Game industry business news

GameStop would very much like its US customers to order Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II. So much so in fact that, like UK rival GAME, it is offering immediate perks for anyone who commits to buying the shooter straight away. The retailer is mirroring GAME’s offer by giving …

Mobile games sensation Draw Something has lost about five million daily active users in a single month, and is steadily dropping down the App Store charts on both iPhone and iPad, collected data suggests. Developed by New York studio Omgpop, Draw Something was the catalyst in a dramatic $210 million …

Having hit hard times last month, Total Console Repair has been saved from the brink by Powerplay Direct. Powerplay has officially acquired all of TCR’s assets including its name, infrastructure and website. It intends to use these new resources to expand upon its existing PC repair operations. We are delighted …

Data suggests the app's daily usage falls by five million, or 33%, in single month

GAME has bid farewell to some of its most popular execs as it rebuilds for the future. Tricia Brennan (Chief Commercial Officer), Simon Soffe (Communications Director), Alex Vines (Head of Business Development and Insight), Robert Quinn (Operations Director) and Situl Thakrar (E-commerce Director) are all to leave the retail giant …

Gamefly was never planning to come to the UK. The US rental retailer – which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary – had ruled out going international. But that was before it bought Direct2Drive, and instantly owned one of the world’s most established digital retailers. The advantages for us in …

Publisher to quadruple headcount to 800 new employees, and will receive to more than $750m in investment

Hundreds of press and industry members attend the annual glitzy launch events for each Call of Duty game. Celebrities make appearances at huge venues like Old Billingsgate, from Sophie Ellis Bextor to Joe Calzaghe. Thousands of consumers queue up for midnight store openings. Then there’s the eye-catching point-of-sale imagery and …

The female gamer is in decline, research has found. Statistics from Kantar Worldpanel show that the boxed games market is proving more popular with males aged 18 to 24, while casual and female gamers are switching over todigital platforms. Three quarters of games sold in 2008 were bought for males …

The Japanese publisher behind No More Heroes is coming to Europe. Marvelous AQL – the result of last year’s merger between Marvelous Entertainment, AQ Interactive and mobile developer Liveware – has created a new subsidiary MAQL Europe. The firm will be based in Tunbridge Wells and headed up by CEO …