stangroom of Falmouth’s Stan’s Games Exchange tells MCV why he didn’t do a midnight launch for this year’s Call of Duty and what his new and bigger store has allowed him to do How’s business been recently?

It’s been good apart from the Call of Duty launch. Local supermarkets were selling it for £40. We just can’t beat that.

The competition on anything published by Activision and EA is just ridiculous. We end up making nothing on those games.

But apart from that, how has business been?

It’s been great. We moved to a new shop about two months ago,

PRE-ORDER CHARTS

and now we have a much bigger premises. We do a lot of Magic: The Gathering events here in the evenings. I probably sell as many Magic cards as I do games.

Has business changed since you moved stores?

We were really busy in the first month or so, but business is back to normal now.

Why did you move your store?

Well we’ve only moved down the road to a bigger shop. We just needed a bit more room. We do a lot of Magic nights, and we couldn’t fit 30 people into the store. You just couldn’t move, but now we can get 50 in easily.

Have you done any events for some of the bigger games coming out?

We were going to do a midnight launch for Call of Duty. But when we found out that Asda was selling it at a minute past midnight we decided not to open. All of the

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HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

HALO 4

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6. Super Smash Bros + Gamecube Adaptor Nintendo............................................................. Wii U 7. Assassin’s Creed: Unity Ubisoft .................................................................. PS4 8. Far Cry 4 Limited Edition Ubisoft ....................................................................PS4

UPLOADING The latest digital releases coming to market

RETRO CITY RAMPAGE: DX

GEOMETRY WARS 3: DIMENSIONS

LARA CROFT & THE TEMPLE OF OSIRIS

The popular demake is revamped and out on PlayStation platforms

This retro arcade title is out on PS3, 360 and PC shortly

Lara’s next tomb raiding romp hits stores next month

OUT: NOW

November 14th 2014

OUT: NOVEMBER 25TH (PC)/26TH

38

OUT: DECEMBER 9TH

www.mcvuk.com

MARKETPLACE

Stan’s Games Exchange 1 Berkeley Vale, Falmouth, TR11 3XE

customers would just go there anyways.

With the new Call of Duty did you see many sales on the older machines?

PlayStation 3 is completely dead.

I sold one copy of Advanced Warfare on PS3, where I sold 70 last year. All of the PlayStation owners have moved to PlayStation 4 now. But with Xbox that has not happened. Loads of people are still playing Xbox 360.

Phone: 01326 211 394

Have you diversified what you sell at all?

Not really. Cards take up all my time. I spend hours selling them, pricing them up, exchanging them.

They’re huge for us What have your sales of digital products been like?

We sell a few of them, but I don’t push them as there is just no margin in them. The cards are there if people want them, but there’s little demand.

INCOMING TITLE

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV? Contact ACalvin@nbmedia.com or call 01992 515 303

It’s a big few weeks for Nintendo’s consoles with Super Smash Bros landing on Wii U and remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire on 3DS FORMAT

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Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom

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Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

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December 2nd The Crew

www.mcvuk.com

39

November 14th 2014

RETRO

RETRO Games of years gone by continue to spark nostalgia and reverence among consumers.

Matthew Jarvis goes back to the past with a selection of retrothemed products

Next-gen titles might be grabbing all of the headlines as we approach Christmas, but retro gaming is still a healthy sector for retailers across the UK. “Retro gaming remains big news for us,” confirms Charlotte Knight, category director at GAME. “You only need to walk into one of our stores to see that previous generation consoles still provide viable retail opportunities.”

These opportunities include myriad accessories and spin-

The transition of old titles to platforms such as digital stores provides the perfect chance to upsell digital download codes.

off products such as clothing, housewares and kitsch.

From Nintendo’s pre-Wii success in the N64, NES and SNES to Sega’s beloved Mega Drive and the industry’s forefathers such as the Atari 2600, the consoles of the past have spawned franchises that continue to capture the hearts of consumers the world over.

This has led to franchises like Mario, Sonic, Final Fantasy and Street Fighter attracting an audience spanning multiple decades.

PLAYSTATION COASTERS PlayStation players can show their friends exactly which games are their cup of tea with this set of durable heat-resistant coasters inspired by a variety of PlayStation titles. The mats perfectly recreate the jewel cases of classic games including PaRappa The Rapper, Gran Turismo, Wipeout and Destruction Derby.

