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NEWS


Koch Media offers indie support for Wii U launch


Direct-to-consumer delivery service revealed By Lauren Wainwright


NINDIE.COM has promised independent retailers they will get their ‘fair share’ of Wii U stock as the console’s launch approaches. Koch Media’s Nintendo supply portal says that Wii U can be delivered direct to consumers on behalf of the retailers. The cost to stores will be the normal trade price plus a £2 handling charge.


“This is particularly useful for the new release of Wii U where a day of launch delivery is imperative,” said Koch Media’s MD Craig McNicol. “Thus take the money at the till, enter the order on Nindie.com with the


consumer’s delivery address, and Koch will deliver with a delivery note with the


retailer’s details on. “Our Nindie.com scheme has strove for six years since its inception to deal with the independent


marketplace on a transparent basis with allocations. A lot has changed in the marketplace in that time but for sure one thing that hasn’t is that there is never enough stock of highly demanded lines to satisfy everyone’s wishes.” www.nindie.com


PRE-ORDERS TOP10 1


1. FORZA HORIZON Microsoft ..............................................................360


2. Football Manager 2013 Sega.......................................................................................PC


3. Call of Duty: Black Ops II Activision..........................................................................360


2


4. Halo 4 Microsoft..........................................................................360


5. Assassins Creed III Ubisoft...............................................................................360


6. Medal of Honor: Warfighter Limited Edition EA.........................................................................................360


7. Halo 4 Limited Collector’s Edition Microsoft..........................................................................360


3


8. Call of Duty: Black Ops II Activision..........................................................................PS3


9. Tomb Raider Collector’s Edition Square Enix.....................................................................360


10 Assassins Creed III Ubisoft...............................................................................PS3


www.shopto.net www.mcvuk.com LEADER


FIGHTING FIT – OR FIGHTING FIRE? RATIONALLY, a decline in UK industry Christmas marketing spend makes sense at a time when there are fewer games coming out, and the ones remaining are getting most of the attention. Compare the year-on-year release schedules, however, and Q4 isn’t particularly quiet year-on-year.


Ubi, EA and Activision have their favourites and franchises. The platform holders have a line-up each with plenty to prove. Swap Batman and Skyrimlast year for Hitmanand Dishonouredthis year and you’ve even got a similar number of alternative blockbusters on the way. So, even if it is just emotionally, it really does jar that the level of


marketing spend – which was once a good barometer for industry energy – has come in lower than ever.


There are smaller budgets, and where there is any left it’s also being spent more wisely – spent in ‘more effective’ or ‘more targeted’ ways (read: cheaper) then before. Elsewhere, some companies have sat out the marketing merry-go-round completely. But £99m is just a number. Games advertising spend is 40 per cent down, and the trade’s marketers and PR teams have to work 40 per cent harder. Early signs are we are doing just that.


KINECT NEEDS TO CONNECT WHEN new releases fail to chart, most of us turn a blind eye. Who are we to revel in a product’s failure?


But the lack of momentum for Kinect games is worrisome. Is Fable:The Journeythe canary in the mine or the start of a new adventure for Microsoft’s peripheral? Few will commit an answer, in itself quite damning – two years in, you expect it to have a core of advocates. You can’t say that the market isn’t receptive to gimmicks or new ways to touch games – Skylanders is entering its second year, and Wonderbook and Wii U are the hot new releases from Sony and Nintendo. And you can’t say that the industry


hasn’t embraced market-stretching ambition – over the page we have the head of LEGO and a Disney movie chief extolling to MCVthe cultural and commercial worth of video games.


Kinect is a great opportunity for retailers but, ironically, has become a bit invisible. Xbox 360 is the market-leading console – I can’t be the only one out there who wants to see its ambitious add-ons match that? Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk


October 19th 2012 5


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