2013: What industry leaders want to see

MCVasks UK games industry experts about why 2013 will be much, much better than 2012.

Christoph Hartmann
President, 2K
2013 is set to be an exciting one for me personally, and for 2K. We kick off the year with the release of the eagerly anticipated BioShock Infinite in March. We can also expect a year of ground-breaking new technology for the next generation that I just can’twait to get my hands on!

Sarah Rogers
Sales and Marketing Director, NCsoft Europe
I’m looking forward to new Guild Wars 2 content, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, the MCV Awards, some exciting NCsoft announcements, and learning all about the next generation of console hardware.

Jon Grimes
Director of Retail, Sales and Marketing, Microsoft UK
Platform exclusives don’t come much bigger than Gears of War, so I’m especially excited for Gears of War: Judgment next March. Press and retail reaction to the game has so far been incredibly positive and we have a robust plan in place to ensure we hit the ground running in 2013.

Shelly Pearce
Marketing Director, Nintendo UK
Next year I’m looking forward to being able to download Pikmin in HD when it comes to the Wii U and to playing Luigi’s Mansion 2 on my white 3DS XL.

Rich Eddy
Director of Communications, Codemasters
2013’s sat over there in a box, wrapped in glittery paper. A work high will be Grid 2. That it’s already showcasing some of our future tech makes it that little bit extra special. I’m hugely looking forward to The Puppeteer for PS3, gloriously original and sparkling with visual imagination. Other than that, Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary. I really shouldn’t be that excited about it. But I am.

Dr Jo Twist
CEO, UKIE
I can’t wait for GDC again. I really enjoy being around incredibly creative and diverse creators and this year UKIE is running the UK industry stand at GDC Play, so get in touch if you want a space on it! I am also going to E3 for the first time this year. I am also looking forward to the tax breaks coming online.With the skills pipeline being fixed, crowdfunding and tax helping firms to get financial support, 2013 should be a great year for change. And I can’t wait to get my hands on Ni No Kuni. I am obsessed with all things Studio Ghibli.

Keith Sharpe
Games Buyer, Play.com
The Last of Us is the game I really can’t wait for and it’s good to know that at least we’ve got a really strong Q1 new release line-up.

Ian Livingstone
Life President, Eidos
In no particular order, I am really looking forward to the publication of the new ICT curriculum with computer science at its core, tax credits for UK games production becoming law, and the launch of Tomb Raider. Oh, and Manchester City winning the Premiership again. For me that would be a win-win-win-win.

Andy Payne
Managing Director, Mastertronic
I am looking forward to Grand Theft Auto V being the biggest console game ever, Steam looking after the world’s PC gamers and makers, and crowd-funding taking more exciting twists and turns allowing game-makers to make the titles they and their fans want. Oh, and eSports breaking through as a mass participation phenomenon here in the UK.

Martin Defries
Managing Director, Rising Star Games
Glumly, I’m looking forward to it not being 2012 any longer. With greater optimism I am looking forward to launching Deadly Premonition onto the PS3 at long last, to our tie-in with a major toy franchise’s reboot, and to the reveal of a significant partnership with SNK.And… a change at Arsenal. Please, please, change!

Craig Thirkell
Head of Games, Asda
I’m really looking forward to newness in 2013. Personally the new Tomb Raider and Crysis 3 – I just hope my PC is up to handling the graphics. We’re really excited at Asda about GTA V, and hearing about new consoles from both Sony and Microsoft – that would be a real buzz! Money will be tight for customers again next year and we look forward to working with our partners to make gaming more affordable for everyone.

Clair Porteous
Head of Entertainment, Future Publishing.
It’ll be my first E3, so I truly can’t wait for that; I am looking forward to the new consoles, obviously; The Oculus Rift. And the games: Beyond: Two Souls. Watch Dogs, Destiny, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Crysis 3, The Last Of Us, GTA V, Gears of War: Judgment, Tomb Raider, Metro: Last Night, Dark Souls II and Devil May Cry. I’m also looking forward to ongoing development for Nintendo’s Wii U, mobile gaming and the free-to-play market.

Dave Howard
Stores Director, Game Retail
I’m really looking forward to GTA V – I think everyone is! It’s been a long time coming. And it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with hardware. We’ve got the first full year of the Wii U and who knows what we’ll see from Microsoft and Sony. 2013 will also be the first full year of our new business and we’re raring to go – I want to show everyone what Game Retail can do.

