Anger over trade-ins is on the rise again, as retailers turn to pre-owned to drive sales this Christmas. The expected price war over Call of Duty: Black Ops did not materialise this week, and instead High Street stores were encouraging consumers to trade games in to get the FPS for …
Read More »OPINION: The problem with new IP
It’s been a great year for new games franchises. In fact, last month was one of the most promising with the release of both Enslaved and Vanquish. But both failed to set the chart on fire – Enslaved flashed into the top 10 for one week, Vanquish didn’t even make …
Read More »Online key to Asda’s plans
Watch out Play and Amazon – Asda wants a slice of your market share. The retail giant told MCV that improving its online offer is key to its plans for 2011. This ties in with Asda’s bid to grow its games market share, which the firm says is already in …
Read More »Harmonix on DLC codes and pre-owned
Music game studio Harmonix has joined the second-hand nay-sayers, dubbing the sector ‘a serious problem for all publishers’. It has also become one of the few major voices to openly state it believes that Project $10, or the practise of including DLC codes with new games, is intrinsically linked to …
Read More »Asda defends trade-in offer
Retail behemoth Asda says it had to start selling used games in order to ‘protect its long-term games business.’ The grocer rolled-out pre-owned into 234 UK stores following the launch of FIFA 11 last month, and head of games Andrew Thompson says he and the team have been keeping publishers …
Read More »UK CHARTS: Football Manager is No.1
The Premier League big guns may have had a torrid time at the weekend with both Arsenal and Chelsea dropping vital points, but Sega’s own Premier League title has hit the spot – Football Manager 2011 is the new UK No.1. It’s Sega’s second No.1 of the year after Aliens …
Read More »The busiest 48 hours in UK games retail history
Tuesday and Wednesday next week just might be the most lucrative two days in games retail history. On Tuesday, November 9th Activision will launch Call of Duty: Black Ops – the follow-up to the UK’s biggest selling game. The very next day Kinect for Xbox 360 hits shelves – complete …
Read More »Gaming heads to garden centres with Bright Red
Consumers can now buy their games while topping up for fuel, picking up the morning paper and even buying a shrubbery, under a new initiative by Bright Red Entertainment. The distributor has launched its new pallet concept Game Depot into non-traditional retail, such as petrol stations, garden centres and newsagents. …
Read More »Youth event to attract 50,000 consumers
A new consumer show aimed at youngsters and families is expected to pull in 50,000 visitors, and games will play a major role. The Young People’s Fringe festival kicks off next year on the weekend of June 18th and June 19th at Alexandra Palace, London. Consumers will be able to …
Read More »PC sales boom for Excalibur
Contact Sales expects its business to grow by 25 per cent this year, courtesy of the PC software market. The UK company owns the Excalibur Publishing and First Class Simulations labels and has released a wide range of PC titles over the course of the year. Contact Sales MD Robert …
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