4 MCV 06/08/10 NEWS [LEADER]
ONLINE OPPOSITES SHOW INDUSTRY THE
WAY FORWARD THERE’S A world of contrasts in some of our big stories this week. GameStop, the retail giant with
over 6,500 stores around the world, wants to grow its global
empire – but using web services to go way beyond bricks and mortar. Meanwhile Blizzard, the epitome of a publisher that has milked the web for ALL its worth, says it couldn’t have done it without its retail friends. Reports from topsy-turvy land? In this day and age, hardly. But still a revealing insight into the careful retail-digital interplay that’s always going to exist in some form, regardless of the purported ‘demise of the disc’. Last week, when we reported on the closure of
CHIPSWORLD, a row broke out on
MCVuk.comover which market force was the killer.
“GameStop’s online expansion and Blizzard’s close ties with the High Street are a revealing insight into the careful retail-digital interplay that’s always going to exist in some form.”
The unpopular suggestion was that it was
Facebook, having sucked all the UK gamers away from the High Street to the rolling hills of FarmVille. An unpopular (and wrong) suggestion because,
even if FarmVilleis a webgame behemoth, consumers haven’t just upped and left ‘traditional’ boxed goods like vultures finished with a corpse. Hundreds of GAMEs and HMVs across the country remain standing, last time I checked. Fact is, retail and online gaming are still finding their place in relation to each other. And while ‘taking online seriously’ has been a long time coming for many games companies, online shifts don’t come like tectonic plates. The end game isn’t just to own a Flash games
portal like GameStop, or manage an iPhone app as GAME discussed in MCVlast week. The aim is to be ready for what might come when
games solely come as Flash apps or are downloaded direct to devices – or reach those currently being ignored by traditional means. Ultimately, online is not cancelling retail out. It’s shifting perceptions, and raising important questions over the value of content. But the two need to work together. In fact they are working together – just look at the range of points and online content cards available in every Sainsbury’s these days, for one. And what of traditional boxed goods? Well, when
hairdressing salons in the US start selling video games (see the story on page 7), you know there’s still life on the High Street yet.
Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk
Blizzard: Retail is still central to our business
by Christopher Dring Publisher commits to the High Street as StarCraft II reaches No.1
THE PUBLISHER renowned for making most of its money online has pledged its future to bricks and mortar retail. Blizzard is best known for its multi-billion dollar MMO, World of Warcraft, which generates most of its money through subscriptions. But the firm says it couldn’t release its blockbuster titles without the help of retail. The games giant launched StarCraft II last month, backing it with midnight launch openings on the High Street. And the strategy paid off, with the RTS taking the No.1 spot in the Top 40 this week. “Some of our players like digital solutions but many also like the retail solution,” Blizzard’s VP of international Michael Ryder told MCV. “So we embrace both. We built our entire business around the retail channel and we expect retail to be a vital part of our future.
“The event in London for StarCraft II was with one of our retail partners [GAME], and
WWW.MCVUK.COM
Ryder says Blizzard needs retail to help generate buzz for its line-up
we did it in cities around the world. We want retail to be a big part of things for us. The collector’s edition of StarCraft II is only available at retail. We think it’s a great collaboration that we want to continue.” Q4 sees the release of Blizzard’s next big game – the eagerly-awaited World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm.
However, despite its current focus on PC, Blizzard hasn’t ruled out working on consoles. “We are up-to-speed on the console platforms, said Ryder. “And if we see an opportunity where the game design would work well on the console, then maybe we will go that way.” Check out our interview with Blizzard’s Ryder on page 15
Marc Spence to leave Best Buy UK
BEST BUY’S entertainment boss Marc Spence will leave the electronics retailer on Friday, August 27th.
Spence oversaw the launch of Best Buy in Europe and developed the firm’s
entertainment departments – which included large video game demonstration areas and a pre-owned range.
During his UK retail career, Spence has worked at the Home Retail Group, HMV and GAME. Best Buy UK says it will announce a new head of entertainment in the coming weeks.
“We can confirm that Marc Spence is leaving Best Buy UK at the end of August to take up a role in the Middle East,” said a Best Buy spokesperson. “We are grateful for his efforts in developing our compelling entertainment offering and his contribution to the success of Best Buy’s launch in the UK. “We are sorry to see Marc go and wish him every success in the future.”
Spence helped launch Best Buy stores in the UK earlier this year
Spence will be replaced by Best Buy’s head of games James Cooke on the MCV Retail Advisory Board.
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