Game industry business news

Many PC gaming fans have endured a sleepless night to be amongst the first to experience the third expansion to MMO behemoth World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which launches worldwide today. UK gamers showed particular grit by braving freezing conditions last night to pick up the game at a number of …

Games designer who questioned development techniques in tonightâ??s show clarifies his views

The designer whose claims in tonight’s Panorama that some games developers are deliberately employing psychologically addictive techniques to keep users playing their games has elaborated on his argument. Adrian Hon, the founder and CCO of Six to Start and former director of play at Moshi Monsters creators Mind Candy, points …

Industry body takes hard line against controversial documentary

Square Enix has lifted the lid on Tomb Raider, a reboot of the Lara Croft series. The game will be developed by Crystal Dynamics and features the first adventures of a young and inexperienced Lara. An official blurb reads: ‘After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, …

In 2001 I spent six months in Sri Lanka. When you’re living and working in the jungle there’s not much to do of a night, and as a result I found myself getting engrossed in, amongst other things, the Harry Potter books. There were many blurry-eyed mornings caused by a …

People have addictive personalities. Said people can conceivably become addicted to games. As games become more popular that risk increases. That’s the central premise of Panorama’s ‘Addicted to Games’, which airs on BBC one tonight at 20:30. Where the programme slides into murky territory, however, is the insinuation that developers …

Games targeted by BBC probe are â??a lot differentâ?? to those made by its commercial arm

John Riccitiello has a plan to outsell Call of Duty: Make a better game. And make a better game again.” In an interview with Kotaku, the EA CEO said the publisher plans to develop and release a string of high-rated titles that will enable the firm to eventually dethrone Activision’s …

THQ has warned investors not to look at just NPD boxed product sales charts when judging the state of the industry. The publisher’s CEO Brian Farrell said the digital side of THQ’s business is performing well but isn’t reflected in NPD’s monthly US video game charts. In an interview with …