Gamescom review, Golden Joysticks, Oculus and Merge Games headline this week’s MCV

After a record-breaking Gamescom, we look at the core drivers of its success in this week’s issue of MCV. The potential resurgence of Xbox, the importance of video and using events to strengthen community relations were all key to this year’s edition. We talk to Xbox, IGN, Facebook and more to find out how and why.

This week, we also talk to retailers Amazon, Games Centre, GameSeek, Green Man Gaming and ShopTo about the state of the UK retail landscape, the impact of the Switch, why bricks-and-mortar shops are still relevant and how stock shortages continue to affect games retail.

Meanwhile, Future Publishing’s Dan Dawkins discusses the upcoming 35th Golden Joystick Awards and what’s in store for this year’s instalment.

We also talk to Oculus’ VP of content Jason Rubin about the success of the Summer of Rift sale and what needs to happen before VR can hit the mass market, and to Merge Games’ MD Luke Keighran about the evolution of its publishing and distribution strategies.

The latest digital edition can beread herefor free

The full contents of this week’s issue are below:

• OPINION: WarDucks’ CEO Nikki Lannen discusses moving from mobile to console VR
• OPINION: Dovetail Games’ VP publishing Lizzie Wilding talks about the benefits of working with your community of modders
• OPINION: Replay Events’ director Andy Brown discusses the retro sector
• GAMESCOM 2017: This year’s Gamescom had a record attendance. We report and look at the core drivers of its success
• RETAIL: We talk to UK retailers about the current state of the sector
• GOLDEN JOYSTICKS: We find out what’s in store for this year’s 35th Golden Joystick Awards
• OCULUS: As Oculus’ Summer of Rift sale comes to a close, we catch up with VP of content Jason Rubin
• MERGE GAMES: Founder and MD Luke Keighran on indie games saturation, how Merge Games embraced the Switch and why special editions are still relevant
• PLUS! Destiny 2 merchandise range, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy tops the UK weekly charts, Destiny 2, PES 2018 and Knack 2 headline the big game releases of the week, and more