mcv839 june 26th / july 3rd

THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES

ISSUE 839 FRIDAY JUNE 26TH / JULY 3RD 2015

E3 REVIEW MICROSOFT VS SONY VS NINTENDO DID VR SILENCE ITS CRITICS?

SMARTPHONE and tablet games have struggled to thrive at E3s past. And indeed, this year there was a distinct lack of mobile titles.

Even Nintendo decided not to showcase its upcoming smartphone line-up because – as it told investors in May – ‘E3 is an event for dedicated video game machines.’

Nevertheless, smartphone games arguably enjoyed their most successful E3 to-date. EA and Square Enix showed new mobile games on stage at their press conferences, EA in particular announced a new Minions and Star Wars mobile games.

But the biggest proof that mobile games can shine at E3 came when Bethesda announced and launched Fallout Shelter for iOS – and the free-to-play title immediately became that week’s highest grossing game on the App Store.

“Good for them,” says Peter Moore, EA COO. “Some of these titles used to be called companion apps, but now they are extensions of our IP, and none more so than with our sports games. FIFA Mobile and Madden Mobile are two of our winners of the last fiscal year. So it is hard to say that because the screen is smaller those games shouldn’t be at E3, or because the control mechanism is different they shouldn’t be at E3. No, we are very proud of our mobile games business.”

MOBILE FINALLY SHINES AT E3The man sitting next to us fell

to his knees.He clutched his head in

his hands, started shaking and repeated: ‘Oh my God. Oh my God.’ in a distinct American accent.

What could have happened? PlayStation just announced a Final Fantasy VII Remake.

It’s easy to make fun of such excessive over-reaction, but to these people gaming is a religion, E3 is Mecca and the likes of Andrew House and Phil Spencer are their preachers.

E3 2015 was filled with moments like that one. There was the roar that greeted the news that Xbox One would be backwards compatible, the tears that followed the unveiling of The Last Guardian, and that stunned silence which turned into ecstatic squealing at the mere words ‘Shenmue 3’.

Our E3 review last year went with the headline: ‘257 games, no surprises’. If we followed that template this time, we’d have written: ‘Over 300 games, lots of surprises’. This was the E3 the industry expected in 2014. There were seven conferences (eight if you include Nintendo’s digital event), a tonne of blockbuster reveals (and not all of them leaked, either), new VR technology, and an excitement lacking from games since the PS4 and Xbox One first launched back in 2013.

“This was great,” says PlayStation European president Jim Ryan on Sony’s exuberant conference. “I’m thrilled with the response online and in the room, which struck me as being up there with two years ago [when PS4 first reached E3].

“I feel very heartened for the industry generally. I enjoyed EA’s

conference the most that I’ve enjoyed it for quite some time. I always like Ubisoft’s event – and again, I enjoyed that more than I have in ages. There were lots of good stuff everywhere.”

PS4 VS XBOX ONEThis E3 has been a long time coming. The games have taken longer to launch on PS4 and Xbox One than expected. Despite

the familiar architecture of the new machines, developers have struggled to keep their ambitions in check, and the result has been a long wait for the big titles to arrive.

“That’s fair,” agrees Ryan. “But generally developers are now starting to get comfortable and confident with the new consoles - not just PS4. Hopefully that’ll manifest itself in great games this holiday and certainly into next year.”

There was plenty to discuss about E3 this year, from the role mobile games played (see Mobile Finally Shines At E3), to the impact of VR (read more on page 6). But at the heart of the show was the battle between PlayStation and Xbox.

Xbox held its strongest E3 conference to date. The marketing slogans that echoed around the

stadium were: ‘the best line-up in Xbox history’ and: ‘Xbox One exclusive’, as the company focused primarily on its first-party games – titles such as Halo 5, Gears 4, Forza 6, and Fable Legends.

“We think we put our best foot forward [at E3],” says Mike Nichols, corporate VP and chief marketing officer at Xbox.

“As a marketing guy I was worried that maybe there was a bit too much hyperbole when we were saying this was the greatest line-up in Xbox history. But we will deliver on the claim. In fact, if you think about everything we are doing, perhaps we are underselling it, especially when you take into account the third-party games. It might be the best games line-up for a console ever.”

In terms of 2015, Xbox One appears to have the edge over PlayStation – at least on paper. PS4’s first-party schedule includes Until Dawn, Tearaway Unfolded and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – all decent games, but hardly Halo beaters. Most of the blockbuster titles Sony showed at E3 are not actually due until 2016.

“It’s hard to deny that our first-party slate isn’t the strongest we’ve ever had in 2015,” admits Ryan.

“All I’d submit is that we are half way through the year and certainly in the region I manage, we’re very happy with the way things are going. So far this year, Bloodborne was exclusive, The Witcher 3 was a very pleasant surprise. We’ve just had Batman. In the eyes of most gamers, it doesn’t matter whether it’s first- or third-party. We have strong partnerships and they’ve been carefully tailored to help us in 2015. Thus far they are doing that.”

E3’s greatest showdownThe E3 fight between PlayStation and Xbox was the fiercest it has ever been. Chris Dring

delivers his verdict with the help of PlayStation’s Jim Ryan and Xbox’s Mike Nichols

In the eyes of most gamers, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a first- or third-party release.

Jim Ryan, PlayStation

02June 26th / July 3rd 2015 www.mcvuk.com

E3 REVIEW

NINTENDO’S US boss Reggie Fils-Aime took to Nintendo’s digital event at E3 to discuss the company’s ‘transformation’.

He mentioned Nintendo’s mysterious NX console and he referred to the firm’s upcoming mobile line-up. But these were not present at E3. Neither was the company’s highly anticipated 2016 Wii U title: The Legend of Zelda.

This disappointed some of Nintendo’s more loyal fans, but there were a handful of Wii U games to talk about. Not least Star Fox, Animal Crossing and Super Mario Maker.

“We are focusing a lot of our efforts on Super Mario Maker,” says Nintendo’s UK head of consumer marketing James Honeywell. “It seems fitting that for Mario 30th anniversary we have a new Mario title that breaks the rules and offers infinite possibilities.

“Beyond this launch on September 11th, we’ll also be promoting the other new titles but also games like Splatoon and Mario Kart 8, which both continue to perform well.”

One of the surprises for Wii U at E3 was the news that Nintendo has teamed up with Activision on Skylanders. Two new Skylander toys – one based on Donkey Kong and the other on Bowser – will be released alongside the upcoming Skylanders Superchargers on Wii U and 3DS, and these toys will also double as Amiibo.

“Activision really invented the toys-to-life category so it’s really exciting that Donkey Kong and Bowser can take on their new staring roles,” adds Honeywell. “We hope that by working together on this we can offer another unique game experience to Wii U and bring a new audience to Amiibo.

“We are also fortunate that Wii U is home to Disney’s Infinity 3.0 and LEGO Dimensions, too. It’s set to be a really exciting Christmas for us all.”

There may not have been a huge array of Wii U announements at E3, but there was a decent showing for 3DS. Some analysts assumed Nintendo would be slowing its 3DS production in preparation for its foray into mobile, but that didn’t appear to be the case with a new Zelda, Metroid and Mario RPG revealed for the portable system.

“Nintendo 3DS continues to be really important to us and hopefully this came across with all the great announcements,” continues Honeywell.

“With the recent launch of New Nintendo 3DS, we’ve seen sales overtake last year, and with great games like Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes and Chibi Robo all coming in time for Christmas, its going to continue to be strong. We also have a lot of great new titles coming in 2016, so Nintendo 3DS has a bright future.”

WHAT ABOUT NINTENDO?

What Sony lacked in exclusive games at E3, it made up for in third-party deals – many of which included PS4-exclusive elements. Third-party games that appeared during PlayStation’s conference included Star Wars: Battlefront, Hitman, Destiny, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and – most surprising of all – Call of Duty: Black Ops III. PS4 owners can now access Call of Duty DLC first, which is an arrangement Xbox historically had.

“Our greatest achievement from the Call of Duty announcement? It didn’t leak,” says Ryan. “It’s a fantastic IP and it was almost a no-brainer to do the deal.”

That’s not to say Xbox abandoned third-party deals entirely. Rainbow Six: Siege, Fallout 4 and Dark Souls III were among the big non-exclusive games on-stage during the Xbox event.

“We have been more selective with our promotional partnerships because our first-party line-up

is so strong this year,” admits Nichols. “But that said, Call of Duty will be great on the system, FIFA will be great, and there are the games you’ve seen here like Fallout 4, where you’ll get extra features.

“The way we look at it is a combination of first-party games that push the platform, third-party titles - such as EAs games you can play first via EA Access - and we have backwards compatibility, too.”

GOING BACKWARDSAh yes, the big E3 announcement from Microsoft: backwards compatibility between Xbox One and 360. It was a complete surprise, received the biggest reaction in the room, and it has a lot of potential.

In the UK, around 3.7m Xbox One and PS4s have been sold. By comparison, there has been more than 15m Xbox 360 and PS3s shifted – 9m of which were for Microsoft’s machine. Backwards

www.mcvuk.com June 26th / July 3rd 2015

= E3 REVIEW

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compatibility could be quite an enticing reason for some of those 9m people to stick with Xbox.

“If you are an Xbox 360 customer, we just put our best foot forward about why now is a good time to upgrade to Xbox One,” continues Nichols.

“We have an Xbox Feedback site and this was the No.1 request from fans for as long as we have had that website. We challenged the team about a year ago and said: ‘Hey, can you make it work?’ A couple of months back, they magically managed to get it running. We just looked at each other and said: ‘Whoa, we have to do this’.”

Microsoft has effectively created an Xbox 360 emulator, which means users can re-download their 360 games or put a disc into the tray and the title will download. Over 20 games are available, although many more will follow. Some publishers (Ubisoft and Bethesda) are even using the feature to give away last-generation games to entice players to buy their new releases.

Best of all, this functionality is being offered to gamers for free.

Nichols says: “The rationale is that you have already bought this content, so why should you have to buy it again? That’s why we decided to make it free, which is unique in the category.”

Will Sony be forced to react?

“[Backwards compatibility] is an entirely legitimate approach, and if you’re trying to upgrade 360 owners, it’s a very logical approach to take,” says Ryan.

“We’re just taking a different path. We’re committing our resources on delivering on the promises we made right at the start of this whole PS4 story.

“You need to be a forward-looking, socially-connected console, so we have placed our bets on things like Share Play, play as you download and suspend/resume. Unfortunately there aren’t sufficient software engineers in the world for everybody to do everything. Each platform holder has made a choice. It’s nice to have points of difference between the platforms. People will decide which approach suits them best.

