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TAG-TEAM INTERVIEW Rob Gross,
OFF THE RECORD
Sony DADC’s Rob Gross grills Mastertronic’s group sales director James Cato
Head of Business Development for Games, Sony DADC
Vs
Your sales team’s work on Sniper: Ghost Warrior got pipped to the post by Codemasters’ F1 2010 at the MCV Awards – are you still speaking to Mr Wigmore? Wigmore who? I thought the Wigmore family made cheese? Is one of their clan in the games industry?
I’m just pleased we got some recognition for creating a
success with a new IP from a smaller publisher, rather than following
the tried and tested
approach with an established brand. Do I sound bitter and twisted?
How important has it been for Mastertronic to have six retail-facing salesmen in these challenging times?
Our publishing and retail partners are very important to us, so having the right size sales team enables us to be flexible, act quickly and to explore all
opportunities, in order to meet
FROM THE ARCHIVE... FIVE YEARS AGO MCV May 5th 2006
NEWS Atari’s Bruno Bonnell admits that the firm has started selling its studios and assets... Nintendo’s David Yarnton defends the newly-chosen Wii moniker for its upcoming console, insisting consumers will get used to it... Take- Two announces plans to move its international HQ to Geneva... Analysts predict that E3 ‘06 will mark the beginning of industry consolidation that will leave just six or seven major publishers in business by 2016... Paul Jackson leaves EA to become ELSPA director general...
the industry. The current members are...
their targets and expectations.
E3 or Gamescom? Both. Miller Genuine Draft in L.A. And Pilsner in Cologne.
What is your most memorable Garry
Williams experience? If you have
enough of either of
the above, then all the Garry Williams experiences are unmemorable. It’s safer for all concerned.
James Cato,
Group Sales Director, Mastertronic
Having said that, I have been warned never to go to a football match with Garry, unless I want to extend my Anglo Saxon vocabulary.
After twenty years in the business, do you still dream of retiring in Mablethorpe? When you’re young and ambitious, you sometimes set
targets that are wildly unachievable.
With age comes experience (the old bull and the young bull
– sales team!) and a better understanding of what you can and cannot achieve. Hence I’ve now booked a retirement home in Eastbourne.
Will you be buying a hooped (QPR) shirt for your one year in the Premiership next season?
I’m taking a leaf out of my retailer handbook. I’ve extended my payment terms and negotiated an exit strategy after 12 months if ‘we’ haven’t performed.
Who will you be tagging for next week’s issue? Rising Star’s Martin Defries.
CHARTS: ALL FORMATS 1. Tomb Raider Legend 2. Ice Age 2: Meltdown
Eidos
3. Animal Crossing: Wild World Nintendo 4. FIFA Street 2 5. The Godfather
EA EA
PS2, XB, PC, 360
Vivendi PS2, XB, GC, GBA, PC, DS DS
PS2, PSP, XB, DS PS2, XB, PC
AND FINALLY We ventured on various internet forums to gauge the response to Nintendo’s decision to drop the Revolution codename for its new console in favour of Wii. Comments range from “I bet ‘iPod’ sounded just as stupid when that was first announced” to “I honestly believe Nintendo has just committed commercial suicide”. And, of course, the jokes about urine (wee), French (oui) and little piggies (“Wii Wii Wii... all the way home”).
Azeem Sadiq, Comet
www.mcvuk.com
Graham Chambers, Amazon
Christopher Rogers, Dixons Retail
Igor Cipolletta, ShopTo
Anthony Stocker, Argos
Stephen Staley, Gameseek
Joanna Hunt, Tesco
Gurdeep Hunjan, Sainsbury’s
Phil Moore, Grainger Games
May 6th 2011 65
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