THQ's UK marketing director, Jon Rooke, has told GamesIndustry.biz that the company is "confident and fully expecting" the Wii and DS markets to bounce back this Christmas, following a slow rest of the year - mirroring sales activity in 2009, when the Wii platform in particular took off in the final two months of the year.

The news comes as the publisher launches a major marketing campaign for its Kids, Family and Casual line-up called 'Great Games, Great Value' - a campaign which echoes a push back in 2006, when the company needed to plug a revenue gap at Christmas left by the delay in release of Disney Pixar's Cars movie.

"We had a number of key learnings from that initial campaign, one of which was that we never really partnered closely enough with retail on it," Rooke explained. "We had a great umbrella brand which worked for the consumer, wrapped a lot of titles together and allowed us to put titles onto TV which on their own might not have received the weight of spend we'd have wanted - but the delivery of that at retail fell short of where we wanted it to be.

"It was a successful campaign, however - it absolutely achieved what we were looking for at that point in 2006," he added.

That partnership with retail will see a range of ten titles sold under the GGGV umbrella brand in a move that has universally been welcomed, said Rooke - in part thanks to the challenge for retailers in having enough space to dedicate to family or casual titles, as well as the challenge of marketing spend for each title individually.

"We went out to retail, we presented the proposal, and the response was unanimously positive," he said. "They all loved the idea, that we were coming to them with a solution to a problem at Christmas, and every single retailer brought into the umbrella campaign. The process we've been going through ever since has just been fine-tuning those plans with retail - which titles are they taking, what are their hero titles.

"The whole campaign is focused with retail in mind, so all the TV will be tagged with a retailer. A 30-second ad might have two or three titles in it, and the end message will be something like: 'Great games, such as Megamind, available now from ASDA' - at whatever the pricing is."

While the decline in overall core videogame market numbers has been blamed in some quarters on a sharp fall in Nintendo platform software and music game genre sales, Rooke echoed comments made previously by THQ CEO Brian Farrell in believing the Wii behaves more like a toy than a traditional videogame product in terms of seasonality.

"When you look back, in particular at the Wii software market, last year - and we looked into this in a lot of detail - it started very strong coming out of Christmas [2008], then declined as you'd expect and flattened out through Summer and Autumn," Rooke explained. "Then in the tail end of October, and through November and December it really started picking up again - and in those last two months of the year it started doing massive volumes.

"It's one of those challenges that everyone forgets - what's happened before. The Wii is behaving a bit more like a toy - people get it out at Christmas, start playing with it again. It's not depressed in that people aren't engaging with the Wii - there are a lot of active users out there, they haven't put it away and it's still set up next to the TV in the living room. But they probably just haven't had a really compelling piece of software to get hold of to really engage with.

"I think seasonality is part of that, and we've always been forecasting through this year to be in a position where we're depressed at this point in time. But we're confident and fully expecting that market to come back; despite Kinect and Move maybe coming a bit into that space, we still see a lot of active users out there.

"Both Microsoft and Sony would have to sell a lot of those motion gaming peripherals to start to cut in significantly to that market," he added.

Titles to be marketed under the GGGV umbrella brand, and released on either November 19 or November 26, include: Barbie, Hot Wheels, Megamind, Truth or Lies, Superhero Squad, Pictionary, Penguins of Madagascar and The Biggest Loser.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-market-surge ...

If you're a fan of videos featuring commercial actors mugging for the camera and jumping around in a semi-comical manner, you are seriously in luck. That's right, it looks like Ballmer and Co.'s $500 million marketing blitz has resulted in some totally spasmodic TV spots for the Kinect. As befits a technology that emphasizes movement over the controller itself, there is very little actual hardware shown -- but boy, do those kids look like they're having fun! See for yourself after the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/22/o...y-large-rooms/ ...

Who knew a support thread on corporate WiFi login issues would lead to anything we'd care about? Cut to Google code's Android forums, where an anonymous Google engineer confirms that this problem will be patched in the "next major release" of Android, specifically version 2.3. So... does this mean Android 2.3 is the oft-discussed (and close on the horizon) Gingerbread? Not necessarily -- while possible, there isn't any indication to that effect, and logic doesn't arbitrarily equate the two. After all, recall that Eclair was both 2.0 and 2.1, so there would be some historical precedence to this 0.1 leap being nothing more than sprinkles on frozen yogurt.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/22/a...ogle-engineer/ ...

