Game industry business news

Action game ditches pay-up-front model after poor critical and commercial reception

Chris Petrovic, the head of GameStop’s digital ventures division, has resigned from his role at the retailer. VentureBeat reports that his job was to invest in startups and help make acquisitions that could assist GameStop in making the transition from physical retailer to digital gaming company”. He held the post …

Microsoft has announced that former Channel 5 digital boss Kate Barnes has joined Microsoft Studios’ Soho Productions as executive producer. She will in her new role be responsible for the studio’s EMEA TV strategy. Barnes was made boss of Channel 5’s digital channels 5* and 5USA in 2007 and oversaw …

Respected developer Michel Ancel has joined colleagues at Ubisoft Montpelier in staging a protest over the decision to delay Rayman Legends. The company announced last week that the already delayed Wii U version has been pushed back to September and will release alongside the recently announced Xbox 360 and PS3 …

Variety is the spice of life, but there’s precious little to be had at games retail at the moment. A cursory glance at the charts in any given week will show the usual franchises scuffling over positions in the Top 10: FIFA, Call of Duty, Just Dance, Need For Speed …

The Irish arm of HMV has been closed for good. All 16 of HMV’s Irish stores had supposedly been closed temporarily following the chain’s descent into receivership, but the company has confirmed that it has failed to find a buyer and that none of the stores will re-open. "Since his …

A third instalment in the Batman: Arkham series will be released this financial year. The low-key confirmation comes from Warner’s CFO and chief administrative officer John Martin, who told investors last week that: We also have a strong games release this year, which will include the next release in the …

Apple’s iOS development platform has seen revenues increase four-fold over the past 12 months, Japanese gaming content and platform provider GREE has said. The company’s senior vice president of studio operations Anil Dharni claimed that the growing use of the iPad as a gaming device was wone of the key …

Nintendo has made good on its promise to broaden its digital software offer by making Namco Bandai’s Tank! Tank! Tank! Free to play. The game has failed to perform commercially, not least because of the critical mauling that saw it win a Metacritic average of just 45 per cent. Gamers …

Specialist retailer Game4u will hold a midnight launch for Crysis 3 at stores in Mumbai and Gurgaon. The game is scheduled for release on 22nd February – that’s just ten days away – and Game4u will open its doors 30 minutes before midnight. The midnight launch will be conducted at …