MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The European Union’s digital agenda commissioner has said that money spent on pursuing those found guilty of breaching copyright has not helped to decrease piracy. Aggressive legal tactics from certain rights holders has simply created an air of resentment and distrust for the whole copyright system, Neelie Kroes argues. "Is …
Read More »Blaze unveils new handheld GameGadget
If market success were achieved through ambition and self-belief, then Blaze’s new machine is a guaranteed winner. After all, it takes a remarkable amount of confidence for a company announcing a new 99.99 portable games console to claim it will change the way that games are played, developed and sold”. …
Read More »Vodafone announced as PlayStation Vita 3G partner
SCEE has confirmed that Vodafone is to be its preferred provider” of 3G connectivity for its new PlayStation Vita in the UK. The deal also covers France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands. 3G versions of the Vita will ship with a Vodafone SIM card …
Read More »Minecraft by numbers
As part of the inaugural Minecon event at the weekend, developer Mojang has released a handful of impressive stats about the 4m+ selling Minecraft. According to GameFront, the game currently attracts in the region of 241,920,000 logins every single month. On top of this, it also welcomes 1,000 logins per …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Channel Island tax dodge
When Play.com took advantage of the Channel Island tax relief back in 1998, it changed UK online retailing overnight. Low-Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) meant that any goods sold from the Channel Islands under 18 didn’t have to pay VAT. That included DVDs, CDs and budget games. And with Play.com based …
Read More »Nintendo returns to the casual market for next 3DS push
The key to rejuvenating the 3DS in the market place could be a return to the mainstream markets, Nintendo has said. Much of the 3DS’ pre-launch hype centred around the many hardcore-centric IPs that would be arriving on the system. This in itself was a direct response to the perceived …
Read More »Infinity Ward bans 1,600 Modern Warfare 3 cheats
The makers of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 have moved to ban more than 1,600 players for using known exploits to cheat in the military first person shooter. "Any attempt to cheat, hack, or glitch in #MW3 will not be tolerated. 1600+ bans issued," tweeted Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling. …
Read More »1 in 5 Brits regret iPhone purchase
Is the Apple halo slipping? Although the firm sold4m unitsof the iPhone 4S in its opening weekend, there is evidence of some disenchantment with its devices. Mobile phone comparison site www.GoodMobilePhones.co.uk claims 22 per cent of UK iPhone users wish they had chosen a different device. Almost half of iPhone …
Read More »OPINION: Blockbuster has the X-Factor
One of the most surprising turns in this year’s X Factor wasn’t the show’s inevitable slide into mediocrity. It was a Blockbuster ad promoting games. This was a once-in-a-lifetime performance. The curtain lifted, to reveal a retailer, paying for prime space in a Saturday night TV show. Even better: it …
Read More »Blockbuster: Publishers see rental model as deterrent to pre-owned
Forget Online Passes – renting is the new weapon for the war on pre-owned. Publishers have backed Blockbuster’s marketing push for its rental business as it ‘takes away from trade-ins’, the entertainment giant has told MCV. Consumers renting a game for 5 for five nights is a better option than …
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