Interviews & Features
RSS FeedThe power of the gaming sequel
How gaming is putting Hollywood to shame Variety.com
Dec 6 2007
A summer full of sequels (Spider-Man, Pirates et al) helped propel the film business to a tidy five per cent jump in revenue so far this year. That's not bad, but it's nothing compared to the 49 per cent revenue growth for gaming, which has soared to $10.5 billion.
When it comes to sequel-itis, the film business is clearly in the shadow of video games. Five of the top ten movies this year are sequels – but in vidgames, it's nine of the top ten, and 17 of the top 20.
So does that mean three of those bestsellers are based on fresh ideas? Not really. Cars and Transformers are based on hit movies and the success of the third, Wii Play, is widely attributed to the fact it comes with an extra controller for Nintendo's bestselling console.
"The video game industry is very sequel-reliant," notes NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "It's easier to forecast revenue and allocate resources toward franchises with a proven history and then use that umbrella of properties to support any new ventures."
Aside from the spectacular stats, the video game sequels have one more huge advantage over their film counterparts – their budgets don't balloon from the predecessor editions.
Year-to-year box office increases are at least partly attributed to higher ticket prices. That's not the case with video games. Pure unit sales are up 10 per cent year-to-year – thanks in part to the release of new consoles and partly to the vagaries of any media business.
It's not just the publishers that rely on franchises. They're particularly important to the three major console manufacturers – Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony – which count on their self-published franchises to help drive console sales.
By investing heavily in Gears of War or Mass Effect, the theory goes, Microsoft can better convince gamers to buy an Xbox 360 so that they will be able to play the inevitable follow-ups.
While video game sequels overwhelmingly outperform originals, it's not simply a matter of popularity. It's just that very few top-tier original titles are released each year – much fewer than in movies and TV.
Only a handful of new video game properties, including Bioshock, Crackdown and Lost Planet, have been solid successes thus far in 2007, though none is a chart topper. Several recent originals, like Rock Band, Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed, could turn out to be hits before the year is done.
It's worth noting, however, that all of those games are designed to spawn sequels if they're successful. Unlike Hollywood, virtually every new video game is designed to spawn sequels. The idea of a Beowulf or 300 – big movies with no chance of turning into a franchise – is unheard of in gaming.
"In videogames, unlike movies, the expectation is that almost everything we put into development will make it to production and should have a good shot at being a commercial success," says Philip Holt, general manager at EA's Tiburon Studio, home of the Madden NFL franchise.
"That forces us to gravitate toward games that have, or could have, a fan base that clamors for more and more."
Among video game publishers, in other words, the action is all in the franchises. And the results show on their bottom lines:
* Activision recently upped its guidance and saw a 14% jump in its stock last week based almost exclusively on boffo sales for Guitar Hero 3 and Call of Duty 4.
* Microsoft turned Halo 3 into one of the biggest entertainment launches of the year, earning more than $170 million on its first day, primarily from gamers who reserved copies ahead of time. The game has thus far sold 5 million units worldwide and is the bestselling title this year in the U.S., even though it's only available on one console.
* Red-hot Nintendo has built its business in large part on three franchises, each more than 20 years old: Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. Super Mario Galaxy, the latest of more than 50 games that have prominently featured the tubby little plumber in one form or another, sold more than 500,000 units in its first week on sale in the US.
* Electronic Arts has two video games in the US top ten, both of which share a very similar title. Madden NFL '08, the 19th entry in Electronic Arts' perennial football powerhouse, is number two, while Madden NFL '07, released in August of last year, is number ten.
* Many observers have pointed out that one of the reasons Sony's PS3 has been selling poorly is that sequels to several of the franchises most associated with the Playstation brand, including Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, and Killzone, aren't coming out again until 2008.
In any media business, execs like franchises because they provide predictability and opportunities for spinoffs, merchandising, and other ancillary revenue.
In films, however, costs tend to escalate rapidly. The first Spider-Man cost $140 million to produce, the second $200 million and Spider-Man 3 at $258 million, according to estimates.
In video games, that's not the case. Most major game franchises, in fact, are made at the same studio with largely the same team of developers year after year.
Yes, some game producers and designers get big bonuses and raises, while the developers have to keep raising the technological bar. But that's nothing compared to the ballooning effects that budgets and star salaries have on a summer tentpole.
