MCV EXCELLENCE AWARDS SUPPLEMENT 2009

THE FINALISTS

THURSDAY APRIL 23rd 2009, THE BREWERY, CHISWELL STREET, LONDON

YOUR AWARDSYOUR TEAM

Good luck to all this year’s finalists from Atari

Official Drinks Reception Sponsor

On Sale June 19

CONTENTSRECOGNISING SUCCESSEven as tougher trading conditions biteand the wider economic climate becomesever more bleak, it is still important for allcommunities to reward achievement andcelebrate success.

If anything, the importance of a closecommunity, even amongst competitors, ismore acute than ever. We are all in thistogether. We win and lose together.

The seventh MCV Industry ExcellenceAwards will hail the best of retail, marketing,UK development and market innovation.

Just under 40 companies have beennamed as Finalists, and you can see whythey were chosen within this specialpublication.

From the large to the small, all theFinalists have their merits, which will becarefully considered by a 100-strongJudging Panel before winners are decided.

New categories this year include StoreManager of the Year, Retail Innovation,High Street Retailer and MarketingInnovation.

Finalists who are new to the eventinclude Lovefilm, Game Player, The Hut,Bethesda, Media Molecule and Rising Star.

Over 550 people will be gathered at TheBrewery, Chiswell Street on Thursday April23rd to see who comes out as victors onthe night.

We will have some very specialentertainment on the night, including somesurprise cabaret (oh yes), the latest of ourinfamous awards videos (starring sundryindustry notables) and presenter RufusHound.

Rufus is breaking through as acomedian and host at the moment,following success with the comedy panelshow Argumental, but is also an avidgamer and regular broadcaster for games-related radio and TV shows.

Finally, we obviously hope that everyonehas an enjoyable night, whether your owncompany comes away with a prize or not.

The UK games industry is successful,vibrant, close-knit and the envy of manyaround the world.

The MCV Industry Excellence Awardscelebrate all of that.

Now pick your winners…

Stuart DinseyPublisher

YOUR TEAMYOUR AWARDS

RetailRetail Innovation 8

Store Manager 9

High Street Retailer 10

Star Store 11

Online Retailer 12

People & IndustrySales Team 16

Sales Triumph 17

Games Publisher 20

UK Development Team 21

Distribution Team 22

PR & MarketingNew Game Brand 24

PR Team 25

Game Campaign 26

Marketing Team 27

Marketing Innovation 29

MCV Retail Advisory Board:Special Recognition 30

Grand Prix Award 30

Special Awards

Retail Category Partner

Video Partner

Pre-Drinks Reception Partner

Games Publisher Award Partner

Pre-Drinks Reception Partner Drinks Reception Partner

Event Partner

There is no doubt that the annual MCVAwards is the most important andprestigious awards night in our industry –and Nintendo is proud once again tosupport this year’s retail category.

The MCV Awards are unique in that theyreward those behind the games and focuson the people, teams, hard work anddetermination that go into maximising salesand drivng industry growth.

This year’s new awards for storemanager and retail innovation go that extramile to recognise, reflect and reward thehard work and determination on the oftenoverlooked ‘frontline’ of our industry. Inthese times of great uncertainty, one thingis assured – that we will all faceconsiderable challenges ahead of us thisyear regardless of where we sit in theindustry.

It is vitally important, now more thanever, that we work even more closely withour retail partners. Our partners and friendsat retail have been, and continue to be,crucial in helping us to attract new peopleto video games and in helping uscontribute to industry growth. As such, wewould like to take this opportunity to thankeveryone who has helped us achieve arecord year for Nintendo UK and the widerUK industry, both in 2008 and so far in2009.

The very best of luck to everyone. Welook forward to working with you all thisyear.

David YarntonGeneral Manager, Nintendo UK

Retail Innovation

Store Manager

High Street Retailer

Star Store

Online Retailer

FINALISTSRETAIL

THE FINALISTS 2009YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS

HMV GAMERBASEWith the acquisitionand continued roll-outof the Gamerbaseonsite LAN gamingcentres, HMV reallyoffers a point ofdifference for what a

High Street retailer can bring to the gaming public.In-store Gamerbase tournaments have provedpopular and are a continued focus for 2009, alongwith the further roll-out of these ‘next-gen’ stores.Currently two of HMV’s flagship stores – LondonTrocadero and Manchester 90 Market Street –boast these games environments.

HMV RE/PLAYHMV’s Re/Play initiativecan truly be describedas innovative, takingfull advantage of theentertainment retailgiant’s productoffering. Pre-owned

may be something of a bugbear for publishersand retailers, but it’s here to stay for the timebeing. And HMV has cleverly taken advantage ofits unique position by giving consumers theopportunity to trade-in their games against any ofits entertainment products.

PLAY.COM LIVEThe UK games markethas for a number ofyears been bemoaninga lack of a consumershowcase event. And,while London GamesFestival has been

building over the past couple of years and onlinegames site Eurogamer has launched its ownexpo, last year online entertainment boldly tookthe bull by the horns and rolled out its own multi-media event at Wembley, featuring music and, ofcourse, game experiences. It was widely regardedas a great success and is set to return in 2010.

