MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
In the second of a series of features answering the biggest questions about the industry’s future, James Batchelor investigates how much life is left in physical products. Should we give up on boxed games?NO. The duo of divisive D-words will be abundant at E3 this week – we expect to …
Read More »Gravity Rush WILL get boxed release in Europe
Space-shifting action title Gravity Rush will now be released as both a boxed and digital title in Europe, MCV understands. Sony had previously stated that it would only be available in Europe via the PlayStation Network. The reason for the decision is unknown, though it is likely linked to the …
Read More »EXCLUSIVE: No disc drive for Next Xbox
MCV has learnt that Microsoft has been telling partners that the Next Xbox will NOT include a disc drive. The briefings have been issued under what MCV’s source describes as the strictest NDA” they have ever encountered. Although the console will not include a disc drive, it will offer compatibility …
Read More »UK leads digital and physical game sales
NDP data shows that UK consumers buy more video games – both boxed and downloadable – than those in France, Germany in the US. The research group reported that the split between physical and digital sales in Germany is nearly equal, although France is dominated by boxed sales. The UK …
Read More »Rising Star ‘won’t abandon retail’
It may have launched a new digital label, but Rising Star has no plans to ditch boxed product. The firm says it is about to announce the first of four new iOS-only games, with the first title due to arrive at Easter, under the publisher’s new Rising Star Games Digital …
Read More »Digital Vita games also cheaper in the US
US retail has, as expected, confirmed that buying a game digitally for the PlayStation Vita will be cheaper than buying a physical version of the same title. This price disparity is already established in Japan and will, in all likelihood, also be the case when the handheld arrives in the …
Read More »Vita software pricing confirms retail’s worst fear
PlayStation Vita owners will face a very stark choice when the system arrives in the UK next year – pay a premium price for boxed games or a discounted price to download the digital version. This will for the first time place Sony squarely up against retail as opponents, fighting …
Read More »New, boxed games lose out in US market
NPD’s Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend report has claimed new, boxed game sales in the US accounted for the minority of the market in Q2 2011. In total $1.44bn was spent by US consumers on new, physical console and PC games in the period. In contrast, the combined spend on …
Read More »Experts says digital will pass discs in two years
Sales of online games are expected to pass physical retail from 2013, an analyst at DFC Intelligence has claimed. The report predicts that online sales will increase from $19.3 billion in 2010 to $37.9 billion by 2016, driving the overall industry value to $81 billion.It also states that traditional retail …
Read More »Disc-based games sales fall in US
A new report from The Entertainment Merchants Association has revealed that sales of physical games on disc declined significantly in 2010. Gamasutra reports that in 2010 71 per cent of all video games sold in the US were on disc. In 2009 that figure stood at between 80 and 90 …
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