SRP: £14.99 Manufacturer: Numskull Distributor: Rubber Road Contact: 01707 800 881

RETRON 5

BUBBLE BOBBLE PLUSH ASSORTMENT

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SOCKS

Gamers can play their Mega Drive, NES, SNES, Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, GBC and GBA games with this all-in-one box.

Bubble Bobble brothers Bub and Bob are now available in squishy plush form, with an internal soundchip for bubble bustin’ effects.

Fans of the speedy mammal can dress like Sonic himself, the nefarious Doctor Eggman or the Green Hill Zone level with these socks.

SRP: £119.99 Manufacturer: Hyperkin Distributor: Hyperkin Contact: sales@hyperkin.com

SRP: £17.99 Manufacturer: Gaya Entertainment Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

SRP: £9.99 Manufacturer: Numskull Distributor: Rubber Road Contact: 01707 800 881

November 14th 2014

40

www.mcvuk.com

RETRO

Sponsored by

O

gaming merchandise uk

The number of iconic titles to have hit gamers’ screens over the last 30 years means there’s plenty on offer for retailers to stock in the way of retro merchandise, especially as older fans begin to reminisce about Christmasses gone by. Retailers should be wary not to miss out on cheaper ‘stocking-filler’ products that see increased interest from holiday shoppers.

The transition of these titles to platforms such as digital stores and mobile also provides retailers

with the perfect chance to upsell digital download codes for older titles alongside tie-in products.

“There is no reason why retro and digital can’t go hand-in-hand,” observes Knight.

She adds that merchandise itself can develop a collectable appeal: “Well looked-after physical memorabilia and collectibles will continue to hold their value.”

Retailers should be paying close attention to the success of retro – or risk becoming stuck in the past.

MEGA DRIVE CONSOLE NOTEBOOK This official Sega product replicates the popular 1990s console, adding 96 140gsm pages for players’ notes and drawings. It’s perfect for jotting down Mortal Kombat II move lists and Sonic the Hedgehog cheat codes.

SRP: £4.99 Manufacturer: Numskull Distributor: Rubber Road Contact: 01707 800 881

DOOM CACODEMON PLUSH

PLAYSTATION CONTROLLER CUFFLINKS

WORMS SUPER SHEEP VINTAGE T-SHIRT

The Hellish one-eyed Doom demon’s menacing grin becomes almost welcoming thanks to this soft recreation.

These cufflinks are emblazoned with the iconic X, Circle, Triangle and Square face buttons and D-pad.

This shirt celebrates the history of the Worms franchise by highlighting one of the series’ most iconic weapons – the Super Sheep.

SRP: £22.99 Manufacturer: The IP Factory Distributor: Gaming Heads Contact: www.gamingheads.com

SRP: £12.99 Manufacturer: Numskull Distributor: Rubber Road Contact: 01707 800 881

SRP: £14.99 Manufacturer: Gaya Entertainment Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

www.mcvuk.com

41

November 14th 2014

HOT PRODUCTS

Sponsored by

HOT PRODUCTS MCV takes a look at the best accessories heading to UK retail. This week, we say Halo to a new wireless gaming mouse and check out a killer Assassin’s Creed headset bundle

LIMITED EDITION HALO WIRELESS MOBILE MOUSE 3500 While Halo: The Master Chief Collection may not currently be set for release on the PC, fans of the blockbuster sci-fi shooter franchise can continue to display their fondness for Master Chief with this new mouse.

The Limited Edition Halo Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 features an ambidextrous design, and is emblazoned with the Halo logo and an image of the Chief himself.

The mouse utilises Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology, which combines optical and laser tracking to allow consumers to use the mouse on almost any surface, even if that’s rough wood or carpet.

Accompanying the mouse is a micro transceiver, which plugs into a USB port for connection with the

mouse and can be stowed in the bottom of the mouse for travel.

Users can continue to use the mouse for up to eight months with a single battery, and can rely on the integrated power indicator to let them know when it’s time to replace it.

The mouse also features an on/ off switch to conserve battery power by turning it off when not in use.

[INFO] RRP: £54.99 Release Date: Out Now Distributor: Exertis Contact: 01279 822 822

ROCCAT KAVE XTD 5.1 DIGITAL GAMING HEADSET AND ASSASSIN’S CREED UNITY BUNDLE Roccat and Ubisoft have teamed up to offer gamers the chance to score a new gaming headset and the latest Assassin’s Creed game together as part of a bundle.

Consumers can grab the Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Digital gaming headset and a digital download code for the PC version of Assassin’s Creed Unity.

