MCV: Home Stream

Software Sales Monitor: Market rises to £14m

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:47:00 +0000

THQ’s UFC Undisputed 3 helped the UK games retail market rise 10.2 per cent to generate £14m last week. There was also retail price activity on many boxed games.

This caused a 14.8 per cent increase in overall unit sales which reached 615,298 during the week ending February 18th. EA’s FIFA 12 was the second best-selling title of the week ahead of Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Several recent releases tumbled down the charts, with Final Fantasy XIII-2 falling to No.6, The Darkness II sliding to No.8, Kingdoms of Amalur dropping to No.12 and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection dipping to No.13. Grand Slam Tennis 2 fell to No.38 after its second week on sale.

With PlayStation Vita on sale now, retailers can expect the market value to jump next week. Furthermore, a range of other titles hit shelves today (Friday, February 24th), including EA shooter Syndicate and Zumba Fitness Rush from 505 Games and Majesco.

RapidShare slows download speeds to deter Megaupload pirates

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

In what is certainly a very unusual move, online file-sharing giant RapidShare has chosen to deliberately slow its download speed for non-registered users.

The site denies that this is simply a tactic to drive users to its registered, paying users. Instead, it claims the decision was made to make the service unattractive to the “abusive” pirates that have flocked to it following the high-profile closure of Megaupload.

“On January 19th Megaupload was shut down by the FBI. Shortly thereafter, several other file hosters curbed their services or entirely stopped their operations,” a statement released to TorrentFreak reads.

“RapidShare has been faced with a severe increase in free user traffic and unfortunately also in the amount of abuse of our service ever since, suggesting that quite a few copyright infringers have chosen RapidShare as their new hoster of choice for their illegal activities.

“We have thus decided to take a painful yet effective step: to reduce the download speed for free users. We are confident that this will make RapidShare very unpopular amongst pirates and thus drive the abusive traffic away.”

New Argos CEO plots radical reinvention

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:42:00 +0000

The new boss of Argos says he has been given a clean sheet from Home Retail Chairman Oliver Stocken to embark upon a brand new strategy for the catalogue retailer.

And speaking to Bloomberg, John Walden said that he’s open to the idea of potentially using Argos stores in a very different way.

“I will certainly look hard at the store franchise and how we use the stores both from a customer experience standpoint in terms of convenience and speed, but also how else can we use the stores strategically,” he stated.

One idea would be the use of stores as a collection point for orders placed from other online retailers. He also refused to rule out the possibility of closing stores whose leases are coming up for renewal.

Argos recently posted an 8.8 per cent decline in sales for the 18 weeks ending December 2011. Walden was appointed to the role of Argos CEO earlier this week. The American exec has previously worked fro Best Buy and Sears.

However, he did stress that all of Argos’ stores remain profitable.

“The stores potentially are a real strategic asset for us as we think about a multi-channel offer that is better relative to people we compete with, whether that’s Amazon, other e- tailers or grocery chains expanding their offer or others,” he assured.

“They can be used and assembled in a way that we could potentially offer a real difference in the market place. We will see what we can do to re-evaluate the customer experience.”

Sega dev: The console market can only get smaller

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:51:00 +0000

One of the most successful Japanese console game developers has predicted that the console market will continue to shrink and in its place will rise a stronger, dominant portable games market.

“Consoles – PS3, PS4, Xbox 360-2 – the market for those will get smaller, and the main market will become portable games,” Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi told PSM3, as reported by CVG.

“I don’t think consoles will disappear, but more and more people will use home PCs for gaming, and a long time in the future it will just be PCs and mobile phones, and eventually mobiles will become just as powerful as games consoles.”

And of course, as a games developer Nagoshi is keen to stress that from his perspective the biggest change this represents is one of interaction and control.

“Right now, that means either buttons or touchscreens – those are the only two interfaces we have,” he argued. “So I think the next big evolution will be the introduction of a new type of interface.

“Sure, we have voice input, but voice will never become the main input. So I think that whoever can figure out that new type will be victorious.

“It’s strange the number of buttons has increased and never decreased. So that means we need to reset things, somehow. I think your hands will always be directly involved. That will never change. It’ll be something you can touch.”