It's that time of year. Winter's drawing in, it's dark when you go to work, it's dark on your journey home and it's bloody cold all the time.

All the big events of the year are behind us, the anticipation and revelations of new tech and big announcements long gone. You'd be forgiven for letting a little bit of gloominess creep in.

Not so fast, glum nuts. Although there's little more than a mere two months to go before the year's out we've still got some of the biggest titles of 2010 waiting in the wings.

Here's our list of the best games of 2010 that are still waiting to wow you. If nothing else, they're a great excuse for hiding from the chill in the warm glow of the TV.


Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Release: November 19

The follow up to Assassin's Creed II sees the continuation of Ezio's story and it's looking like a stonker.

Now that our favourite hoodie has become a master Assassin there's a whole new world of killing to be had. Not only will you get to roam around in Rome - which is three times the size of the largest Assassin's Creed city to date - but you'll have a team of fellow Assassin's at your command.

Recruit them, train them and call them in when you're in a spot of bother for the ultimate "You and whose army?" come-back you always wanted in school.

Or, why not send them off to take out historical Templar sympathisers around the world? Brotherhood will bring depth to the franchise we never even anticipated.

That's before we've even mentioned the multiplayer, which looks like it's going to offer up deathmatches like we've never seen before.

None of this running, gunning and dying malarkey, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood online will be all about taking it slow, hiding in the crowd and striking without anyone even realising. Sweet.


Football Manager 2011
Release: November 5

OK so it's not everyone's bag. To a lot of gamers out there, Football Manager is nothing but a massive collection of numbers and 22 moving dots. To those who have acquired a taste for virtual gaffery, however, it's the greatest collection of numbers since the phonebook.

We've said how these games will give you an excuse to stay in for a month or two but, as far as Football Manager is concerned, it's not exactly up to you. It is a condition people, and we need more awareness.

This year is looking like a real must have in the series as well thanks to a couple of mechanical overhauls that will change the way the game's played in a few key areas.

The new contract negotiation system, for example, where you'll now be bartering with players' agents in real time rather than over email.

Plus there are actually five different agent types so that the players' representatives can be characterised as being particularly tough or open.

You're also going to be able to criticise your players or discuss their concerns privately rather than in the open. Basically, SI has realised that, from a man management perspective, it's probably not always desirable to flag up your key man's lack of form in front of a group of journos (the scum) every time.

It's upping the intuition like this that means we're about to lose a lot of friends all over again come November.


Call of Duty: Black Ops
Release: November 9

Remember all those games we said we were looking forward to? They were pretty good weren't they? Yeah, scrap 'em. Scrap 'em all.

There's no pretence here, we all know that it doesn't matter what games come out between now and New Year, by November there's only going to be one name that matters and it'll dominate right up until it's sitting under Christmas trees up and down the country.

Say what you like about Modern Warfare 2, Treyarch, the Infinity Ward debacle or Activision, Call of Duty will always be the number one game of the masses and it will always do the numbers.

And, so far, Black Ops looks like it will reward the eye-gouging anticipation come release day.

As far as the FPS genre, and the Call of Duty name more specifically, it isn't going to be a gaming revolution but that's only because CoD has set such a high standard already. In terms of a brand, the world's best FPS is kind of competing with itself.

That doesn't mean we don't look forward to a fresh bit of CoD every time one's fried up for us.

This time Treyarch's departure from the WWII setting and its move into the Cold War is an interesting one and we're looking forward to getting our hands on some specialist weapons like that mean looking crossbow.

Multiplayer's looking nicely padded too. You can expect the full CoD online treatment with kill-streaks and perks galore but the addition of Theatre Mode, AI bots and a ton of new customisation options makes the online portion of the game look more ambitious than we ever expected.

As if there wasn't enough kill power in these game already, two new super weapons are going to be thrown onto the mix as well in the form of the Death Machine (a big-ass minigun) and the Grim Reaper (an super-duper scoped grenade launcher). See you on the battlefield in November!


Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Release: November 19

If you want incredibly fast super cars and tons of carnage when it all goes wrong (which it absolutely has to) then Burnout studio Criterion is probably a pretty safe bet.

To have Criterion concentrating all its efforts on Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit - the next in one of the ...