The Kave XTD 5.1 Digital features remastered real 5.1 surround sound, provided by two 40mm driver units and one 30mm vibration unit per ear cup. The three driver units are aligned specifically at a 12-degree angle, to match the natural form of the human ear. The result of this technology and arrangement is a genuine surround sound

November 14th 2014

42

experience, rather than a virtual recreation.

The headset also includes a multichannel sound card, which allows users to pair their smartphone to the headset via Bluetooth.

All of this functionality is contained alongside the headset in a desktop remote, which works as an audio command centre for players.

The headset will allow players to listen to the audio environment of Unity’s French Revolution-era Paris, as the game’s hero Arno sneaks and stabs his way through the city.

[INFO] RRP: £149.99 Release Date: Out Now Distributor: Meroncourt Contact: 01462 680 060

www.mcvuk.com

RRP

£24.99 Street date:

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KENNEDY MONK is an independent creative studio at the leading edge of games and entertainment marketing producing unforgettable artwork, creative campaigns, bespoke branding and killer trailers.

With over a decade’s experience in the gaming sector, our hand-picked team of design ninjas combines a broad range of skills equipped to deliver exceptional creative across any media platform, at every stage of a campaign.

From initial visual direction to full-spectrum global strategies, we bring our unique blend of energy, expertise and passion to every project.

We work with a diverse range of international clients, from indie developers to the biggest global publishers, including EA, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, Wargaming.net, Mail.ru, Born Ready Games, Bossa Studios and Crystal Dynamics.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS COMPANY AND MANY MORE ONLINE NOW AT:

DIRECTORY

MCV DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS Sony DADC ............................................ +44 (0) 207 462 6200

CREATIVE Fink ................................................................. info@finkcreative.com

GAMING ACCESSORIES DISC REPAIR

L3I............................................................................+ (0)1923 471 020

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£70 per two column box (100mm x 75mm). To run weekly for a minimum of 1 year. Please phone for other size and/or position requirements.

Enarxis Dynamic Media ............................. +302 1090 11900

DISC REPAIR

TOTAL DISC REPAIR

Tel: +44 (0) 1202 489500

November 14th 2014

Web: www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

46

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DIRECTORY

ENQUIRIES CONOR TALLON Tel: 01992 535647 ctallon@nbmedia.com

FINK

CREATIVE

DISTRIBUTION

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT

Artworking Mastertronic Brand Identity Ukie Localisation Rising Star Games Advertising BBFC Website Design Deep Silver Exhibition Bethesda Illustration Appynation Digital Media IntentMedia Charity GamesAid Banners & Takeovers Konami Packaging Design Just Flight Email: info@finkcreative.com CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION

Tel: +44 (0) 208 6643456 ENARXIS DYNAMIC MEDIA

Tel: +44 (0)203 137 3781

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email: sales@click-entertainment.com

CURVEBALL LEISURE

Web: www.creativedistribution.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1792 652521

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SONY DADC

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Web: www.curveball-leisure.com DISTRIBUTION

Empowering your creative business

Tel: +44 207 462 6200 games@sonydadc.com

www.sonydadc.com Tel: +302 1090 11900

www.mcvuk.com

Web: www.enarxis.eu

Tel: +44 (0) 207 462 6200

47

Web: www.sonydadc.com

November 14th 2014

DIRECTORY

GAMING ACCESSORIES

L3I

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VENOM

New officially licensed products

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Fully recharges the DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller for up to 20 hours of gameplay.

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WANT TO ADVERTISE IN OUR DIRECTORY?

Web: www.venomuk.com Phone: +44 (0)1763 284181 Email: darren.scott@venomuk.com sam.phipps@venomuk.com tom.hodge@venomuk.com

CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535647 OR EMAIL HIM AT CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM

Tel: +44 (0)1763 284181 November 14th 2014

48

Venom UK Gaming @VenomGamingUK

w w w. v e n o m u k . c o m

Web: www.venomuk.com www.mcvuk.com

INSIDER’S GUIDE

INSIDER’S GUIDE SUPER M

DIRECTORY

WHO? Specialism: PR and marketing Location: 29 Highover Way, Hitchin, Herts, SG4 0RG

Develop is the only dedicated publication for the UK and European games development community. It reaches over 8,500 subscribers every month.

