Game industry business news

MCV’s bumper-sized directory of key UK games agencies and services returns in July. Now called Game Source, it will be published as a book with a print-run of 25,000 and available as a free digital book on iPad and in-browser, it will also be distributed at key events around the …

Punishing bad behaviour gets results. But basic psychology suggests that rewarding good behaviour will achieve more. Microsoft is looking to follow this mantra by rewarding players contribute positively” via their Xbox Live interactions, Polygon reports, as confirmed by development head Frank Savage yesterday confirmed at a GDC talk. Although the …

Former PlayStation Europe boss Chris Deering last night fronted the official unveiling of a new games retail service at GDC. It’s called GameSessions and it hopes to place cards into retail that consumers purchase to acquire rental rights for PC titles. These physical cards allow retailers to benefit from the …

Electronic Arts will publish a Titanfall sequel that will likely see release on both Xbox One and PS4, according to multiple reports. GameSpot reports on EA scoring the publishing deal, while Polygon’s sources have added the juicy bit that the IP will no longer be a Microsoft exclusive – the …

Epic Games has announced major changes to Unreal Engine’s business model, allowing developers to forgo the one-time licensing fee and instead offering a monthly subscription service. Epic CEO Tim Sweeny announced the news yesterday – explaining that under the new model, developers pay $19 a month and 5 per cent …

A pair of Assassin’s Creed titles are in development for release later this year, according to a new report accompanied by a leaked batch of alleged screenshots. Kotaku’s report cities a number of sources,” including one anonymous individual that provided multiple screenshots of what’s been internally titled Assassin’s Creed: Unity. …

Hit headset gaming brand Turtle Beach has signed a fresh distribution deal with Exertis Gem. The distributor, which also handles Take-Two, Xbox and Ubisoft, says it is the only company where indie stores can purchase Turtle Beach stock. The latest products in the Turtle Range included official Xbox One controllers …

Another game that had been successfully Kickstarted has undergone a significant downsizing and possible cancellation. Jay Pavlina raised $53,509 on Kickstarter for Super Action Squad in July 2012. Now, nearly two years later, the developer has come out and admitted that the game people paid for is unlikely to be …

Sony has detailed some significant new functionality being added to its Share button. An update coming soon” to PS4 will, as stated on the PlayStation blog, add the following: A rich video editor with a simple tool to personalise your video clips The ability to export to and save the …

Virtual reality headset specialist Oculus has revealed the second version of its Rift VR unit. PCGamesN reports that the company is already taking orders for the device, which will cost $350 and begin shipping in July. It is promised that the revised unit offers major breakthroughs” compared to the current …