Article from Commodore Gazette, Year IV No. 4 (July / August 1989) pp. 62-66
U.S. GOLD: THE SPOTLIGHT TO ITALY
The chairman of U.S. Gold came to Italy to present the ambitious plans of his software company. Among other things, he talked about the new game Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Mauro Gaffo
"If there are no more questions, I have something to ask you who are experts in the IT sector in Italy. The Italians are famous worldwide for their creativity, their ability to succeed in any field ... because then you do not produce software? In Germany and France, something has been done, but absolute silence from Italy. Why? ". This question is closed the official part of the press conference held by President of the U.S. Gold. Gli impacciati tentativi di risposta hanno messo in luca soltanto che anche gli addetti ai lavori sono perfettamente consapevoli di questa situazione: i tentativi che qui e là si fanno non hanno ancora quasi nessuna risonanza al di fuori del nostro Paese.
Ma questa drammatica conclusione a che conferenza stampa si riferisce? Che c'entra con l'Italia il presidente di una delle più conosciute software house ingles? Cominciamo dal principio.
Alla conquista dell'Italia
Milano e il lussuoso hotel Gallia, nei pressi della stazione Centrale, sono stati il punto di partenza dell'aggressiva "campagna d'Italia" della U.S. Gold, una notissima software house inglese che ha puntata molte delle sue carte sul mercato europeo e soprattutto su quello italiano. Venerdì 21 luglio [1989 ndr] , le eleganti poltroncine della Sala Verdi hanno accolto la stampa specializzata e alcuni rivenditori per una presentazioni delle novità software previste per ottobre/dicembre. Non c'era nemmeno un computer e purtroppo non abbiamo potuto vedere in azione, se non di sfuggita, il nuovo Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade che uscirà in Italia poco dopo la prima dell'omonimo film, ma qualche notizia interessante siamo riusciti a raccoglierla ugualmente chiacchierando con Geoff Brown [nell'articolo originale sempre chiamato erroneamente Jeff ndr] (direttore generale della U.S. Gold) e con John Holder (amministratore Delegate of Italy and head of U.S. Gold Leader distribution).
The meeting was created by the will of the British software house and its Italian distributor, the Leader, to emphasize the importance that our country has for British manufacturers, in particular for the U.S. Gold. "It 's just the beginning," said Geoff Brown. "In Italy we intend to move dynamically in many different directions: the development of products in Italian to a pricing policy that put the game out piracy. It 's a tough market, but accounts for about 20 per cent of our production in Commodore. And it's growing. "
History of U.S. Gold
After a brief presentation by John Holder, the same Geoff Brown is committed to describe his company, a software company that aims many of its cards on an aggressive and imaginative marketing, and at the same time attentive to please the consumer. The attention to public needs, which in this case was made by journalists and experts, was confirmed by the presence of an excellent video in Italian explaining the purpose and techniques of U.S. Gold, broadcast immediately after the brief but comprehensive lecture Geoff Brown. So let us know with one of the most brilliant of English software.
The U.S. Gold presents itself as a company in the round, which covers all market requirements, dai coin op alla produzione e distribuzione di software per home computer. E' in crescita da cinque anni e presenta come fiori all'occhiello la linea Epyx (creata nel 1985), la realizzazione di giochi strategici tra cui primeggia Advanced Dungeons & Dragons , il successo di vendite di Outrun (750.000 copie: un vero record), il Personal Computer Show del 1988 e i campionati di videogiochi organizzati in collaborazione con la National Association of the Boys Clubs. Con orgoglio, una voce fuori campo cita ancora il gioco Thunder Blade , vincitore dell'ambito titolo di "gioco dell'anno". Per questo prodotto è stata attuata una strategia promozionale particolarmente aggressiva, finalizzata a pubblicizzare the individual game rather than the overall image of the software house as it usually does: covers of magazines, television and radio advertising, boxes containing the "art of noise" of the program ... The results, apparently, were very satisfactory.
Having declared an increase in sales in Europe by 17 per cent last year, Geoff Brown has gone to programs for the future. The example of Kick-off, a program for the Atari ST and Amiga, which is priced at £ 2 and 99, is the clearest demonstration of the policy implemented by the affordable ... Course content so prices are possible only for long runs, and Kick-off is expected even distributing a million pieces.
on this front will move the Leader, who recently commissioned a market survey to find out what are the possibilities of acquiring Italian user. The average player, according to survey results, about an hour a day dedicated to his favorite pastime, and can not afford spending more than 60 000 pounds per month. The most obvious conclusion, considering the increasingly demanding nature of many games is that each player can buy per month 2:00 to 3:00 games, and a distributor for this is probably the best that you can get. On the other hand to reach it you must lower the current prices, and Holder hopes to have as many games for the Amiga in the catalog at prices ranging from 15 to 18 thousand dollars.