Laura West, managing director of Super M, talks about the firm’s work with crowdfunding projects

FOR GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT ALEX BOUCHER ABOUCHER@NBMEDIA.COM

Tell us about your company.

Super M is a boutique agency focusing on games PR in the UK. We offer bespoke PR campaigns that reach a wide range of UK media. From trade and B2B and product launch campaigns to previews, reviews and generating features, we work with a range of different companies in the games industry.

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT: Epic Games .................................................. www.epicgames.com/careers

What is your biggest success to date?

We have had successes for all of our clients, but notably the global PR campaign for the GameStick pre-launch in 2013, raising the volume of coverage Razer achieved in the UK by almost 100 per cent in our first year and six successful Kickstarter projects.

What projects do you currently have in the works?

We are busy planning for 2015 and, although I can’t disclose details, we have a few cool projects coming up that will be making some noise for a few companies not yet on people’s radars – so watch this space.

What are the biggest challenges you face?

As a small agency we always juggle time and man-hours, budgets and clients needs. We make sure that each client gets our full attention and that they get the service they signed up for. Sometimes that means turning away project work, but To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and now every week in MCV) contact aboucher@nbmedia.com

Making sure that each client gets the service they signed up for sometimes means turning away work. delivering as promised is top of our agenda.

Tell us something about your company no one knows.

We have had two separate enquiries about sperm donation due to our URL and email.

How did you choose your company name?

I had been looking for a URL that was available and searched for ‘Super Media’. Only I had left out ‘edia’, and on discovering it was available purchased it immediately. I decided to stay with it as it has a nice ring to it and I change what the ‘M’ stands for depending on what mood I am in.

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR COMPANY IN INSIDER’S GUIDE? PLEASE CONTACT MJARVIS@NBMEDIA.COM OR CALL 01992 515 303

WWW.DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET www.mcvuk.com

Contact: P: 07968 544 871 W: www.superm.co.uk E: laura@superm.co.uk

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November 14th 2014

FACTFILE UKRAINE Sponsored by

Wholesaler and distributor of video games, consoles and accessories

INTERNATIONAL FACTFILE: UKRAINE Population: 44,291,413 Capital City: Kiev Currency: Hryvnia GDP (Per Capita): $2,979 KEY RETAILERS Comfy, Eldorado, Foxtrot, Moyo, Protoria, Rozetka TOP DISTRIBUTORS Longstein, 1C-Softclub, Noviy Disk

UKRAINE’S games market is driven by online and PC titles, as consoles struggle in a territory rife with piracy.

Russian game developer Nival states that more than two million consumers in the region game online – around five per cent of the country’s population.

Ukrainians spent approximately $40 million on online games in 2012, according to Ukrainian tech site IT Expert.

This is equal to the amount spent on PC games, with IT Expert saying that the PC sector continues to grow by more than 25 per cent year-on-year.

The combined total of these two sectors – online and PC – makes up nearly the entire Ukraine games market. Console revenue is all but negligible in the $80 million industry.

IT Expert states that online games account for almost

TOP DEVELOPERS 4A Games, Travian Games, Playtech, West Games, Vostok Games, BestWay, Action Forms PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION Gameloft, Black Wing Foundation, Ubisoft Ukraine, Sony, Disney, Bandai Namco

60 per cent of the income generated by the PC gaming market, with a further 25 per cent of the PC market comprised of the turnover from games on social networks such as Facebook. Only 15 per cent of the PC games market consists of more traditional titles.

The growth of Ukraine’s games market continues despite the considerable threat of piracy in the territory.

The latest BSA Global Software Survey found that 83 per cent of software in Ukraine was pirated during 2013.

Around a quarter more Ukrainians pirate software than their Russian neighbours, with Russia seeing a 62 per cent piracy rate in 2013.

However, the cost of piracy in Russia is higher: around $2.7 billion worth of unlicensed software was installed last year, while $444 million worth of software was pirated in Ukraine.

Online and PC games make up almost all of Ukraine’s $80m games industry.

November 14th 2014

50

www.mcvuk.com

UKRAINE FACTFILE

MEANWHILE IN... AUSTRALIA Sony has announced that the PlayStation 4 has become the fastestselling home video games console of all time down under THE PS4 is the fastestselling home games console to date in Australia.

That was the announcement made

by Sony Computer Entertainment during the firm’s PS4PlayFest event in Sydney last week.

The reveal comes slightly ahead of the PS4’s first anniversary and PlayStation’s 20th anniversary in the Australian territory.