LOVEFILM RENTALAs the online rentalbusiness has beentaking on the likes ofBlockbuster in theDVD space, so hasLovefilm made asignificant impact in

the games market. As well as using its hugedatabase to work with publishers on promotionalactivity specifically for new releases, Lovefilm has,of course, translated its regarded ‘no late fees’strategy to video game rental.

CHIPSACCESSORIESUnder the direction ofjoint MDs Don McCabeand Nik Agar, CHIPShasn’t stood still sincelaunching the UKgames industry’s first

retail franchising scheme in 1999. The chain wasone of the first to offer trade-ins and secondhandtitles, while it has also successfully taken the leadfrom some of its much bigger rivals, introducing aconference, a customer magazine and now its own-brand peripherals. All are well labelled and marketedand flying off the shelves, according to the chain.

8 WWW.MCVUK.COM

The first of four new prizes for 2009, this award looks at above- and below-the-line marketing byretailers, as well as new promotional incentives introduced to the market...


RETAIL INNOVATION


RUPERT BANNING-LOVERHMV Birmingham FortHMV’s gamesdepartment claims thatBanning-Lover’spassion andcommitment to the

market shines through on a day-to-day basis. Heis a great source of information and ideas forwhat’s working on the shop floor. Banning-Lovernever stops looking for extra sales initiatives andthis shows in his outstanding sales performanceand in-store merchandising.

RICHARD PASCOECHIPS HerefordAfter just four monthsin his new job, Pascoescooped a top CHIPSaward for his hardwork. The 35 year-oldwas named CHIPS

Employee of the Year 2008, which is given to thestaff member who ‘goes the extra mile’ for thebenefit of the CHIPS network. Full of drive andenthusiasm, according to CHIPS management,Pascoe has worked hard, organising fun days atthe Hereford store to promote the launch of newgames and more.

MARTIN TUCKWOODAsda DerbyDerby is Asda’shighest performinggames store andconstantly achievesstrong sales results.Tuckwood drives real

initiative within the store and motivates hiscolleagues to get beyond key launches andevents. According to head office, Tuckwood isalways ringing to enquire about new ways to driveincremental sales.

MIKE BARNES/PEARL ROBINSONGAME Oxford StreetUnder the leadershipof general managerMike Barnes and storemanager PearlRobinson, GAME

Oxford Street has cemented its place as thechain’s leading store. Sales have grownconsistently over the last three years and the storeroutinely exceeds its objectives.

GARY NOAKESGame Player, CrawleyAn indie who hasproved that innovativeretailing can ensure thatsmaller retailers thrive,Noakes is a formerGAME manager who

has taken the concept of games retailing one stepfurther. As well as offering a significant pre-ownedscheme, the three Game Player stores provide asimilar service on mobile phones, gadgets andaccessories. Further diversifying the business,Noakes has introduced console repairs, mobilephone repairs and servicing.

9WWW.MCVUK.COM

RETAILRETAIL INNOVATION • STORE MANAGER

HIGH STREET RETAILER • STAR STORE • ONLINE RETAILER


For the first time, we are rewarding individuals running key UK stores. Sales performance, productknowledge, customer service and merchandising are all considered...

STORE MANAGER


HMVHMV’s gamingproposition goes fromstrength to strengthand, with theincorporation of severalZavvi stores and theGamerbase brand, it

aims to further push the boundaries ofentertainment retail. With the successful launch ofRe/Play, a growing online offer and enhanceddepartments in-store, HMV believes it has theperfect platform to compete in all areas. Gamesnow make up 20 per cent of HMV’s sales mix andit is a prime focus for the chain in 2009.

GAMEThe UK’s biggestspecialist games retailerbarely needs anintroduction, but thechain has continued topush ahead. In late2008, GAME

announced a 33-store concessions deal withBorders, having already established an in-storepresence with Debenhams, Hamleys, Fenwicks andSelfridges. The GAME brand has also continued toattract new customers. In 2003 women represented24 per cent of its customers, based on the rewardcard; today they represent around 34 per cent.

GAMESTATIONSince the firstGamestation storeopened back in 2003,the brand ethos hasremained unchanged –‘by gamers, forgamers’. The store

base may have risen from one to over 250 now,plus thousands shopping via its website each week,but this brand ethos still shines out of store staff,every campaign that is launched and every eventthat is hosted.

CHIPSCHIPS has come along way since its birth23 years ago. Fromone store back then,Nik Agar and DonMcCabe have grownthis retailer into the

largest independent games chain in the country.The bricks and mortar sites have now expanded tomore than 30; there are now more company storesthan ever before and there are 20 franchise outletsacross the UK, with more in the pipeline.

ASDAThe conversion of over150 superstores to itsnew gaming conceptclearly illustrates Asda’scommitment to thecategory, by growingspace, as well as

introducing leading innovation for that in-store spacenot seen before within the grocery sector.Outperforming the market in software and hardwaregrowth – and that in spite of the collapse of EUK –has been impressive and its rapid conversion todirect trading with suppliers demonstrates itsresponsiveness and flexibility to adapt.

10 WWW.MCVUK.COM

Another new award, settling the question of which is the best bricks and mortar retailer. Criteria suchas customer service, range and merchandising are key...


HIGH STREET RETAILER


GAME Oxford StreetIts high profile locationand status as thechain’s flagship storemakes GAME OxfordStreet one of the mostvisible video games

shops in Europe. It has been selling games foralmost 25 years and welcomes a variety ofcustomers that ranges from tourists to dedicatedgamers, as well as the investors, analysts andmedia who visit the store to examine what GAMEhas to offer. The store is regularly used for specialevents, including celebrity product launches.