“We also have experience of backwards compatibility – the earliest PS3 model was backwards compatible with PS2. It’s a much-requested feature, but actually it’s not greatly used. On balance, we are happy with our approach and don’t wish to be defensive about it. But both choices are legitimate.”

SONY SHOCKERSOf course, Sony had a few surprises of its own at E3. The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII and Shenmue III were all rumoured before the show, but rumours

Sunday, June 14th. 6.55pm Monday, June 15th. 9:42am

If you are an Xbox 360 customer, we just put our best foot forward about why now is a good time to upgrade to Xbox One

Mike Nichols, Xbox

Sunday, June 14th. 6.55pm: “This is the best week for entertainment ever.”Bethesda’s Todd Howard, the creative mastermind behind Fallout, took to the famous Dolby Theatre - the host venue for the Oscars - and declared E3 as ‘the best week of entertainment ever’. He wasn’t wrong.

Monday, June 15th. 9:42am: “I’m pleased to announce Xbox One backwards compatibility.”The first deafening roar of E3 took place early on the Monday when Xbox head Phil Spencer announced that Xbox 360 games would be playable on Xbox One. It took everyone inside The Galen Center by surprise.

Monday, June 15th. 1:38pm: “The greatest football player of all time.”Footballing legend Pelé appeared on stage at EA’s conference and received a standing ovation in the room. “We just thought, what a great moment it would be and who better than the greatest player of all time to be able to present FIFA 16,” said EA COO Peter Moore.

Monday, June 15th. 6pm:“We have a very special treat for everyone.”We are going to cheat with this entry, because there were three show-stealing moments during PlayStation’s conference. The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III made grown men cry.

Tuesday, June 16th. 9:02am:“My puppet body is ready.”It wasn’t the most memorable E3 show from Nintendo in terms of announcements, but the firm’s Digital Event did bring us muppet versions of Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime. Our favourite skit had to be when all three started dancing manically to the Super Mario Star music.

E3 2015: THE BEST MOMENTS

June 26th / July 3rd 2015 www.mcvuk.com04

= E3 REVIEW

around these titles are nothing new and they usually amount to nothing more than just wishful thinking.

The Last Guardian – the successor to acclaimed titles Ico and Shadow of the Colossus – has not been seen since 2010. Shenmue III is a sequel to a game first released in 2001, while the Final Fantasy VII Remake has been high on fans wishlists for over a decade. The fact that all three were shown during one 90 minute conference sent social media, gaming forums and the majority of the people in the room into a euphoric meltdown.

Firm release dates for these games weren’t announced, however. In fact, Shenmue III wasn’t even a proper reveal, but was news of a Kickstarter campaign.

“It was unusual, I’ll give you that,” admits Ryan. “But I would just submit to the extent that it helped the guy [Yu Suzuki] make some money, it has to be a good thing.”

Another legitimate question is whether Shenmue III, Final Fantasy VII and The Last Guardian has any potential to extend beyond the core gaming community they managed to so successfully whip into a frenzy.

Indeed, many of the games at Sony’s E3 conference looked astonishing – Media Molecule’s Dreams and Campo Santo’s Firewatch to name two others –

but they also seemed weird and esoteric, do they really hold much mainstream potential?

“I’d say that certainly Media Molecule has a track record of being able to show the most delightful innovation [with LittleBigPlanet] while at the same time being able to realise huge critical and commercial success,” says Ryan.

“I have also berated my European management team for our inability – and this is past management – to really make the most of [Last Guardian predecessors] Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. I loved Ico, it was one of the few times where I felt deeply emotionally moved by a video game. I feel that we didn’t do a good enough job in Europe. The game sold relatively better elsewhere in the world. If The Last Guardian doesn’t become a hit in Europe, it will absolutely not be for a lack of trying.”

That’s not to suggest there weren’t games with more mainstream potential at Sony’s conference. Uncharted 4 ended the show strongly, while Horizon Zero Dawn – the new game from Killzone creators Guerrilla Games – received plenty of E3 buzz.

If anything, Sony’s mission is to take PS4 even further into the mainstream. It has sold well over 22m consoles globally, and so the

firm is now eyeing mums and kids and a host of other non-traditional gaming demographics.

“This is a topic that is very, very top of mind for us at the moment,” says Ryan. “It’s getting harder because – with the emergence of very legitimate forms of gaming on tablet and smartphones – those more casual players have outlets that satisfy their gaming needs in a very accessible manner. We have to provide something that differentiates our more casual offering. The fact there wasn’t much of that at E3 doesn’t mean there’s not a lot going on.”

WHO WON E3?There were other interesting PlayStation and Xbox reveals.

Microsoft unveiled its premium Xbox Elite controller, which is a customisable device for competitive gamers, while Sony announced that people can subscribe to individual channels on its Vue TV service. Ryan says he hopes to launch Vue in Europe, although the fragmented European market makes that a challenging operation.

Yet for all the new hardware and services, E3 2015 was really a show about the games, and they were present in their hundreds.

And this time, neither Microsoft nor Sony - or indeed anyone working games - went home from LA feeling short-changed.

Monday, June 15th. 1:38pm Monday, June 15th. 6pm Tuesday, June 16th. 9:02am

I have berated my management team in the past for our inability to really make the most of Shadow of the Colossus and Ico.

Jim Ryan, PlayStation


E3 REVIEW

05

Last week marked the final E3 before virtual reality would be made available to consumers.

Valve’s Vive VR headset arrives this year, while Oculus Rift and PlayStation’s Morpheus are set to launch in early 2016.

The tech is in place, but there remains a question mark over the content. Sony had a number of VR titles at E3, while there was a plethora of independently-developed projects from the likes of Rebellion, Crytek, Frontier, CCP and nDreams. But most of the titles on show at E3 were little more than tech demos.

“It’s easy to be sceptical of any new tech, and I’m usually the first,” says development legend Tim Schafer, who isn’t building a VR title.

“I credit a lot of (the VR hype) to novels like Snow Crash or Ready Player One. People have created... not necessarily positive visions of VR, but they have come up with an idea of what it could be like. I don’t think anyone ever wrote a book about how great it’s going to be when we have second screens.

“Whether it’s with VR in those books, or [Star Trek’s] holodeck, these are things we can imagine and that we can aim for, because we already know they’ll be pretty awesome.”

Developer Cliff Bleszinski, famous for creating Gears of War, adds: “One of VR’s enemies is that people are jumping on the bandwagon and some folks are coming out with some mediocre VR titles.

“But if you play some of the really good experiences, using the latest Oculus stuff or the new Valve kit... that’s pretty magical. And anyone who hasn’t seen it and is

criticising VR, needs to see it and re-evaluate.”

WHERE IS THE SUPPORT?Most of the companies that are backing VR today are smaller developers. Indeed, the big guns like Take-Two and EA are optimistic about VR, but have adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach.

“Well, that’s fair enough,” says EA COO Peter Moore. “There is a lot of work to be done to commercialise VR, to make it at a competitive consumer price point, to get it through launch and develop long-term strategies. We are looking at it very closely, and all the teams want to experiment with it. We have the development kits, as I am sure all the big publishers do.

“Our sports teams are looking at this because we do have the tagline: ‘It’s in the game’. And to put you in the game, which you have the opportunity to do with VR, is something to get excited about. Everybody has to get this right, it is still a ways away, but when it is there, EA will be ready.”

Jim Ryan, European head of PlayStation, is sympathetic towards nervous publishers. “It’s an unproven area. You can’t just take a regular game and stick it on Morpheus. That doesn’t work, we know that. So they have to figure out what the experience is. The unfortunate commercial realities of a publisher means it needs to get comfortable in terms of business model and install base and all of these things, and how do they make money for their shareholders?

“It will take a little time. One of the roles of a first-party company is to have our own studios driving that process in terms of demonstrating what a great Morpheus experience looks like. Then as a platform holder we have to demonstrate that it’s a worthwhile thing to invest in. We’re just a little bit away from a point where we can go wide with firm dates, price points, and quantities. But when these things start to drop into place, we are confident that any publisher with an eye on what’s next can see this is going to be part of the future. And anybody who gets left behind does so at their peril.”

There was one big publisher that did back VR at E3: Ubisoft. The firm is yet to announce a single VR project, but it demonstrated a number of tech demos at E3, and promises announcements in the coming months.

“It’s a real investment from our part in terms of time, focus and research,” explains Alain Corre, Ubisoft’s EMEA executive director. “We’re still at the beginning of the VR adventure. But we are dedicating our best talent to develop for it.”

VR’s battle for acceptance in Los Angeles

Virtual reality didn’t quite convince the sceptics at E3, but there were some major developments as the technology marches towards retail. Christopher Dring asks the

games industry if this is really the future, or just another second-screen fad

Steven Spielberg playing one of Ubisoft’s VR tech demos

Sci-fi has created a vision for virtual reality. No-one ever wrote a book talking about how great second screens will be.

Tim Schafer, Double Fine


E3 REVIEW: VIRTUAL REALITY

He adds: “VR is here to stay and we are really investing in trying to find new ways to bring something innovative to our brands.”

MARKETING WOESOne of the biggest challenges faced by VR is in getting that experience across to gamers. VR is not something you can just stick on a TV ad. A prime example of this was the fact that neither Sony or Ubisoft featured VR heavily during their E3 conferences.

“It’s very difficult, almost impossible, to do VR justice on-stage,” explains Sony’s Ryan. “We took the view that the best thing was just to let the experiences speak for themselves. And hopefully the media will get some decent hands on with them at E3.”

So what can be done to convince gamers to pick up these virtual reality headsets?

“We have to tell a good story,” says Patrick Esteves, the design director at Crytek who is working on VR game Robinson: The Journey. “VR is a lot more of a story-telling medium and there will be some watershed game where Grandma can play one of these games and go: ‘Wow that was really moving.’ It is not just about this core action-based experience. It is very nuanced medium.

“As soon as we get over the hump of getting the VR headsets out the door, and get content that allows people to see there is a great future in it... then we’ll get there. The more creators that can tap into what makes VR great and not gimmicky, the better off the medium is going to become.”

E3 didn’t answer all the lingering questions about VR. We don’t know how much it will cost or what the line-up will look like. But there remains plenty of optimism from developers and publishers that this will break through.

“I resolve myself to thinking if you put this much money and talent against something, you can make anything better. Frozen peas would be better” says VP of Amazon Games Mike Frazzini. “It’s just impossible not to have something great come out of this.”

VR is diffi cult to show off on stage, hence the tech’s low presence at E3’s conferences

ONE of the most impressive demonstrations at E3 took place during Xbox’s press conference, and centred on its HoloLens augmented reality tech.

Whereas VR takes players deeper into the games, HoloLens takes games out from the TV and places it in the living room. The AR headset made its surprise appearance on stage alongside a Minecraft demo, which featured an Xbox representative taking an in-game building and placing it on a table, enabling him to explore it in a ‘real’ environment.

