Are game bundles dead? Find out in this week’s issue of MCV

In this week’s MCV, we speak to publishers, developers and companies in the bundling sector about the challenges facing that part of the industry.

Humble, Curve, Size Five Games, IndieGala and UKIE all share their insight into the huge sector.

We also speak to the to SVP of communications at E3 organisor the ESA, Rich Taylor, about what we can expect from the LA show this year. And – per tradition – we also make our predictions for what we might see at E3.

And we look at the explosion of the subscription box sector in the UK by speaking to some of the names big and small trying their hand at the model.

This week’s issue also features interviews with Vice about its move into games journalism, special edition firm Novobox about reversing the pre-order decline and Rodeo Games about why they left triple-A to make mobile strategy games

This week’s issue can be read here.

And the full contents are below:

• COVER: UK PS4 and Xbox One price war is bigger than anywhere else in the world, says GameStop
• COVER: Square Enix UK outsources retail business to Koch Media
• NEWS: Bandai Namco is No.1 publisher for the first time
• NEWS: GameSpot staff start new video production outlet
• NEWS: E3 – Over a third of our exhibitors are mobile and PC companies
• FEATURE: Death of the bundle? We speak to sector experts about the issues facing the games bundle sector
• E3 PREVIEW: We speak to the SVP of communications of E3 organiser ESA, Rich Taylor, about what we can expect from the show this year. We also round up the timings of the big conferences, and make our predictions for what will be appearing
• FEATURE: There has ben a subscription box sector in recent years, led by the success of American firm Loot Crate. We speak to some of the firms in the sectorto find out more
• INTERVIEW: Media brand Vice is known for its investigative journalism in war zones to its insight into alternative lifestyles. So why is it turning its attention to games?
• INTERVIEW: Pre-orders are dipping in the UK, but there are companies that can help reverse this trend. We speak to one such firm, Novobox
• INDIE INTERVIEW: This isn’t Ben Murch’s rodeo – he and the three development veterans who founded Rodeo Games have worked at some of the most renowned studios in the UK. SO why did they jack it all in to make mobile strategy games?
• SHELF LIFE: Ronnie McColm of Stranraer’s Discover on the success of Farming Simulator 2015 and how he has been using Facebook to advertise his business
• APPOINTMENTS: MCV biz dev role for West
• MARGIN MAKERS: We round up the best Elder Scrolls merchandise on the market
• INTERNATIONAL: The New Zealand games industry is growing, and rose 18 per cent in 2014. We investigate.