Game industry business news

Contract with Hasbro follows surprise investment round

The powerhouse Transformers IP will next year get a brand new MMO following an agreement between casual behemoth Jagex and rights holder Hasbro. The game has been pencilled in for a 2012 release in Europe, North America, Latin America, New Zealand and Australia. Transformers is one of the most iconic …

Sony wants to bring the PlayStation to the classroom, but one challenge for the company to get right is how they inform teachers about their games-based education plans. Fortunately the platform holder has already launched a specialist educational channel, ConnectED, full of examples of how teachers and students are working …

With the fast-developing digital age comes ever-impressive new technology. This is used to power not only video games, but the way we access information every day. But forget watching videos on an iPad or taking part in worldwide banter on Twitter – what about schools? Why can’t motion controllers be …

Angry Birds has now been downloaded more than 100 million times, according to Rovio Mobile marketing exec Peter Vesterbacka, speaking on a panel at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. "Everyone is playing Angry Birds," said Vesterbacka, as he outlined previously known stats like the game’s 40 million monthly active …

With the cheapest PS3 SKU still costing between 230 and 240 on the UK High Street, the boss of SCEE UK has admitted that he hopes the upfront price of the machine could yet drop further. "PS3 has taken longer than PS2 to establish itself simply because of the cost …

The video games industry of tomorrow is likely to be bossed by a very different leading pack as traditional publishers refuse to accept the changing face of the market. That’s the warning issued by former Sony Worldwide Studios boss and current general partner at London Venture Partners Phil Harrison. "It’s …

Studio opens online games division, Insomniac Click

Battlefield studio DICE has sent a stark warning to its competitors in the first person shooter space. The developer – which is working on EA’s Battlefield 3 – said its rivals had better watch out” for its upcoming game. Its biggest rivals include Call of Duty’s Infinity Ward and Treyarch. …

Zynga has begun a new charity initiative to help children affected by the devastating tsunami that has swept across Japan. The firm is introducing donation options within games such as CityVille, FarmVille, Zynga Poker, FrontierVille and Words with Friends. These games will have donation buttons appear as people purchase Facebook …