Assassin's Creed Revelations: Ottoman Edition landing in March

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Ubisoft has lifted the lid on the Assassin’s Creed Revelations: Ottoman Edition, as well as two other brand new games.

The Ottoman Edition offers the full game as well as all the DLC that has subsequently been released. This includes The Ancestor’s Character Pack, The Mediterranean Traveller Map Pack and The Lost Archive DLC.

It will retail for a discounted price between £30 and £40 and will be released on March 30^th.

Also freshly announced is £20-£25 SKU Just Dance: Best Of for Wii and a boxed version of MMO outing Tera for PC.

They have been given release dates of March 30^th and May 4^th respectively.

MCV Jobs Weekly: New roles for game execs

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0000

In MCV's weekly rundown of the hottest vacancies and latest personnel news, GAME reorganises its head office team and we look at the best job opportunities.

GAME promotes Brennan in head office restructure

Two members of GAME Group’s head office staff have taken on new positions.

Commercial strategy director Tricia Brennan (pictured) is now chief commercial officer, while UK managing director Tom Devine has become channel director. Chief marketing officer Dave Hughes, who was heavily involved in the relaunch of GAME.co.uk, will leave the retailer next month.

These changes come as part of an internal restructure at GAME’s headquarters in Basingstoke. A GAME spokesperson estimated that 46 jobs would be cut as part of the restructure.

TOP FIVE VACANCIES - week ending February 24th

via OPM Recruitment – Director of International PR - GAMES - 10 month contract

RailSimulator.com – Various

via OPM Recruitment – Product Manager - 6 month contract - GAMES

via Aardvark Swift – Senior Designer

via Aardvark Swift – Junior Events Manager

For more vacancies, head to MCVUK.com/jobs.

PERSONNEL NEWS

Warrington joins 3D gaming firm
Glenn Warrington has joined TriOviz as head of sales for UK and Northern Europe.

The company is responsible for the stereoscopic 3D modes in titles such as Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Enslaved and Thor.

Warrington has several years of experience in sales across the games, films and music industries, as well as mobile software and consumer electronics. He has previously worked at accessories firm Power Play, as well as mobile solutions provider Quira and distributor Total Home Entertainment.

In his new role, he will be responsible for expanding the company’s presence in key European countries.

Activision names new strategy and talent chief
The publishing giant has promoted Humam Sakhnini to the newly created position of chief strategy and talent officer.

He previously served as Activison’s EVP of corporate strategy and business development, a role he has held since 2009. He will continue his current duties and take on additional responsibility for human resources.

This promotion follows the news that chief human resources officer Ann Weiser will retire when her five-year contract expires later this year.

“Bringing together our strategic planning and worldwide human resources responsibilities under Humam’s leadership underscores our commitment to talent recruiting, development and retention as a principal focus of the company,” said CEO Bobby Kotick.

“I would like to thank Ann for her extraordinary contributions to Activision Blizzard. By aligning our human resources and operations, she has helped us to recruit top industry talent and deliver strong business results. She will work closely with Humam to ensure a smooth transition.”

NaturalMotion expands new London team
The developer has appointed former EA and Playfish staffer Dan Borthwick as head of its new London studio. He will spearhead the firm’s drive to scale up its development efforts.

“I am thrilled to be joining NaturalMotion and look forward to setting up a new studio in London to build on their recent success, develop great games and continue to push what’s possible in social mobile,” said Borthwick.

FEATURE: Can we stop 'suicidal' games prices?

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:09:00 +0000

“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 revealed the average cost of a boxed game drops by 23.5 per cent after one month on sale, 30.8 per cent after two, and 39 per cent after three. On day one the average cost to the consumer can be lower than the trade price.

Online retailers and supermarkets are the drivers here. This has put extra pressure on the traditional High Street specialists who can’t compete.

Konami’s UK general manager Pete Stone explains: “Discounting by UK retailers has been ferocious during the past few years. Major retailers justified their discounting by using phrases such as ‘driving volume’ but the reality has been the opposite: it has been a downward spiral.

“In the long-term we are moving towards a new era in gaming, but UK pricing has probably devalued the perception of boxed games and is leading to retailers no longer finding the category profitable.”