Microsoft had a simplified HoloLens demo on the E3 show floor, this time based around Halo. And we gave it a try.

We put on our rather flashy HoloLens headset, and then followed a beacon that appeared in front of our eyes.

It led us to a war room, with a table that demonstrated a holographic briefing on what to expect on the Halo battlefield. That was it.

During the briefing, we could move around the holographic image and view it from different angles. But, the field of vision was limited, and the illusion can slip from view simply by moving your head a small amount. It’s a pity because when standing still in front of the hologram, it looked decidedly real.

Of course, HoloLens is not yet a consumer proposition. There’s no confirmed release as of yet, and like with the early VR prototypes, there will be plenty of iteration to take place between now and when it does (or if it does) release. Hopefully Microsoft can significantly improve the view, because HoloLens has unique potential.

WHAT WE THOUGHT OF HOLOLENS

(From top): Ubisoft’s Corre, EA’s Moore, Boss Key’s Bleszinksi, Double Fine’s Schafer and Crytek’s Esteves


VIRTUAL REALITY: E3 REVIEW

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AFTER a difficult year for games, it’s impossible to not be carried away by the huge wave of enthusiasm the show has generated. Particularly impressive has been indies genuinely sharing the limelight alongside the more traditional triple-As. We’re now just trying to work out how to get those tea stains off our 360 discs.

BETHESDA was a case study in gala presentations. Humour, self-deprecation, surprises, short and to the point, quality not quantity, release dates and actual game footage. But most of all, the enthusiasm for games as an entertainment form exuded from every pore. A far cry from first party events of the past which all too often fall back into a battle of who has the biggest exclusive.

MICROSOFT showed its on-going commitment to the gamer this year with an E3 show focused on an awesome first party line-up alongside impressive third-party collaborations and a diverse indie range. We were blown away by the HoloLens demo and the potential for Microsoft’s partnerships with both Oculus and Valve.

MICROSOFT had to up its game, and it did by a factor of ten. HoloLens and Minecraft lived up to the hype and that could be a killer app. Working with Valve on virtual reality is a great move, too, and shows that they are up for collaboration, which is vital nowadays in my view. Backwards compatibility proves that they listened, the devil will always be in the details of course, but it is a great move for gamers who owned 360s.

MICROSOFT seems to be setting itself up to regain market share through a credible innovation strategy rather than just hardware pricing tactics, while Sony seems well placed to respond; strong performances from both but, for me, no ‘wow’ factor. However, the overall quality of games at E3 is the best for years.

UBISOFT went all out to convince gamers that it’s back on its game. It announced a fantastic new IP with For Honor. We loved the look of the The Division, and Rainbow Six Siege cannot release soon enough. Ghost Recon: Wildlands looks to be a genuine re-definition of the open world FPS genre.

KUDOS to Microsoft for sharing the stage with multiple indies and acknowledging the role they play in a healthy, varied line-up. Up until the indies came on I think it was something like eight out of the first ten games previewed involved guns or shooting in some manner.

I WAS very impressed by the Microsoft conference, but Sony’s event was astonishing. Considering it’s PlayStation’s commitment to innovation and creativity that excites me the most, Dreams was the star of Sony’s E3 show. The potential there for inspiring young creators is astonishing.

SONY started the show in the best possible way with The Last Guardian. But it was Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III that blew the lid off the hall - huge fan service and huge reasons to get a PS4, if you don’t have one already. Finishing with Uncharted 4 sealed the deal.

SIMON BYRONPublishing Director, Curve Digital

TIM WOODLEYSVP Global Brand andMarketing, 505 Games

RACHEL DEARSLEYMicrosoft Category Manager, GAME

ANDY PAYNECEO and MD, Mastertronic NICK PARKER

CEO, Parker Consulting

DAVID TWELLSThird-party Category Manager, GAME

GAVIN PRICEStudio Head, Playtonic

JAMES MARSDENDirector, Futurlab

ANDY TUDORCreative Director, Slightly Mad Studios

E3: What the industry thoughtDuring the course of E3, MCV asked the games industry to share their opinions on what they made of key moments from the show. Here is what they said:


E3 REVIEW: INDUSTRY REACTIONS

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CHEAT SHEET


by Christopher Dring EA would have no hesitation in delaying Star Wars: Battlefront if the game wasn’t right – even if it meant missing the launch of the new movie.

The shooter, hotly tipped to be one of the biggest games of the year, is due for launch on November 20th on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The game is developed by EA DICE, which had problems with its last major game, 2013’s Battlefi eld 4. That title launched with a number of issues, and upset fans. EA has vowed to not repeat that mistake and last year delayed Battlefi eld Hardline from Christmas to March to ensure a smooth launch.

When asked if it could realistically do the same thing with Battlefront, EA COO Peter Moore was unequivocal in his response.

“Well you can’t ship it if it doesn’t work or the quality isn’t right,” he told MCV. “You just bite the bullet. Trust me, shipping Hardline in March was not the easiest thing to do from a business perspective, but it was the right thing to do from a player perspective.

“We’d have no compunction, no hesitation that if something went wrong with Battlefront, if it wasn’t right, we would just push it.”

“But that’s not going to happen,” he stressed. “The game is playable with 40-players already, and it is rock solid, so it ain’t going to happen.”

DEVELOPER Nomad Games is repositioning itself as a specialist indie publisher.

The fi rm joins a raft of other indie publishers such as Mastertronic, Team 17, 505 Games, Green Man Loaded, Curve, Paradox and more.

Nomad is diff erent, however, as it wants to focus on digital versions of table-top games – such as its recently launched Game Workshop-licensed PC and tablet game, Talisman.

Nomad says it will off er developers services such as PR, marketing, QA and localisation.

“Nomad is a niche studio which means we fully understand the opportunities and pitfalls of self-publishing,” said co-founder Don Whiteford.

“We’re looking forward to helping other indie studios with board, card and dice games achieve great success.”

If Star Wars isn’t right, we will delay it, says EA

Another indie publisher emerges

EA’s Moore won’t hesitate to push Star Wars Battlefront if it isn’t of a high enough quality

£10m

£15m

£20m

£5m

Market DataDespite continued strong sales of LEGO Jurassic World, the market fell in value last week

Week EndingJune 6th

£8.3276,869

units

Week EndingJune 20th

£15.1m419,370

units

Week EndingJune 13th

£6.1m220,881

units

UK RETAIL TOP 10

PRE-ORDER TOP 10

LEGO JURASSIC WORLD WARNER BROS12 The Elder Scrolls Online Bethesda

3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Bandai Namco

4 Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar

5 FIFA 15 EA

6 Payday 2: Crimewave Edition 505 Games

7 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Activision Blizzard

8 Splatoon Nintendo

9 Destiny Activision Blizzard

10 Minecraft: Xbox Edition Microsoft

FALLOUT 4 (PS4) BETHESDA12 Fallout 4 + Fallout 3 (XO) Bethesda

3 Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4) Sony

4 Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain Day One Ed (PS4) Konami

5 Amiibo Pikmin and Olimar (Wii U) Nintendo

6 Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) Square Enix

7 Amiibo Bowser Jr (Wii U) Nintendo

8 FIFA 16 (PS4) EA

9 Amiibo Dr Mario (Wii U) Nintendo

10 Rare Replay (XO) Microsoft

SPONSORED BY

But this Christmas’ biggest game will hit shelves in November, says Moore

CHEAT SHEET

11www.mcvuk.com June 26th / July 3rd 2015

PLAYSTATION Europe boss Jim Ryan believes the decision to host a press conference at Paris Games Week in October could help put the show on the map.

Sony has decided not to hold its annual press event at Gamescom in Cologne this year due to the show’s proximity with E3.

“We thought about doing a bespoke event somewhere and just thought what’s the point of that? One of the nice things about the maturing European games industry is the emergence of these individual consumer events in most European countries,” said Ryan.

“The right thing to do at an industry level is to attach ourselves to one of those. There’ll be a lot of people at Paris Games Week anyway, but in the same way that I humbly submit that our presence at Gamescom helped that event over the years, hopefully we can give something back to Paris Games Week and help stimulate interest in a way that a bespoke event in London wouldn’t.”

Ryan said no decision has been made about whether it will return to Gamescom in 2016. Paris Games Week takes place between October 28th to November 1st.

by Christopher Dring XBOX says it will use August’s Gamescom to fi ght back in Europe.

The Xbox One has been trailing PS4 in every European territory, and didn’t even launch in some markets until last year.

But Xbox corporate VP and CMO Mike Nichols says the company plans to go big at Gamescom in Germany, with fresh content from Crackdown, Quantum Break and Scalebound (which were absent from E3) alongside new game reveals.

And the fi rm hopes to capitalise on the fact Sony will

not be holding a press event in Cologne this year.

“We have been giving briefi ngs at Gamescom for years, and we had a great time doing it last year,” said Nichols, referring to Microsoft’s fi rst formal Gamescom press briefi ng.

“We got a lot of really good feedback, so when we started plotting out what events we were going to this year, Gamescom was a no-brainer. Gamescom is broadcasted far outside Europe, but it does give us a chance to speak more directly to European gamers and show them how important they are and what line-up we have.”

...while PlayStation hopes to boost Paris Games Week event

Xbox: Gamescom gives us a chance to show Europe how important it is

You can’t win E3.You can lose it, of

course. It was Xbox that ‘lost’ E3 in 2013

after it mismanaged the reveal of Xbox One. Meanwhile, Ubisoft had a few PR fi res to put out last year, which saw it suff er a somewhat disappointing expo.

So it’s with some sitting-on-the-fence delight I can declare that no one lost E3 this year.

Sony’s conference was a cacophony of roaring fans delighting at each reveal, while it was hard to disagree with Microsoft’s assertion that its release slate is ‘the greatest line-up in Xbox history’.

It was the latter that has the most immediate potential. Over the next six months Xbox will launch a new game in every single one of its biggest fi rst-party franchises: Gears of War, Fable, Forza and Halo. And that’s not even mentioning an exclusive Tomb Raider game.

Compare that to Sony’s fi rst-party slate – which consists primarily of remakes or updates – and there’s just no competition.

Couple this with the recent news of Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, plus the fact that Xbox will have the run of Gamescom in Sony’s absence, and Microsoft has an opportunity here to chip away at Sony’s lead.

But it’s just an opportunity. It’s no sure thing. The team at PlayStation has done a great job of making third-party releases feel like their home is on PS4. Just look at the success it has had with

its partnership with Destiny, or even some games it didn’t have partnerships with – such as The Witcher 3. These games didn’t just sell better on PS4, they had a huge impact on the hardware numbers, too.

