MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The average games industry TV campaign has increased over the past five years from 2.58 weeks in 2008 to 2.97 in 2010 and now 3.39 weeks in 2012. The average length of a console ad campaign has grown marginally since 2008, from two to 2.33 weeks. The PS Vita was …
Read More »INTERVIEW: Mike Degler, BradyGames
BradyGames is closing the gap on the UK’s No.1 guide publisher by grabbing the rights to big titles like Grand Theft Auto V. Global strategy guide publisher Mike Degler tells MCV more… Tell us about the strategy guide business. What’s your share of the UK market? It basically boils down …
Read More »FRANCHISE FOCUS: Tom Clancy
You’d be forgiven for thinking the fight for the military shooter crown was between two opposing forces. Sure, Activision’s Call of Duty is a launch-sales leviathan and EA boasts impressive figures with its Medal of Honor and BattlefieldFPS properties. But to ignore Ubisoft would be a big mistake. The publisher …
Read More »INTERVIEW: Jon Harrison, Forbidden Planet
Forbidden Planet Ltd may be a super-specialist film, TV, comic and memorabilia chain, but it’s also becoming a haven for games publishers. Marketing manager Jon Harrison tells Dominic Sacco why. You’ve done plenty of promotions with games companies. What do you think it is that attracts publishers to Forbidden Planet? …
Read More »Ubisoft deploys £1m Ghost Recon campaign
Publisher Ubisoft is splashing a cool 1m to promote Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The title – due out on May 25th for 360, PS3 and PC – will receive a string of high-profile ads including a TV spot during the Champions League final. Ads will also air on ITV1 and …
Read More »SteelBook sales up 500%
The boxed games retail market may be down year-on-year but SteelBook SKUs are booming. The game packaging is increasingly used for special editions, and manufacturer Scanavo says it has seen sales increase 500 per cent in the past year. It claims more and more triple-A titles use SteelBook today than …
Read More »Activision’s ‘greatest’ Spider-Man game braced for Box Office boost
Fans will not be disappointed by the new Amazing Spider-Man game, Activision says. The firm admits Spidey titles have had a chequered history, so has made sure this year’s movie tie-in got a full two-year development cycle. Traditionally, Spider-Man games based on films have been the more successful titles. And …
Read More »Microsoft Flight lands on Steam
Microsoft has ditched Games for Windows Live exclusivity for its free-to-play Flight game, which has just arrived on Steam. The downloadable PC title – which uses a microtransactions payment model – launched on February 29th exclusively on Games for Windows Live. Now it’s available on Steam for free, including several …
Read More »Way of the Samurai 4 gets Western release
XSeed Games is bringing acclaimed PS3 title Way of the Samurai 4 to PSN in the US one year after its Japan release. The action game was first released in Japan in March 2011, where it was published by Spike and developed by Acquire. It picked up a Gold Award …
Read More »UK games retail generates £12.3m
Despite a handful of new releases hitting shelves, the UK games retail market only grew by a fraction during the week ending March 31st. Sadly it’s becoming a regular occurrence in the charts, and one that’s been exacerbated this week with hundreds of GAME?and Gamestation stores closing down. Games retail …
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