NEWS 10 MCV 10/09/10
WWW.MCVUK.COM
Digital MMO smash heads to retail No.1 Steam seller Global Agenda hits stores today Publisher Iceberg backs title with specialist campaign by Dominic Sacco
ICEBERG INTERACTIVE may not be the best known publisher in the industry, but aims to change that with the retail release of Global Agenda. The PC MMO has already been downloaded almost 100,000 times worldwide. In fact, the title – which was previously only available digitally – has been Steam’s top-selling game in the MMO category since pre-orders opened in December 2009. Iceberg Interactive and developer Hi-Rez Studios believe Global Agenda is perfectly suited for retail. VP of gamer operations at Hi-Rez Studios Stewart Chisam told MCV: “Global Agenda’s ‘no monthly fees’ pricing model and affordable SRP of £24.99 makes the game very attractive at retail, and is highly competitive with shooter games that do not offer anywhere near the level of content or MMO-like features. “Supported by a strong marketing effort and very
positive word of mouth, we expect a strong performance with steady growth. “The game’s business model, which relies on occasional paid expansion packs, also creates a franchise that can be
“
DEVELOPER Asylum says only Nintendo’s platforms can help its Doctor Who games reach a family audience. The two upcoming Doctor
Who titles – Evacuation Earth and Return to Earth – are due this year for DS and Wii respectively. And Asylum MD Simon Bailey says that the timing couldn’t be better to bring the iconic time traveller to consoles. “Doctor Who is loved by kids aged seven through 12 and its popularity spans all the way through to adults – the
Global Agenda has already been downloaded almost 100,000 times
Global Agenda's pricing model and affordable SRP makes the game very attractive at retail.
Stewart Chisam, Hi-Rez Studios
continually renewed from a marketing and sales standpoint, with frequent in-game content upgrades for players.” Iceberg Interactive’s
dedicated marketing campaign is running until December,
”
Wii and DS are the formats that reach directly to this market,” said Bailey.
“The Nintendo platforms are also the perfect companion due to the control options – the Wii Remote was crying out to be used as a Sonic Screwdriver. “Now is a perfect time to
release Doctor Who games given the popularity of the TV show, which has consistently grown over the last five years during its new reincarnation. Video games now serve a much wider audience, which suits the Doctor Who licence perfectly.”
Koch is distributing the Doctor Who games, while the firm’s Blue Ocean Accessories arm is working on associated peripherals. These products also include branded DS cases,
Sonic Screwdriver Wii Remotes and Stylus devices based on the fictional tool. “Dr Who is one of the largest TV brands in the UK,” said Koch UK MD Craig McNicol.
“It was important to bring even bigger brands than we had in the past to the consumer, as title selection has polarised in recent times.” Koch: 08700 270 985
The Sonic Screwdriver controller complements the Wii and DS Doctor Who games
with print ads appearing in Edge, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, SFX and more. Web banners will also feature on specialist websites including CVG, IGN, Eurogamer and Edge Online. Players of the Unreal Engine 3-powered third person shooter MMO recently received a free ‘Sandstorm’ expansion pack, adding a range of new devices and game modes. Users can also change their name or
purchase in-game ‘boosts’ for a small fee.
The game has been well received by a variety of games publications. It won the E3 Game of the Show award from
MMORPG.com and has an average review score of 70 per cent on Metacritic. Global Agenda arrives in stores today (Friday, September 10th) on PC.
www.iceberg-interactive.com
‘Doctor Who is perfect for Wii and DS’
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