Warren Mills
Industry Manager for Entertainment, Google
I believe 2013 will bring us a wealth of fresh mobile and tablet games. Also developers will investigate smarter ways to extend your gaming experience, whether through apps or mobile-optimised sites. The other big trend is significant growth in gaming video. Who will be thenext Yogscast?

Ian Chambers
VP and MD, IGN International
In 2013 I’m looking forward to eSports becoming mainstream. Also games continuing their growth on non-traditional platforms, being played by more people than ever and the industry working to shift the perception of gaming as mainstream entertainment. Oh, and GTA V – can’t bloody wait.

Simon Peck
Commercial Director, Grainger Games
An announcement from Microsoft and Sony regarding next- gen hardware is now overdue, and hopefully both will be boxed product friendly and see a return to growth for the UK games industry in 2013 and beyond. Also looking forward to a return to growth for Nintendo UK. I hope Wii U gets the publisher support it deserves this year. Finally, FIFA 14. One of these years I have to be good enough to win Division 1.

Phil Moore
Sales Director, Grainger Games
There’s a strong release slate at the start of the year with some great titles including Devil May Cry, BioShock Infinite, Gears of War: Judgment and Dead Space 3. I’m also looking forward to GTA V and Sunderland staying in the Premiership… hopefully.

Joseph Staten
Design Director, Bungie
NASA’s MAVEN” mission launching next year promises to shed light on one of its biggest mysteries: what happened to Mars’ atmosphere? Imagining the red planet as a watery world is pretty mind blowing. If we could go there tomorrow and not just survive but flourish, what would we build? What other mysteries would we uncover?

Paul Sulyok
MD, Green Man Gaming
I am looking forward to: indie projects such as Strike Suite Zero; Wastelands 2 and other crowdfunded/Kickstarter projects; GTA V, because my dark side feels unfulfilled; Battlefield 4, anything from DICE is great; some backbone in the form of a government that will support the burgeoning British games industry; and chasing Gabe.

Rob Cooper
UK Managing Director, Ubisoft
I’m really looking forward to being able to reveal more of our new IP Watch Dogs. I think next year will bring us interesting opportunities to attract new consumers through the convergence of consoles with free-to-play and cloud gaming. On a personal note, I’d love to see England give the other countries a good spanking in the Six Nations, as well as seeing two of my children do well in their GCSEs and ‘A’ Levels.

Igor Cipolletta
CEO, ShopTo
Looking forward to the new Xbox. The games industry urgently needs a shake. It looks to me like we have just frozen ourselves for the past five years and the only company that is active is Apple.

Andy Pinder
Category Manager for Games, HMV
There will be many highlights for me in 2013. The Q1 release schedule is looking strong with some key franchises returning, which is sure to excite fans and introduce new customers. I also can’t wait to see how publishers embrace the Wii U. The highlight of 2013 will undoubtedly be E3, where we will hopefully see a glimpse of the next Xbox and PlayStation.

Jon Rooke
European Marketing Director, THQ
I’m looking forward to the new opportunities that emergent digital models will ensure the industry will be challenged to deliver great experiences at great value, no matter how gamers choose to consume those experiences. And secondly, South Park: The Stick Of Truth, which promises to be the most hilarious videogame of 2013.

Gurdeep Hunjan
Buying Manager, Sainsbury’s
Grand Theft Auto V, as we need as many blockbuster titles that we can get into next year and the trailer looks amazing. Battlefield 4, for the same reason. I’m also looking forward to the growth of Wii U, as well as Xbox 720 and/or PS4.

David Reeves
CCO, Capcom EMEA
The new Devil May Cry hitting No. 1 in the Charts in January. Console first parties opening up and publishing the digital figures and in a dashboard real-time format that equals Apple’s. And Michael Pattison abandoning the Mohican hairstyle for the Comanche bareback one.

Laura Yates
Games Marketing Planner, HMV
Grand Theft Auto V is definitely at the top of my list. From what we’ve seen so far, this instalment of the franchise is set to be the biggest and best yet. We’ve had a fantastic reaction to all of our pre-order activity so far and it willbe great to see how this continues to build as we approach the release in spring.