MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Speculation is rife that the next generation of consoles will be focused on download titles, and Ubisoft says it is laying the groundwork now for a new digital strategy to match. When asked about the rise of simultaneous boxed product and download releases, the publisher’s VP of digital Chris Early …
Read More »Molyneux ready to leave retail behind
Unshackled from Microsoft, legendary British games developer Peter Molyneux is working on a new game – but it might not see a retail release. In an interview with MCV and sister publication Develop, Molyneux said it is tough for retailers to compete with digital channels. I am certainly not that …
Read More »FEATURE: The price of digital
It costs less to buy games from Tesco than it does via Steam. Retail price wars and general cost depreciation means that, on average, games lose 25 per cent of their value in just one month on the UK High Street. And that just doesn’t happen in the same way …
Read More »"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 …
Read More »GameStop sees UK digital success
Specialist retail giant GameStop says the UK has already helped grow its worldwide digital empire. The company launched GameStop.co.uk in July, which included a games download service. The site quickly won over consumers with aggressive price cuts and temporary deals. GameStop is keen to build on the success it has …
Read More »SimCity requires always-on internet connection
Buyers of EA’s upcoming SimCity PC game will need a constant internet connection to play it. Developer Maxis also said that players would be able to purchase the SimCity reboot from digital retail stores other than EA Origin. However, those users will still need an Origin account and internet connection …
Read More »EA’s FIFA Euro 2012 is a download-only title
The inevitable licensed Euro 2012 title from EA Sports will be a digital-only release, MCV can reveal. Furthermore, the game will skip a stand-alone release entirely and instead be made available as a DLC expansion for existing title FIFA 12. Called EA Sports UEFA Euro 2012, the download includes all …
Read More »FEATURE: Marketing digital games
Retail naysayers would have you believe the good ship ‘boxed product’ is sinking, and salvation lies in the new world of digital games. But this strange land has perils of its own. It is a realm of different rules and unfamiliar seasons, where developers become publishers and publishers become retailers. …
Read More »PC downloads cross the tipping point in the UK
Digital downloads now represent more than half of all PC games sold in the UK and the US. Sony DADC, which powers the download services of over 25 retailers and publishers like Metaboli and EA, says this figure will only rise. The firm’s Matthew Hatton, who looks after sales for …
Read More »UKIE targets "total" market coverage for download charts
UK games industry trade body UKIE wants to cover 100 per cent of the digital market with its charts. The first ever PC download chart was issued earlier this month, with EA’s Star Wars: The Old Republic crowned No.1 for January. The data is compiled directly from publishers and currently …
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