Game industry business news

BioWare is to continue its fine work in the area of same sex relationships by bringing them to MMO title Star wars: The Old Republic. The studio has previously attracted praise (and, from the right at least, some criticism) for integrating gay relationship options into games like Mass Effect. Players …

Only three days into 2013 and we’re all back at work – but who knows what the year will bring? Perhaps you’ll be offered a promotion. Perhaps something bigger and better will crop up elsewhere within your company, or at another firm entirely. Perhaps you’ll swap sectors, ditch distribution for …

Microsoft has acquired US home entertainment start-up R2 Studios for an undisclosed sum. The technology giant has also obtained some patents related to controlling electronics as part of its deal with R2, which was originally reported by theWall Street Journal. It is thought that these will be used to bolster …

One of the creators behind War Z, a zombie survival MMO that received a wave of criticism before being locked on Steam, has apologised to its players. Sales of the zombie MMO were halted and some buyers refunded in December, after claims of misleading advertising”, forum censorship and controversial microtransactions …

David Braben’s Elite: Dangerous has hit its 1.25m Kickstarter funding goal. It reached the target with 52 hours to go and at the time of writing stands at 1.282m with 38 hours left before it closes. Braben’s studio Frontier Developments has also announced some new stretch goals to try and …

Tech giant beats Google and Apple to buy start-up with home entertainment patents

The tragedy of the Newtown school shooting is at risk of claiming another undeserved victim – video games. Polygon reports that residents of Southington, a small community around 30 miles from the site of last month’s horrific shooting, has launched what it is calling The Violent Video Games Return Program. …

The fist shot in the next-gen console battle has seemingly been fired. Microsoft’s community voice Major Nelson has, without any hint of explanation, gone live with a countdown on his blog that leads up to E3. The only text included is thus: And it’s on…” Having at one stage planned …

Hit Xbox Live isometric platformer Fez is to go multi-platform this year, developer Phil Fish has revealed. Summing up his year in game development with Polytron, the indie said he had listened to a number of fans asking for the title to be ported to other systems, although he did …

Tories ask for industry feedback on development subsidies