MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
For all the headlines in recent years about digital destroying traditional retail, the recent PSN crisis sees us return to reality. It has always been a gamble for consumers giving over credit card details and personal information to third parties – be they online retailers or digital platform holders. But …
Read More »Stores expect £99 Wii deal boom
High Street insiders say the new Wii trade price could spark a wave of sub-100 offers. Retailers may launch the new SKUs at that price on May 20th or wait until the bank holiday at the end of May. Sainsbury’s for one experimented with super-low Wii hardware prices in Q4 …
Read More »Remedy CEO wants an end to games retail
An all-encompassing shift to digital distribution would be a forwards step for the games industry, the boss of Finnish studio Remedy has declared. Remedy CEO Matias Myllyrinne believes a digital-only games ecosystem would help all in the industry, aside from one group he appears to have no sympathy for. The …
Read More »Realtime to distribute new Xbox 360 cases
Calibur11’s custom Xbox 360 cases will be distributed via Realtime. The new Vault accessories are due to arrive in May and adds to Realtime’s growing console division. The Vault range further strengthens Realtime’s console portfolio and again demonstrates our commitment to delivering exciting products,” said Realtime’s sales director Richard Marsden. …
Read More »39 exclusives for GAME in 2010
Exclusive deals for Collector’s Editions may irk some of the gaming public, but the strategy has reaped big rewards for retailer GAME in the last year. "Last year we offered customers 39 exclusive versions of titles, and on average they delivered a market share around a third higher than when …
Read More »GAME presses on with store closures
Plans to drastically reduce its UK store count are to continue as previously outlined at GAME. In April 2010 chairman Peter Lewis stated that the group aimed to reduce its UK store count to 550 by Christmas 2013. This number was reiterated today by chief executive Ian Shepherd, who added …
Read More »GAME names new non-exec chairman
Chris Bell will become GAME’s new non-executive chairman on June 15th. He takes over from current chairman Peter Lewis, who is retiring. Bell has been a member of the GAME board since 2003 and currently acts as senior independent director. His previous employers include Ladbrokes and Allied Domecq. "Under Peter’s …
Read More »GAME bullish despite profit drops
Retailer GAME has reported profits in line with its January forecast, though it has suffered notable drops in both sales and profits for the year ending January 2011. Turnover fell from 1.772bn to 1.625bn, with overall sales falling 8.3 per cent year-on-year. UK & Ireland sales fell by 12.8 per …
Read More »Grave expectations for GAME financials
Leading UK video games retailer GAME reports its annual financials tomorrow – and the national press is expecting a significant slump in profits. The Guardian reports that GAME will report a 60 per cent drop in profits for the year ending January, a downturn it blames on the rise of …
Read More »Tesco acquires Blinkbox
Retailer Tesco has made a bold move into the digital space by acquiring a majority 80 per cent stake in video-on-demand service Blinkbox. Blinkbox, which launched in April 2008, boasts around 2m UK visitors a month and has a catalogue including over 9,000 movies and many TV shows. It offers …
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