Tag Archives: christopher-dring

GAME crisis drives market depression

The collapse of GAME took a heavy toll on the UK games retail market last month. 2.7m games were sold during March, a whopping 34 per cent drop on the 4.1m games sold during the same period in 2011. In total, retail generated 67.7m last month, a year-on-year drop of …

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NCsoft lets Guild Wars 2 fans play early

Guild Wars 2’s biggest fans can play the game early by buying the title in advance. Fans who pre-purchase one of the upcoming MMO’s three editions (Standard, Digital Deluxe or Collector’s) from today, will be able to access all Beta weekends and will gain access to the product three days …

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INTERVIEW: Ewan Pinder, HMV

The entertainment giant underperformed in the video games market last year, but in the wake of GAME’s administration it has become one of our sector’s most important retailers. In his first interview as HMV’s new technology and games boss, Ewan Pinder tells MCV what he’s doing to claw back market …

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"We are not ready for a digital-only future"

The loss of 277 GAME stores is not a reason to abandon the High Street. Retailers admit they must accelerate plans for the social, download and mobile sectors. But publishers should not use the collapse of GAME – this week saved by Comet-owner OpCapita – as a reason to leave …

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277 lost GAME shops could cost market £158m

The UK games market could be as much as 158m worse off due to the closure of 277 GAME stores. However, that number will be reduced if neighbouring GAME shops and other rival stores step in to attract impulse buyers. The 158m figure was reached by looking at Kantar Worldpanel …

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Tesco: Games retail ‘unsustainable’

The current games retail model is not working, says Tesco’s entertainment chief. Mass market retailers have told MCV they are finding it hard to justify giving shelf space to games because they are high-risk and low margin products. But Tesco’s Rob Salter says that this situation can be changed if …

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Gamefly lands in the UK

US games retailer Gamefly has opened a UK website. The site sells downloadable PC and Mac games, and follows the firm’s acquisition of Direct2Drive from IGN last year. As well as a website, the company has also launched an iTunes-style download client, specifically for the UK. Gamefly is a big …

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ANALYSIS: Why Nintendo signed Shaun the Sheep

Those plasticine aficionados over at Aardman must be on cloud nine right now. Last week, during the Budget, the firm’s most iconic characters – Wallace and Gromit – were name checked by the Chancellor. And its latest movie – the excellent sounding The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists – …

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Martyn Gibbs is new GAME CEO

Martyn Gibbs has returned to GAME as the firm’s new CEO. Gibbs is a popular figure in the trade. He was MD of Gamestation when GAME swooped for the chain in 2007. He has been a key voice at the firm, even announcing the upcoming Gamefest at last year’s video …

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FEATURE: TalkSport’s gaming plan

TalkSPORT and Sport’s sales director Kurt Edwards explains why the radio station and magazine are interested in the games industry… Like anymarket, our success depends on meeting consumer demand and building loyalty from our customers. Recent surveys with our audiences have suggested that video games, alongside sport, features highly as …

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