HMVLiverpool OneWith over 4,000square feet dedicatedto games, this storerepresents a realstatement of intent forHMV. As big as an

average HMV store, this department is fitted out inHMV’s next generation style and benefits inparticular from multiple interactive areas coveringall consoles, which increases ‘dwell time’ andspend.

GAMESTATION Birmingham New StreetA former MCV Awardwinner, GamestationBirmingham NewStreet remains thelargest games store inEurope. Headed up by

managers Lee McLaughlin and Craig Huxtable,the store continues to go from strength tostrength. 2008 highlights included a World ofWarcraft midnight launch with competitionsagainst the UK’s best pro players, signed WWEappearances and a line-up with Cadburys Worldfor a Mario and Sonic promotion.

CHIPS DudleyThe Dudley CHIPSoutlet scooped thechain’s Store of theYear award in 2008.And it’s the secondtime this particular

outlet has walked off with a trophy, having pickedup the CHIPS Newcomer of the Year accolade in2007. CHIPS Dudley runs many promotional days,raises money for charity and gives great customerservice.

ASDA DerbyAsda’s Derby storedelivered sales ofalmost £2 million in2008, which was up ahugely impressive 50per cent year-on-year.

And already so far this year, YOY growth is 48 percent, despite tough challenges following thedemise of supplier EUK. Possibly mostimpressively, this store contributes towards overfour per cent of Asda’s total hardware sales –which is not an insignificant cash number,according to head office.

11WWW.MCVUK.COM

Recognising the team behind an independent’s success or the staff within a chain’s individual outlet.Sales performance, plus commitment and service to customers is considered...

STAR STORE


RETAILRETAIL INNOVATION • STORE MANAGER

HIGH STREET RETAILER • STAR STORE • ONLINE RETAILER


STAR STORE PREVIOUS WINNERS2007: Gamestation Birmingham New Street2008: Zavvi, Oxford Street

12 WWW.MCVUK.COM


GAME.CO.UKIn 2008 GAME Groupinvested a further £5million in itsecommerce businessto enhance the onlineoffering and enable thebusiness to punch

above its weight relative to its size and its largeronline-only competitors such as Play.com andAmazon. New technologies have facilitated a newenhanced ‘click and collect’ service, direct gamedownloads, subscription-based games-on-demand services and a stronger pre-ownedproposition.

ONLINE RETAILERThis award takes into consideration customer service and delivery, product knowledge and range,commitment to street dates, marketing and sales growth...

SHOPTO.NETShopTo continues tobe one of the mostinnovative online storesand is hugely popularamongst the hardcoregames fans. Justrecently it introduced a

‘Street Date or Compensate’ guarantee wherebycustomers are compensated if their game doesnot arrive on the day of release. Orders are sentFirst Class, though, meaning that compensation israrely an issue. And in the event of a problem,ShopTo has an ‘0800’ service number so that itcan be contacted at no cost to the customer.

PLAY.COMThe past year hasbeen another goodone for Play.com, thewinner of the OnlineRetailer Award for thepast three years. Thefirm held its successful

Play.com Live event at Wembley and hascontinued to be a yardstick by which othersmeasure their own online offerings.

AMAZONAn ever-present forcein the online market,Amazon’s almostunmatched range ofstock is becoming asvaluable an asset as itsrespected brand

name. Its secondhand Marketplace remainspopular and has been emulated by its rivals. Andthe site’s bang-on release schedule is used bymany areas of the business.

GAMESEEKSomething of a regularin MCV’s 30 Under 30feature, the annoyinglyyoung MD ofGameseek StephenStaley has refused torest on his laurels.

Sales were up 15 per cent last year YOY and theonline store boasts 200,000 customers. Comingup, Gameseek is rolling out a new games rentalservice, while a revamped website in glorious1024 pixels is on the cards, too.

THE HUTThe fifth largestentertainment retailer inthe UK, The Hut alsodesigns and runs‘white label’ stores fora number of otherretailers, including

CHIPS, Phones 4 U and Send It. Boasting salesof around £1.5m a month, the business wonsome £5m from the Bank of Scotland afterwinning the Entrepreneur of the Year competition– and the company is fast becoming an onlineforce to be reckoned with, which its recentacquisition of the Zavvi assets is testament to.


ONLINE RETAILERPREVIOUS WINNERS2003: Gameplay2004: Amazon2005: Amazon2006: Play.com2007: Play.com2008: Play.com

For sales enquiries or to

open an account with

Gem please contact our

sales team on

01279 822822.

For more information

on Gem Creative,

please contact:

Neil Handa on

01279 459072or [email protected].

For more information on

Gem Logistics, please

contact Alan Lynch or

Douglas Yarker on01282 684800 [email protected].

Visit www.exspect.co.uk

for full product

information. For sales

enquiries please contact

our sales team on

01279 822822.

