Game industry business news

A new type of die hopes to change the way people play virtual board games. Dice+ can be used to interact with a digital board game, whether it’s played on a tablet, mobile or traditional game platform. It contains a number of patents and works out elements of the selection …

'Developers who stick with virtual currency will get left behind', says Jonathan Flesher

As the blockbuster-packed Q1 takes shape, EA is ensuring that Dead Space 3 and Crysis 3 stand out with ‘triple-A’ marketing campaigns and pre-order incentives. For Crysis 3, EA and developer Crytek have readied a special ‘Hunter Edition’ of the title, and is also running a series of pre-order initiatives …

The Conservative MP for North Oxfordshire Tony Baldry has accused troubled retail HMV of theft. The charges relate to the retailer’s continued sale of gift vouchers until the day it went into administration and then the subsequent decision by administrators Deloitte to block their use in store. I suspect, like …

This week’s MCV isnow available to view online – and it features Disney vs Activision as the battle for video game toys begins. We also analyse the challenges faced by HMV, THQ and Play.com and run our exclusive 2012 retail charts. We’ve listed the contents in full below. Download our …

The damage done by the potential evaporation of HMV on the High Street will hit closer to home in the music and film markets than it will for games. Should the worst happen, the material impact for games could be shrugged off, albeit annoyingly, for many. But in DVD/Blu-ray and …

Video games have again become central to America’s heated debate on gun ownership that erupted in the aftermath of December’s Newtown school shootings. President Obama yesterday revealed a 23-step plan designed to address America’s gun violence problem. And one of those steps is an order for the Center for Disease …

Former Apple PR boss Nick Grange is heading up a new division at UK PR agency W. He is a familiar face to the games industry thanks to his long years of service at EA, Activision and Microsoft, having helped to establish the Xbox brand in the UK. He also …

New British comedy Pulp will skip cinemas and TV, instead airing for the first time on Xbox 360. Microsoft has signed a deal to host the UK film’s premiere via Xbox Live. It is the platform holder’s latest move to establish the console as an entertainment hub rather than a …

Home Retail Group has announced that total sales grew 1.6 per cent to 1.744m between September 2nd and January 5th. Internet sales for the year accounted for 42 per cent of total sales. "Argos had a good peak trading period building on its first half performance,” says Terry Duddy, Home …