Game industry business news

Sony Online Entertainment has announced its attention to transition PS3 and PC MMO outing DC Universe Online to a free-to-play model next month. Currently players must pay a monthly subscription fee, on top of the game purchase itself. IGN reports that new players joining under the F2P model will have …

There are just over five weeks to go until the biggest night of the year for the UK’s games media. In the run-up to the big event on Wednesday October 26th at Vinopolis, we’re providing a series of features profiling those media brands and individuals in the running for an …

Long-serving UK games PR Manab Roy has moved to a new role at The Walt Disney Company. Previously UK and Ireland PR manager for video games, he now takes up the role of PR manager for retail. His new responsibilities include working with retail and trade marketing teams to create …

Lucy Scott has been named as Comet’s new games buyer. She replaces Azeem Sadiq who has moved categories to Vision Essentials, Home AV and digital services. Scott joins from Argos, where she worked for over four years on categories including jewellery, gifts, luggages, DVDs and DIY. I’m very happy to …

EA may be investing heavily in digital businesses, but that doesn’t mean retail will be left out. It’s a familiar message, but one reiterated by EA Europe head Jens Uwe Intat during an interview with MCV – and it’s all the more relevant in a year where EA bought casual …

The UK arm of retailer GameStop has insisted that it intends to observe street dates in the future. Some customers who pre-ordered Gears of War 3 last week received their copies as early as Saturday (September 17th) – complete with a note requesting that users refrain from playing until tonight. …

Leading UK distributor Gem has officially launched new services on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It intends to use these new channels to connect with customers, as well as highlight new promotions and market data. The decision to launch onto these platforms has been in discussion for some time but, as …

It looks as if Morrisons’ will be the cheapest place to buy Gears of War 3 on the UK High Street tomorrow. Tesco looks to be ready to sell the game for 28, as long as you buy a 18.99 Microsoft Points card at the same time. That’s 3 more …

Nintendo’s decision to bring hit mobile games that have made their name on smartphones seems like a smart one. So the arrival of Chillingo’s hit puzzle title Cut The Rope can be nothing other than a really smart move, right? Perhaps. Until you see that it costs 500 Points. That …

'If it goes ahead it will be different' says Rovio executive