"There are definitely economies of scale from using the same group of experienced people, the same engine, and repurposing some assets," explains Tracy Williams, marketing manager for THQ's successful WWE video games, which come out every November. "It takes a significant investment to start, but ultimately, (franchise sequels) can be a little cheaper than other games."
With the cost of top-tier games now often exceeding $20 million, video game publishers are more conservative than ever, which makes original properties even rarer.
But while that's coming true on the shelves of Best Buy, there's a countervailing force. Thanks to digital distribution, there are more opportunities for inexpensive, so-called "casual" games that can be downloaded to a PC, console, or mobile phone. Nintendo's low-powered Wii and DS are also significantly less expensive to develop for than the 360 and PS3, making it easier to take some risks.
"There will always be those big blockbusters, but the mobile phone and the Web and Wii are offering business models that aren't so daunting," says EA's Holt. "That may open up new opportunities for creative exploration."
This article originally appeared on Variety.com
Author: Ben Fritz/Pamela McClintock
Other Interviews
- Majesty's Secret Services
Jan 21 - Midas, Ghostlight and Laughing Jackal parent Majesty House
- Talking 2K
Jan 20 - Christoph Hartmann
- How to get a job in... Games distribution
Jan 16 - Stephen Duke
- How to get a job in... Entertainment retail
Jan 16 - Gennaro Castaldo
- How to get a job in... Games development
Jan 16 - Ed Fear
- How to get a job in... Games publishing
Jan 16 -
- Sega Unleashed
Jan 15 - Alan Pritchard & John Clark
- 50 things to look out for in 2009 – Part 2
Jan 13 -
- 50 things to look out for in 2009 – Part 1
Jan 12 -
- JAPANESE 2008 MARKET REPORT
Jan 09 - Enterbrain’s in-depth look at the Japanese video games market in 2008
- Budget's PC boost
Jan 08 - We take a look at the UK budget PC sector
- Spring in her step
Jan 05 - Stevie Spring
- 2008 Review – Part Four
Dec 31 - October to December
- When ELSPA met GAME
Dec 30 - Lisa Morgan
- 2008 Review – Part Three
Dec 29 - July to September
- 2008 Review – Part Two
Dec 24 - April to June
- INTERVIEW: The Scotsman
Dec 23 - Dave Cook
- 2008 Review – Part One
Dec 22 - January-March
- The rise of The Hut
Dec 21 - Caroine Austen
- HMV's top dog
Dec 20 - Simon Fox
- Action ‘Station
Dec 19 - David Reeves
- Christmas Opening Times: Part Two
Dec 18 - MCV presents this Xmas’ distribution times…
- Christmas Opening Times: Part One
Dec 18 - MCV presents this Xmas’ distribution times…
- Atari lives
Dec 16 - David Gardner and Phil Harrison
- INTERVIEW: FHM magazine
Dec 15 - Simon Munk, FHM
- WOOLWORTHS FALLOUT
Dec 11 - UK games market will face more casualties
- MCV Retail Survey 2008: Part Two
Dec 11 - MCV asks the High Street all about its year
- MCV Retail Survey 2008: Part One
Dec 11 - MCV asks the High Street all about its year
- 250… and counting
Dec 08 - Gamestation opens its 250th store
- The Xbox 360 and MCV Big Quiz
Dec 05 - Lots of sexy prizes to be won!
- On the Edge
Dec 04 - The team behind GMA award winner, Edge Magazine
- Best of a bad crunch
Dec 01 - Consumer research company TNS on... The Credit Crunch
- INTERVIEW: The X Men
Nov 28 - David Gosen & Chris Lewis
- Stocks and scares
Nov 25 - We take a look at US publishers' share fluctuations
- MCV's Fantasy Publisher: UK
Nov 21 - The third part of MCV's hand-picked 'dream team'
- MCV's Fantasy Publisher: Europe
Nov 21 - The second part of MCV's hand-picked 'dream team'
- MCV’s Fantasy Publisher: Global
Nov 21 - The first part of MCV's hand-picked 'dream team'
- Fallout Boy
Nov 20 - Sean Brennan
- The One and only
Nov 19 - We look back at EA's Be The One event in London
- We three kings
Nov 18 - Ubisoft's marketing team sets its sights on Christmas success
- Live & Kicking
Nov 17 - MCV takes a close look at the new Xbox 360 online experience
- Goodbye, my friend
Nov 13 - The decline of PS2
- In the Nick of time
Nov 11 - Arwed Ralf-Grenzbach
- Strength of the Euro
Nov 10 - Tom Bramwell, Editor, Eurogamer
- MCV's 30 Under 30: Pt.2
Nov 07 - We present the UK industry's brightest young stars
- MCV's 30 Under 30: Pt.1
Nov 06 - We present the UK industry's brightest young stars
- Gaming’s Guardians
Nov 04 - Steve Boxer & Keith Stuart
- Leaders of the pack
Oct 30 - David Yarnton
- Capital plans
Oct 28 - Keith Ramsdale
- Xbox Live 2.0
Oct 24 - John Schappert
- A question of sport
Oct 22 - What makes a successful Wii sports game?
