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MCV 17/09/10 77 TAG-TEAM INTERVIEW Doug Bone UK Sales Director, Square Enix
This week, HMV’s Tim Ellis answers questions on Leeds United, 3D and Deus Ex from his former colleague, Square Enix sales director Doug Bone...
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You’ve pulled together a strong games team at HMV and some might even suggest that it’s up there with some of its ‘dream teams’ from years gone by. What makes a good team? I’m told it’s a great team leader. I’m not sure who told me that, but it rings pretty true to me. Other than that it’s a passion for the job, passion for the product and a desire to take responsibility for driving the business forward each week. And thanks for giving the team a shout out, Doug, they’ll appreciate that. Is that your last serious question?
When you were a regional manager for HMV, you used to complain that head office never managed to keep PlayStations in stock. But now whenever there’s a stock shortage, it’s your turn to feel the wrath of the stores. As such, will you order enough 3DS stock? Doug, I never complained to you, I just detailed the facts in a forthright manner. When it comes to 3DS, of course I’ll order enough. Whether I get enough will be another matter but if I don’t I’ll provide all the regional managers with Andy Yates’ number and let him deal with them.
Have you ever made an acceptance speech where you didn’t have a bottle of Becks in your hand and said tw*t, sh*t, cr*p or b*llocks? No – but you know I always like to
that Deus Exstock we’ll need? On a personal note I’m really looking forward to playing my promo copy of Dead Space 2that EA will no doubt send me. That will make up for the
give you a namecheck, and those are the only words that seem to fit the bill.
The first quarter of 2011 is clearly going to be huge. Which game do you think will be the second biggest release behind Deus Ex? Second best is never worth talking about or even stocking. Do you have enough vans to deliver all
disappointment of not getting a Deus Exanyway.
3D TVs: I’m sure that a man of your means already has one in every room of your mansion, but do you see them as a revolutionary step into the next dimension or just an expensive way to get a Two Ronnies disguise kit? Who cares as long as they sell shed loads and revitalise the gaming and Blu-ray markets?
I imagine it’s not easy supporting a team from the North that has their best years behind them and it’s not something I can relate to. So, Leeds United. Glory days again? Ever? Of course they’ll come back again. And in the short term I can safely say that we’ve got as much chance as Liverpool have of winning the First Division. Or whatever the league is called these days as I never look.
Finally, one thing that’s always bugged me: why does your hair look more
Scouse than mine? Calm down Doug. You’ll be getting funny in a minute.
So Tim, who will you be interviewing next week? I’ll be speaking to Eurogamer’s David Lilley.
FROM THE ARCHIVE Tim Ellis, HMV Head of Games
10 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK... September 15th 2000
NEWS Virgin Megastores’ games boss Joe McNicholas warns publishers that the lack of PlayStation 2 stock in the channel means that retail will not be able to stock all of the platform’s titles this Q4 – and calls for games firms to delay some releases until after Christmas… Future looks set to snap up the rights to publish the official Xbox magazine… Fox Interactive announces its biggest ever marketing spend to back the launch of Alien Resurrectionon PSOne… Nintendo readies the big guns so that the N64 can fend off the PlayStation 2 assault, lining up Pokemon Snap, Mario Party 2, Mario Tennis and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’Mask… Infogrames merges its US division with GT Interactive…
CHARTS: ALL FORMATS TOP FIVE All Formats Top 5 1. Virtua Tennis. . . . . . . . . . . . . Sega . . . . . Dreamcast 2. Pokemon Yellow. . . . . . . . . Nintendo. . Game Boy 3. TOCA World Touring CarsCodemasters. . . . PSX 4. Sydney 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . Eidos . . . . . . . PC, PSX 5. Tenchu 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activision . . . . . . . PSX
AND FINALLY… The shortlived High Street games joint venture @Jakarta is rolled out by etailer Gameplay and Dixons Stores Group… MCVenters the digital age with the launch of
MCVUK.com
MCV takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on the biggest issues of the day. The current members are...
Neil Ashurst, GAME & Gamestation
Andrew Thompson, Asda
James Cooke, Best Buy
Don McCabe, CHIPS
Tim Ellis, HMV
Keith Sharpe,
play.com
Sarah Jasper, The Hut
Nick Sultanti, Morrisons
Azeem Sadiq, Comet
Graham Chambers, Amazon
Danielle Fleming, DSGi
Igor Cipolletta, ShopTo
Anthony Stocker, Argos
Stephen Staley, Gameseek
Joanna Hunt, Tesco
Gurdeep Hunjan, Sainsbury’s
Phil Moore, Grainger Games
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