Game industry business news

Toy giant Mattel has renewed its deal with THQ which will see a range of games based on its franchises hit shelves. THQ has already published games based on these properties such as Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups and Hot Wheels: Track Attack which arrived late last year. The new …

Rumours that Activision-owned developer Raven Software is working on DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops have resurfaced thanks to a recent job ad. Last May it was reported that Raven, whose most recent release was the commercially disappointing Singularity, was working both on an announced James Bond game and …

Following yesterday’s news that the keys to PS3’s most secrets cupboards have been published online, hackers have now released the tools needed to run a custom firmware version on the PS3. Kotaku reports that, for the time being, the exploit itself does not allow the running of either homebrew code …

Ubisoft has confirmed that it has removed its divisive DRM mechanic from some of its biggest PC titles. Reports emerged yesterday that consumers are now able to play Assassin’s Creed II and Splinter Cell: Conviction without a constant internet connection authenticating the games with the publisher’s servers. However, Ubisoft won’t …

A leaked photo from the set of Microsoft’s CES presentation scheduled for 2:30am tomorrow UK time suggests that the platform holder is to unveil a brand new Kinect feature. Called Avatar Kinect, Winrumours says that the new feature will be offered to Xbox 360 owners via a download on Xbox …

The two Infinity Ward heads fired from Activation are hoping to block a delay on a multi-million dollar legal suit. It is urged that Activision’s new aim to include EA in the lawsuit should be stopped, as it will extend the case at a heavy price for the former Infinity …

Entertainment giant HMV is facing troubling times as the chain revealed that it is to close 60 stores (including some Waterstones bookshops) over the next 12 months. That number represents 9 per cent of the chain’s 700 outlets. HMV has 285 shops in the UK and Ireland. Shares in the …

With an announcement now surely not far off, fresh shots of Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation Phone have hit the internet. The most interesting thing about the new pics, which come courtesy of Engadget, is that for the first time they show PlayStation branding on the handset (the Square, Triangle, Cross and …

EA has denied that its decision to depict the Augusta National golf course on the cover of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 instead of the iconic sports star himself has nothing to do with the personal issues that have dogged the former world No.1 over the last year. The cover …

Cloud gaming service OnLive will arrive pre-built into a range of new consumer tech, it will be revealed at CES. Future iterations of HDTVs, tablets, phones and Blu-ray players from Vizio will include OnLive functionality out of the box. Today’s OnLive/VIZIO announcement marks a major milestone,” OnLive boss Steve Perlman …