- Tweenage kicks
Oct 16 - Graham Hopper
- Supermarkets weep?
Oct 13 - News analysis: EUK and Woolworths
- High Street highs
Oct 10 - Lisa Morgan
- Return of the Chief
Oct 09 - We speak to Microsoft's UK Head Of Gaming and Entertainment Stephen McGill
- Dubai the way
Oct 06 - We investigate the Middle East's first ever trade show
- News Analysis: Store wars
Oct 02 - The trade speaks out on price cuts
- Territory report: India
Oct 01 - MCV takes a look at a true emerging market
- Losing its Virginity
Sep 30 - Simon Douglas
- Boxing clever
Sep 26 - We speak to UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson
- Q3 release analysis
Sep 24 - Screen Digest sums up what to expect this quarter
- Is core gaming still important?
Sep 23 - Has the casual gaming boom destroyed hardcore's relevance?
- London Games Festival 2008: Full preview
Sep 19 - MCV walks you through the the Capital’s celebration of interactive entertainment
- The game changers
Sep 18 - David Gardner & Phil Harrison
- Rise and shine
Sep 16 - Martin DeFries
- Absolutely fabulous?
Sep 12 - The UK's games PRs speak out
- That's not all, folks
Sep 11 - Martin Tremblay
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 4/10
Sep 09 - Ubisoft faces America’s anti-army
- MCV HOTLIST: Gaming's 10 biggest controversies
Sep 08 - Where were you when all this was kicking off?
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 1/10
Sep 08 - Night Trap-ped outcry
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 2/10
Sep 08 - Mortal Kombat inspires the ESRB
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 3/10
Sep 08 - Eidos’ Carmageddon crashes out
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 5/10
Sep 08 - ‘Murder By PlayStation’
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 6/10
Sep 08 - The Guy Game’s D.O.B blunder
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 7/10
Sep 08 - Rockstar spills a load of Hot Coffee
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 8/10
Sep 08 - BBFC takes on Manhunt 2... and loses
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 9/10
Sep 08 - Goatgate
- Gaming's biggest controversies: 10/10
Sep 08 - Sony vs. God
- Action ‘Stations
Sep 05 - David Reeves, President, SCEE
- The Masterplan
Sep 04 - Andy Payne, Managing Director, Mastertronic
- Celebrity Status
Aug 29 - Special focus: Celebrities in games marketing
- Dazzling Future
Aug 27 - Robert Price
- Batman and Beyond
Aug 22 - Jonathan Smith, Tom Stone
- Corre de force
Aug 18 - Alain Corre
- MCV LEGENDS: Peter Moore
Aug 14 - We take a look back at the EA Sports boss's career
- Is there still life in the PS2?
