MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Olympics fever was good news for publishers of Olympic-based games, but it wasn’t enough to save the UK games market from its worst performance ever last week. UKIE/Chart-Track data reveals that the total value of the physical UK games market for the week ending July 28th 2012 was 8.40m – …
Read More »Five top High Street games stores
MCV and Koch Media round off Independent Retail Month with our final special feature focusing on the sector. This week, we look at five of the UK’s top stores. Seedee Jons Established: 1993Stores: 1Based: Jersey, Channel IslandsContact: 01534 769405Web: www.seedeejons.com Games now make up almost 70 per cent of this …
Read More »Rumour: GameStop to start selling Steam vouchers
Claims emerging from the US suggest that retailer GameStop is to start selling gift vouchers for Valve’s digital PC games portal Steam. Kotaku claims to have word of the move from a GameStop source”. It also claims that the decision to stock such cards is a direct result of its …
Read More »Minecraft makes High Street debut
The five-million selling PC download sensation Minecraft will make its retail debut in GAME next month. Like other downloadable Xbox 360 content, such as extra maps in Halo and Call of Duty, shoppers will be able to purchase Minecraft in-store in the form of a digital download code, which they …
Read More »Choices UK enters administration
There’s more bad news on the High Street today with conformation that Choices UK owner The Webb Group has been entered into administration. Francis Graham Newton and Paul James Bates of BDO LLP were appointed as joint administrators last Friday. The Group was the home of nine brands – Choices …
Read More »FEATURE: Can we stop ‘suicidal’ games prices?
There’s no margin to be made on new releases anymore.” MCV hears this more and more from specialist stores every week. Once upon a time boxed games would be sold very close to their RRP on release day. But this hasn’t been the trend for years. Earlier this month we …
Read More »New releases KO’d on tough UK High Street
Sales of triple-A video games have reached an all-time low. The UK games retail market is 25 per cent down compared with last year. And publishers are aghast by the performances of major sequels. One prominent analyst told MCV that sales are half of what they should be”. According to …
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 …
Read More »Blockbuster: ‘We want more exclusive DLC’
Rental giant Blockbuster has called for more publishers to give it exclusive DLC. It comes after the firm secured a deal with EA for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13. Blockbuster customers who pre-order the game will be able to get two additional downloadable packs. One pack contains four playable Premier …
Read More »Amazon ‘in process’ of opening High Street store
Online retailer Amazon is preparing to open its very first bricks and mortar outlet in Seattle, reports suggest. ‘Amazon sources’ say the store could open in a matter of months, selling books, Kindle devices and Amazon exclusives. It’s part of an initiative to test whether opening a chain of stores …
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