OneIntegrated Solution

www.gem.co.uk

PRE-DRINKS RECEPTION PARTNERBest of luck to all the finalists

pcr_goodluck_ad.ai 3/3/09 10:30:48 AM

Sales Team

Sales Triumph

Games Publisher

UK Development Team

Distribution Team

FINALISTS

PEOPLE &INDUSTRY



ACTIVISIONBLIZZARDYou can’t argue with asales team that boastedsix of the top 50 sellingtitles of last year. Maybethe latest Call of Duty,World At War, was

always going to be a top ten hit for the year (it wasplaced at number six, incidentally, despite only beingreleased in mid-November), but to also notch up thenumber 11 position for the 2007 version is reallyimpressive. And it wasn’t just COD that theActivision sales team handled – the portfolioextended from Guitar Hero to Kung Fu Panda.

SEGAHeaded up by thepopular John Clark,Sega’s sales teamplayed a key role inhelping the publisherto achieve its mostsuccessful year to date

as a multi-platform publisher. Sega achieved itsposition of becoming a top five publisher and wasplaced fourth in terms of volume and fifth in termsof value. This represented an impressive 58 percent growth by volume and 55 per cent by value.

EAEA’s sales teamenjoyed incrediblesuccess with FIFA,grabbing the all-important Christmasnumber one spot andclaiming a 20 per cent

growth for the franchise. It has smashed the£50m sales barrier since launch, equating to over£26,000 per hour since launch. EA’s investment innew IP also proved successful, with the salesteam boasting unit sales of 280,000 for Mirror’sEdge, 220,000 for Army of Two, 200,000 forSpore and 185,000 for Dead Space.

UBISOFTUbisoft has a strong,driven and passionatesales team whichthrives on deliveringgrowth. For theseventh consecutiveyear Ubisoft has grown

its business due to its collaborative approach toworking with its partners. The team boasts strongproduct knowledge and creativity, and wasexpanded last year to allow Ubisoft to maximiseits potential with stores across the UK and Ireland.

MICROSOFTBe it the success of itsconsoles, accessoriesor software titles,Microsoft’s sales teamworks diligently withretail partners to delivercreative in-store and

value executions which exceed expectations –from managing stock levels or delivering budget-beating consoles sales and multiple All Formatnumber one titles such as Fable 2 and Gears ofWar 2.

NINTENDOWith improved stockavailability comparedto previous years, bothof Nintendo’s hardwareplatforms haveproduced great results.Wii hardware sold

2.86m units through to consumers (up 51 percent on the year) and DS, despite being in itsfourth year, sold through 3.28m (up 18 per cent).Meanwhile, first party Wii software notched up7.74m units (up 108 per cent), mainly down to thephenomenal success of Wii Fit and Mario Kart.

This award acknowledges the team with the tough task of getting product into retail. But it’s not allabout sales, it’s about after-sales service, customer care, as well as overall commercial performance...

SALES TEAM

16 WWW.MCVUK.COM

17WWW.MCVUK.COM

PEOPLE &INDUSTRY

SALES TEAM • SALES TRIUMPHGAMES PUBLISHER • DEVELOPMENT TEAM • DISTRIBUTION TEAM


Whether an original title, niche sequel, or even a quirky new game that attained surprise hit status, thisaward celebrates the over-achiever of the past year...

SALES TRIUMPH

CRISIS COREAvailable exclusively onthe PSP, Crisis Corewas top of the pre-order chart for weeksbefore its release andwent on to spend 11weeks at the top of the

PSP chart. It was the second biggest-sellinggame on the Sony handheld, second only to FIFA,and has since spent over 25 weeks in the top 10.

IMAGINE RANGEIn a landscapedominated by triple-Ablockbusters, theImagine brand hasquietly taken astronghold on the DSmarket. With over 1.3

million units sold through, Imagine is now one ofthe biggest brands on the format. At least oneImagine title has been featured in the top 20ChartTrack listing every week for a whole year andone Imagine title in the UK Top 10 for 26 weeks ofthe year.

FALLOUT 3Despite the Bethesdateam only being fully inplace in August, withinthree months some750,000 units ofFallout 3 had beensold into retail, with the

game achieving the number one All Formatsposition and remaining in the top 10 all the waythrough to Christmas. Fallout 3 may have beenthe third in the series, but Fallout 2 was releasedsome ten years earlier.

COOKING MAMA 2The Cooking Mamabrand has gone fromstrength to strength for505 Games, with theDS game the thirdbiggest selling title onthe format of all time.

Cooking Mama on DS and Wii, plus CookingMama 2 on DS, have sold an impressive 1.34munits in the UK alone and the Wii version ofCooking Mama 2 has only just hit retail.

CARNIVAL GAMESOne of the first thirdparty casual gamessuccesses and atemplate for manysubsequent ‘me too’titles, 2K Games’Carnival Games

franchise has been much emulated since itsrelease. Carnival Games: Funfair was a top 10best-selling game in the UK last year.

BEN 10The translation of kids’brand Ben 10 to videogames was a truesales triumph, with thesuccess of the titlehaving taken many bysurprise. To the end of

December 2008, the game had sold almost185,000 units on DS, almost 140,000 on PS2,91,000 om Wii and 88,000 on PSP.

SALES TEAM

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2003: Microsoft/Gem

2004: Sony/Centresoft

2005: Activision

2006: THQ

2007: THQ

2008: Ubisoft

SALES TRIUMPH PREVIOUS WINNERS2007: World of Warcraft (Blizzard)2008: Cooking Mama (505 Games)

NINTENDO2008 was anothergreat year for NintendoUK, with sales,turnover, profit,reputation and publicperception allincreasing. The year

saw over 20 new software releases from the firm,combined with major new accessories andhardware updates, all backed with huge sales andmarketing campaigns. The categories of titlespublished by the firm have also been varied andtargeted a hugely diverse spectrum of consumers,from Cooking Guide to Resident Evil.