Aug 13 - Leading UK retailers discuss console's future
- A new Euro force
Aug 07 - Christian Gloe; Arne Peters; Matthew Walker; David Walker
- Olympic standards
Aug 05 - How 'The Games' has affected the industry's releases
- The X-Men
Jul 31 - Don Mattrick and John Schappert
- Kaz Hirai on PS3... Pt. 2
Jul 28 - Kaz Hirai
- Thank you for the music
Jul 28 - Music in games: Special focus
- MCV HOTLIST: The 10 deals that shook the industry
Jul 25 - The most shocking games news in history
- Deals that shook the industry: 10/10
Jul 25 - Nintendo drops PlayStation
- Deals that shook the industry: 9/10
Jul 25 - Square merges with Enix
- Deals that shook the industry: 8/10
Jul 25 - GAME buys Gamestation
- Deals that shook the industry: 7/10
Jul 25 - Havas acquires Sierra Online, Blizzard
- Deals that shook the industry: 6/10
Jul 25 - EA buys Bullfrog
- Deals that shook the industry: 5/10
Jul 25 - SCI snaps up Eidos
- Deals that shook the industry: 4/10
Jul 25 - Microsoft buys Rare
- Deals that shook the industry: 3/10
Jul 25 - Infogrames buys... everyone
- Deals that shook the industry: 2/10
Jul 25 - EA invests in Ubisoft
- Deals that shook the industry 1/10
Jul 25 - Take Two buys DMA Designs
- Hirai on PS3... Pt. 1
Jul 24 - Kaz Hirai
- Media Darlings
Jul 22 - Hirokazu Hamamura
- INTERVIEW - Thomas Tippl
Jul 17 - CFO, Activision-Blizzard
- E3 08: Review: Day three
Jul 17 - A recap of the third day's events in LA
- E3 ’08: Review: Day two
Jul 16 - A recap of the second day's events in LA
- E3 ’08: Review: Day one
Jul 15 - A recap of the first day's events in LA
- Sam Houser's CV - in his own words
Jul 11 - Rockstar co-founder and president charts his rise to the top
- MCV LEGENDS: Sam Houser
Jul 11 - Sam Houser
- MCV's E3 preview: Pt. 2
Jul 09 - A publisher-by-publisher look at what you can expect...
- MCV's E3 preview: Pt. 1
Jul 09 - A publisher-by-publisher look at what you can expect...
- ELSPA members on PEGI
Jul 08 - Why the UK would be best served by Pan-European ratings...
- Back with a bang
Jul 04 - David Gosen
- In-game ads: The facts
Jul 03 - Full Nielsen data on the market
- State of Independents
Jul 02 - MCV investigates the UK independent retail sector
- Fighting the flab
Jul 01 - The rise of 'healthy gaming'
- London calling
Jun 27 - Keith Ramsdale, Chairman, London Games Festival
- Pinnacle seeks new heights
Jun 24 - Peter Sleeman
- SOE what?
Jun 23 - John Smedley
- Pump up the volume
Jun 19 - Joerg Trouvain
- How to market a monster
Jun 16 - Brett Siddons
- PS we love you
Jun 12 - PSP's promising year ahead
- Phew! What a scorcher
Jun 09 - Retail's sweltering summer
- Ubisoft’s Yves-olution
Jun 05 - Yves Guillemot
- Sega's superstars
Jun 04 - Alan Pritchard, Sara Grover & John Clark
- Cooking up a storm
Jun 02 - Ian Howe
- Ninja's theory
May 30 - Tomonubu Itagaki
- Sell, sell, sell
May 27 - Darren Bowen
- RETAIL PROFILE: HMV
May 23 - Jonathan Hayes
- Winning the GAME
May 21 - Lisa Morgan
- A grand 'vision
May 21 - Joerg Trouvain
- Media moguls
May 20 - Klemens Kundratitz
- The UK's top 20 indies: Pt. 2
May 19 - Britain's finest independent retailers
- The UK's top 20 indies: Pt. 1
May 19 - Britain's finest independent retailers
- The power of PlayStation
May 16 - Kaz Hirai
- Masters of Coding
May 15 - Gavin Cheshire
- Solid as a rock
May 12 - Kunio Neo
- Midway’s next generation
May 08 - Matt Booty & Martin Spiess
- PLAYSTATION DAY '08
May 06 - Kaz Hirai's presentation: The highlights
- UK RETAIL PROFILE: Grainger Games
May 02 - MCV Award Winner: Best Independent Retailer
- INTERVIEW: Satoru Iwata – part three
May 01 - President, Nintendo
- INTERVIEW: Satoru Iwata – part two
May 01 - President, Nintendo
- INTERVIEW: Satoru Iwata – part one
May 01 - President, Nintendo
- 'Which console is best for GTA IV?' Pt. 2
Apr 29 - Mystery Shopper
- 'Which console is best for GTA IV?' Pt. 1
Apr 29 - Mystery Shopper
- IDG Research sales forecast: 2008 & 2009
Apr 25 -
- Q1 Chart Analysis
Apr 23 - 2008 - the story so far
- MCV LEGENDS - Jack Tretton
Apr 22 - We speak to North America's PlayStation king
- MCV Awards 08: Winners' reaction
Apr 18 - The winners of the 2008 MCV Industry Excellence Awards in their own words
- Ten years of Tom Clancy
Apr 17 - We take a closer look at Ubisoft's mega-selling franchise
- Tanya Byron's TV show: Is gaming as addictive as heroin?