SCEA also announced that the PS4 retained the ‘number one next-gen console leadership position’, according to NPD Group Australia market figures.

www.mcvuk.com

51

Luis Gil of NPD Group Australia added: “The Console Hardware category in Australia has more than doubled in value since the release of 8th-generation hardware in 2013.

“PS4 accounted for a substantial 44 per cent of the total category value since its launch.”

The PS4 was launched in Australia on November 29th 2013.

November 14th 2014

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Sponsored by

Wholesaler and distributor of video games, consoles and accessories

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTORS IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR NEW PARTNERS OVERSEAS, THEN LOOK NO FURTHER

BELGIUM

CLD DISTRIBUTION Rue du Grand Champs 14 , B 5380 Fernelmont Belgium Tel: +32 81 83 02 02 Fax: +32 81 83 02 09 Email: infos@cld.be Web: www.cld.be home of www.dragonwar.eu & www.mawashi.eu

CYPRUS

G3 GREAT GAMES LTD 4 Gregoriou Papaflessa Street, Office 101, Engomi, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus.

Tel: +357 22 666612 Web: www.greatgames.com.cy

IRAN

SWEDEN

GAME OUTLET EUROPE AB PO Box 5083, S-650 05 Karlstad, Sweden Sales dept: ali.manzuri@gameoutlet.se Sales dept: andreas.lindberg@gameoutlet.se Purchase dept: hamed.manzuri@gameoutlet.se Purchase dept: david.nilsson@gameoutlet.se Web: www.gameoutlet.se

DC GAMES GROUP No.9, Hemmatian St., Takestan St., Sattarkhan Tehran, Iran Tel: +98-912-1014090 +98-21-44228670 Email: Bahizad@Doostan-Co.com Web: www.Doostan-Co.com

NETHERLANDS

UAE SOEDESCO B.V. Koddeweg 13, 3194 DH Rotterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 104722462 Fax: +31 104722893 Email: info@soedesco.com Web: www.soedesco.com

ALESAYI UNITED COMPANY Video Games Distributor in the Middle East, P.O BOX 16999 Jebel Ali Free Zone Dubai U.A.E. Tel: 00971 4 883 5960 Fax: 00971 4 883 5175 Email: marketing@alesayi.ae U.A.E. Website: www.alesayi.ae Group Website: www.alesayi.com

NORDIC WENDROS AB SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK & FINLAND Jakobsdalsvägen 17 12653 Hägersten Sweden Phone: +46 8 51942500 Fax: +46 8 7466790 Email: HM@wendros.se LM@wendros.se Web: www.wendros.se

MCV WORLDWIDE Editorial: + 61 (0)424 967 263 Leigh.Harris@mcvpacific.com

Advertising: + 61 (0)417 084821 Joel.Vandaal@mcvpacific.com

WWW.MCVPACIFIC.COM

MORE DISTRIBUTORS AUSTRALIA AFA Interactive, Bluemouth Interactive, Five Star Games, Mindscape, Namco Bandai Partners, Turn Left Distribution BENELUX CLD Distribution, Koch Media, Gameworld Distribution B.V. CANADA E One, Importel, Just4Games, Solutions 2 Go, Vidéoglobe CYPRUS Access, Gibareio, Zilos, Nortec Multimedia CZECH REPUBLIC Cenega, Conquest, Comgad, Playman, ABC Data DENMARK Bergsala, Elpa, Impulse, Koch Media, Nordisk Film Interactive, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision FRANCE Big Ben, Innelec, Koch Media, SDO, Sodifa GREECE Zegatron, CD Media, Namco Bandai Partners, IGE, Nortec, Enarxis, Beacon HUNGARY CNG.hu/Cenega Hungary, CTC Trading, Magnew, PlayON, Stadlbauer ICELAND Sena, Myndform, Samfilm, Ormsson INDONESIA Maxsoft, Uptron, Technosolution IRELAND MSE Group, Baumex JAPAN Ajioka, Happinet, Jesnet NORWAY Bergsala, Game Outlet, Koch Media, Nordic Game Supply, Nordisk Film, Pan Vision POLAND CD Projekt, Cenega, Galapagos, LEM PORTUGAL Ecoplay, Infocapital, Koch Media, Namco Bandai ROMANIA Best Distribution SERBIA ComTrade, Computerland/Iris Mega, Extreme CC SPAIN Digital Bros, Koch Media, Namco Bandai Partners, Nobilis SWEDEN Bergsala, Koch Media, Namco Bandai, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision, Wendros, Ztorm (digital) UAE Red Entertainment Distribution, Pluto Games (LS2 Pluto), Viva Entertainment, Gameplay Entertainment, Geekay Distribution

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION PLEASE CONTACT CTALLON@NBMEDIA.COM November 14th 2014

52

www.mcvuk.com

INDIA TERRITORY REPORT Sponsored by

TERRITORY REPORT: INDIA India’s games market is growing, with the popularity of mobile making up for a dearth of consoles in the region. Matthew Jarvis takes a trip to the territory

I

ndia’s games market is on the up.