But back to U.S. Gold and its projects. Among other initiatives in the pipeline is a collection of classic oldies of the past resurface, the creation of games with accompanying music cassette also be sold in record stores and the promotion of labels like Capcom (for which were announced future releases of Strider and Turbo Outrun ) and Pizza Hut. Another big change is the agreement with Lucasfilm, which will offer such titles as the aforementioned Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade a short distance from the time of the film. Another recent contract is the software that will allow the house to use the English name of a star of the musical world as Michael Jackson, and in particular to make a game based on the movie Moonwalker , which has seen him in the role of protagonist.
To repeat the words of John Holder: "The software, now is no longer a cottage industry . In other words, gone are the days of managing a "family" of software companies.
Indiana Jones
A pleasant surprise last minute, which was one of the funniest moments and nice press conference, è stata la proiezione di un video dell'ultimo film della serie di Indiana Jones. Abbiamo potuto vedere in anteprima Harrison Ford incalzato da una torma di studentesse urlanti, che scappa per l'ennesima volta dal college dove si svolge la sua vita d'insegnante e s'imbatte subito in due sinistri personaggi. Viene sequestrato e si ritrova in un castello dove...
Le scene del film erano intervallate da alcune animazioni dell'omonimo gioco che permetteva un confronto immediato, anche se la qualità della riproduzione e la brevità degli inserti non erano tali da consentire una valutazione attendibile. Per il momento possiamo dire che il gioco sembra superiore a Zak McKraken e segue le sue orme per quanto riguarda l'interfaccia utente; will be available in two versions: arcade and adventure (October / November). The latter, as has been done to Zak McKraken , will also be manufactured in Italian Amiga and PC formats.
After listening to other statements on the extraordinary quality of the game (especially in the adventure version), there seemed a bit 'excessive in relation to the quality of the images seen on the screen, was declared closed the presentation of U.S. Gold "Mr. Geoff Brown is now available to answer your questions. "
"I'm ready for anything," said Brown, smiling with the large face reddened early tan imprudence.
The 8 bits are dead?
As the chairman of the U.S. Gold was ready for anything, these were held on land rather beaten and the only time that an application for a bit 'poison has been done really, we have seen a response peppered with phrases circumstance worthy of the shrewdest politicians. But in their proper order because, after all, something interesting has been said, and something surprising.
The eternal problem of piracy has opened the debate, and the answer (not surprisingly) was that piracy unless sensational cases, can not be defeated in court. The lines to follow are basically three: a pricing policy content piracy that makes less and less affordable, a growing attention to the advertisement and then, especially in the case of simulation games, the effort to produce documents in your language. The problem is not the boy that copies all the games on which he puts his hands and raises in one way or another about a hundred games per month: Who would ever have time to watch them all, anyway? Who does this is a collector, not a player.
Also discussed was the game translated into Italian, and Brown said he was convinced that the road taken by the Italian version of Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is being followed up in fondo. Peccato che la qualità dell'italiano, almeno fino a questo momento, sia al di sotto del livello minimo di dignità; c'è da sperare che il pubblico risponda positivamente e che le traduzioni in futuro vengano affidate a traduttori professionisti, anche se questo dovesse costare qualche sterlina in più [nota 1] . Sia chiaro comunque che l'impegno di esportare in Italia versioni tradotte nella nostra lingua è lodevolissimo. Rappresenta una reale dichiarazione di rispetto verso il cliente, nei fatti e non solo a parole, e ci auguriamo che siano in molti a seguire l'esempio della U.S. Gold.
D'altra parte, come emerge dalle successive risposte di Brown, l'Italia forse non è il mercato europeo più importante but it is certainly the leading positions. Some numbers? U.S. Gold sales in Commodore abroad are covered by the Italian buyers by 20 percent, and the Italian market is growing at least as much as English is in decline.