Apr 15 - The quotes in full
- The BBFC on Manhunt 2
Apr 15 - David Cooke
- MCV Awards 2008:
Apr 14 - The winners in full
- UK March Charts - Analysis
Apr 11 - Courtesy of ChartTrack and ELSPA
- What’s Viacom’s game?
Apr 09 - Is the conglomerate set to become THE interactive entertainment giant?
- INTERVIEW - Phil Rogers
Apr 07 -
- INTERVIEW - Tanya Byron
Apr 04 - Now it's over, MCV speaks to the author of the Byron Report
- FRANCHISE FOCUS - The Sims
Mar 31 - A look ahead to the upcoming The Sims 3
- MCV LEGENDS - Chris Deering
Mar 28 - Chris Deering
- INTERVIEW - Brash
Mar 26 - Mitch Davis
- Independent Retailers - Online
Mar 25 - The rise and rise of the online indie
- INTERVIEW - Chris Lewis, Microsoft
Mar 20 - European interactive entertainment boss talks about his plans for family gaming on Xbox 360
- How to market your game
Mar 19 - A look back at the biggest marketing campaigns in the last 12 months
- UK February Charts - Analysis
Mar 17 - Courtesy of ChartTrack and ELSPA
- INTERVIEW - MTV
Mar 14 - Mika Salmi
- Play.com Live Preview
Mar 12 - A look at this weekend's gaming extravaganza
- Games vs Music - the stats
Mar 10 - ERA Yearbook 2008
- MCV Awards Finalists Part 1
Mar 06 - PR & Marketing
- MCV Awards Finalists Part 2
Mar 06 - People & Industry
- MCV Awards Finalists Part 3
Mar 06 - Retail
- INTERVIEW - Robin Burrowes
Mar 05 - Xbox Live - Marketing Manager
- INTERVIEW - Matt Carroll
Mar 03 - Disney’s new games dynasty
- EA & Take Two Timeline
Mar 03 - A chronological look at how that deal unfolded
- Peter Moore
Feb 29 - President, EA Sports
- The turnaround begins - read the publisher's new battleplan
Feb 29 - SCi re-invented
- Sales director Tarik Alozdi
Feb 28 - MEDIA SPECIAL: Uncooked
- MD Damian Butt speaks out
Feb 28 - MEDIA SPECIAL: Imagine Publishing
- Future's Robert Price
Feb 28 - MEDIA SPECIAL
- The state of games journalism
Feb 27 - MEDIA SPECIAL
- The Return of Atari
Feb 25 - David Gardner
- The story so far
Feb 25 - Phil Harrison
- IN-GAME ADVERTISING
Feb 21 - Sector Spotlight
- ChartTrack & ELSPA Monthly Report
Feb 18 - UK January Games Charts
- INTERVIEW - Ubisoft
Feb 15 - Yves Guillemot
- Introducing the Retail Advisory Board 2008
Feb 13 - RAB
- INTERVIEW - Nintendo UK
Feb 11 - David Yarnton
- The games of 2008
Feb 07 - The top titles you need to stock this year
- The return of Atari
Feb 04 - Mathias Hautefort
- 2007 - The year the video game industry went casual?
Jan 31 - DFC Intelligence
- Format breakdown
Jan 30 - The games of 2007
- Top 50
Jan 30 - The games of 2007
- Top of its GAME
Jan 29 - Lisa Morgan, CEO; David Thomas, Deputy CEO and Group Finance Director
- INTERVIEW: David Reeves
Jan 25 - Three for all
- How to win an MCV Award:
Jan 25 - Special Awards
- How to win an MCV Award:
Jan 24 - PR & Marketing
- How to win an MCV Award
Jan 24 - People And Industry
- How to win an MCV Award
Jan 24 - Retail
- Just the job
Jan 22 - Recruitment Special
- INTERVIEW: Rod Cousens
Jan 17 - A talk with the CEO of Codemasters
- Atari's road to recovery
Jan 17 - Patrick Leleu
- INTERVIEW: 1C - A Russian Revolution
Jan 16 - Nikolay Baryshnikov (1C)
- UK GAMES MARKET 2007
Jan 10 - The definitive report
- What are you looking forward to in 2008?
Jan 09 - Industry execs reveal their hopes for the year
- MCV's Quiz of the Year 2007
Jan 03 - Your chance to win a Nintendo Wii
- INTERVIEW: When Martyn met David
Jan 02 - Gamestation's Martyn Gibbs speaks to Nintendo's David Yarnton
- All I want for Christmas...
