International Media Partner
GAME OVER Industry awaits GAME fate
..................................Page 4 GAME: A trade history
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EVERY BUYER EVERY BRANCH EVERY WEEK Issue 681 Friday March 30th 2012 £3.25
Sweet relief for games industry as tax break promises to boost flagging development sector by Michael French
OUR SPECIALIST retail chain is in dire straits, and Britsoft publishers are extinct. But the Coalition
A lot of big games companies said to us that they are still interested in the UK.
“ Ed Vaizey, Culture Minister
the UK if there was a tax break,” said the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries. “Big TV companies on the
West Coast of the US said they would be interested too, as did the animation companies.”
IN THIS ISSUE
04 VITA’S £1.5M AD PUSH Sony reveals its blockbuster advertising campaign for PlayStation Vita
05 HMV SALES SPIKE Entertainment giant sees sales of new games double following GAME woe
11 AARDMAN & NINTENDO The animation giant and platform holder discuss their new 3DS partnership
23 DATA AND RESEARCH Chart-Track reveals the most popular video game franchises in the UK
33 DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION Gamefly, Metaboli, Green Man Gaming and more discuss the download sector
Government’s games tax break will re-establish British talent on the global stage, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has told MCV. He said the Government chose a wider subsidy to attract big firms to make more content in the UK. “Some big companies made it clear they would consider investing heavily in
UEFA game relegated to download
by Ben Parfitt and Christopher Dring
EA’S NEXT football game will not be coming to retail, MCVcan reveal. UEFA Euro 2012will act as an expansion pack for FIFA 12. It will feature all 53 teams and eight stadiums used in this summer’s Euro Championships.
UK-made games of all types could benefit from the tax break
The previous Labour Government first proposed a tax break in 2010 – but the Coalition Government swept it aside.
“The case grew in
strength over recent years to convince the Treasury,” said Vaizey. But don’t expect generous handouts like those in Canada.
ENTERTAINMENT LEADERS HAIL TAX BREAK “As major
“This is a great first step and should put the UK in a stronger position to
compete with other
countries offering incentives for video games production.” Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard
investors in UK TV, film and video games production, we welcome all
measures aimed at supporting the UK to further develop and sustain its strong position in these key creative sectors.” Josh Berger, President & MD, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland and Spain
“We’ll never quite get to the level Canada has,” he added. “But a lot of big games companies said to us that they are still interested. They see the UK as a potential European hub – that plus the UK tax break plus our mix of skills and creativity, and the UK looks pretty impressive.”
“The UK has always been a leading market in gaming, and with this support we
can continue to be
competitive within the global landscape.”
Rob Cooper, UK MD, Ubisoft
The title will be made available to download on April 25th for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC for £15.99. The news will come as a blow to retail as the World Cup and Euro tie-ins are often amongst the biggest sellers during the summer. But this year’s game is not skipping retail completely. EA says that customers will be able to purchase downloadable points cards at retail should they wish. The game requires FIFA
12to play.
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