Still on the market, we discover with surprise that for the 8-bit dell'Amstrad France is the kingdom, Spain is a land of conquest for the Spectrum and the C-64 computer is by far dominant in Italy (but we already knew that). Europe, in this context, takes on even greater importance for the software house, because the 8-bit market overseas is very feeble. According to Geoff Brown, in fact, "America's 8-bit are dead. "This statement may be too drastic, but certainly revealing of current trends. Knowing that Europe often follows the example of America, perhaps with a few years of delay, someone is worried about the possibility of a sudden trasferimetno resources and investment from 8 to 16 bits. C-64/128 But users can rest assured that at least for the time being and until the situation will change drastically in Europe, the U.S. Gold production will always be divided fraternally (fifty -fifty) between 8 and 16 bit.
When someone asked what is the advertising vehicle that most influence sales of video games, the answer was immediate: the reviews on riviste specializzate. Secondo l'inchiesta della Leader, il 70 per cento dei consumatori quando entra nel negozio ha già le idee ben chiare su quello che vuole. Sono utili anche le preview, ovvero le "recensioni" realizzate prima che il prodotto finito sia disponibile, ma a parere dei dettaglianti sono troppo soggette ad approssimazioni e affermazioni inesatte.
Altre domande incalzano, ma non si esce più dagli argomenti già citati se non con la provocatoria domanda di un rivenditore: perché così tanti giochi hanno problemi addirittura a essere caricati? La risposta è stata evasiva e ben poco soddisfacente: "E' un problema che non riguarda solo noi... In molti casi è probabile che l'inconveniente nasca per colpa di un uso sbagliato... Il pacchetto può essere stato danneggiato doo la vendita...". Stendiamo un velo pietoso su un problema che certamente non riguarda solo la U.S. Gold, ma che è molto grave e denuncia pressapochismo e scarsa professionalità da parte del mondo del software. Potremmo anhe aggiungere che a volte capita di non trovare il disco o la cassetta nella confezione sigillata, oppure che capita di trovare software originale affetto da virus: forse la fase di cottage industry non è ancora stata del tutto superata. Ma almeno la U.S. Gold sembra che ci stia provando.
Software italiano
E la provocatoria domanda di Geoff Brown a cui abbiamo fatto cenno all'inizio dell'articolo? Be', We all know some realities that are indigenous in its infancy, among which stand out (in games) Simulmondo and E-motion, but we would like to point out another recent initiative that could be an answer to those who say they have imagination and technical but complain that they lack the means.
We are talking about "Software Copyright," a group of people that aims to identify Italian programmers can create internationally competitive products, products that they keep pace with the times and can be exported with a hope of success. If anyone feels up to the point of contact is: Software Copyright srl, Via Mazzini 12, 21020 Casciago (VA); tel. 0332/212255.
[note 1] The issue of poor translation of Zak McKraken is debate upon the following number of Commodore Gazette, here is the repartee between Leader and CG.
* * * With reference to the article published in the July / August Commodore Gazette entitled U.S. Gold spotlight to Italy in signing Mauro Gaffo, we formulate and bring to your attention the following details:
A) is the example of what Kick Off clearest demonstration of the pricing policy implemented by the access of Birmingham. We must note that this is a clear inaccuracy background as the program in question is in distribution and not U.S. GOLD ANCO. About
reference to the price of 2 pounds and 99, we believe that the data is the result of a misunderstanding. The line of U.S. GOLD KIXX proposing is a policy of low prices but in the following terms: a price of 2 pounds and 99 for the CBM 64 and 9 pounds and 99 for the Amiga.
We ask you to correct the erroneously reported in the next issue with the data made available to you.
B) The second point concerns the position in relation to games translated into Italian, with particular reference to McKraken Zak and The Alien Mindbenders . Non riteniamo che la qualità dell'italiano sia al di sotto del livello minimo di dignità né, tantomeno, di doverci affidare a traduttori diversi da quelli che finora hanno collaborato con noi.
Leader Distribuzione srl
Casciago, Varese
Evidentemente, c'è stata una confusione tra il prodotto Kick Off e la linea KIXX e prendiamo atto della correzione. Quanto al prezzo sbagliato, è evidente che parlare della propria politica di bassi prezzi sbandierando soltanto quelli dei programmi dedicati alla macchina inferiore può dare adito a fraintendimenti. Per quanto riguarda l'ultimo punto, prendiamo atto del vostro parere e lo pubblichiamo. Precisiamo soltanto che non volevamo denunciare Zak in particular, but we wanted to refer generally to the way in which programs and manuals are translated into Italian.
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