EAEA held on to itsposition as the UK’snumber one publisherin 2008, despiteincreased competitionfrom rivals. Thesuccess of FIFA ’09 is

undisputed, both in terms of its sales success andits critical acclaim, but the publishing giant alsoturned its attention to new IP, such as Spore,Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space. In addition, itsassociation with toy giant Hasbro saw EA increaseits position in the casual games space.

UBISOFTUbisoft’s reputation asa publisher of hardcoregamers’ games hasgrown steadily over thepast few years, withfranchises such asSplinter Cell, Ghost

Recon, Far Cry, Brothers in Arms, Assassin’sCreed and Prince of Persia all over-achievingcommercially and critically. But the Frenchpublisher has proved its flexibility and nous bystamping its mark on the casual space, not leastwith the super successful Imagine range.

MICROSOFTMicrosoft rolled out abroad selection ofsoftware titles in 2008,ranging from NinjaGaiden 2 and VivaPinata: Trouble InParadise early in the

year to Fable 2, Gears of War 2, plus BanjoKazooie Nuts & Bolts in the autumn. And thecompany demonstrated its willingness toexperiment with new IP and broadeningdemographics with the roll-out of Scene It: BoxOffice Smash and Lips.

SEGASince its relaunch in2003 as a software-only publisher, Segahas grown in unit andvalue terms. Unitssales growth on 2007was up 58 per cent in

2008, while value sales grew by 55 per cent. In2008 Sega achieved a top five publisher status,while the company prides itself on supporting UKdevelopment with projects released in conjunctionwith Sports Interactive, The Creative Assembly,Headstrong, Bizarre Creations, Sumo andRebellion.

ACTIVISIONWhichever way youlook at it, 2008 was aspectacular year forthe Activision BlizzardUK team. Publishingsome of the mostsuccessful titles of the

year, sales in the UK grew by 43 per centcompared to 2007. A standout achievement ofthe year was obviously the successful merger ofthe Activision and Vivendi businesses, while it’sworth mentioning that the publisher won no fewerthan seven Golden Joystick awards last year.

20 WWW.MCVUK.COM

The finalists are based on the top-selling publishers by sales last year. But which one of them providedthe best quality product, trade relations, customer service, innovation and marketing agility...


GAMES PUBLISHER

Games Publisher Award Partner

LIONHEAD STUDIOSLionhead was acquiredby Microsoft GameStudios in 2006,having establisheditself as a highlyrespected developerunder the leadership of

industry veteran Peter Molyneux. 2008 saw therelease of the studio’s most recent work, Fable II,which was immediately met with glowing criticalreception and high sales thanks to the quality anddepth of the game world it offered.

BLACK ROCKSTUDIOSFormally ClimaxRacing, Brighton’sBlack Rock Studiomade its mark on theautomotive genre in2008 with Pure, an

adrenaline-charged and genuinely impressive off-road racing game. Part of Disney InteractiveStudios, Black Rock has a long history ofdeveloping award-winning driving titles, andboasts an impressive in-house toolset.

CODEMASTERSWith nearly a quarterof a century ofexperience behind it,Codemasters is stillcreating stand-outcontent acrossnumerous genres. Last

year saw the release of the developer’s incrediblywell polished Race Driver: Grid, which succeededin impressing the critics in an infamouslycompetitive genre. Codemasters is currently atwork on Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.

ROCKSTAR NORTHTrue to its name,Rockstar North has areputation thatprecedes it, thanks tocontroversial andaccomplished serieslike Grand Theft Auto

and Manhunt. GTA IV courted the attention of thenational press throughout 2008, but it is thegame’s status as one of the most skillfully crafted,ambitious developments of the year that trulydeserves the attention.

MEDIA MOLECULEAs the team behindLittleBigPlanet, MediaMolecule is the creatorof one of 2008’s mostcharming, irresistiblegames. Founded byformer members of

Lionhead Studios, Media Molecule’s beautiful andinnovative release captured the hearts of a hugevariety of gamers and journalists, and offered thePS3 an incomparable, high quality exclusive.

21WWW.MCVUK.COM

The UK continues to be a hotbed of creative talent and this accolade rewards the top UK-basedstudio, regardless of international ownership...


PEOPLE &INDUSTRY

SALES TEAM • SALES TRIUMPHGAMES PUBLISHER • DEVELOPMENT TEAM • DISTRIBUTION TEAM

UK DEVELOPMENT TEAM

UK DEVELOPMENT TEAMPREVIOUS WINNERS2003: Rockstar North2004: Sony London Studios2005: Rockstar North2006: Bizarre Creations2007: Traveller’s Tales2008: Codemasters

GAMES PUBLISHER

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2006: EA

2007: Nintendo

2008: Nintendo

KOCHIn the last year Kochhas continued todevelop its approachto the market. ItsNindie.com divisionreinvented itsinteraction with the

retail sector with a number of key sales tools,including Nindie Live messenger and quarterlymeetings with a rotating Nindie committee,meaning that retailers have a significant input inthe development of the Nindie system.

