Game industry business news

Ubisoft has announced that the PC version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag won’t release alongside the Xbox 360 and PS3 SKUs. Instead, it will hit retail on November 22nd – that’s the same day that the game will be released on Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U. And yes, …

Nintendo has released a 700MB firmware patch for Wii U that introduces a particularly interesting bit of functionality. Users are now able to play Wii games via Wii Mode on their Wii U GamePad. Cool, right? But there’s a quite considerable catch – Wii software displayed on the Wii U …

Simulator games are pretty fashionable at the moment, and the new trailer for Train Simulator 2014 intends to make the most of the current popularity. It features an evocative voiceover by Sean Bean, a taster of which can be read below: We have a place where time is our own. …

Hardware maker Xi3’s Piston Console will launch next month on Black Friday. The gaming PC will cost $999 and is described as the "first step” in what Xi3 believes will be a transformative technology revolution for the Living Room." That said, Xi3 founder Jason Sullivan has refused to spill the …

This week’s South Park episode will revolve around Minecraft, and –more specifically–the notion that concerned parents have no clue what the indie game sensation actually is. A teaser clip posted to South Park Studios’ Youtube channel shows a short clip of South Park’s adults seeking someone to teach them how …

Tiga's Richard Wilson on why developers should have a say in where future investments should be made

British games industry veteran Ian Livingstone has left Square Enix after more than 20 years working with the team. Ian oversaw the formation of notable Britsoft firm Eidos, which was acquired by Square Enix in 2009. He leaves his position as Eidos Life President. During his time at Eidos, he …

Dutch studio Guerrilla Games is looking forward to a future beyond the Killzone IP. Following its debut 2004 title Shellshock Nam ’67, the Sony owned studio has worked on a succession of Killzone titles – six in total, the next of which, Killzone: Shadow Fall, releases alongside PS4 next month. …

Ubisoft is set to invest $373 million into its Quebec operations over the next seven years, a move that will generate 500 additional jobs in the province. The publisher is investing in the expansion of its motion capture technologies, and consolidating its online games operations and infrastructure in Montreal. The …

Streaming games TV service Twitch has announced a further $20m worth of investment. Interestingly, Take-Two are named amongst the companies who contributed to the Series C funding, although details of the level of its investment have not been disclosed. The money will be used to grow the company’s sales division …