According to research firm FICCI-KPMG’s latest Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report, the Indian games business was worth Rs 19.2 billion (£200m) last year. This is 25 per cent up on the Rs 15.3 billion (£160m) value recorded in 2012.

The outlet expects the Indian games industry to grow to exceed Rs 23.5 billion (£240m) this year, with a Rs 40.6 billion (£410m) worth predicted by the end of 2018. This equates to an annual average growth of 16.2 per cent between 2013 and 2018.

FICCI-KPMG states that console sales account for more than half (55 per cent) of the market’s revenue. However, this proportion may not be fully representative, as many consumers choose to import titles from abroad due to expensive prices in the local market. PC titles retail for around Rs 999 (£10.18), while console games cost anywhere between Rs 2,499 (£25.48) and Rs 4,499 (£45.86) – pricing that many struggle to afford relative to their wage.

Past pricing decisions have caused some discontentment among players surrounding the launch of big titles. For example, in 2013, when EA announced that FIFA 14 would cost 66 per cent more on PC than the price of FIFA 13, and Battlefield 4 for PC would cost more than double – 133 per cent – the price of Battlefield 3, gamers took to social media with the #EAPCIndia hashtag to directly confront the publisher.

As a result of such a costly market, when Sony announced that the PS4 would retail for Rs 39,990 (£408) in December

www.mcvuk.com

Despite the constant battle against piracy, the market continues to grow – the licensed boxed PC games market is expected to grow by an average annual rate of 18 per cent to exceed Rs 870 million (£8.9m) by 2016.

2013, several retailers told MCV India that many consumers had cancelled their pre-orders and turned to importing the console.

Microsoft similarly announced that the Xbox One would cost Rs 39,990 (£409) for the Kinect-less SKU. The bundle including both the console and the Kinect was launched with a price tag of Rs 45,990 (£469).

MOBILE MIGHT Due to the high cost of owning a console, console penetration in India is far below that of the rest of the world.

FICCI-KPMG estimates that just two per cent of urban television households own a games console, a fraction of the 13 per cent global average.

THE COST OF PIRACY However, not all consumers are utilising a legitimate alternative to acquire their games. The 2013 Global Software Survey conducted

by BSA found that India is the third biggest country in the world for piracy in terms of commercial

Because console and PC gaming is struggling to find a foothold in India, mobile has emerged as the platform of choice for gamers in the region.

Mobile gaming was worth Rs 4.3 billion (£40m) in 2011, according to FICCI-KPMG. This was up 55 per cent on 2010, and is expected to rise to become worth more than Rs 17 billion (£170m) by 2016.

Financial services group Avendus Capital Mobile adds its

2% Only two per cent of Indian consumers own a games console value lost to unlicensed software, behind the United States and China. 60 per cent of all software is pirated, with the value of unlicensed software far outweighing that of official software – unlicensed and licensed software are worth Rs 61.5 billion (£1.8bn) and Rs 116.9 billion (£1.2bn) respectively.

FICCI-KPMG adds that of the Rs 952.5 million (£9.76m) PC games market, the legitimate boxed PC games market contributes approximately Rs 381 million (£3.88m). From this, the illegal PC games market can be estimated to be worth Rs 571.5 million (£5.86m).

53

November 14th 2014

TERRITORY REPORT INDIA

expectation that mobile games and applications in India will expand to become a Rs 20.7 billion (£210m) market by 2016.

The group expects smartphone and tablet uptake to be driven by an expanding 3G mobile network install base.

Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) reports that total 3G data usage in India more than doubled from eight petabytes during 2012 to exceed 21 petabytes during 2013. This is in addition to an 87 per cent growth in total 2G and 3G data traffic last year, primarily driven by the growth in 3G. NSN’s Mobile Broadband India Traffic study additionally showed that Indian mobile owners used 532MB of 3G data on average every month, a grow of 23 per cent from 434MB in 2012.

