Game industry business news

Germany has removed restrictions from Doom and Doom II after a ban on selling it to teenagers spanning 17 years. In 1994, Germany put it on an index of controlled titles, believing that it could harm youths due to its level of violence. The video game could only be bought …

The astonishing PlayStaion Network crisis that dominated the headlines earlier this year doesn’t seem to have dented the public appetite for PSN. Gamasutra reports that Sony CEO Howard Stringer told an audience at the IFA electronics show that since the restoration of the service in March an additional 3m users …

Remember that mysterious third person Call of Duty game? It now looks like it’s unlikely to ever see the light of day. The studio that was working on it, Sledgehammer Games, has confirmed that the project has been canned. And with Sledgehammer now one of the multiple studios working on …

It may not be making the social gaming strides many would expect, but it’s impossible argue that Activision’s digital strategy is not paying off. Speaking in an analyst day conference call yesterday, the publisher said that its digital revenues for the year ending June 2011 have hit $1.7bn. That’s a …

The Metropolitan Police arrested two suspects today for conspiring to commit offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. The arrests were made as part of an investigation with the FBI, South Yorkshire Police and other law enforcement bodies into hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec, and in particular the activities of …

Japanese publisher Square Enix wants to position its Canadian studio Eidos Montreal at the very centre of its game development operations, a new report claims. Its subsidiary Eidos Montreal could grow from about 350 staff to nearly 700 if a deal with state officials is agreed, according to local business …

If you think it’s hard getting games to stand out amongst the Christmas blockbusters of FIFA and Call of Duty, try being a retailer. Each year there appears to be another outlet or two trying to muscle in on a market already crammed full of competitors. This year Bee.com is …

A new Driver finally makes it to store shelves today – five years after Ubisoft spent $24m buying the brand and its studio.But it’s just the first step in Ubisoft’s plans for both the re-engergised franchise and the driving genre, says CEO Yves Guillemot. Driver: San Francisco takes the series …

The UK boxed games market has recovered from its ten-year low on the back of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Square Enix’s latest blockbuster shot to the top of the charts, and is the first quality triple-A title released in months. The UK games retail market was worth 14.6m this week, …

The High Street can play a major part in selling digital games, and Microsoft has the proof. Two thirds of Xbox Live Gold members paid for their subscriptions via traditional retailers, the platform holder told MCV. It highlights the extent to which retail has played a major role in growing …