So Sony’s partnerships with Star Wars: Battlefront, Disney Infi nity 3, Hitman, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and – most signifi cantly – Call of Duty: Black Ops III, should not be underestimated. PlayStation has done a fi ne job of making PS4 No.1 around the world with a relatively lean line-up, so if Xbox wants to capitalise on its 2015 opportunity, it might have to spend time talking up the third-party slate as much as it does its exclusives.

Because once 2015 has ended, Microsoft’s window of opportunity closes. Next year PlayStation has Uncharted 4, The Last Guardian, Horizon, Project Morpheus and a whole lot more on its release schedule.

It may be 18 months old, but really this new generation console battle is just getting [email protected]

THE EDITOR

It may just be 18 months-old, but the console war between PlayStation and Microsoft is just getting started.

XBOX HAS SIX MONTHS TO FIGHT BACK

Xbox has said it will have a big presence at Gamescom this August

DATA ANALYSIS


Source

Games and Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track

Warner Bros has its fi rst LEGO No.1 since last year’s The LEGO Movie Videogame

IN its second week on shelves WARNER BROS’ LEGO Jurassic World takes the No.1 spot on the All Formats Top 40.

Sales increased three per cent driven by the game’s wide appeal, as well as the blockbuster launch of the fi lm of the same name.

The fact that the Xbox 360 SKU is due to the fact that family and younger gamers are yet to upgrade to Xbox One.

It is fi rst LEGO No.1 since last year’s The LEGO Movie Videogame, and is the seventh Traveller’s Tales LEGO No.1 since 2005’s LEGO Star Wars title.

BETHESDA’s MMO title The Elder Scrolls Online

drops to second place as sales dip 71 per cent week-on-week.

Every single one of the Steam Top 10 is in the infamous Steam Summer Sale. Valve’s annual discount brings Skyrim: Legendary Edition, H1Z1, Ori and the Blind Forest, Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition and the Bioshock pack back into the Top 10.

And who says E3 has no impact in the mobile market? Bethesda announced and launched iOS title Fallout Shelter on stage at its E3 conference and it immediately became the top grossing game in the App Store charts. It’s set for release for Android in the coming months.

TW LW Title Format Publisher 02 01 The Elder Scrolls Online PS4, XO, PC Bethesda03 03 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco/CD Projekt RED04 05 Grand Theft Auto V PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Rockstar05 R6 FIFA 15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC EA06 04 Payday 2: Crimewave Edition PS4, XO 505 Games07 07 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Activision Blizzard08 08 Splatoon Wii U Nintendo09 11 Destiny PS4, XO, PS3, 360 Activision Blizzard10 12 Minecraft: Xbox Edition XO, 360 Microsoft11 13 Project CARS PS4, XO, PC Bandai Namco/Slightly Mad Studios12 10 Farming Simulator 15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Koch Media13 09 Battlefi eld Hardline PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC EA14 14 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition PS4, PS3, Vita Sony15 15 Dying Light PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Warner Bros16 17 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Bethesda17 18 Halo: The Master Chief Collection XO Microsoft18 16 Mortal Kombat X PS4, XO, PC Warner Bros19 21 WWE 2K15 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 2K Games20 19 Terraria PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC 505 Games/Merge21 22 LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros22 23 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros23 29 Far Cry 4 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft24 24 Watch Dogs PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft25 25 Disney Infi nity 2.0 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, Wii Disney26 R8 Assassin’s Creed Unity PS4, XO, PC Ubisoft27 26 Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Konami28 20 Forza Horizon 2 XO, 360 Microsoft29 27 The Sims 4 PC EA30 25 Super Smash Bros Wii U, 3DS Nintendo31 33 Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Warner Bros32 R4 Mario Kart 8 Wii U Nintendo33 20 Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare PS4, XO, PS3 360, PC EA34 37 Resident Evil Revelations 2 PS4, XO, PS3, 360, PC Capcom35 RE Batman: Arkham Origins Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC Warner Bros36 RE Borderlands: The Handsome Collection PS4, XO 2K Games37 RE Assassin’s Creed: Rogue PS3, 360, PC Ubisoft38 36 Skylanders Trap Team PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, Wii Activision Blizzard39 40 The LEGO Movie Videogame PS4, XO, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, DS, PC Warner Bros40 38 The Crew PS4, XO, 360, PC Ubisoft

TOP 40 UK RETAIL01 LEGO JURASSIC WORLD WARNER BROS

FORMATS: PS4/XO/WII U/PS3/360/3DS/VITA/PC DEVELOPER: TRAVELLER’S TALES

Week ending June 20thWeek ending June 21st

DATA & RESEARCH

TW LW TITLE PUBLISHER 02 03 Counter-Strike: Global Off ensive Valve 03 02 Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar 04 RE Elite: Dangerous Frontier Developments05 04 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt CD Projekt RED 06 RE Skyrim: Legendary Edition Bethesda 07 RE H1Z1 Daybreak Game Company 08 RE Ori and the Blind Forest Microsoft 09 RE Fallout 3: GOTY Edition Bethesda 10 RE BioShock Triple Pack 2K Games

01 ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVEDPUBLISHER: STUDIO WILDCARD DEVELOPER: STUDIO WILDCARD

TOP 10 STEAM (GLOBAL)

PRESENTS5 SECOND FACTS

Wii U Mario Fight Pad - PDP Design and manufacture the Offi cially Licenced Nintendo

GameCube Styled Classic Pro Controller for Wii U

[email protected]

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

52,200E3 2015 was attended by a record-breaking

52,200 people, according to show organisers

the ESA

1TBSony is releasing an

updated PS4 console that features at 1TB hard drive.

This follows Microsoft announcing a new 1TB

Xbox One SKU

£130Microsoft’s fancy new

Xbox One Elite Controller – announced on-stage at E3 – is going to set consumers back £130

$10mAccording to Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki, the

third entry requires $10m of funding to create an

open-world


DATA ANALYSISSource

TW LW Title Format Publisher 02 03 LEGO Jurassic World 360 Warner Bros 03 02 The Elder Scrolls Online PS4 Bethesda04 04 LEGO Jurassic World PS4 Warner Bros05 05 LEGO Jurassic World XO Warner Bros06 07 LEGO Jurassic World PS3 Warner Bros07 06 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PS4 Bandai Namco/Slightly Mad Studios08 08 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt XO Bandai Namco/Slightly Mad Studios09 09 Splatoon Wii U Nintendo10 10 Payday 2: Crimewave Edition PS4 505 Games11 12 Grand Theft Auto V PS4 Rockstar12 11 Payday 2: Crimewave Edition XO 505 Games 13 16 Halo: The Master Chief Collection XO Microsoft14 14 Grand Theft Auto V XO Rockstar15 13 Minecraft: Xbox Edition 360 Microsoft16 17 Project CARS PS4 Bandai Namco/Slightly Mad17 18 LEGO Jurassic World 3DS Warner Bros18 15 FIFA 15 360 EA19 20 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare XO Activision Blizzard20 19 Mortal Kombat X PS4 Warner Bros

TOP 20 INDIVIDUAL FORMAT

01 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE BETHESDA

FORMAT: XO DEVELOPER: BETHESDA

TW TITLE PUBLISHER 02 Minecraft: Pocket Edition Mojang 03 Hitman: Sniper Square Enix 04 You Must Build A Boat EightyEight Games 05 Football Manager Handheld 2015 Sega 06 Scribblenauts Remix Warner Bros 07 Bloons TD 5 Ninja Kiwi 08 Tipping Point Barnstorm Games 09 Tomb Raider Square Enix 10 Geometry Dash RobTop Games

TOP 10 GLOBAL GOOGLE PLAY

TW TITLE DEVELOPER 02 AlphaBetty Saga King 03 Crazy Pool Party – Splish Splash TabTale 04 Jurassic World: The Game Ludia 05 Coco Ice Princess Coco Play 06 Candy Crush Saga King 07 Cooking Dash 2016 Glu Games 08 Candy Crush Soda Saga King 09 Despicable Me: Minion Rush Gameloft 10 Crossy Road Hipster Whale

TOP 10 IPAD GAMES FREE

01

01

01

FALLOUT SHELTER DEVELOPER: BETHESDA

FALLOUT SHELTER DEVELOPER: BETHESDA

STORAGE HUNTERS: THE GAMEDEVELOPER: UKTV MEDIA

TW TITLE DEVELOPER 02 AlphaBetty Saga King 03 8 Ball Pool MiniClip 04 Downhill Riders Happymangenta 05 Candy Crush Saga King 06 Jurassic World: The Game Ludia 07 Subway Surfers Kiloo 08 Triple Jump Ketchapp 09 Criminal Case Pretty Simple 10 Crossy Road Hipster Whales

TOP 10 IPHONE GAMES FREE

Week ending June 21st

Week ending June 21st

Correct as of June 22ndWeek ending June 21st

TW LW TITLE PUBLISHER 02 02 Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Microsoft03 04 CastleMiner Z DigitalDNA04 05 SFG Soccer Stir Fry Gamess05 RE Battlefi eld 1943 EA06 07 Avatar Warfare DigitalDNA07 06 ApocZ Sick Kreations08 RE Avatar Paintball DigitalDNA09 10 Terraria: Xbox 360 Edition 505 Games10 RE Survival Games Season One 2.0 Studios

TOP 10 XBOX LIVE (UK)01 GOAT SIMULATOR MICROSOFT

DEVELOPER: COFFEE STAIN STUDIO

Week ending June 20th

Congratulations. What was it like to win the first ever Store Manager prize?It was quite surreal and overwhelming to be honest. I went to the show and didn’t even know I was up for the award, let alone that I’d win it. I was aware of the new award category, but that’s it. Going down with the directors was a treat in itself. I had nothing prepared to say or anything like that. And the reception that everybody gave me walking up was absolutely incredible.

You were praised by your bosses for your strategy of pursuing business on local online retail channels. What was the thinking behind this?I was fairly new to the company and came from a different background. I really wanted to go into the business with the mindset of how I could improve it, not just in terms of my store and staff, but in the business as a whole. I started thinking of places like Facebook, Twitter and Gumtree, which are quite common channels for second-hand goods, so I decided to look into that to see if I could bring anyone else into the store, and whether we could pursue them rather than them come to us. I joined 250 or so groups on Facebook and Gumtree, contacting the people on there, giving them trade-in prices that we offer in store to get their interest. It was just taking the business model that we had and getting it out there.

How much did your business increase as a result of this? We were around 60 per cent

higher than our monthly target. But year-on-year we were probably posting an 85 per cent to 100 per cent boost. That was what I was looking to do, but I didn’t think I’d get that kind of an increase so quickly. I figured it’d take time to build momentum.