However, Indian research firm RNCOS suggests that there is still some way to go before mobile gaming becomes ubiquitous among consumers in the territory.

The outlet predicts that just two per cent of Indian consumers that pay for a monthly mobile contract play games regularly on their phone – a proportion far below that of nearby markets such as Japan and South Korea, as well as regions further-afield such as the United States and the UK. RNCOS adds to Avendus’ point regarding the importance of 3G to further market growth. It says there are currently 110 million mobile internet users in India, highlighting the prospective audience size and room for development.

An alternative to the expensive console games in India is the set-top box. FICCI-KPMG states that set-top box gaming is a fastgrowing segment in the region, with the market expected to more than double in value from Rs 350 million (£3.57m) in 2011 to over Rs 1 billion (£10m) by 2016.

The fertile landscape for mobile firms in India has already seen major international players make a

November 14th 2014

move into the market.

Blockbuster mobile brands including Rovio’s Angry Birds, King.com’s Candy Crush and Supercell’s Clash of Clans are particularly prevalent in the region.

Despite this, not all triple-A firms are seeing success in the Indian market.

THE FACTS INFO Capital City: New Delhi Population: 1,210,193,422 Languages: Hindi, English Currency: Rupee GDP (Per Capita): $1,626

Mobile games and apps in India will expand to become a £210 million market by 2016.

KEY RETAILERS Flipkart, Nextworld, Games the Shop, Game 4 U, Landmark, Croma, Planet M, Lets Buy, Intencity KEY DISTRIBUTORS Milestone Interactive, E-Xpress Interactive, Worldwide CD-ROMs, Redington

One recent example is Square Enix, which closed its Indian operations just one year after entering the market, with a view to creating mobile games in collaboration with Indian developers.

54

TOP DEVELOPERS Reliance BIG Entertainment, Games2win, Bash Gaming, Jumpstart, Csharks Games, Gameshastra, Trine Games, Version2Games, Zynga Bangalore, Lakshya Digital, Indiagames, Rolocule Games, Gameloft LOCAL PUBLISHERS Reliance Entertainment Digital, UTV Group, Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA

www.mcvuk.com

2014

Wednesday, November 19th

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THE CHANGING FACE OF VIDEO GAMES MARKETING BUILDING ENGAGEMENT & REACH Full-day conference and networking event featuring expert advice from

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OFF THE RECORD

OFF THE RECORD This week we catch ‘em all at a Pokémon Trading Card Game event and piledrive ‘em through a table at the launch of WWE 2K15, before auctioning ‘em off for charity SpecialEffect PIKA-BOO The release of another Pokémon video game may be just mere weeks away, but fans are already indulging in a new range of the titular catch ‘em all creatures.

That’s thanks to the launch of the latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, the spooky-sounding Pokémon TCG: XY – Phantom Forces.

The Pokémon Company hosted an event ahead of the November 5th release of the game at Loading Bar in London, allowing wannabe Pokémon trainers – both experienced and otherwise – to try their hands at the new cards.

There were drinks, nibbles and – naturally – lots and lots of Pikachu hats.

THE WEEK IN 140 CHARACTERS The Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days @fevington HAS ANYONE SEEN CHART TRACK? #NeedMyDataFix

@azwah Time flies when you’re playing games. Can’t believe it is almost the year anniversary of Xbox One and PS4... Flippin’ been a whirlwind!

Mike Fethers, The Hut Group, Monday November 10th

Aaron Cooper, GAME, Tuesday November 4th @acton Just tried the new version of Oculus Rift (Crescent Bay). Mind completely blown. Best tech demo I’ve ever seen.

@_wotta Both PS4 and XB1 are going to have an awesome holiday season. Some big numbers for both I reckon. We all win and of course they do too.

Michael Acton Smith, Mind Candy, Thursday November 6th

Joe Anderson, ShopTo, Monday November 10th

@GAMENorwichCF Welcome to the tweets from the team in Norwich Chapelfield! We’re currently setting up our shiny new store - Keep in touch for the details!

@TomPhillips151 Activision announces all-time high figure of 9 million Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare double jumps.

GAME Chapelfield, Thursday November 6th

Tom Phillips, Eurogamer, Monday November 10th

@weefz He’s raised £534.38 by playing FIFA 15 for 46+ hours so far. He’s had no sleep. His brain is mush but @xixBlueWolfxix is still playing.