GEMGem celebrates 25years of success indistribution this year.Boasting a despatchefficiency in excess of99.99 per cent, Gem’sdistribution centre

provides many services to the industry, includingprimary and secondary warehousing, end userfulfilment, reverse logistics and a range of addedvalue services such as security tagging, bundling,repackaging and POS.

CENTRESOFTBest known, of course,for being the exclusivedistribution partner ofSony ever since theoriginal PlayStationlaunched, Centresoftalso enjoys an enviable

line-up of publishing labels – including gamesgiants EA and Activision. And despite its size andposition in the market, the Birmingham distributorcontinues to win plaudits from retail.

ADVANTAGEAdvantage wasestablished in 2003 tooffer a supply solutionthat addressed thechanging distributionneeds of both retailersand publishers. A

number of publishing partners have chosen toutilise Advantage’s services, including Atari, THQand 505 Games. The company operates as anindependent sales and distribution company, withits own management structure and sales force.

MUSIC BOXLEISUREAn independentdistributor of audio,video and gamesproducts, Music BoxLeisure has raised itsprofile significantly in

the past few months, having been a White Knightfor the likes of Morrisons after the supermarket’sprevious supplier EUK collapsed. Now expandingits games business, Music Box Leisure looks tobe a permanent and welcome addition to themarket.

22 WWW.MCVUK.COM


It may not be the most glamorous sector of the industry, but distributors saw plenty of activity in 2008,with publishers switching partners and new forces emerging...

DISTRIBUTION TEAM

DISTRIBUTION TEAMPREVIOUS WINNERS2004: Gem2005: Centresoft2006: Centresoft2007: Koch Media2008: Centresoft

New Game Brand

PR Team

Game Campaign

Marketing Team

Marketing Innovation

FINALISTS


PR &MARKETING

GRIDDeveloped usingCodemasters’ ownproprietary EGOEngine technology,GRID raised the bar ofthe publisher’s drivinggames portfolio – in

terms of anything from the gameplay experienceto technical enhancements such as graphics andphsyics. As well as its listing here, GRID has aBAFTA nomination for Sports and was voted as a‘Best of IGN’ title.

PUREPure’s success cameas a huge surprise tomany in the industry,including both retailand the press. It hasgarnered numerousawards including a

BAFTA nomination. According to DisneyInteractive Studios, launching new IP is always arisk, but Pure has exceeded all expectations andforthcoming projects from Black Rock Studios arenow eagerly awaited.

DEAD SPACEWinner of more than40 awards andnominated for fourBAFTA gongs, DeadSpace arrived on Xbox360, PS3 and PC lastyear with Metacritic

ratings of 89, 88 and 86 per cent, respectively.And the survival horror title has alreadyestablished its credentials as an on-goingfranchise with a feature film, comic book seriesand animated feature announced.

PROFESSORLAYTONFollowing on from thesuccess of the BrainTraining titles,Professor Layton andthe Curious Villagecontinued Nintendo’s

aim of expanding the market, helping to bridgethe gap between self improvement titles and amore traditional style of story-led gameplay.Testament to Nintendo’s ability to once againcreate not only a new franchise, but a new sub-genre, is the fact that a number of ‘me too’ titleshave already been announced and released.

LITTLE BIG PLANETBilled as Sony’s mostambitious gamesrelease to date,LittleBigPlanet hasalready establisheditself as the PS3’sflagship title, having

sold some 380,000 units plus to date. Awarding ita 9/10 review score, Eurogamer wrote: “Newideas are great, great old ideas are better, andLittleBigPlanet has both: it’s the future and thepast of videogames, rolled into one.”

24 WWW.MCVUK.COM

Quality IP continues to arrive to both critical acclaim and commercial success. This awardacknowledges innovation, creativity and the potential to grow into long-term franchises...


NEW GAME BRAND

EAAs well as itsimpressive work on thelikes of FIFA ’09 andDead Space, one ofthe EA PR team’sstandout moments lastyear was the incredible

coverage it got for the ‘Petrol For The People’giveaway stunt it rolled out to back Mercenaries 2.A true work of genius, it meant that Mercenariesmade it on to the News at Ten, as well as thehome pages of all major news broadcasters.

MICROSOFTThe UK PR team lastyear had a mission tochange the way thepress thinks about thevideo games market.‘Telling anentertainment story’

was at the forefront of the team’s thinking, as ittreated lucky journos to Snowbombing in Austria,the Ibiza Rocks Hotel, Glastonbury and V Festival.The team also tied up a number of celebrities,such as Duffy, Estelle, Morten Harket and TheSugababes, to help drive coverage in thewomen’s and national media.

CAPCOM2009 looks like being astellar, record-breakingyear for Capcom. Andmuch of this can beattributed to the workthe PR team has donein creating a buzz for

the blockbuster titles arriving this year. Some ofthe highlights include getting Zane Lowe and AlexZane to play Street Fighter sound effectsthroughout their daily shows and achieving a DPSspread with indie band The White Lies playingSFIV in music bible the NME.

NINTENDO/REDIn an industry stillnotorious for badly PR-ing itself and often onlyreaching mainstreammedia throughcontroversy andmisreporting, Nintendo’s

on-going PR in the UK consistently sends a positivemessage to the UK media, Government and otherstakeholders that gaming is something to be playedand enjoyed by everyone. And thanks to itscampaigns for the likes of Wii Fit and Brain Training,the Nintendo team has even promoted the view thatgaming can be good for you.