You have influenced Games Centre’s overall business, too. It now has a dedicated role in charge of pursuing new business as you suggested. How did that come about? Head office invited me to see them to find out what we had been doing because we were smashing our targets. I had a presentation prepared to show what I had been working on. I’d kept it all pretty quiet because I didn’t want to blow the bubble until I knew it was working and that there was potential to grow the business in that way. I had all my figures, and how I thought the company could grow using these channels. Head office was pretty blown away by what I was proposing. They mulled it

talking to customers about games, getting them excited, making a big deal out of E3, posting Facebook and Twitter updates constantly about all the news. But in terms of growing the business, pre-orders are key. And the hardware announcements from E3 will have a pretty big impact as well.

Why do you think pre-orders are dipping at other stores? Developers and publishers are going out and announcing games too early – before development has really started. Customers are more savvy these days. They used to get a game that was totally polished and finished. And companies are too quick to get a game out there, and think it’s okay to patch mistakes after launch. Customers are reluctant to part with their money – when a game gets announced, they are expecting it to be delayed. The industry needs to win customer confidence back because this is a more savvy generation. Two years ago, gamers didn’t really know what frame rate was.

What are your thoughts on this year’s E3? There’s a lot of games in the pipeline. Definitely. Some of the titles that were announced at the show just blew me away. But the big win was Xbox’s performance. Sony’s dominated the last few E3s, but Microsoft had a few aces up its sleeve. Announcing the backwards compatibility opens up a whole new wave of people who don’t have an Xbox One yet, but are looking to buy one. That could inflame the console war even more.

Champion manager

Last year, Games Centre noticed its Irvine store was smashing its targets by up to 60 per cent, so it asked manager Craig Kennedy just what he was doing. The following year, he won MCV’s

first Store Manager of the Year Award. Alex Calvin speaks to the man himself

When games are announced, delays are now expected. The industry needs to win back consumer confidence.

Craig Kennedy, Games Centre

Games Centre’s Kennedy was smashing his store’s targets by 60 per cent

over and came back pretty quickly to see who would be the right person for the role. Stuart [McCann, eCommerce co-ordinator] has been with the business quite a while now.

How else are you looking to grow the business?We push pre-orders hard. We are thriving on the fact our pre-orders are booming at the moment while everybody else seems to be in a mass decline. We are pushing the boat out and incentivising them to pre-order. We have been

CRAIG KENNEDY MCV AWARDS WINNER


Secure your tickets now! gamescom-cologne.com

05.-09.08.2015, Cologne

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MARKET MOVES

KONAMI | Mario brand manager ROGER LANGFORD has left Nintendo to join Konami as

European brand manager. He will be handling the Metal Gear franchise at the publisher.

Langford joined Nintendo in 2008 as marketing assistant, rising to product manager in 2010. In this role he helped launched the likes of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

“We’re delighted to welcome someone with Roger’s reputation and skills,” said Konami’s senior EMEA brand manager LISA VILLAUME.

“He will play a vital role in the final stages of the run up to

Metal Gear Solid V’s launch, and will also be key to a wealth of forthcoming new titles.”

BANDAI NAMCO | The publisher has made a new hire to its marketing team.

KARLA PETT joins as product manager, having spent four years working at book publishing company Octopus.

Pett will be handling Bandai Namco’s anime and manga licences in the UK, including Naruto and Dragon Ball, in addition to events like MCM London Comic Con.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Karla to the marketing team in the UK,” said UK PR and marketing boss LEE KIRTON.

“She brings with her incredible passion for gaming, a love for Japanese anime and manga and experience outside of the games industry.”

READY AT DAWN | The Order 1886 studio has hired former Blizzard COO PAUL SAMS (left) as its new CEO.

Sams worked at the World of Warcraft firm for 19 years,

joining in 1996 as director of business development. Co-founder and CEO RU WEERASURIYA (above) is taking on the role of president and chief creative office.

“Words can’t describe how excited our team and I are to have Paul join Ready At Dawn,” Weerasuriya said. “He is one of the most accomplished, respected and experienced leaders in our industry. It is never easy finding someone to take over the reins of a company after this many years, but I can’t think of anyone better suited to guide the team as we look to the future. “In addition, this opportunity further fulfills a goal we had long sought. With Paul’s arrival, the entire team at our studio in Irvine will turn its attention solely on creative and game development, while Austin will become the focus of our business endeavours.”

Nintendo’s Roger Langford joins Konami Marketing exec to handle Metal Gear New product manager for Bandai Namco

APPOINTMENTS

ESA | This year’s E3 was attended by a record-breaking 52,200 people.

The event hosted 300 exhibitors showcasing over 1,600 products.

Show organisers ESA noted a record reach on social media, with 6.3m tweets being made in relation to the show.

There were also 5,000 consumers at the event.

GENDESIGN | Fumito Ueda, the developer behind Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, has set up a new development studio.

Called GenDesign, Ueda is joined by other veterans from his tenure at Team Ico.

Ueda left Sony in 2011, but remains on The Last Guardian

SUPERLAB | Zynga has acquired the incubation

studio set up by Zynga boss Mark Pincus.

Superlab was set up by Pincus following his departure from Zynga in 2013. He returned to the firm in April of this year.

SPIDERWEB SOFTWARE | The long-running indie studio is once again releasing games for iOS following founder Jeff Vogel’s objection to Apple’s mobile platform.

Vogel pulled Spiderweb’s Avernum 2: Crystal Suls from the App Store earlier, due technical errors caused by an iOS update.

NOD LABS | The hardware firm has raised $13.5m to developer its motion tracking and gesture recognition tech.

The company’s latest product is the Backspin, a multi-platform controller designed for VR.

AROUND THE INDUSTRY


EDITORIAL CONTACTS

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

Production Executive: Elizabeth [email protected]

Head of Operations: Stuart Moody [email protected]

Circulation: Lianne [email protected]

Finance Manager: Michael Canham [email protected]

Head of Design and Production:Kelly [email protected]

US CorrespondentErik [email protected]

THE RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

MCV has an exclusive media partnership with Famitsu – Japan’s leading video

games analyst and news source

ISSN: 1469-4832

Copyright 2015

Please address all enquiries to:Newbay Media, MCV, Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, SG14 1JA.

Printed By: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith,Blackwood, NP12 2YA

Newbay Media specialises in trade-dedicated 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 online-only 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.

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© Newbay Media 2015All 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. The contents of MCV are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems.

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Editorial: 01992 515303 | Advertising: 01992 535647 | Fax: 01992 535648

Ben Parfi tt Associate Editorbparfi [email protected]

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Laura WestBusiness Development [email protected]

Conor Tallon Account [email protected]

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

Sarah Jasper The Hut

Phil Moore Grainger Games

Igor Cipolletta ShopTo

Dermot Stapleton Get Games

Niall Lawlor GameStop

Phil Browes HMV

Craig Watson Dixons Retail

Jennifer JohnsonShop Direct

Don McCabe CHIPS

Gurdeep Hunjan Sainsbury’s

Simon Urquhart Microsoft

Robert Lindsay Games Centre

Stephen Staley Gameseek

Robert Hennessy John Lewis

Paul Sulyok Green Man Gaming

James Cooke Argos

Christopher Dring [email protected]

Alex Calvin Staff [email protected]

When you peruse the list of games coming out this year, it’s fair to say

that a title based on a Japanese comic series probably isn’t the first thing you jump to.

Launching in the same Autumn period as FIFA, Pro Evo, Skylanders, LEGO Dimensions, Metal Gear Solid, Forza, Mad Max and Super Mario Maker, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 undoubtedly has some serious rivals in the competition for retail shelf space.

But while many of those games will be competing for the thinly-stretched purchasing power of the same audience, Naruto hopes to attract an altogether different audience.

UNS4 is the latest instalment in the Ultimate Ninja series, based on the original Japanese comic book (also known as manga) Naruto. Naruto is the third-best-selling manga of all time with over 200 million sales – 75 million of these outside of Japan – behind only One Piece and Dragon Ball and, like those franchises, it also has a highly popular cartoon (anime) spin-off. The Ultimate Ninja games have proven to be a big hit themselves, with over 12 million sales worldwide – more than 3.8 million in Europe alone.

So while a niche title like UNS4 may seem a mere drop in the gaming pond, it’s set to make a serious splash among a certain group of passionate gamers.

“A lot of manga and anime fans have been waiting to see their favourite franchises make it to next-gen and so, at the moment, there’s a real clamouring for these

titles,” observes Karla Pett, product manager at Bandai Namco. “Sometimes the manga and anime community suffers from a lack of mainstream visibility, and public awareness rises and falls. But these fandoms are there and they’re very strong. Now, with the increasing acceptance of ‘geek’ pastimes in mainstream culture, the market is only growing stronger.”

MANGA MAGIC2015 boasts one of the fullest release schedules in recently memory, with the return of blockbuster IP like Fallout, Halo and Metal Gear Solid set to reignite gamers’ passions.

But this excitement isn’t just reserved for triple-A sequels. In fact, the fervour around Halo 5 and Fallout 4 may even pale in comparison to the dedication of fans awaiting the next entry in smaller franchises like Naruto.

“The nice thing about niche audiences is that they’re really, really passionate about the products and the licences,” observes Pett.

It’s not just die-hard followers that could get swept up by the wave of interest in the next Naruto game. Newcomers looking for something different could also be tempted to pick up the title.

“What UNS4 does so well is offer such a great story,” says Pett. “It combines adventure and fighting mechanics, and both elements are really strong. Sometimes fighting games can be a little light on story but, with such a strong narrative heritage in the Naruto series, we’re able

to offer players the best of both worlds: a fantastic story and really great gameplay. It’s really robust and also adds fantastic targeting elements for big boss battles that allow you to be genuinely strategic in how you take on those fights.

“The biggest differences between UNS4 and Western titles ultimately start with art style and presentation. UNS4 keeps that really recognisable crisp manga and anime look thanks to the cell-shaded style that developer CyberConnect2 is so well known for; it’s very expressive and bombastic – a real visual treat.

“People sometimes shy away from games like this thinking they’re niche and therefore not for them, but that’s a shame as they can miss out. UNS4 is a great, fun title and we really hope it can broaden its audience.”

NEW-RUTOUNS4 is both the first and last title in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series to come to PS4 and Xbox One, with the game serving as the closing chapter to ninja hero Naruto Uzumaki’s story.

It’s set to go out with a bang, boasting the largest roster of fighters in the franchise’s history, plus a number of other additions thanks to the new consoles.

“The new hardware has made UNS4 the biggest, boldest and best Storm game we’ve ever had,” Pett explains. “The graphical capabilities of the consoles really bring the dynamic, bombastic fights to life. The connectivity of the new consoles helps us bring the community together too, and that’s such a key part of manga and anime titles.