Major chains like GAME and HMV had a very difficult trading period last year, as well as indies who are feeling the pinch more than ever. This is due in no small part to the lack of margin on new titles.

“The discounting is serious and suicidal,” says a leading indie, who wishes to remain anonymous. “The £37.49 average launch price for FIFA 12 was already £5.71 below our cost price.

“I wonder what will happen to publishers when the retailers stop funding the discounted prices for them. Surely at some point the goodwill will run out, and would the consumer really pay £54.99 for FIFA 13? Or £24.99 for a new Blu-ray?”

It’s now such a problem, says HMV, that consumers and retailers could miss out in the long-term as price-cutting distorts the market.

“Such a high level of RRP discounting is not likely to be in the best long-term interests of the market or even the consumer, who may find it will ultimately result in reduced choice,” the retailer’s head of communications Gennaro Castaldo tells MCV.

“But when you have supermarkets and internet giants using content to drive traffic and share as part of a wider business agenda, it’s hard to stand back if you want to remain competitive.”

Some online retailers have reacted to maintain profit. ShopTo says it ‘sells closer to the RRP than ever’.

“ShopTo has changed its strategy over the past six months,” says purchasing director James Rowson. “We no longer want to be involved in the price war to chase orders at a loss.”

Gameseek’s MD Stephen Staley adds: “We stock new releases to drum up interest in our site but we’re not bothered if we sell any. There’s no point having a big market share on something that makes you a loss.”

There are ways for specialist retailers to make decent money on new goods.

“I have been encouraging indies to diversify into other lines and products, like mobile phone accessories, and hi-tech toys and gadgets,” says The Game Guide’s Chris Ratcliff. “Of course, it isn’t commercial suicide if you can subsidise the losses on new games sales with a healthy pre-owned business model, but even that has been ‘invaded’ by the nationals.”

Online indie Xbite believes a change at the supplier level would help solve the problem.

MD Nick Whitehead tells MCV: “If the publishers under supplied the market just by five per cent, it would actually ensure a more stable retail price point in the market.”

ShopTo says the answer is not so simple.

“If all games prices go up then the publishers will see a drop in units and may struggle to cover their ever-growing development costs, so the whole strategy needs a review,” Rowson adds.

But with such a competitive UK retail market, there’ll always be those who go low on new releases. The outlets willing to diversify could be the ones which really prosper.

System 3 signs new Ferrari deal

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:06:00 +0000

System 3 has secured a new long-term deal with Ferrari.

The independent Brit publisher, which has released two Ferrari-branded video games to date, says the deal follows its success in Japan.

The last game in the series, Ferrari: The Race Experience, has been a mainstay in the Japanese PSN charts since it launched last year.

System 3 first signed the Ferrari licence back in 2007. And the publisher tells MCV the series has gone on to sell more than 3m

units worldwide. Previous Ferrari titles are available on PS3, Wii, PS2 and DS.

“The Ferrari brand is all about prestige and about achieving the very pinnacle of engineering and ergonomic design,” said System 3 chief Mark Cale.

“For us to sign an extension of our agreement with Ferrari and to crack Japan at the same time is the best possible way for us to celebrate our 30th birthday.

“We have only scratched the surface with what we would like to do with the Ferrari licence but one thing will always remain the same: our dedication to creating an experience

that truly honours the mantra of Ferrari.”

Is ABC under threat?

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:59:00 +0000

ABC’s position in the games media industry is under threat.

Top press execs have questioned the relevance of the readership tracker following the latest round of results. All games magazines lost readers compared with last year’s figures, some by as much as 25 per cent.

But this isn’t reflective of the state of the media industry, say editors. They point to increased web traffic, growing events and better social engagement.

“How we convey scale can no longer be sufficiently achieved by looking at print circulations and web traffic in isolation,” said Future’s commercial planning director Steve Payne.

“Social media, video channels, mobile engagement and live events all contribute to a far greater footprint than the ‘industry standard’ measurements allow.

“As of the end of January 2012, looking at print, tablet magazine purchases and web traffic, Future’s portfolio of games brands reach over 2m people in the UK per month. Our social media reach stands at 285,000 on Facebook and 168,000 on Twitter. We have almost 30,000 subscribers to our YouTube channel.”