SONYMuch of the Sony PRteam’s success overthe past year has beendue to its campaign forLittleBigPlanet. Some322 media items weresecured, with a PR

value of over £5.8m. Flagship coverage included aspot on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, threehalf pages in The Sun and over three hours offootage on the likes of Sky News, BBC Click,BBC News 24, MTV News, Newsround, Radio 1and Radio 5 Live.

UBISOFTHeaded up by thepopular Lidia Rumley,Ubisoft’s PR team isfive-strong, with over30 years of industryexperience. It alsoworks with the

ongoing support of two external PR agencies –Cohn & Wolfe and industry veterans Lunch PR.The team is structured by media expertise, whichallows it to provide a targeted and top service toall of its media contacts.

25WWW.MCVUK.COM

PR &MARKETING

NEW GAME BRAND • PR TEAMGAME CAMPAIGN • MARKETING TEAM • MARKETING INNOVATION


The industry’s PR efforts continue to rise to the challenge of a wider and deeper market – and thingswere no different in 2008 as the gaming demographic continued to expand...

PR TEAM

PR TEAM PREVIOUS WINNERS2003: Sony/Jackie Cooper2004: Microsoft/Red2005: Microsoft/Red2006: Nintendo2007: Nintendo2008: Nintendo

NEW GAME BRAND

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2004: EyeToy

2005: Nintendo DS

2006: Nintendogs

2007: Guitar Hero

2008: Assassin’s Creed

GUITAR HEROWORLD TOURFor the first time, apre-order campaignwas rolled-out forGuitar Hero, twoweeks before launch.Offering a free bass

guitar worth £50, this gave Activision its highestever pre-order numbers. The launch campaignitself was everything you’d expect, including TV,online, cinema and print advertising. But quirkyelements such as the Heidi Klum viral and thePearl & Dean video made this a true stand-outcampaign.

GTA IVSexy tv ads, backedby a sexy soundtrackand a clever PRstrategy were alwaysgoing to be on thecards. But it wasRockstar’s work with

retail – most notably, high profile midnight openingparties - that made the launch of GTA IV one ofthe biggest entertainment launches to date.

FIFAAside from the ground-breaking four-minuteTV commercial on SkySports (for which theteam has receivedanother nomination),EA’s ‘Let’s FIFA ‘09’

campaign clearly contributed towards making thetitle the UK’s best selling games sports franchiseto date. Advertising at football grounds reinforcedthe messages via print, radio and online.

FALLOUT 3Bethesda’s Fallout 3boasted a highlyeffectivecommunicationsstrategy, handled byLunch PR, which wasbolstered by a

heavyweight, impactful TV campaign. Themarketing strategy also included a launchtakeover of the European MSN channels in over15 territories, one of the largest games campaignsMSN has ever run. Outdoor included bus sidesand bus shelters, plus advertising on the exteriorsof 100 black cabs in London.

Wii FITRepresenting aground-breakinginnovation in the videogames industry, Wii Fitwas the subject of amajor educational PRcampaign, taking in all

broadcast media, national, women’s and lifestylepress. The title was also an element of Nintendo’simpressive peak season celebrity campaign whichstarred the likes of the Redknapps, the Keatings,Patrick Stewart, Fern Britton and Girls Aloud.

CALL OF DUTY:WORLD AT WARFollowing on from thehuge success of Callof Duty 4: ModernWarfare, Activision’scampaign for World atWar was built to

appeal to fans of the series, as well as attractingnewcomers to the franchise. PR activity was key,and underlined by activity on tv, cinema, print andonline. It all culminated with a huge number ofpre-orders and the franchise growing by some 43per cent year on year.

26 WWW.MCVUK.COM

This award considers the effective communication of the product or brand, creativity and execution,influence on sales and campaign impact versus the budgets available...


GAME CAMPAIGN

EAIt may help to havesome of the market’sbiggest franchises onyour portfolio, but theEA marketing team –headed up by newlypromoted marketing

director Stuart Lang – has ably demonstrated itsinnovation across the board in the past year. Keyinitiatives have included the sponsorship of the Sci-Fi London event for Dead Space, plus the RedSquare versus Trafalgar Square promotion forCommand & Conquer. And of course the campaignfor FIFA ’09 pretty much speaks for itself.

MICROSOFTOnce again theMicrosoft UKmarketing teamdelivered somememorablecampaigns, mostnotably the ‘Live Your

Moment’ strategy. A core pillar of the campaignwas the ‘Faces’ creative, support by a totalblanket TV strategy that touched millions ofconsumers in the 18-35 male and femaledemographic, backed by high profile print ads.

ACTIVISIONBLIZZARD2008 was agroundbreaking year forthe Activision Blizzardmarketing team. In ayear when manypublishers found it

tough to see their marketing investment translatethrough to commercial success, the team was ableto manage a merger of two businesses, whilstdelivering impressive sales across a range ofproducts including Lego Indiana Jones, World ofWarcraft, Guitar Hero, Quantum of Solace, TheForce Unleashed and, of course, Call of Duty.

