MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
As publishers bemoan difficult game launches, Chart-Track has warned them to stop talking down retail. In an interview with MCV following its split from UKIE, the stat-tracking firm says the trade mustn’t forget the power of boxed retail, as it still accounts for 70 per cent of the UK software …
Read More »Spec Ops: The Line due June 29th
Shooter Spec Ops: The Line will hit UK shelves in June with a host of pre-order bonuses, 2K Games has announced. The Xbox 360, PS3 and PC game will arrive on June 26th in North America and on June 29th in the UK. Consumers who pre-order the title will receive …
Read More »FEATURE: Have we lost the kids games market?
It was September 2003 when THQ released Finding Nemo. The Traveller’s Tales-developed adventure based on the hit Disney/Pixar movie was a phenomenon. It shifted millions worldwide. In the UK alone it sold over 500,000 units on just PS2 and Game Boy Advance. Fast forward to February 2011 and THQ CEO …
Read More »Ubisoft MIA from GAME Vita launch line-up
UK retailer GAME will not be selling any of Ubisoft’s PlayStation Vita launch titles. Although it has not confirmed the reason, it is presumed that it is down to ongoing negotiations with individual suppliers regarding GAME’s troubled credit insurance status. At the moment GAME is having to strike deals with …
Read More »Fujifilm rumbles into games space
Photo expert Fujifilm wants to shake up the video games market. The Japanese giant has told MCV it hopes the likes of Nintendo and Sony will use its new technology that can ‘transmit the ‘sense of touch’ in future versions of 3DS and Vita. The firm’s technology division, Fuji Xerox, …
Read More »UPDATED: Vita game downloads – complete UK price list
Sony has at last released the complete UK digital launch line-up for PlayStation Vita and, interestingly, Sony has chosen not to mirror its overseas strategy and has priced the digital games at the same RRP they will carry on the High Street. The most expensive game is EA’s FIFA Football, …
Read More »RETAIL BIZ: Vita’s launch hits
Sony’s PlayStation Vita comes to market this Wednesday with a stellar launch line-up that should appeal to a wide range of fans. Here MCV presents guides to six of the games hitting retail this week: Lumines: Electronic Symphony Ridge Racer FIFA Football WipEout 2048 Uncharted: Golden Abyss Virtua Tennis: World …
Read More »MCV GameTime: Industry TV advertising monitor (wk ending January 29th)
2012 started brightly for games and consoles TV advertising. The first two full weeks produced remarkable year-on-year growth (52 per cent and 2,498 per cent). The extraordinary growth witnessed during the week ending January 15th reflects a very poor corresponding week in 2011, when a small base of just three …
Read More »Software Sales Monitor: Market generates £12.7m
The arrival of several big new releases wasn’t enough to help grow the market week-on-week, with the UK games retail market value falling 14 per cent to 12.7m. Unit sales also dropped 12 per cent to 535,578 for the week ending February 11th. EA’s fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning …
Read More »INTERVIEW: Do video games have a future at HMV?
Yes, says CEO Simon Fox, but there will be sacrifices. Christopher Dring visits HMV’s offices to find out how its attitude towards gaming has changed. Video game suppliers let HMV down. In a year where the retailer desperately needed their help, games publishers offered little in 2011. Exclusive deals and …
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