Imagine editor-in-chief Aaron Asadi agrees that ABC numbers are not enough but insists we should not downplay the figures.

“ABCs simply measure performance for only one type of media from a brand’s selection box. And as that type of media is no longer selling as well as it used to, the temptation is to understate the importance of the figures and point everyone in the direction of unique users, followers, listeners and likes.

“It’s symptomatic of an industry that for too long has been obsessed with numbers rather than products. The bigger the number, the better the platform is the rule, putting magazines, websites and social media on equal footing. But that’s wrong. Reach figures show breadth, not depth – they don’t measure the quality of the experience.

“We are developing new channels all the time – apps, social networks, websites. We now have a monthly reach of nearly 3m – but we never forget that print magazines offer a tactile experience like no other.

“The new ABC results are disappointing. But we won’t shy away and pretend they’re now irrelevant because we have a Twitter account.”

He added: “There is space for an organisation to offer single print and digital certificates. Right now it’s hard to say that the ABC satisfies this evolved remit; its position in the games media industry is vulnerable.”

OPINION: The day one conundrum

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:55:00 +0000

We've had lots of praise lately for the way MCV has supported the industry during a tough start to the year.

And we’re grateful that many have noticed our proactive stance on

what the trade’s strengths are. But MCV also has to be honest about its weaknesses, too. What exactly is going on with this year’s new releases to have had such embarrassing launches?

There are lots of obvious answers. “The economy.” “Lack of innovation.” “Gamers have moved to digital platforms.” “Wrong marketing strategies.” “Lack of stock.” But none of them is a single good reason. The real answer is much more complex.

The secret summits held by HMV and GAME may point the way forward in the long term, but for now the rest of us will be holding our breath to see if bigger hits like Mass Effect 3 deliver on their promise.

KEEPING SCORE

Data is one way we can help you understand the ways this market is being pushed and pulled in different directions.

Our popular charts pages at the back of the mag now include more space for digital charts covering PC and app rankings and analysis – with more to come.

Meanwhile our media special includes bespoke stats from Comscore on the six of the most-watched UK games media sites.

Metrics alone can’t answer all the questions about a changing world – but they can keep you better informed about how things are changing.

VITA - THE SPICE OF LIFE

Lastly have to be blind to not notice we’ve joined in with Sony celebrating the release of PS Vita.

I told a national newspaper this week that it’s the best answer the traditional games industry could have come up with against the advance of smartphone gaming. It has an it-almost-does-everything technology base, more elastic pricing, and a wide range of games in both delivery and execution.

Good luck to Sony for the launch – its UK team for one has worked

very hard on getting the device out there. In this climate, people have considered that an uphill struggle. Here’s hoping the demand matches their efforts.

New wave of games media surfaces

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:53:00 +0000

Just when you thought there was no room left for new games publications, three have emerged during the last week alone.

Two magazines have been announced – MyM and Continue – flying in the face of claims that print is dead.

The former will launch at WH Smiths and independent newsagents this May and covers gaming, anime and manga.

Meanwhile, quarterly mag Continue is now available digitally and readers can pre-order a print edition from its official website.

The Continue team says the internet has offered new hope to magazine publishers.

“The barrier to entry for new magazines has fallen,” says Continue’s editorial director Paul Presley. “The fact we no longer have to fight for shelf space in WH Smiths but can instead reach a globally connected audience straight off the bat is incredible.”

There are also new niches being filled online.

Notable UK journos Christian Donlan, Simon Parkin, Will Porter and Keith Stuart launched Hookshot Inc last week, a site that focuses solely on cheap downloadable games across all formats.

“Coverage of this area is still scattershot, with many of the larger gaming sites not really knowing how to handle these games or whether there’s even an audience for them. That’s the gap we want to plug,” said co-founder Simon Parkin.

Gotham City Imposters tops XBLA sales chart

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Warner Bros’ online shooter Gotham City Imposters became last week’s best-selling Xbox Live Arcade game.