SEGAThe UK marketingteam at Sega has seensignificant change overthe past year. SaraGrover came on boardto cover for TinaMoore’s maternity

leave, while new team members Jo Fawell andBen Walker have brought a wealth of experience,complementing Ben Payne in the department.Looking at Sega’s top five publisher status, theteam has done a great job with the resource andbudget allocated to them.

NINTENDOWhat is key forNintendo UK’smarketing team is theUK specific strategy.Across the majority ofits marketingcommunications, the

team deploys activity that is absolutely optimisedfor the UK, meaning the lion’s share of advertisingis created here, rather than ‘handed down’ fromglobal or Euro HQs. Over the past year,Nintendo’s marketing department has beenparticularly success in promoting evergreen titlessuch as Brain Training, Mario Kart and Wii Fit.

27WWW.MCVUK.COM

PR &MARKETING



Another fiercely contested category, this award recognises the creativity of a marketing department,taking into account budgets available and the creativity of the team...

MARKETING TEAM

MARKETING TEAMPREVIOUS WINNERS2003: Electronic Arts2004: Electronic Arts2005: Activision2006: Nintendo2007: Nintendo2008: Nintendo

GAME CAMPAIGN

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2005: PlayStation 2

2006: Nintendo DS

2007: Gears of War

2008: Halo 3

Be part of the fastest growing publisher. Now recruiting PR and marketing positions [email protected]

Good luck to all the Finalists at this year’s MCV Awards

© 2009 The Codemasters Software Company Limited (“Codemasters”). “Codemasters” ® is a registered trademark owned by Codemasters. The Codemasters logo is a trademark of Codemasters. All Rights Reserved.

FIFA ’09 FOUR-MINUTE TV ADEA’s four minute TVcommerical for FIFA’09 was premiered onSky Sports during theChelsea Vs Man Utdgame and was a first

for a video game in the UK. The commercial wasshot using a team of seven cameramen and fourdirectors to capture the feel of a real, livingsporting event, with all footage monitored in realtime. Shorter edits of the commercial were shownacross other channels.

ALL SINGING, ALLDANCING, ALLDISNEY CAMPAIGNThe Disney marketingteam was presentedwith a challenge forChristmas 2008 – anumber of titles based

around popular franchises, all with different gamemechanics and gameplay on a variety of formats.The team’s answer was to create an umbrellabrand called ‘All Singing, All Dancing, All Gaming –All Disney’. A mall tour was based on the premise,with ex-Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon makingpersonal appearances and publicising the tour.

RISING STAR HOMEOF JAPANESEGAMESLast year Rising Starrecognised that itneeded to brand itselfand its games in a waythat added value and

provided a point of difference. The answer was‘The Home of Japanese Games’ campaign andbranding which demonstrates the publisher’s linkswith Japan, the cultural soul of video games.

NEW XBOX LIVEEXPERIENCEMore than adashboard update, thelaunch of the newXbox Live Experiencehas given Microsoftand its third party

publishers and other partners the opportunity topromote their products in a more hard-hitting way– but, impressively, without rankling its millions ofXbox Live customers.

SONY COMMUNITYWORKPS Home may still bein its early stages, butSony has proved that itknows how to interractwith its consumersonline to great effect.

In particular, the work it has done with its Singstarcommunity over the past few years has beenimpressive. One key area for SCE last year was tocreate BoyBands vs Girlbands based entirely onwhat consumers voted for.

MARKETING INNOVATIONYes, the games industry is good at marketing. But which company tried new tactics or attempted

something completely different – and succeeded...?

PR &MARKETING



29WWW.MCVUK.COM

30 WWW.MCVUK.COM


DARREN BOWENUbisoft

GRANDPRIXAWARDLast but not least is theGrand Prix. Nothingabout this award will berevealed until on thenight of Thursday April23rd. Our highestaccolade, this prizerewards any UK-basedbrand or companywhich has enjoyedcommercial and criticalsuccess, whilst alsoshowing the highestlevel of support at tradelevel.

Previous winners haveincluded Nintendo,Electronic Arts, Sonyand Microsoft. Thewinner of the award isdecided exclusively bythe team at MCV – butno one has yetcomplained about ourfinal decision...

MCV RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD:SPECIAL RECOGNITION This is a special award voted for entirely by the MCV Retail Advisory Board, whorepresent the leading retailers in the UK. Finalists and winners are chosen based ontheir attitude to retail, enthusiasm and performance...

ANDY YATESNintendo

JOHN CLARKSega

MARK HOWSONSCE UK

JONATHAN GRIMESMicrosoft

SPECIAL AWARDS

MCV RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Lisa Morgan Duncan Cross Martyn Gibbs Don McCabe Tim Ellis Gian Luzio Caroline Austen

Jon Biggs Debbie O’Neill Graham Chambers David Poulter Igor Cipolletta Anthony Stocker Stephen Staley

MCV RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD:

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2007: Margaret Pearson

2008: Paul Donnelly

GRAND PRIX AWARDPREVIOUS WINNERS2003: Microsoft2004: Electronic Arts2005: Nintendo2006: Sony2007: Nintendo2008: Nintendo

Retail Category Partner Video Partner

Pre-Drinks Reception Partner Games Publisher Award PartnerPre-Drinks Reception Partner Drinks Reception Partner

Event Partner

MCV EXCELLENCE AWARDS SUPPLEMENT 2009

Documents

Transcript of MCV EXCELLENCE AWARDS SUPPLEMENT 2009