Dec 19 - MCV asks games industry leaders for their top three Xmas wishes...
- ACTIVISION BLIZZARD: The deal that shook the industry
Dec 17 - An anaylisis of last month's gaming super-merger
- MCV Retail Survey 2007
Dec 13 - in association with Channel Advantage
- Mystery Shopper - Infinite Group
Dec 12 - Oxford Street
- Monthly Chart Analysis – November
Dec 07 - Courtesy of ChartTrack
- Delivering the goods
Dec 06 - Distribution Special Focus
- GAME GAMESTATION ENQUIRY
Dec 05 - The Provisional Findings in full
- Games Marketing Forum
Dec 03 - Event report
- Taking on the big boys
Nov 30 - Smaller Publisher Special Focus
- DVD Gaming
Nov 29 - The forgotten platform?
- INTERVIEW - IGA Worldwide
Nov 28 - The in-game advertising sector
- Mystery Shopper
Nov 27 - Camden
- Warner Bros & TT Games
Nov 26 - Josh Berger (UK President and MD, Warner), Tom Stone (MD, TT Games)
- Curran affairs
Nov 23 - Ian Curran
- A look at the battle between retail and downloads
Nov 20 - UKTI Report: Revenue Channels
- The Halo Effect
Nov 16 - Chris Lewis
- INTERVIEW: In2Games
Nov 15 - Harry Holmwood
- Monthly Chart Analysis – October
Nov 14 - Courtesy of ChartTrack
- LGF: EA's 'Be the One'
Nov 12 - EA storms Trafalgar Square
- INTERVIEW: Nintendo
Nov 09 - David Yarnton
- INTERVIEW: Woolworths
Nov 07 - Gerry Berkley
- 30 Under 30
Nov 05 - The definitive list of the top 30 hot young execs in the industry...
- Just child's play? The Byron Report
Nov 02 - Dr Tanya Byron
- The Midas touch
Nov 01 - Adrian Clews
- INTERVIEW: Mad Catz
Oct 30 - Brian Andersen
- Screen Digest - Q4 Prediction
Oct 29 - Ed Barton
- Expanding Empire
Oct 25 - Ian Higgins
- INTERVIEW: Popcorn Arcade
Oct 24 - Stewart Green
- VIOLENCE IN GAMES: The BBFC
Oct 24 - Gianni Zamo
- Violence in Games Special
Oct 22 - Mum's the Word
- INTERVIEW: Ray Maguire, SCE UK
Oct 19 - Heralding the arrival of the new £299 40GB PS3
- Monthly Chart Analysis - September
Oct 17 - Courtesy of ChartTrack
- Trade-in Places
Oct 16 - A look at the pre-owned software market
- INTERVIEW: Activision
Oct 15 - Robin Kaminsky
- MCV INTERVIEW: Microsoft
Oct 12 - Neil Thompson
- Is Google trying out patents?
Oct 11 - A closer look at Google's gaming patents
- Does PS2's long tail need a snip?
Oct 10 - The way ahead for Sony's greatest
- Ads in game: the facts
Oct 09 - IGA
- The SCi's the limit
Oct 08 - Jane Cavanagh (CEO), Phil Rogers (Chief Financial Officer)
- INTERVIEW: GAME
Oct 04 - Lisa Morgan, CEO; David Thomas, Deputy CEO & Group Finance Director
- GMAs: Specialist Games Media Finalists (Online)
Oct 02 - Games Media Awards Special
- GMAs: Specialist Games Media Finalists (Print)
Oct 02 - Games Media Awards Special
- GMAs: Mainstream Media Finalists
Oct 02 - Games Media Awards Special
- London Games Festival
Oct 01 - Keith Ramsdale
- Gem's evolution
Sep 28 - Chris Peacock & Simon Lee
- System 3 revs up
Sep 25 - A look at System 3's Ferrari Challenge
- INTERVIEW: Sega of America
Sep 21 - Simon Jeffery
- Midway looks to big Q4
Sep 19 - David Zucker
- Vivendi's French evolution
Sep 11 - Pascal Brochier
- Why buy SCi?
Sep 07 - MCV looks at why the three favourites might bid...