The multiplayer-focused Batman title reached the No.1 spot ahead of Pinball FX2, Warp, The Simpsons Arcade Game and Fruit Ninja Kinect. This is in terms of full versions purchased.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the most played game on Xbox Live, while Grand Theft Auto IV was the top Games for Windows Live title, both in terms of unique users. CastleMiner Z was the best-selling Indie Arcade game.

Here are the Top 20s as listed on the Major Nelson blog:

Top Arcade titles

Gotham City Impostors
Pinball FX2
Warp
The Simpsons Arcade Game
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Trials HD
Shank 2
Castle Crashers
Real Steel
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
Dungeon Defenders
Double Fine Happy Action Theater
Peggle
NFL Blitz
Doom
Full House Poker
Sonic CD
Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection
Quarrel

Top Indie games

CastleMiner Z
Total Miner: Forge
CastleMiner
FortressCraft Chapter 1
The Impossible Game
Toy Stunt Bike
Avatar Paintball
The $1 Zombie Game
Flirt
Avatar Legends
Avatar Onslaught 2
Little Racers Street
Miner Style
Don’t Die Dateless, Dummy!
I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
Lootfest: Live Design
Avatar Block War
Avatar Laser Wars
Avatar Rumble
Perfect Shooting Training Camp

Most-played Xbox 360 games online

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops
FIFA 12
Battlefield 3
Skyrim
Halo: Reach
Modern Warfare 2
Gears of War 3
NBA 2K12
Mass Effect 3 Demo
GTA IV
Madden NFL 12
Forza Motorsport 4
NHL12
Saints Row: The Third
Halo 3
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
NBA 2K11
Call of Duty 4
Red Dead Redemption

Most-played Games for Windows Live titles

GTA IV
Age of Empires Online
Batman Arkham City
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
Gotham City Impostors
DiRT 3
F1 2011
Resident Evil 5
Fallout 3
Colin McRae : Dirt 2
Fable III
Bioshock 2
Bulletstorm
Street Fighter IV
Batman: Arkham Asylum
F1 2010
Section 8: Prejudice
Virtua Tennis 4
Red Faction Guerrilla
Operation Flashpoint Red River

Zavvi introduces Rewardz loyalty scheme

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:06:00 +0000

Consumers who buy from Zavvi.com can now earn loyalty points, giving them money off future purchases.

Zavvi has introduced a new Rewardz loyalty scheme, which offers customers points every time they buy a game or other item from the online store.

For every £1 a consumer spends on Zavvi.com, they’ll earn one Rewardz point. These are worth 1p. So spending £100 for example will give them £1 off a future purchase.

Customers can also refer friends to earn points, though members of their household and previous Zavvi account holders won’t count. For example, if a customer refers a friend who goes on to spend £50 on their first order, the original consumer will earn 250 Rewardz points, or £2.50.

The referred friend will also receive a five per cent discount on their first order if they input the original customer’s Zavvi referral code.

Zavvi is also offering customers £200 worth of points to two winners of its launch competition. Anyone who buys something from the website in the next month will be automatically entered into the draw.

What's Out Today? w/e February 24th, 2012

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:04:00 +0000

It's a week of hotly anticipated returns this week, with EA dusting off a classic franchise and a sales phenomenon coming home.

EA's Syndicate reboots the classic strategy action game as an intense FPS, set in a future where corporations are at war. The game also introduces four-player online co-op to the series.

Meanwhile, 505 Games and Majesco bring the smash hit Zumba Fitness back to the platform that began it all: Kinect. Zumba Fitness Rush features brand new routines developed specifically for the Xbox 360's motion-sensing camera.

Also out this week is The Last Story (Nintendo), Binary Domain (Sega) and Premier Manager 2012 (Focus Multimedia).

Click here for MCV's comprehensive and fully updated release schedule.

California foots hefty bill for Arnie's anti-games lawsuit

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:42:00 +0000

California was forced to pick up the legal fees for a Supreme court case regarding legislation to fine retailers for selling minors games deemed violent.

The cost to taxpayers totalled about $1.8m dollars for a law which never took effect, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The Supreme court ruled against the law, backed by the then governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jerry Brown, attorney general, by 7-2.

Despite a financial crisis in the state of California, the Governor decided to appeal the legislation, already rejected by two lower courts, in 2009.

