Can we prevent a nightmare before Christmas? Top games could add £320m to market
by Christopher Dring
UK GAMES buyers have chosen the 20 games they think will be the biggest blockbusters this Christmas. These are the releases that
are crucial in retail’s bid to reduce the 33 per cent drop in sales that the boxed market has suffered so far this year.
The Top 20 video games of last Christmas generated £378.5 million.
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In fact, these 20 titles could be worth a combined value of over £320m. This year’s list is notable for being more family friendly than in previous years. Moshi Monsters, Skylanders, LEGO, Mario, Pokémonand Sony’s Wonderbook all make the Top 20.
But it’s the core games that
are likely to be the biggest sellers, with familiar names
IN THIS ISSUE
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10 GAMESCOM MINI-GUIDE We provide a brief summary of this month’s consumer and trade show in Cologne
18 CORRE GAMER Ubisoft European chief Alain Corre on beating FIFAand giving core fans something new
23 HEAD IN THE CLOUDS MCVspeaks to the top names in cloud gaming to discover why you need to get involved
41 CHARTS
Seven pages of data from Chart-Track, Steam, Xbox Live, Apple, PSN, Google and more
Call of Duty, FIFA, Medal of Honor, Need for Speed, Assassin’s Creedand Hitman making the cut. Meanwhile, Bethesda is tipped to have the big new IP of Xmas with stealth FPS Dishonored. Last year, £728m was generated from boxed games during the last three months of the year alone, which is over 50 per cent of the entire year’s market value. And 52 per cent of Q4 sales were generated by the Top 20 titles. That’s £378.5m from just 20 games. In a more staggering figure, the Top Five boxed games of Xmas 2011 (FIFA 12, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Just Dance 3and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations) generated £269m. That’s 37 per cent of all the software revenue generated during Q4 2011 (they accounted for 31 per cent of the units sold). All figures are from GfK
Chart-Track. The 20 games were compiled by MCVbased on extensive feedback from our Retail Advisory Board. Read more on the Top 20 Q4 games on pages 4 and 5