RETAIL INTELLIGENCE Head to www.mcvuk.com for daily market data and news. This week our Recommended section starts on p31
Must stock: 2012’s Top 20 games
Call of Duty: Black Ops II “We all saw Amazon’s announcement on the success they’ve had with Black Ops IIpre-orders and that’s pretty consistent across retail. It’s shaping up to be a big success.” Peter Hepworth, Activision
New Super Mario Bros The 50m-selling series continues with NSMB2, likely to be the 3DS’ most popular game this Christmas, and a launch title for Wii U. James Honeywell says: “Wii U is the gift that will keep on giving all year round.”
Need for Speed: Most Wanted “We have probably the best developers in the world working on Most Wantedin Criterion. They’re exceptional at giving consumers what they want.”
Laura Miele, EA Games
Dishonored There’s not a great deal of new IP out this Christmas in the core gaming space – Bethesda’s promising title is the notable exception. Stylised first-person stealth game Dishonored is tipped by critics as a must-own title.
Hitman Absolution “Our ambition is to make this a Top Five title. Hitman is a huge franchise that has reviewed well for us. We haven’t done it year-on- year so there’s no fatigue amongst our audience.” John Brooke, Square Enix
Pokémon Black & White 2 “After the success in Japan, we’re excited to be bringing Pokémon Black and White 2 to the UK. With additional Pokémon launches, this could be the franchise’s strongest year to date.” Ben Taylor, Nintendo
4 August 3rd 2012
Assassin’s Creed III “We’re thrilled Assassin’s Creed IIIwas nominated and we thank retail for supporting us as we ship the most ambitious Creed ever. This will take the franchise to the next level.” Matt Benson, Ubisoft
Resident Evil 6
“The developer has almost over-delivered: you’ve got three different plots, each offering something unique to fans and newcomers. I think we are going to satisfy the largest audience to date.” Michael Pattison, Capcom
Far Cry 3 “Far Cry 3is a major focus for us this Christmas. The development team has a really ambitious vision – it’s a huge offering and much more than just a survival adventure shooter.”
Louise Marchant, Ubisoft
Medal of Honor: Warfighter
It may not have the punch of Battlefield(yet) but Medalof Honor remains a big seller. With CoD stepping into the future, MoHwill stand out as the only modern day shooter this Christmas.
Just Dance 4
“New for this year will be the game’s release on Wii U with new features. We will be spending big on marketing at launch. Come Christmas, we expect the nation to be dancing once again.”
Rachael Grant, Ubisoft
LEGO Lord of the Rings “2012 is already proving to be monumental for LEGO games like LEGO Batman 2. With the toys’ success and excitement for The Hobbit, we expect LEGO Lord of the Rings to be a stellar hit.” Spencer Crossley, Warner
Football Manager 2013 It’s not been officially announced yet, but Football Manager remains one of the most consistent PC performers at retail and a mainstay in the Top 20 Q4 charts. Expect this year’s game to be no different.
Forza Horizon Forzawas last year’s most successful racer. Microsoft wants to maintain that momentum by transforming the brand into an annual franchise. Spin-off Forza Horizonis developed by UK studio Playground Games.
Halo 4
“Bringing Master Chief back is huge. It’s a franchise reset and a big bet for the year. Throwing everything and the kitchen sink at it? Yeah. We want it to be talked about everywhere” Steve Beinner, Xbox
Skylanders: Giants “We’re going to engage with kids and Skylandersfans in the same way that we do with Call of Duty. This unique combination of toys and software will not be a fad.” Michael Spourtouch, Activision
Borderlands 2 “It’s like an impossible dream. Every metric we look at puts Borderlands2as a Top 10 game of 2012 and it looks like a Top Five game. Every indication says this will do better than Borderlands.“ Randy Pitchford, Gearbox
Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park “The new game invites players to restore the legendary Moshi theme park to its former glory. It’s a must have this Christmas.” Andy Matjaszek, Mind Candy