Game industry business news

The next PlayStation has received a hardware update – before the console has even been officially announced. VG247 reports that new versions of the PS4 dev kit, codenamed Orbis, are now being shipped to developers around the world. This will be the second of four dev kits due before the …

Free-to-play consultant encourages new generation of developers to forget traditional monetisation models

The French arm of Sony Computer Entertainment has published a PlayStation Vita ad that certainly pushes the boundaries of sexism. The magazine ad, which was spotted by Kotaku, compares the Vita with its front touchscreen and rear touchpad functionality to a woman with four breasts. The tag line is "Touch …

The successor to now shut file-sharing site Megaupload has been revealed by controversial figure Kim Dotcom. Dotcom previosuly outlined how he intends for his new site to avoid the legal wranglings that lead to Meagupload’s closure, and now he says the new site will go live on January 20th – …

The UK court of appeal has lambasted Apple for its Samsung lawsuit acknowledgement posted last week. The iPhone creators will have to alter the working of the statement, which it ruled to be non-compliant, and post it on the homepage – not hide it behind a link, The Guardian reports. …

Pre-production begins on new game in The Longest Journey saga

Industry stalwarts Darryl Still and Peter King have launched a new digital distribution management agency called Kiss. In its own words, Kiss will specialize in helping games developers get their titles listed on all of the available digital distribution platforms, and once listed, manage them for maximum exposure and revenue”. …

Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores. Special areas can be found in HMV’s Oxford Street, Manchester and Glasgow branches. Each area will feature a variety of Skylanders products (including licensed cards, puzzles, wallets, bags and badges), character art, artificial grass and dedicated games stations. ”We are …

Downloads4u, the PC games download service from Game4u, is now offering Need for Speed: Most Wanted for preload. Users can purchase the game via downloads4u, and begin their download immediately. They will then be able to play the game once it unlocks on release date. The preload process is handled …

The next batch of titles to receive the Steam Greenlight treatment will be announced later this month. At least 10 more games are expected to get the go ahead from Valve on November 30th, according to a news post from the company. On top of the games, Valve is aiming …