@VG_Dave Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare had the 5th biggest COD launch in the UK - presumably behind MW2, MW3, BLOPS 1 & BLOPS 2.

Debbie Timmins, The Average Gamer, Friday November 7th

David Scammell, VideoGamer, Monday November 10th

@TeamGPN What a crazy few days. 48 hours 49 minutes and 44 seconds of Fifa 15 and a new world record.

@Totalbiscuit My solution is ban everyone in the games industry from Twitter for a month and let the problem solve itself.

Chris, GamePointsNow, Saturday November 8th

www.mcvuk.com

TotalBiscuit, YouTube personality, Monday November 10th

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November 14th 2014

OFF THE RECORD GOING ONCE...

Two high-proďŹ le games ďŹ gures have raised money for gaming charity SpecialEect by auctioning unique items on eBay and giving all of the proceeds to the cause.

Developer Mike Bithell auctioned o the 20-inch iMac desktop computer on which he created 2010 indie smash hit Thomas Was Alone, raising £336 for the machine.

Meanwhile, BBC Click Presenter Kate Russell auctioned o her ‘plus-one’ to the Premiere launch event of space exploration title Elite Dangerous on November 22nd, raising a whopping ÂŁ970 after 48 bids.

Russell will also be donating 10 per cent of all sales of her spin-o novel, Elite Most Harmless, to SpecialEect.

It’s truly out of this world fundraising.

WWE WILL ROCK YOU Tight Speedos, oiled-up abs and sweaty grown men grappling each other – and that was just the MCV team.

Ahead of the November 18th release of WWE 2K14 on PS4 and Xbox One, 2K threw a party ahead of one of the WWE Live wrestling events at Wembley Arena, London.

As well as letting players try the title before they saw the real thing in action, the night also saw a number of wrestlers pop in to say hello.

Ruth Langsford – the wife of broadcaster Eamonn Holmes – former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke and professional boxer Anthony Ogogo were also in attendance, and took the chance to lay the smackdown on unsuspecting passers-by.

Not really, but they did have photos snapped with The Bella Twins. You know. The wrestling sisters... Oh, who are we kidding? We don’t know either.

Tetris.

Joe T @BoyInABarrel Dead Space.

GTA V HAS GONE ALL FPS! WHAT OTHER GAMES DO YOU THINK SHOULD GET THE SAME TREATMENT? #GMGASKS

I’d love to see the opposite.

More games with a 3rd-person option. I loved that you could toggle it in Skyrim.

Nathan @NathanAvie Mass Effect.

Brian Connor @BrianCConnor Candy gobbo Saga @gobboGER

Football Manager and PokĂŠmon.

The Dead Space and Mass Effect trilogies... maybe.

Not sure...

ČżÉœÉŞÉ¨ÉŠÉ&#x;ɣɍɤɢɣ ɤɨɌɢɍɍɚɪ @MoodySlayerUK

Derk Lucas @DerkLucas

November 14th 2014

58

The Gears series would be amazing as an FPS and I’d like to try Assassin’s Creed in ¿ UVW SHUVRQ

Peter Cain @cainylfc Any good Superhero game. , FDQQRW WKLQN RI D VLQJOH Âż UVW person superhero game...

Jamie Schneider @Korig All of them. (By ‘them’ I mean 3rd-person games.

'HÂż QLWHO\ VKRRWHUV DQG HYHQ most MMOs. Not platformers.

I’m not crazy.)

Roger Yates @magnusholstrom Mario Party.

Jamfrost @JayAyEhfTee

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INCLUDES HALO: NIGHTFALL FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER RIDLEY SCOTT

4 BLOCKBUSTER GAMES ON 1 DISC

CAMPAIGN: //

HALO CE ANNIVERSARY

CAMPAIGN: //

HALO 2 ANNIVERSARY

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HALO 3

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HALO 4

*Halo: Nightfall: 5 episode live-action series is streaming only, and will initially be available on a weekly basis, and then on demand. Xbox One or Windows 8.1 and broadband internet required; ISP fees apply. Halo 5: Guardians Beta: Game disc required. Limited-time beta starts December 27, 2014, and ends January 22, 2015. Must be 17+. Xbox One, broadband internet (ISP fees apply) and Xbox LIVE Gold membership (sold separately) required. Halo: Nightfall and Halo 5: Guardians Beta dates, content, and features subject to change. See www.xbox.com/halo