THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES
International Media Partner
04 Digital dilemma Publishers warn that the downloads goldrush will lead to overcrowding
12 FIFA wary of PES return EA Sports is confident it can fend off a potential reform from Konami
31 E3 Show Guide Floorplan, industry overview and more
EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY INDIE EVERY WEEK
Issue 591 Friday June 11 2010 £3.25 E3 SPECIAL EDITION
44 Sony’s strategy 3D will play a big part in the future of PlayStation
46 Nintendo’s niche The Wii and DS firm talks plans for the core market
48 Microsoft’s mark How the Xbox house will put its stamp on family gaming
INCORPORATING
Industry pins hopes on E3 Wii sales top In the wake of falling sales the trade expects LA show to prove we’re still worth it
by Christopher Dring
GLOBAL games giants reckon E3 2010 will pull the market out of the doldrums. Throughout the year all three major territories – Japan, Europe and the US – suffered a decline in sales. So as the world’s media watches on, industry execs are convinced that next week’s blockbuster line-up of new hardware and software can help encourage a turnaround. “The industry has been beaten up,” MTV Games chief Scott Guthrie told MCV.
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Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis added: “E3 is a chance to show the world where the industry is going – it’s more important than ever. We’ve seen stellar growth over the last five years and I don’t see that trending downwards for long as we look to new technologies.” Last year E3 was reinstated as a key event on the calendar. SCEE president Andrew House says the event’s return to form gives the industry a chance to prove its worth. “We have very few opportunities in the year to capture the full media attention
E3 is a chance to show where the industry is going –it’s more important than ever. Chris Lewis, Microsoft
“We are down year over
year, and so E3 is about reinvention and showing consumers why they should spend more money with us. It is going to be a very important show for games.”
and for us to be taken seriously,” he told us. “We need to show where
industry growth is going to come from. It will be critical, when attention is focused on us, to prove ourselves.”
”“ by Dave Roberts
ELSPA IS hopeful that the PEGI system of age ratings for video games will be ratified in law this October – just in time for complete clarity through the busiest selling season. It will be the final stage in ousting the BBFC as the body responsible for classifying games. The Video Standards Council will judge the suitability of content in regard to age, with
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the PEGI system used to communicate the ratings. From here, the VSC needs to be designated as the body
responsible for the classification and get approval for the PEGI
A NEW DAWN: This year’s E3 expo hopefully marks the beginning of a new gaming era
22m in Europe MOMENTUM may be slowing, but Nintendo’s Wii continues to break European sales records. The motion- based console
has now smashed through the 22 million barrier across Europe, MCV can reveal. Meanwhile, DS – officially the biggest selling games-only platform in history – has sold 41 million units across European territories.
E3 is about reinvention and telling consumers why they should spend more money with us. Scott Guthrie, MTV Games
New hardware and software will provide a real boost to the trade, added Sega West president Mike Hayes. “I am anxious to get to E3 and see what is going to be new from the major platform
holders,” he said. “It’s going to be special. There is so much new going to be shown that for those that have suffered in the doldrums, I think E3 will lift us and we will be excited by the new technology.”
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logos and descriptors to be used under the packaging regulations. These details need to be accepted by parliament and
It’s the end of a long journey, but we’ll have the right solution for the games industry.
Michael Rawlinson, ELSPA
the new regime will then be 100 per cent official as law.
PERSONNEL 76 RETAIL BIZ 79 NEW RELEASES 88 HIGH STREET 90 ”
ELSPA’s director general Michael Rawlinson told MCV: “It’s the end of a long journey, but we’ve ended up with the right solution for the industry and consumers. The sooner the final statutory instruments are passed and the new system becomes official, the better for gamers and games buyers. “The fact that we hope it to be done in October, just ahead of the Christmas sales period, is particularly pleasing.”
The news puts into context recent reports that Nintendo’s hardware sales are in decline. Nintendo of Europe’s MD Laurent Fischer told MCV: “In Europe, Wii lost some momentum in the first half of 2009. However, the strong software line-up in the latter half of the year helped it to regain momentum and total sales of Wii in Europe have now reached over 22 million. “Nintendo DS sales in Europe were lower than the previous year, possibly due to a shortage of hit titles. However, Nintendo’s share in the handheld market has not shrunk.”
ELSPA expects new UK age ratings to be legal by October
UKIE PLANS LAUNCH FOR LATE SUMMER
MEANWHILE, ELSPA has another date set for its diary: rebranding. The organisation will have
switched to new name UKIE: The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment by the end of the summer. A new brand and website will be unveiled soon. The organisation also expects
three new hires – a public affairs and policy officer, a commercial manager and a public affairs and comms manager – to have joined by then as well.
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