- Masters of their universe
Sep 05 - Andy Payne and Garry Williams
- Warner's own Superman
Sep 03 - Ron Scott
- MEDIA SPECIAL
Aug 29 - ABC Analysis
- History repeating itself
Aug 28 - The Rise of Retro Gaming
- Political Games - Part 2
Aug 24 - Margaret Hodge
- Political Games - Part 1
Aug 24 - Jeremy Hunt
- Disney's Joy Story
Aug 23 - Matt Carroll
- The rise of Mac gaming
Aug 22 - Return of the Mac
- Leipzig
Aug 21 - MCV's guide to the show:
- A Smart Korea Move
Aug 17 - Geoff Heath
- Walking on air
Aug 15 - Jim Scott
- Back to School Special
Aug 14 - Educating Retail
- UK July video games sales
Aug 13 - ChartTrack
- Vital Statistics
Aug 10 - Quarterly publisher financial data
- EA's Russian Revolution
Aug 09 - Peter Laughton
- MCV's Mystery Shopper
Aug 09 - Oxford Street
- The return of Activision
Aug 02 - Joerg Trouvain
- The Price is Right
Jul 31 - Budget software focus
- Say Halo wave goodbye
Jul 27 - Peter Moore
- View from the top
Jul 25 - Kaz Hirai
- Ahead of the GAME
Jul 24 - Lisa Morgan
- European Champion
Jul 23 - Jens Uwe Intat
- Sony: Home and dry
Jul 20 - MCV's E3 '07 round-up (Part 3)
- Nintendo: Shiny happy people
Jul 20 - MCV's E3 '07 round-up (Part 2)
- Microsoft: Moore the merrier
Jul 20 - MCV's E3 '07 round-up (Part 1)
- The US should learn from the UK
Jul 18 - Jack Thompson
- 2007's Magic Numbers
Jul 17 - MCV's look at ChartTrack's 2007 UK market stats...
- News analysis:
Jul 13 - Is Government listening as UK developers cry: 'Give us a (tax) break'?
- How the West is won
Jul 11 - An insight into the North American and European markets
- MCV's essential E3 guide
Jul 10 - E3 2007: The Ones to Watch
- NoE limits
Jul 06 - Laurent Fischer
- Manhunt 2 ban erodes civil liberties
Jul 03 - Adam Hartley
- Star Quality
Jul 02 - Martin Defries
- How to Play a blinder
Jun 27 - Gian Luzio
- Open for business
Jun 26 - Barry Hatch
- 505’s recipe for success
Jun 25 - Ian Howe
- Ubisoft's casual revolution
Jun 22 - Mat Quaeck
- Device City
Jun 21 - The peripherals sector
- The state of Play
Jun 19 - David Reeves
- THQ’s win-win situation
Jun 18 - James Dixon
- What can we learn from Second Life?
Jun 14 - Philip Rosedale, Catherine Smith
- MCVuk.com relaunch
Jun 05 - A user's guide to the site
- The Nintendo difference
Jun 01 - David Yarnton, Dawn Paine
- Mine’s a Double
May 31 - Tim Ellis
- Thinking Outside the Box
May 31 - The world of digital distribution
- Introducing the GMAs
May 31 - What are the Games Media Awards?
- Empire Strikes Back
May 31 - Ian Higgins
- Vivendi Goes Universal
May 30 - Adam Roberts
- Going Live
May 30 - Kevin Unangst
- No surrender
May 30 - Lisa Morgan, David Thomas
- Massively Ambitious
May 30 - Dirk Metzger
- The Waiting Game
May 30 - Rob Murphy
- Choices’ voice
May 30 - Anthony Skitt
- Atari’s Online Revolution
Apr 13 - Chris Bergstresser
- Live and let Live
Mar 30 - Chris Lewis
- Asia Specific
Mar 30 - Martin Good, Ian Curran and Rodney Block
- The third coming
Mar 23 - Ray Maguire
- Rise & Rise
Mar 23 - David Zucker
- Show me the money
Mar 16 - Bruce Hack
- The Masters Plan
Mar 09 - Rod Cousens
- Another supermarket sweep?
Mar 09 - Richard Searling
- The THQ & A
Mar 02 - Roy Campbell
- The Euro(gamer) vision
Feb 23 - Rupert Loman
- Easy as ABC
Feb 23 - Robert Price
- The French Revolution
Jan 26 - Jon Rosenblatt
- Blizzard’s Wizard
Jan 26 - Itzik Ben Bassat
- Capcom Rising
Jan 19 - Mark Beaumont
- Electronic Charts
Jan 12 - Keith Ramsdale