"It was an important issue to the governor," said Schwarzenegger's former legal affairs secretary, Andrea Hoch.

For the full story visit Develop.

Killzone 3 makes surprise F2P move

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:16:00 +0000

Sony has announced that it is to trial a new free-to-play version of popular FPS hit Killzone 3.

As of next week a free download will be available on PSN for PS3 owners. It will contain the entire multiplayer portion of the game, including all the available maps.
However, it will be limited. The total number of available skills and weapons will be limited and there will be an artificial cap on levelling.

Those who wish to upgrade to the ‘full’ experience will be able to do so for a discounted price – $14.99 in the US.

It’s an interesting experiment in a sector that still doggedly hangs on to the traditional full-price console model.

Asda offers 3DS-Vita trade-in deal

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:07:00 +0000

Supermarket chain Asda has revealed a new trade-in deal for 3DS owners who are considering a swap for Sony’s new PlayStation Vita.

The retailer was already selling the new handheld for a market leading £197. It is now offering a hefty £100 for any 3DS handed over against a purchase.

Asda’s standard 3DS trade-in price is just £47, meaning that it is willing to pay over twice what it regards as the odds as part of the deal.

In other news, unverified reports on Twitter suggest that HMV has been labelling its Ubisoft Vita titles with a sticker highlighting their unavailability at rival GAME.

Oklahoma violent games tax fails approval

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:05:00 +0000

A proposed Oklahoma bill that aimed to add a 1% tax on violent video games has failed approval in a state House subcommittee.

The Video Game Voters Network reports that HB 2696 was defeated earlier this week in a meeting of the House Revenue and Tax Subcommittee. The bill had planned to put the revenues raised from the tax toward programs to combat childhood obesity and bullying.

After its failed approval a proposal, entitled 'Oklahoma Task Force on Video Games' Relationship to Obesity and Aggression', was put together by the bill's original creator Oklahoma State representative William Fourkiller that would have created a special task force to investigate the causes of childhood obesity and aggression.

The proposal was defeated with a 5-6 vote.

"It's not a good idea," State Rep Mike Reynolds discussed during the proceedings. "We could have a task force on a multitude of reasons children are obese. Why we're pickling violent video games was because it was originally a tax."

Aion going free-to-play in Europe next week

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:59:00 +0000

NCsoft has revealed its MMO Aion: The Tower of Eternity will be flipping the switch to go free-to-play across Europe next Tuesday, February 28th.

The changes will take place in English, German and French at the same time on Tuesday; this on the heels of what's being called a successful beta by European distributor Gameforge AG.

The entire game will be open to any and all, but there will be restrictions for non-paying players such as trading, chatting, longer cool-downs on instances, lower payouts for quests, and a few other limitations.

Current subscribers will receive currency vouchers at the value of six Aion Coins per day left on the account. That’s the in-game currency everyone else will receive by paying for premium content.

Previous subscribers – anyone who had a subscription at any point since the title's official launch – will receive “Veteran Status”, which raises the number of character slots from two to eight, offers unlimited chat, unlimited trade, private shopping, and more.

There is also a premium 'Gold Status', which still carries a monthly subscription fee. Players going this route get massively shorter cooldowns on the majority of instances, 20 per cent more AP and medals, more Courage Insignias, and other benefits.

No word yet on when North American players can expect the switch, but there's plenty more info on the many changes and additions available over on the new Aion free to play website.

Medal of Honor Warfighter coming in October

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:41:00 +0000

The latest effort in the Medal of Honor series has been revealed, along with word of its expected arrival in October of this year.

Game Informer shares that the upcoming issue of Official Xbox Magazine peels a tiny bit of the curtain back on the sequel to the 2010 series reboot.

The title is to be developed entirely by Danger Close studios (who has confirmed the report), including the multiplayer which was previously handled by DICE.

Entitled Medal of Honor Warfighter, the game follows along with the story of Tier 1 Operators. It will use the Frostbite 2.0 engine, the same system that powered Battlefield 3 – as opposed to the 2010 MoH game that had the campaign running on the Unreal Engine, with just the multiplayer using Frostbite.

