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Olympics and Batman group up for winning UK sales

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EST

Olympics and Batman... peanut butter and jelly? London 2012: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games takes the gold for a third consecutive week on the UK charts, with the top four titles remaining in their same positions for a second week. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes took silver, followed by Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games with bronze and finally Batman: Arkham City with the "participation award."

There were no new games to break the top 40 last week, which should hopefully change with the launches of Sleeping Dogs and Darksiders 2 this week.

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Olympics and Batman group up for winning UK sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympics games take gold and bronze for second week on UK charts

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EST

The quality may be tin, but sales in the UK have been golden for London 2012: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games. Olympic fever has been epidemic, as sales of the game were up 88 percent from the week prior. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games also had a bump of 42 percent, placing it at bronze again, directly behind the Lego Dark Knight and friends.

The only new game this week was Risen 2: Dark Waters, which debuted in spot 14, far better than its predecessor's number 29 premiere in 2009. Sail past the break for the UK top ten.

Continue reading Olympics games take gold and bronze for second week on UK charts

Olympics games take gold and bronze for second week on UK charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK retail software sales last week lowest since records began

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:30:00 EST

Software sales in the UK at retail last week were the lowest since records started being kept, generating £8.4 million. MCV reports that 394,688 games were sold last week, according to data provided by Chart-Track.

Several factors could be contributing to last week's soft retail sales, but it's a pretty safe bet that a lack of major new titles and the Olympics going on in London would be a significant factor.

The sad sales at retail do not factor in any business done through digital distribution networks, MMOs or freemium titles. And let's face it: those can be significant.

UK retail software sales last week lowest since records began originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official Olympics game takes gold on UK charts

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:30:00 EST

Thanks to the start of the Olympics, sales of London 2012: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games were up 25 percent last week in the UK, helping the global event tie-in game step up to the top pedestal.

The official game, which held the silver last week, wasn't the only Olympics game to benefit from the event's starting gun. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games also saw a bump of 21 percent, raising it from eighth to bronze. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes finds itself wedged between the two sports minigames in silver.

Pokémon Conquest was the only new game last week to break the top 40, storming spot 17 in its debut week. Now we wait to see if the Pokémon X Nobunaga's Ambition franchise crossover converts poke-fever into a desire to buy strategy games based on feudal Japan. Scout out the UK top ten after the break.

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Official Olympics game takes gold on UK charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega Studios Australia lays off 37, transitions to digital

JC Fletcher — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Sega Studios Australia, developer of the upcoming London 2012 Olympics game, is laying off 37 of its 80 staffers as part of a restructuring effort. The studio, which features advanced motion-capture facilities, was originally part of The Creative Assembly, and was renamed last year when development of this game was announced.

According to a statement sent to Joystiq, Sega Studios Australia will now focus on digitally distributed titles. "We can confirm that SSA has signed a multi-product deal focussing across the digital marketplace," SSA said. The downsizing effort will "ensure we have a more effective and agile team that will enable us to quickly adapt to consumer needs and deliver strong content across multiple digital platforms," according to the studio.

Find the full statement after the break.

Continue reading Sega Studios Australia lays off 37, transitions to digital

Sega Studios Australia lays off 37, transitions to digital originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega Australia boss shows interest in acquiring ex-THQ talent down under

David Hinkle — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST

Two days ago, THQ announced it's realigning its resources, shutting down two of its Australia-based studios: the Melbourne-based Blue Tongue Entertainment and the Brisbane-based THQ Studio Australia. Today, Sega Studios Australia's head honcho, Marcus Fielding, has shown interest in THQ's dismissed devs.

Fielding told MCV that Sega is looking to "explore our short term hiring strategy to reflect the sudden influx of talent in Australia." He added that he hopes to "announce the potential for taking on more staff soon."

Sega Studios Australia is currently the largest video game development studio in Brisbane, and is busy working on London 2012 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC platforms. Over the last several years, Australia has lost a handful of Brisbane-based studios including Pandemic Australia, Auran, and most of Krome.

Sega Australia boss shows interest in acquiring ex-THQ talent down under originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega's Australian studio making London Olympics game

JC Fletcher — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:09:00 EST

For its last Olympics game, set in Vancouver, Sega employed the development talents of the UK-based Eurocom. The 2012 Olympics will be held in London, and Sega has consequently moved development of the tie-in game to Brisbane, Australia. Obviously!

Today, Sega announced London 2012 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, coming out next year for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC (Mario and Sonic are the chosen Olympians for the Wii and 3DS platforms). It's developed by "the newly rebranded SEGA Studios Australia," formerly The Creative Assembly's Australian studio. Sega namechecked the studio's "state of the art motion capture facility" as a potential reason for the choice.

As for the actual game, it features 30 events of unspecified Olympery, with online leaderboards.

Sega's Australian studio making London Olympics game originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 31 May 2011 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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