The perfect StormThe end of 2015 has one of the busiest release schedules in years. But among Halo, Fallout and Battlefront hides a smaller title that retailers shouldn’t just leave by the wayside. Bandai Namco product manager Karla Pett tells Matthew Jarvis why Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 deserves a space alongside its triple-A siblings

People sometimes shy away from games like this thinking they’re niche and not for them, but that’s a shame as they can miss out.

Karla Pett, Bandai Namco


INTERVIEW NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA STORM 4

Naruto is the third-best-selling manga series of all time

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 marks the last entry in the franchise – for now.With this in mind, publisher Bandai Namco is going all-out for the game’s release, as product manager Karla Pett explains:

“UNS4 is the swansong of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series and so it’s getting a lot of love.

“We’ve got lots of community activity planned and are hoping to really encourage the competitive edge among players, as the game definitely shines in multiplayer.

“Because it has a really nice mix of adventure and fighting, it’s really accessible. We’re hoping that the audience will grow much broader and fighting

fans can really sink their teeth into it.

“Plus, Naruto games are a real crowd pleaser so we always have them in full force at shows; the game’s just been out at E3 and will be the star of our show at MCM this October. For us, and for the Naruto games marketing, it’s really about engaging with the audience and having a conversation with them.

“We also have some very exciting plans post-launch, with lots of features to be introduced as we go. We’re really hoping to bring UNS4 to new levels and extend its life with players. We’d love to tell you more, but for now all I can say is you’ll have to wait and see.”

A GRAND GOODBYE“In essence, we’ve kept what fans really loved – the great story, gameplay and style – and made it bigger and better than previous games. We’ve added the targeting element to boss battles and loads of new characters. Plus the graphic effects on battles are visually indulgent.

“With this game, we’re sticking even closer to the original story and making sure that fans are getting exactly what they want, but also that newcomers are able to join in without being utterly confused. There is a lot more to be announced, but I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

PASSING STORMWith the end in sight for Ultimate Ninja Storm, at least for now, Bandai Namco and

CyberConnect2 are confident that UNS4 will earn its ‘ultimate’ title.

“It’s fair to say that UNS4 is going to be a hard game to forget,” concludes Pett.

“From our point of view, we always want to make a game that players are going to love and is respectful of the IP we’re working with.

“We hope that our respect of the source material can be clearly seen in the game and that players can see how much love has gone into it.

“There’s going to be a lot to keep players engaged for the future. Naruto has become a reference point for anime and manga lovers, so we’re looking forward to continuing the adventure. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.”


NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA STORM 4 INTERVIEW

21

It might have recently turned 40 years old, but Dungeons & Dragons hasn’t thrown its last die yet.Having almost single-handedly

created the role-playing genre upon its release in 1974, D&D is to thank for the modern state of RPG games. Without it, there wouldn’t be Fallout 4, The Witcher 3 or Final Fantasy XV – or, at least, not as we know them.

But while its distant cousins have thrived, D&D’s direct video game lineage has suffered increasing sterility. In the 1990s, franchises such as Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights were critical hits, virtualising D&D’s iconic dice-rolling mechanics to a rapturous reception. Such series waned over the following two decades, as developers watered down the tougher RPG elements for a wider audience and branched away from D&D’s core facets.

Now, the tabletop titan’s legacy is returning with a vengeance, as crowdfunding, digital distribution and rising interest in RPG titles look set to relight the dragon’s fire.

BORN OF DRAGONSOne modern triple-A franchise inspired by D&D is Dragon Age.

Created by Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights studio BioWare, Dragon Age similarly went on to be a critical and commercial success. The first entry in the series, 2009’s Origins, sold more than 3.2 million copies in less than six months.

The director and producer for the game, Dan Tudge – now an indie developer – returns with a new fantasy RPG this year – Sword Coast Legends. While Dragon Age only found inspiration in D&D, Legends takes place directly in the

tabletop title’s Forgotten Realms universe – the PC, PS4 and Xbox One title is licensed by D&D owner Wizards of the Coast, with combat based upon the game’s fifth edition ruleset.

“Legends builds on a legacy of great D&D titles,” says Tudge, who is also president of the title’s developer, n-Space. “When I directed Dragon Age: Origins the goal was to create a next-gen Baldur’s Gate, one that would appeal to both old and new players, and we accomplished that. The same goal exists here; fans of classic D&D RPGs will be pleased to see we’ve remained faithful to its roots, but both old and new players will also be very excited with how we’ve evolved.

“We’ve ensured that the richness of the D&D IP and Forgotten Realms setting has been faithfully recreated.”

MULTIPLAYER MASTERSIt’s now a rare sight to see a new release without some form of multiplayer included. However,

As well as a four-player co-operative mode, Legends’ ‘DM mode’ allows a fifth player to jump in as dungeon master. In traditional D&D, the ‘DM’ serves a key role, taking control of the whole game – from monsters to the story itself.

“When we first started thinking about recreating the experience between players and a dungeon master, we felt there was no better fit than D&D,” Tudge recalls.

“Unlike a lot of other multiplayer games, DM mode is primarily non-adversarial. Most of the time the DM is just trying to provide the best shared-storytelling experience possible.”

RPG ROMANCELegends is part of a renaissance for these more complex RPGs; Divinity: Original Sin and Pillars of Eternity are just two other recent titles to have struck a chord with players.

Both Divinity and Pillars were crowdfunded, an increasingly fruitful route to market for titles that might have previously been considered too niche for publishers to pick up.

“The resurgence of tactical-isometric RPGs has a lot to do with accessibility,” explains Trudge. “Changes in the ecosystem like Steam and digital distribution have made it easier than ever for developers to connect with players.

“With direct-to-consumer opportunities like digital distribution and crowdfunding, we’ll continue to see developers create the games they’ve always wanted to make – ones that may have been considered ‘niche’ in the past – and in the end that will mean more awesome RPGs for all of us.”

Why it’s not RIP for D&D video games

A common sight 20 years ago, titles based on Dungeons & Dragons have since become a dying breed. But with RPGs seeing a resurgence, can D&D’s virtual fire be rekindled? Matthew Jarvis asks

Dan Tudge, n-Space president and director of Sword Coast Legends

Changes in the ecosystem have made it easier than ever for developers to connect with players.

Dan Tudge, n-Space

Sword Coast Legends is an offi cially-licensed D&D title

hardcore RPGs have had a long history of providing solely single-player experiences. Tudge says that this was down to a lack of technology – a problem that no longer exists.

“For decades computer RPGs were primarily single-player experiences because they often had to be,” he explains. “The internet has made playing games with friends all around the world commonplace. The good thing about Legends is that you can play through a fully-realised campaign by yourself if you’d like, or hop on with some friends for a multiplayer adventure.”


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MARKETPLACE

How has business been for you recently?It’s been pretty good. We have moved, so we are now in a more central location, which has helped improve business. There’s more coming out for the new consoles, which is keeping everyone happy. And Batman: Arkham Knight is on the way which will be a big seller.

And after E3, the end of the year is looking pretty healthy isn’t it?Yes. And everyone is more excited

as a result. This year has been interesting. We’ll just see what customers say about it. We’re going to take some cues from them about how things are going to be, rather than just listening to the industry.

Why did you move stores?We moved onto the main street. It has defi nitely helped with business. Our old shop was there for three years and it was a Chips store for a decade before, but we have people wandering into the new store saying

they’re glad there’s fi nally a game store in town. It’s two minutes from where we were.

How has hardware been selling?Really well, actually. The Xbox One backwards compatibility announcement is really going to help Xbox One sales. PS4 is still by far the strongest seller for us. The Batman bundle is a fantastic deal, too. But Xbox is fi ghting back, and the ability to play 360 games will appeal to a lot of people.

Charlotte Moore of Arnold’s That Game Shop tells MCV about how 360 backwards compatibility will impact Xbox One sales, how moving store has aff ected her business and the ‘massive’ pre-order decline

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This new game from the maker of Thomas Was Alone launches in August

A new version of the hack-and-slash title is headed to PS4, Xbox One and PC

A new entry in Rising Star’s farming franchise is out for the 3DS

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Do you think this will contribute to a more fi erce console war?Yes. Sony has been strong so far. But the 360 was the leading platform during the last generation. The people who have a 360, and want to continue playing those games, will be brought on board to Xbox One by that announcement. Earlier they felt cheated that there was no backwards compatibility. This is a defi nite plus for Xbox One. I’m just hoping it’s not too late for it.

Pre-orders are in decline in the UK. Have you noticed? Yes, they are massively in decline. People don’t want to put money down for games anymore. We still have the hardcore audience pre-ordering, and consumers putting money down when games are fi rst announced, but generally speaking there’s fewer people doing so. It’s all guesswork when we come to ordering from distributors.

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR OUTLET IN MCV?Contact [email protected] or call 01992 515 303

That Game Shop99 Front Street, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 7EB

Phone: 0115 966 1047Website: www.thatgameshop.com

INCOMING Sony is bringing its new horror title Until Dawn to stores in August, and before that, it’s releasing a remaster of 2010 title God of War for PS4

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GEARS OF WAR

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will mark the series’ fi rst return to PC since 2007.

GEARS OF WAR was back with a bang at this year’s E3.

Microsoft rolled out two big reveals for the IP during its press conference. Gears remains one of the most popular and prosperous Xbox series of all time, having made more than $1 billion since 2006.

Gears 4 will be the first all-new title in the franchise following Microsoft’s acquisition of the brand from creator Epic Games in January 2014. The Xbox One exclusive is being created by the

newly-founded Microsoft studio The Coalition, set up to focus solely on expanding Gears of War.

Gears 4 is the first instalment since 2013’s Judgment, which sold more than one million units worldwide. It will additionally be the next numbered Gears entry following 2011’s Gears of War 3, which shifted over three million copies in its first week on sale – outpacing its two predecessors.

Before Gears 4 lands in 2016, the original Gears of War is

GEARS OF WAR 3 ACTION FIGURE: SERIES 1: MARCUS FENIX

This detailed model of lead hero Marcus Fenix is a brand new design resculpted entirely for enhanced realism. The fi gurine features more than 30 points of articulation and a completely new costume and armour based on Marcus’ in-game appearance. The character-specifi c weapon included is the iconic retro Lancer chainsaw-gun hybrid. Additional weapons can be pegged on the character’s back. The fi gure stands almost seven inches tall.

SRP: £12.95Manufacturer: NECADistributor: Star ImagesContact: 0207 249 4662

Microsoft’s brutal third-person shooter had a big showing at E3 with two new games. Matthew Jarvis looks at the tie-in products set to raise cheers for Gears

GEARS OF WAR BELT WITH CRIMSON OMEN BUCKLE

Fans of Gears can keep their trousers up while ducking behind cover with this belt and buckle branded with the striking Crimson Omen logo.

