THE FINALISTS 2012 YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS Previous Winners 10th Anniversary
This award is for any UK-based sales team or specialist sales force, including in-house staff and outsourced service companies
2008: Ubisoft 2009: Sega 2010: Microsoft 2011: Nintendo
ACTIVISION
Not content with another outstanding Call of Duty launch, 2011 saw the Activision UK sales team successfully launch a new IP, Skylanders, into the market with amazing results. What the publisher describes as “exceptional support from retail” means the franchise hasnʼt just kept selling, but has proven out Activisionʼs release and deployment plan. Activision says Skylanders has broken new barriers, engaged new consumers, and helped retail reach out to a whole new audience on a brand that will continue to grow into 2012. Call of Duty and Skylanders are just two examples from the Activision Blizzard slate that underline its strong retail relationships and a
collaborative, forward thinking approach – other notable releases last year included the performance of titles such as Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo.
BETHESDA
Most teams nominated for this award are just that – collectives of people. And yes, while this nomination came about in part due to communal support from the whole of the centralised European team at Bethesdaʼs Golden Square, London office, insiders at the publisher say the real credit goes to an individual. In its own words: “the sales team at Bethesda that was responsible for the retail success of Skyrim was one person”. That man is Gethyn Deakins. Take a bow, sir.
ELECTRONIC ARTS A string of measurable stats prove out the hard work of EAʼs UK sales team. The firm grew its overall market share to over a fifth of the market in calendar year 2011 and had two of the top three selling games for the full year and four of the Top 20. The UK team has played a significant part in making FIFA 12 the best-selling sports game in history and the second biggest selling game in the UK in 2011. EA also established Battlefield 3 as a triple-A franchise and took share in the FPS category – it was the third biggest selling game in the UK. Itʼs also helped introduce new franchises to the global market, helping Star Wars: The Old Republic achieve 1.7 million active subscribers, making it the fastest selling subscription MMO to date.
MICROSOFT Xbox has a long list of achievements in the sales stakes during the last 12 months. The console kept its position as the No.1 console in the market during 2011 and grew volume and value share of lead consoles year-on-year during the Christmas quarter. The firm also claims the best attach figures for games and accessories of any current gen format while Xbox games volume sales are up year-on- year despite the total software market being down. Despite the tough economic climate, the team says it has continued to deliver good results through agreeing strong joint partner business plans and through a genuine drive to over-achieve. Their results have once again helped the UK achieve the strongest results in Europe for the Xbox brand.