The Fable III Kingmaker smartphone app is leading Microsoft’s marketing rally for the upcoming RPG.
The unique marketing tool has already pulled thousands of potential gamers.
“The response has been phenomenal – over 60,000 people have signed up, which is a fantastic result,” Microsoft’s director of Xbox and Entertainment Stephen McGill told MCV.
“With mobile technology constantly improving and more people purchasing a smartphone, it’s possible to engage with people in other interesting ways.
“Mobile gaming has proven to be a huge success and we are pleased to offer a Fable III experience on the go through Kingmaker.”

The game rewards players for planting virtual flags in a digital civil war between Fable III’s two factions. Any gold earned in Kingmaker can then be transferred to the Xbox 360 when Fable III launches next week.

A partnership with GAME means that anyone who pre-orders the game from the national chain will bag a bonus 15,000 gold. The firm’s stores serve as Kingmaker treasure points for the app’s users.
The app is part of Microsoft’s drive to make Fable III a mainstream hit, earning it a place in what creator Peter Molyneux calls “the triple-A club”.
“It will always be my consistent dream to break into that club,” he told MCV.
Fable III is due for release on October 29th.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41464/King...es-crown-jewel ...

We know the recent Gran Turismo 5 delay hurt, so here's a picture of the GT5 Signature Edition to ease the pain. Beautiful isn't it?



The Signature Edition contains a number of premium goodies including a Gran Turismo 5 wallet and an SLS AMG model car.

The game will come in a metal sculpted box with an SLS AMG Obsidian Black finish, a branded USB key with Polyphony/Mercedes-Benz trailer, a GT branded metal key fob, a coffee table book featuring the beautiful cars and locations of Gran Turismo 5 and a 200 page Apex drivers magazine.

In-game bonuses include five 'ChromeLine' Collector's Edition cars, six 'Stealth' vehicles and an exclusive dynamic theme.

Polyphony Digital boss Kazinori Yamauchi has admitted that Gran Turismo 5 occasionally drops below a 60 frames per second - but said that his studio is "working towards perfecting" the game.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Rovio Mobile might be seizing headlines for the three million downloads of its Angry Birds game on Android this week, but the company is targeting other smartphones too.
The full Symbian version of Angry Birds has gone live on Nokia's Ovi Store, and is available to buy now.
Yes, that's 'buy'. At the present time, it's only the Android version of the game that is free and ad-supported, thanks to Rovio's deal with Google.
The Ovi Store version of the game costs £3, which may disappoint users, considering that the iPhone version costs 59p - despite having 195 levels to the Ovi version's 105.
Nokia has already confirmed that the Symbian version will be one of the first games to make use of Ovi Store's soon-to-launch in-app payments capability.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...onto-Ovi-Store ...

The Virgin Media Player app gives access to mobile-optimised content from 4oD, Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. It can also be downloaded from the Ovi store by Virgin customers on any mobile network.
Interestingly the N8 also comes pre-loaded with BBC iPlayer and YouTube apps so there's ample opportunity to use it to watch TV/film.
Jonathan Kini, director of mobile at Virgin Media, said: “The Nokia N8 is a fantastic entertainment handset and the perfect launch partner for our new Virgin Media Player app. With more and more consumers enjoying entertainment on the go, the combination of the Virgin Media Player service and the Nokia N8 provide a compelling way for consumers to keep up with their favourite shows.”
Earlier this year the company launched its Virgin Media Player, which can already be accessed through the Virgin Media Mobile portal to deliver TV On Demand through video-capable handsets.
The Nokia N8 is available from free from £40 on a Virgin Media pay monthly tariff.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/39183...n-Media-Player ...

James Bond 007: Blood Stone will arrive in the UK on November 5th along with GoldenEye 007.
Activision had previously only set the release date for Wii and DS shooter GoldenEye 007. The publisher announced today that its all-new Xbox 360, PS3, PC and DS game, James Bond 007: Blood Stone, will join it in stores on the same day.
Blood Stone features an original mission that takes players across the world, from the rustic delights of Athens and Istanbul to the snowy wastes of Siberia and the jungles of Bangkok.
GoldenEye 007 is a re-imagining of the film and the classic N64 game, which includes new sections, modes and gameplay. It will be available as a standalone game or bundled with a gold Classic Controller Pro on Wii.
Actor Daniel Craig has lent his likeness to both titles, which mark Bond’s return to video games.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41463/Bond...es-in-November ...