NEWS LEADER BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER
GMG wants to defend its slogan from one of retail’s big boys
Supermarket slogan row for Green Man
by Christopher Dring
UH OH, digital and retail have finally come to loggerheads… over a slogan.
Digital specialist Green Man Gaming has taken umbrage over Asda’s new pre-owned offer, which operates under the heading: ‘Buy, Play, Trade.’
The folk at Green Man feel this is too similar to its slogan, ‘Load, Play, Trade’. The firm has now issued a cease and desist to the supermarket giant, barely two weeks after the Wal-Mart-owned retailer rolled-out second-hand to 234 stores.
Sheridans law firm is representing Green Man Gaming. Partner Alex Chapman told MCV: “Green Man’s position is that Asda’s use of a slogan which is very similar to its own unique trade- in system is ‘passing off’. When a company like Green Man uses a slogan for a period of time and develops brand recognition around it, it can be very damaging for a larger
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EVERYONE’S A CRITIC We quiz Metacritic’s co- founder about the site’s impact on video games
www.mcvuk.com 44
company to use a similar slogan for a similar business.” But Asda has shrugged off the allegation. A spokesperson said: “We are aware Green Man Gaming
AT A WHOPPING 120 pages this bumper-sized MCVisn’t just our biggest issue ever – it’s the freshest looking one in many years. The new-look mag still includes all the things that make MCVwhat it is, but there’s a bunch of new sections to discover and some old favourites are back.
Of course, in games nothing is ever properly ‘finished’. We’ll be making tweaks and refinements along the way. But in the meantime tell us what you think. All feedback is welcomed via the address below. And what’s this, a giant magazine when the rest say ‘print is dead’?
You’ll be telling me that the industry’s decided to come out in force with its biggest ever marketing spend next…
We feel our use of the phrase ‘Buy, Play, Trade’ is sufficiently different.
Asda spokesperson
has sent a cease and desist to Asda over the ‘Buy, Play, Trade’ name. “Although this is a private matter between ourselves and Green Man Gaming, we feel that our use of the phrase ‘Buy, Play, Trade’ in relation to pre-owned games has not been historically limited to the use of a single retailer and our slogan is sufficiently different anyway.”
CITY LACKING A LITTLE CLASS SURPRISE HITS are increasingly rare these days, so MCVhas enjoyed covering the success of Sniper: Ghost Warrioron PC and Xbox 360. It topped the charts and has sold 60,000 units since the summer. A good game from Polish outfit City Interactive? Absolutely. But much praise should go to Mastertronic, which handled sales and performed a sales miracle. Mastertronic’s prize? City last week barked publicly, and unexpectedly, that it wants to bring UK sales back in-house. Shame on City if that’s how it treats its partners.
CHARTS
Monthly analysis can be found on p44 while our weekly charts include apps and downloads
GET REAL A BURLESQUE dancer, a vicar, and the Ealing Jades Rugby Team… Not the set-up to a filthy joke, alas – but Nintendo’s new marketing campaign is still quite revealing. Yeah, it’s all the usual ‘Nintendo-y’ stuff: focus on players sat in inoffensive domestic environments and ‘normalise’ games. The new ads take that to the extreme – no mention of games until half-way in. Yet it also sends a subtle message. iPad, Move and Kinect want to erode Wii and DS’ grip. And Nintendo has seen hardware sales slow this year. But there’s still some distance for all to cover when cementing games in the hearts of your average consumer. The market slump shows games are still considered fair- weather entertainment by many. Here’s hoping Microsoft and Sony, also betting big on attracting non- gamer audiences, are paying attention. Making games more credible is just as much their responsibility as Nintendo’s. Michael.French@
intentmedia.co.uk
October 22nd 2010 5
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