SRP: £17.99Manufacturer: Bioworld MerchandisingDistributor: Gaming Merchandise UKContact: [email protected]

GEARS OF WAR PLASTERS

These packs of 24 assorted plasters will let players express their fondness for Gears even when wounded.

SRP: £3.99Manufacturer: Boston AmericaDistributor: Boston AmericaContact: [email protected]

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Gamers who side with Gears’ reptilian baddies can pop on this headwear to mimic their fearsome visage.


GEARS OF WAR


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GEARS OF WAR

returning in the form of a spruced-up HD remaster for Xbox One. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will also mark the series’ return to PC; the first Gears was launched on PC to poor sales, leading to the absence of Gears 2 from the platform.

Gears of War was the fastest-selling video game of 2006. It also helped to establish the Xbox Live online platform, becoming the second-most played game on the service in 2007. The game remains the eighth-best-selling Xbox 360

title to date, closely followed by its direct sequel, Gears of War 2. Both games have sold in excess of five million copies each.

A long-discussed film spin-off to the series has been in production since 2007, which has been outlined as a prequel to the first game. Licensed by Lord of the Rings studio New Line Cinema, the movie was most recently attached to Stuart Beattie, writer of the original Pirates of the Caribbean and I, Frankenstein.

GEARS OF WAR MECCANO KING RAVEN CONSTRUCTION SET

This build-it-yourself model allows fans to recreate the COG army’s transportation and assault helicopter. It features rotating propellers, two mobile doors and retractable belly-mounted wheels, plus a machine gun. The set comes with fi gurines of Marcus Fenix and Clayton Carmine, plus a Locust Drone and Locust sniper for them to battle against.

SRP: £39.99Manufacturer: MeccanoDistributor: SpinMasterContact: 01628 535 000

GEARS OF WAR BLACK BACKPACK WITH CRIMSON OMEN LOGO

Whether it’s a chainsaw-equipped machine gun, or just some books and clothes, this backpack will fi t in plenty of belongings.


GEARS OF WAR VELCRO WALLET WITH LOGO

Gears fanatics can keep their shrapnel safe from shrapnel with this branded wallet; the ideal place to stash cash until Gears 4 arrives.


GEARS OF WAR METAL DOG TAGS

Engraved with ‘property of the COG’, these metal tags are the perfect way for players to show off their love for Gears – with gears.


28

HOT PRODUCTS

June 26th / July 3rd 2015 www.mcvuk.com

Sponsored by

HOT PRODUCTS

LOGITECH G29 DRIVING FORCE

THE Logitech G29 Driving Force is a force feedback racing wheel compatible with PS4, PS3 and PC.

The G29 features a dual-motor force feedback transmission with anti-backlash helical gearing that is similar to a real car transmission. It also includes a hand-stitched leather-wrapped rim and stainless steel throttle, brake and clutch pedals.

Dual-motor force feedback is utilised to provide a realistic feeling of driving, including weight shift, dynamic road conditions and tyre wear caused by over- and under-steering.

Solid steel ball bearings in the G29’s wheel shaft, as well as stainless steel paddle shifters and pedals, make this a highly durable product.

Built-in clamps and bolt points allow players to securely mount the peripheral to a table or racing seat to minimise movement while gaming. The separate fl oor pedal unit is designed to off er a natural

driving experience, complete with a non-linear brake pedal that simulates the feeling of a pressure-sensitive braking system. A dedicated clutch is also included for die-hard simulation fans.

The G29’s D-pad, console buttons and semi-automatic paddle shifters are located to make it easy for players to reach them during fast-paced races.

LED indicator lights help gamers know when to change gears. A 24-point selection dial and plus and minus buttons let players customise their driving preferences with a high amount of specifi city.

TURTLE BEACH EAR FORCE STEALTH 420X

TURTLE Beach has announced the next evolution of its wireless headset off ering for the Xbox One.

The Ear Force Stealth 420X is the third such 100 per cent wireless headset for Microsoft’s console, following the release of the Elite 800X and Ear Force Stealth 500X peripherals.

The 420X is wireless for both game and chat audio. This means no extra wired attachment to the Xbox One controller is required.

Inside the 420X’s ear cups sit two 50mm speaker drivers. The ear cups themselves have been improved since the last iteration of the product, boasting an improved design and fi nished in perforated synthetic leather. This wrapping is designed to boost the comfort of the user wearing the headset.

An adjustable and removable high-sensitivity boom microphone

is included for in-game voice communication.

Mic monitoring support, which allows gamers to hear their own voice when using the accessory, is built-in.

Game and chat audio volume is controllable separately thanks to dedicated controls for each. A further four Turtle Beach audio presets are integrated by default.

The 420X’s internal rechargeable battery delivers up to 15 hours of use, making it suitable for extended periods of playing.

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MCV takes a look at the best accessories heading to UK retail. This week, Logitech takes the wheel on PS4 with the G29 Driving Force and Turtle Beach expands its Xbox

One wireless headset off ering

INTERNATIONAL DAILY 2015

Return of the hugely successful MCV @ Gamescom Daily

The daily print & online resource for visitors to Gamescom

Championing and promoting the international video games companies at Gamescom 2015

Latest games business news, insight from the trade show and company spotlights

Delivered to 30,000+ games industry professionals at Gamescom

Promoted to a global audience of 380,000+ via MCVuk.com

To be involved please contact Conor Tallon [email protected] or call 01992 535647

@

by Christopher Dring

ACTIVISION surprised Gamescom this week by resurrecting the Sierra Games publishing business.

A subsidiary of Activision, Sierra is to publish a range of titles from independentstudios. This includes classic Sierra IP like King’s Quest and Geometry Wars, as well as new IP and possibly HD remakes.

It’s surprising because Activision has a reputation for just publishing triple-A billion-dollar franchises such as Call of Duty, Skylanders and Destiny.

“The indie movement is happening,” said Sierra’s MacLean Marshall. “And for Activision not to be involved in that... it has the big brands sure, but I think it would be a miss if we didn’t look at the indie movement as well. For us, it is about finding the right

devs with the right ideas – whether that is bringing back an old Sierra IP or something entirely new.”

Senior director of external development Bob Loya

added: “We wanted to do this stuff for a long time, and unfortunately there wasn’t a path in Activision to do it because we were focused on the big blockbusters.

“With digitally distributed games becoming bigger every year, we were able to make a compelling business argument that we could be financially successful doing this, while working with really cool indie talent on great IP.”

BILLION DOLLAR BABIES: WHY ACTIVISION IS FUNDING INDIE GAMES

It would be a miss if we didn’t look at the indie movement

MacLean Marshall, Sierra

Sierra’s Loya (far left) and Marshall (left) are bringing back Geometry Wars this year

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CALL CONOR TALLON ON 01992 535647 OR EMAIL HIM AT [email protected]

33www.mcvuk.com June 26th / July 3rd 2015

INSIDER’S GUIDE

Tell us about your company for those who are unfamiliar with your work.We are a publisher of video games for digital and retail platforms. Our catalogue of titles includes games like Adam’s Venture, Soccer Legends, Wild Season and much more.

What successes have you seen recently?We have seen a strong growth in our retail business, but we also have many brand new digital titles coming up. Because of our strong upcoming digital line-up, we expect that the digital business will be our main revenue driver within six months.

What are you currently working on?We have a lot of titles in production right now. Within the next month we will launch the Steam Early Access for Soccer Legends. Legends is the first soccer game with both male and female players – ahead of FIFA 16 later this year. Shortly after that we will release Enki on Steam. We have much more coming up later in 2015, including Tic Toc Tower, Defunct, Ether One, Mayan Death Robot and Tower of Guns.

What are the biggest trends in the games industry affecting you right now?The biggest change we expect to impact our business is that we are currently in the middle

of transitioning to our own production, in order to spread the risk between dealing with indies and our own games.

What are you looking forward to in games over the next 12 months?There are so many good games coming up from all the platform holders and the big publishers over the rest of this year. Shortly after that, in early 2016, VR is releasing, so it’s an exciting time in general for the games industry. We will see a growth that we haven’t seen in a long time – and that’s good for everyone.

Executive manager Hans van Brakel tells MCV about Soedesco’s move to produce its own titles

Specialism: Publishing and distributionLocation: Koddeweg 13,3194 DH Hoogvliet,The Netherlands

Contact: W: soedesco.comE: [email protected]: +31 (0)10 22 65 228T: @sodesco

INSIDER’S GUIDESOEDESCO WHO?

PLEASE CONTACT [email protected] OR CALL 01992 515 303

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR COMPANY IN INSIDER’S GUIDE?

It’s an exciting time for the games industry. We will see a growth that we haven’t seen in a long time.

THIS MONTH’S DIRECTORY SPOTLIGHT:Outsource Media .......................................................................www.omuk.com

To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and now every week in MCV) contact [email protected]

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SOUTH AFRICA’S games industry is increasingly dominated by digital titles from other countries – but, despite this, the local market is growing.

Local games organisation Make Games South Africa (MGSA) estimates that South Africa consumers spend 2.2 billion Rand (£0.1bn) on games each year, primarily on mobile. Console is the second-most popular format.

Research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) states that digital is driving console, predicting that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of console software revenue will be generated by digital sales by 2019. The outlet adds that games will see the second-largest growth of any entertainment market, behind only the internet. The games segment is expected to expand by nine per cent between 2014 and 2018.

“The South African local game development industry is growing at a healthy rate,” observes Nick Hall, chairperson for MGSA. “In the past few years we’ve seen a number of local titles do well

internationally.”According to

MGSA, there are at least 40 game studios operating in South Africa. The organisation values the development sector at 53 million Rand (£2.7m).

“South Africa has some interesting challenges facing developers,” continues Hall. “Strict exchange controls have made it difficult for developers to get access to digital distribution platforms. Poor internet access and high costs of data also mean that the local consumer market is still heavily skewed towards physical purchases, but no local developer has released a physical boxed game in over 15 years.”

FACTFILE SOUTH AFRICA

FACTFILE: SOUTH AFRICAPopulation: 54,002,000Capital City: Cape TownCurrency: RandGDP (Per Capita): $5,902

KEY RETAILERSBT Games, Incredible Connection, Dion Wired, Takealot, Raru TOP DISTRIBUTORSSter Kinekor, Apex Interactive, Megarom

TOP DEVELOPERSFree Lives, RuneStorm, Lighthouse Studio, QCF Design, Fuzzy Logic, 24Bit Games, Sea Monster Entertainment, Formula D Interactive

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGIONDevolver Digital, Microsoft

INTERNATIONAL

The local consumer market is heavily skewed towards physical game purchases.

Nick Hall, MGSA

MEANWHILE IN... NORTH AMERICA

SUPER League Gaming has announced plans for its upcoming summer tour later this year.

