Game industry business news

Gfinity announces plans for second UK eSports arena

The events firm behindthe UK’s first eSports arena- Gfinity – has said it has plans to open an even larger capacity venue. "Ideallywe’d like to build a larger capacity dedicated arena in the UK, but during a period of such fast growth (Gfinity is experiencingapproximately30,000 sign ups each month), it’s …

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Next Hearthstone expansion named and dated, smartphone version release nears

Blizzard has said that the next Hearthstone expansion will be called Blackrock Mountain and will be released in April. The single player expansion will follow the pattern laid down by the first expansion, Curse of Naxxramas, in releasing a new ‘wing’ week-by-week. Unlike Naxxrama, however, the first wing will not …

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No subscription fees Xbox Live on Windows 10

Microsoft has said that it will not lock the Windows 10 Xbox Live app behind a Gold subscription paywall. The confirmation came from Major Nelson on Twitter, who told a fan that: Xbox Live Gold will not be required for online multiplayer gaming using our service on Windows 10 PCs …

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Dying Light still No.1, GTA V back in second place

Warner Bros and Techland’s open world zombie title Dying Light once again takes pole position in the GfK Chart-Track Top 40. It keeps the top spot in spite of a 48 per cent decline in sales this week. The game has so far managed to outpace the other new IPs …

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The next Magic: The Gathering game will be free-to-play

Wizards of the Coast is to make the next instalment in its Magic: The Gathering series free-to-play. Magic Duels: Origins boasts a number of new features such as integrated deck construction assistance, an endless single player mode, some new multiplayer modes, a community Quest system and an enhanced tutorial system. …

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Indie hit This War of Mine in the works for iPad

11 bit Studio’s wartime sim This War of Mine is in development for iPad devices, the developer has revealed. Touch Arcade has the first look at the game’s mobile edition, which is expected out on the Apple App Store later this year. The indie studio promises an identical experience to …

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Epic Games issues first round of Unreal Dev Grants

Epic Games has revealed the first three Unreal Dev Grant recipients, with each developer gaining at least $15,000 in funding. Last month, Epic announced a new scheme that would have it handing out up to $5m in grants for developers using Unreal Engine 4, and this week the studio made …

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Gone Home console ports cancelled

Award-winning PC indie game Gone Home is no longer in development for consoles, developer Fullbright has confirmed. Gone Home creator Steve Gaynor stated as much to Eurogamer, explaining that Fullbright’s deal with struggling publisher Majesco and its now presumably defunct indie publishing arm Midnight City has come to a close …

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International Factfile 2015: France

France continues to experience a healthy games sector, bolstered by growth in physical retail and online. French industry trade body SELL states that €2.7 billion was generated by the country’s video game market in 2014, with €1.9 billion contributed by physical hardware, software and accessories. Software made up the lion’s …

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Koei Tecmo’s gaming dynasty

Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors has been going for over 18 years now, with eight numbered releases and countless expansions and special editions. And in spite of being – for lack of a better term – very Japanese, the series has been a moderate success in the West. Since the start …

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