Much more info is expected to be revealed by EA next month at GDC 2012 in San Francisco.

Jagex recruits Codemasters vet

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:15:00 +0000

David Solari has joined Cambridge publisher Jagex as chief marketing officer.

Solari joins following 14 years at Codemasters. His most recent role was vice president and general manager of Codemasters Online Gaming. In that role, he oversaw the launc of Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Archlord and RF Online.

In his new role Solari will take control of all Jagex marketing activities in the firm says is ‘the most significant year in our history.’

“It’s with great pleasure that I welcome David to the Jagex family,” said Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard.

“David’s leadership, online experience, gravitas and passion for games will help fortify an already successful team. On a personal note, David is an all round great guy and a perfect match for Jagex DNA.”

Solari added: “I can’t wait to get started and I’m really looking forward to working with this terrific team as we drive toward our goal of making Jagex the online entertainment destination in the years to come.”

Next Blizzard game "will be free-to-play"

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment is the next major games studio to embrace free-to-play and will apply the model in an upcoming, as yet unannounced game, Develop understands.

Following some eight years of success with its trailblazing MMO World of Warcraft, it is said that the California studio will expand business opportunities and create both subscription and freemium titles.

A Develop source connected to the matter did not provide further details on Blizzard’s free-to-play game project. The studio is widely known to be working on the so-called ‘Project Titan’, and is finalising the Diablo 3 for launch, though it has capacity for multiple projects.

For more details visit our sister site Develop.

Now GAME drops The Last Story entirely

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

GAME stores are confirming that they will not be stocking the standard edition of Nintendo’s Wii title The Last Story tomorrow.

Furthermore, the game has been removed from both the GAME and Gamestation websites and customers who had pre-orders in place have been notified of their cancellation.

Yesterday the retailer confirmed that it wouldn’t be stocking the Limited Edition version of the title. Customers who had pre-ordered the game were told that they would be sent a standard copy instead – a move that will now clearly not happen.

Before the prophets of doom chime in, however, it’s important to note a bit of perspective. In an environment where GAME is having to be selective with its spending, the omission of a Wii-exclusive RPG is perhaps not the most bewildering news.

That’s not to say that the issues currently faced by GAME aren’t stark.

Earlier this week GAME's marketing director Anna-Marie Mason categorically stated that the chain "will honour pre-orders for games that are currently on sale".

In addition, it was unable to stock any of Ubisoft’s PlayStation Vita launch titles, and the week before it was not carrying new release Tekken 3DS – which was published by Nintendo in the UK.

The severity of the situation varies from publisher to publisher, but at the very least it’s clear to see that relations with at least two major publishers are strained.

GAME and HMV hold supplier crunch talks

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Troubled retailers GAME and HMV have held crucial talks with its major suppliers.

HMV invited its key games partners to its offices earlier in the month in order to discuss how they can better support the struggling entertainment giant. The event was an intimate affair, which publishers in the room have described as 'progressive.'

Meanwhile, GAME held a much bigger event at BAFTA on Tuesday (February 21st). And almost 90 people attended. According to one source, the Group offered a 'compelling' argument and that the talks were "a step in the right direction."

Both retailers are relying on publishers to help them ride the current economic storm that's hurting their businesses. GAME is operating under a reduced banking facility following a difficult Christmas. And both it and HMV have issues with credit insurers.

3DS gets its own Brain Training game

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:14:00 +0000

Nintendo has revealed that its hugely successful DS series Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training is to return with a new title on 3DS.

The puzzle series was one of the catalysts of DS’ success across the world, appealing to a varying market and, most importantly, to many consumers who had never before owned a handheld console or played a video game.

This new SKU will apparently feature some devilishly hard puzzles that will be referred to as Devil Training in the game.

The original DS title sold over 500,000 copies in its first two months of release in the UK in 2006 and passed the 1m unit sales barrier under 18 months on the market.

In July 2009 the game’s sales passed the 3m unit barrier in the UK, making it the then best selling game ever in the country.

Its success was aided by a celebrity-laden marketing campaign that featured global stars such as Nicole Kidman and Patrick Stewart.

Brain Training 3DS will be released in Japan this summer, with an international release date to follow.