Among the events outlined by the eSports organisation are a series of casual and competitive Minecraft sessions to be held in cinemas in a number of major US cities.

The 2015 season is Super League’s fi rst, with the fi rm saying that it is targeting the atmosphere of a traditional games arcade for a new generation of games and players by utlising the growing popularity of pro-gaming.

80 AMC, Cinemark and iPic movie theatres across

North America will play host to Minecraft events, off ering both competitive player-versus-player matches and casual building sessions.

Super League is in the midst of an ‘introductory’ tour

across 28 cities, running between June 15th and August 28th, which will be followed by a more structured six-week competition beginning on September 15th.

eSports fi rm Super League Gaming is to host Minecraft eSports events in American cinemas throughout this summer


SOUTH AFRICA FACTFILE

35

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

WORLDWIDE

CLICK ENTERTAINMENT LIMITEDEmail: [email protected]: www.click-entertainment.comPhone: +44 (0)203 137 3781

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION PLEASE CONTACT [email protected]

MCV WORLDWIDE

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

SWEDEN

GAME OUTLET EUROPE ABPO Box 5083, S-650 05 Karlstad, SwedenSales dept: [email protected] dept: [email protected] dept: [email protected] dept: [email protected]: www.gameoutlet.se

AUSTRALIAAFA Interactive, Bluemouth Interactive, Five Star Games, Mindscape, Namco Bandai Partners, Turn Left DistributionBENELUXCLD Distribution, Koch Media, Gameworld Distribution B.V.CANADAE One, Importel, Just4Games, Solutions 2 Go, VidéoglobeCYPRUSAccess, Gibareio, Zilos, Nortec MultimediaCZECH REPUBLICCenega, Conquest, Comgad, Playman, ABC DataDENMARKBergsala, Elpa, Impulse, Koch Media, Nordisk Film Interactive, Nordic Game Supply, PAN VisionFRANCEBig Ben, Innelec, Koch Media, SDO, SodifaGREECEZegatron, CD Media, Namco Bandai Partners, IGE, Nortec, Enarxis, BeaconHUNGARYCNG.hu/Cenega Hungary, CTC Trading, Magnew, PlayON, StadlbauerICELANDSena, Myndform, Samfilm, OrmssonINDONESIAMaxsoft, Uptron, Technosolution IRELANDMSE Group, BaumexJAPANAjioka, Happinet, JesnetNORWAYBergsala, Game Outlet, Koch Media, Nordic Game Supply, Nordisk Film, Pan VisionPOLANDCD Projekt, Cenega, Galapagos, LEMPORTUGALEcoplay, Infocapital, Koch Media, Namco BandaiROMANIABest DistributionSERBIAComTrade, Computerland/Iris Mega, Extreme CCSPAINDigital Bros, Koch Media, Namco Bandai Partners, NobilisSWEDENBergsala, Koch Media, Namco Bandai, Nordic Game Supply, PAN Vision, Wendros, Ztorm (digital)UAERed Entertainment Distribution, Pluto Games (LS2 Pluto), Viva Entertainment, Gameplay Entertainment, Geekay Distribution

UAE

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

NORDIC

WENDROS AB SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK & FINLANDJakobsdalsvägen 1712653 HägerstenSwedenPhone: +46 8 51942500Fax: +46 8 7466790Email:[email protected]@wendros.seWeb: www.wendros.se

CYPRUS

G3 GREAT GAMES LTD4 Gregoriou Papafl essa Street, Offi ce 101, Engomi, Nicosia 2414, Cyprus.Tel: +357 22 666612 Web: www.greatgames.com.cy

BRAZIL

Sony Music Entertainment Brasil# 1 Physical Distributor in BrazilRua Lauro Muller n°. 116 – 40°. AndarSalas 4001 a 4003 BotafogoRio de Janeiro RJCEP. 22.290-160Tel. +55 21 2128-0771Fax: +55 21 2128-0747Email : [email protected]: www.sonymusic.com.br | www.day1e.com.br

IRAN

DC GAMES GROUPNo.9, Hemmatian St.,Takestan St., SattarkhanTehran, IranTel: +98-912-1014090 +98-21-44228670Email: [email protected]: www.Doostan-Co.com

WWW.MCVPACIFIC.COM

Editorial: + 61 (0)424 967 263Leigh.Harris@mcvpacifi c.com

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


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BELGIUM

CLD DISTRIBUTIONRue du Grand Champs 14 , B 5380 Fernelmont BelgiumTel: +32 81 83 02 02Fax: +32 81 83 02 09Email: [email protected]: www.cld.be home of www.dragonwar.eu & www.mawashi.eu

OFF THE RECORD

AN ESPORTS EDUCATION

Everybody knows eSports is the ‘next big thing’, but not many people actually know what ‘eSports’ is.

Fortunately, UKIE was there to help earlier this month, hosting a free ‘Introduction to eSports’ at its London HQ.

Experts who provided an insight into the fast-growing sector included Gfi nity’s David Yarnton, Multiplay’s Craig Fletcher, Team Dignitas’s Michael ‘ODEE’ O’Dell, EGL’s Glen Elliott and James Dean from ESL.

Hopefully there should now be no confusion over knowing your ganking from your laning, or your carry from your crow. Got it?

IT’S TIME TO PART–E3

THIS year’s E3 – as always – was fi lled with surprises. And those go beyond the conferences – you just never know what you are going to see on the show fl oor itself. You may see mascots from your favourite games, Hollywood hero Steven Spielberg, and a... LEGO Hulk. Like always, MCV was present at all the parties, and was defi nitely not watching the Game of Thrones fi nale in our hotel room. Defi nitely not.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

THIS year’s E3 marked the big 20th birthday for the show, leading us to look back into the archive to fi nd out how some of the UK games industry’s fi nest have changed from past to present.

Pictured opposite are a selection of shots of some industry veterans, compared with their present-day selves.

But what year do you think the retro snaps are from? Email us and tell us your best guess.

And if you have any images of your industry friends and colleagues from years gone by, send them in – they might just end up in the next issue of MCV.

OFF THE RECORD This week, we party on down at E3, swot up on eSports with UKIE, put on our rose-tinted games industry glasses and hope to avoid a soggy bottom at the fi rst Gamerbake event


THEN

NOW

Rich Eddy Phil Harrison

Ian Livingstone Shelly Pearce Stefano Petrullo

OFF THE RECORD


@SamuelWRoberts There was a guy next to me at Bethesda’s press conference who hooted so loudly that he had to eat popcorn after each hoot to replenish calories.

Samuel Roberts, PC GamerMonday June 15th

@caraellison I think it’s more important to concentrate on how to recreate the *feeling* that Golden Era games gave you, rather than recreating the game.

Cara Ellison, game narrative designerTuesday June 16th

@patrickklepek Square Enix kicking off its press conference by thanking the developers of the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod? Classy as hell.

Patrick Klepek, Kotaku Tuesday June 16th

@MikeBithell Making games inclusive is good business. If you’d like evidence of that, rewatch the E3 press briefings. Publishers like making money ;)

Mike Bithell, indie developerSunday June 21st

THE WEEK IN 140 CHARACTERSThe Tweets you might have missed in the last seven days

SIX DEGREES OF EMILY BRITT

KEVIN BACON IS THE VERY BEST, LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS. BUT HOW IS THE MAN HIMSELF CONNECTED TO POKÉMON COMPANY’S EMILY BRITT?

...Michael Sheen, who was the voice of the evil ‘House’ from Doctor Who episode The Doctor’s Wife, written by...

KEVIN BACON starred in the 2008 political movie Frost/Nixon with...

...former Square Enix PR expert, and current Pokémon know-it-all, EMILY BRITT

...Neil Gaiman. He co-wrote a book in 1990 with dearly passed literary genius...

....and British author Terry Pratchett, best-known for the Discworld novels. He’s also the father of acclaimed game writer...

...Rhianna Pratchett, the author of the superb Tomb Raider reboot, which was promoted extensively by...

@yosp For all the people who had asked for FF7 Remake, Shenmue III and The Last Guardian in our conference tonight :D

Shuhei Yoshida, Sony, Monday June 15th

@RealBigBoyBarry UK press supergroup plays to a sold-out LA audience! @aedney @Shakacarnage @Thrungus @MCVonline #MadCatz #RockBand4

Alex Verrey, Mad Catz, Wednesday June 17th

SWEET CHARITY

THE universal truth that no-one can resist cake has once again been proved. That’s right: the cake isn’t a lie.

The inaugural Gamerbake event saw more than 100 fans descend on London’s Meltdown bar on June 15th to present their fi nest gaming-themed baked goods to a panel of peckish judges – journalists Jordan Erica Webber and Alan Williamson, as well as Microsoft Lift’s Caitlin Goodale.

Among the eff orts MCV spotted was a Splatoon sponge courtesy of Curve Digital’s Richie Enticknap and mushroom cupcakes from Webber. And, yes, there was also a Portal-themed cake – truthfully.

The best bakers were given the chance to nab some prizes, including indie games, Mad Catz accessories and some Ubisoft goodies – plus a one-of-a-kind Gamerbake apron.

SpecialEff ect was the charity partner for the cook-off , collecting donations on the night.

The event was a soggy-bottom-free success – here’s to seconds.

Jonathan Lester@jon_dealspwn

#DOOM rocked me so hard. Bulky Doomguy, brutal action, E1M1 bassline MMMMYESSSSS. (Sorry, I’m gonna go lie down again.)

Jonathan Lightfoot @LightfootCC

Horizon: Zero Dawn was an unexpected highlight for me. Beautiful presentation, and hopefully gameplay to match. Can’t wait.

YOUR HIGHLIGHT

#GMGASKS

Harry Balzania @bottygerjoe

Big @PlayStation fanboy, but @Ubisoft #ForHonor is my sleeper hit... That’s completely my cup of tea.

Fionnuala J. @trollnystan

So many... But Horizon: Zero Dawn, Fallout 4, Dishonored 2 and The Last Guardian top the list I think.

SilentCastHD@SilentCastHD

It’s gotta be that VR Minecraft [HoloLens]. Blown away by what is possible, more the tech possibilities than the game. Gamewise: #Fallout4.

Matthew Knight @mattjamesknight

FINALLY seeing some gameplay of The Last Guardian. Looks amazing.

Ron Baron @rdb1191998

Uncharted 4 and Firewatch.

RoboOwl@OwlRobo

Horizon: Zero Dawn. Robot Dinosaurs. ROBOT. DINOSAURS.

Joonas Sandelin @noon4s

been waiting for it so long, I

ParadigmShiftGames@parashiftgames

Fallout 4, FF7, and KH3. So many great games announced, been a while since I was this hyped about modern gaming!

OFF THE RECORD


mcv839 june 26th / july 3rd

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