RECOMMENDED
Football Manager 2014 to kick off in time for Christmas
Early beta access with pre-orders Big online marketing push from Sega
WHAT IS MICROSOFT’S GAMEPLAN?
MICROSOFT’S Games for Windows Live (GfWL) online platform could be shutting down next July, following the closure of the GfWL marketplace on August 22nd (where customers can buy digital download games). The question is – what will replace
By Dominic Sacco
THE NEXT instalment of one of the most popular PC games to ever hit the UK, Football Manager 2014, will arrive in time for Christmas. The game has an RRP of £44.99, but is currently available on Amazon to pre-order for £39.99, or on Steam/Sega’s digital store for £34.99. It will be available via High Street stores, online retailers and digital download services. Football Manager 2014 promises to be the most realistic and feature-
packed game in the simulation series – which has sold millions of copies across the world.
The title, published by Sega and
developed by Sports Interactive for PC, Mac and Linux, will have Steam Workshop tools integrated so managers can create and share customised content. Plus, it will boast an improved 3D match engine, a tactical overhaul, more realistic transfers and contracts, a revamped news system, a fresh user interface and more.
DOWNLOAD – STEAM TOP 10 TITLE
1 Payday 2 2 Saints Row IV 3 Total War: Rome II
4 Might & Magic X – Legacy 5 X Rebirth
Managers can now choose more
than three playable nations in Classic mode, interact with a more sophisticated virtual club board. Sega is pushing the title online,
with details on the game’s 1,000-plus new and enhanced features being revealed each day on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. More are set to be showcased in the weeks up to launch. Participating retailers can also offer
customers who pre-order Football Manager 2014 early access to a beta version of the game.
Chart compiled on August 20th, 2013 LABEL
505 Games Deep Silver Sega
Ubisoft Egosoft
RETAIL – FULL PRICE TOP 10 TITLE
1 The Sims 3: Island Paradise 2 Football Manager 2013 3 The Sims 3
4 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Legendary 5 The Sims 3: University Life 6 Company of Heroes 2 7 SimCity
8 Civilization V: Brave New World 9 The Sims 3: Seasons
10 The Sims 3: Starter Bundle TITLE 6 Splinter Cell Blacklist
7 Saint’s Row IV: Season Pass 8 Sir, You Are Being Hunted 9 Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs 10 Civilization V: Brave New World
LABEL Ubisoft
Deep Silver Big Robot Ltd
Frictional Games 2K Games
LABEL EA
Sega EA
Bethesda EA
Sega EA
2K Games EA EA
RETAIL – BUDGET PRICE TOP 10 TITLE
3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 4 Aliens: Colonial Marines 5 Battlefield 3
6 Sim City 4: Deluxe Edition 7 Euro Truck Simulator 2 8 The Sims 2: Double Deluxe 9 World of Warcraft: Battle Chest 10 Alice: Madness Returns
UKIE Games Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track, June 30th to July 27th, 2013
www.pcr-online.biz
Games for Windows Live next year? Particularly with its new focus on gaming, Microsoft surely won’t relinquish a chance to control game sales on its Windows operating systems. Don’t rule Microsoft out just yet – we’re sure it will come up with something to replace GfWL. With former Steam chief Jason Holtman
now working on ‘making Windows a great platform for gaming’, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft balances the upcoming Xbox One and PC games on Windows. The lead-up to the Xbox One’s launch has already shown Microsoft is working hard to please gamers; it has U- turned on its DRM (Digital Rights Management) and always-on Kinect policies and now is tempting customers with a free copy of FIFA 14. But if Microsoft can’t persuade all of its Xbox 360 owners to make the leap to Xbox One, how will they win back the PC gamers who’ve already abandoned them? The largest PC gaming distributor it
faces is Steam, plus there are rival online services from publishers such as EA’s Origin and Ubisoft’s Uplay. But if anyone can make Microsoft a threat to Valve’s online gaming platform powerhouse, however, it’s Holtman, who nurtured Steam into the success it is today. The reaction of gamers to non-Steam
LABEL
1 Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Deluxe Ed. Mastertronic 2 Doom 3: BFG Edition
Bethesda Bethesda Sega EA EA
Excalibur Publishing EA
Blizzard EA
platforms has softened over time, giving GfWL’s successor a far better chance to thrive now than before. Steam continues to ride high with some 50 million users, but it took time to grow into the goliath it is today, and suffered back in 2002, with early adopters complaining about issues such as DRM, targeted at other publishers today. When or how GfWL will be resurrected,
or whether it will be reborn into a new form, isn’t clear. What is clear is that Microsoft has never had a better chance to seat itself back on the peak of PC gaming.
matthew.jarvis@intentmedia.co.uk
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