Game industry business news

Social games giant GREE has been named as the co-sponsor of Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. It will share sponsorship duties with Yahoo Japan. The drive will begin on December 26th with the first advertising hitting newspapers and public transport. GREE CEO Yoshikazu Tanaka has also …

Ubisoft is one of the front-runners in the bid to buy THQ’s assets, MCV understands. We have been told that the French firm is keen to take over the publisher’s brands and studios once THQ works through its current financial problems. On Wednesday night THQ filed for bankruptcy as it …

Having recently partnered with Steam to boost its digital PC offer, GAME has launched another non-boxed venture. From this week gamers will be able to purchase digital download codes in-store. Furthermore, they will also be able to pre-order digital PC games, with a download code being sent to them on …

The Neo Geo X handheld has suffered a slight delay in Europe, although apparently the US launch stock has sold out. The machine was supposed to launch in Europe earlier this month but despite going on sale in the US there’s no sign of the unit in the UK. "Blaze …

National Academy of Sciences would be tasked to study effects of violence in games and other media

2K Games has dated the next DLC offering for Gearbox’s multi-platform blockbuster Borderlands 2, while also revealing the studio’s general plan in regards to new content for the game going forward. A 2K rep told IGN that the publisher and developer would like to support the sequel for as long …

Double Fine’s memorable Kickstarter campaign has taught studio founder Tim Schafer that there’s nothing to fear in being open with the development of a game. Schafer told VentureBeat that despite popular belief, opening up and letting players in on the development process provides a support net for the in-progress title. …

Xbox Live has added several new offerings to its budding entertainment app section. Major Nelson announces that the handful of new apps have launched on Microsoft’s console service, and nearly all of them are region specific. Crunchroll, which offers streaming Anime and Asian drama titles, is now available in all …

With the year drawing to a close and most people already scouring for beer, MCV looks back at the biggest and saddest stories of the year. Before THQ declared bankruptcy (and before it refuted claims that it was going to be sold) its Australian publishing office had already closed its …

Namco Bandai has finally announced a release date for its hotly anticipated Star Trek title. Star Trek: The Video Game will be released in the UK on April 26th, 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It will also be available to download on PC and PS3. The game was …