WWW.MCVUK.COM NEWS Can Halo effect lift the market?
Industry confident that Halo: Reach and PlayStation Move will reignite games sector by Christopher Dring
BUT WHILE IT’S been a tough nine months for the UK industry, this is the moment when it all turns around. Last week the games market took £11.8m – the lowest figure since May 2006. But games industry execs predict the arrival of Halo: Reach and PlayStation Move will spark a ‘regeneration’ for games – with a string of major titles arriving between now and Christmas. “Last week’s sales were really low, but people may have been waiting for Halo: Reach,” said Chart-Track director Dorian Bloch. “If you didn’t know Halo was coming out, then you are not involved in games. “Halo: Reach should be the springboard that takes us into Q4, even though we are still in September. Of course, we will soon know how much pent-up demand there was for Reach, as we gear up for records. “I’d say that this year’s line- up is stronger than the one we had last year. As well as the usual FIFA, PES, Call of Duty and Need For Speed games, we have The Sims 3 on console, Medal of Honor relaunch, Fallout New Vegas,
SALES LEAP? Industry is hopeful Halo can boost the games market out of its slump
MCV 17/09/10 5
TOP 10 FORMULA ONE
2010 (F1) PS3, CODEMASTERS
2. FORMULA ONE 2010 360 ..............................CODEMASTERS
3. FIFA 2011 PS3 ..............................................EA
4. PLAYSTATION MOVE CONTROLLER PS3 ..........................................SONY
5. PLAYSTATION MOVE STARTER PACK PS3 ..........................................SONY
6. FIFA 2011 360 ..............................................EA
Fable III, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Gran Turismo 5, and that’s not to mention Kinect or Move.”
“
console experiences and over the next two, three months we are going to see a whole new breadth of experiences.
There is a transition going on in games and I think Halo: Reach is a great new start to that regeneration.
Neil Thompson, Microsoft
Xbox’s UK and Ireland general manager Neil Thompson added: “There’s transition going on. Over the last year, we are moving from more traditional
UK SOFTWARE SALES MONITOR
Your weekly guide to the UK games software market…
The UK games market suffered its worst weekly result since May 2006. The games market plummeted 17 per cent to £11.8 million, while units fell to 14 per cent to 624,806.
The sharp decline was a surprise, especially when you factor in the new releases last week – including Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions. Gamers may have been holding back for the arrival of Halo: Reach. The biggest seller of the week was once again 2K’s Mafia II.
Next week the market will probably reach its highest point since the start of the year, with two major releases – PlayStation Move and Halo: Reach. From then on in the new games come thick and fast as we build towards Christmas.
£11.8m
[WEEKLY MARKET VALUE] Week Ending September 11th 2010
15 12 9 6 3 2K’s Mafia II managed to hold No.1 for a third week 0 £14.8m
768,783 Units
£14.2m
727,524 Units
£11.8m
624,806 Units
Source: UKIE/Chart-Track and Intent Media Total UK Software Sales
“I think Halo: Reach is a great new start to that regeneration. And Kinect will take us further. I am very bullish about what the gaming
”
industry will be over the next six to 12 months and Reach kicked that off in a big way. “It is a major franchise that will have a big impact on the market and generate a lot of momentum for the industry. “It is the most successful games franchise in history,” he added. “Big, massive, fantastic, enormous, record-breaking, every adjective you might want to use around the biggest franchise in the world. This Halo has had more love, care, sweat, tears and resource poured into it than any other.”
7. PES 2011 PS3........................................KONAMI
8. SPORTS CHAMPIONS - MOVE PS3 ..........................................SONY
9. PLAYSTATION MOVE NAVIGATION PS3 ..........................................SONY
10. FORMULA ONE 2010 PC ................................CODEMASTERS
Week ending: September 11th Source: SHOPTO.NET
Turn to page 65 for more pre-order charts from leading online retailers
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