Game industry business news

Mafia II unlikely to achieve profitability

Despite having shot straight to the top of the ELSPA GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40 this week, US analyst Michael Pachter thinks that 2K Games’s Mafia II will ultimately fail to deliver for the publisher. The continued strength from Red Dead Redemption is offsetting weakness from weak Mafia II …

Read More »

Analyst backs XBL price increases

Microsoft’s decision to increase some of its subscription prices for Xbox Live Gold membership is understandable and will not damage the service, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has stated. The platform holder yesterday announced that monthly XBL Gold membership will increase from 4.99 to 5.99 in the UK, with annual US …

Read More »

UK CHARTS: Mafia II goes top

2K Games is officially the Don of the UK Charts this week with news that new release Mafia II has shot straight to the top of the ELSPA GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40 this week. The Xbox 360 version of the game accounts for 52 per cent of sales, …

Read More »

MS ups Xbox Live Gold price

Microsoft has upped the price of Xbox Live Gold membership in the UK, US, Canada and Mexico. In the UK the price has increased for 4.99 per month to 5.99. For UK users who pay monthly this represents an annual increase of 12. Those who pay for XBL access once …

Read More »

10GB install for Gran Turismo 5

Famed racing developer Polyphony Digital has stated that owners of Gran Turismo 5 will have to endure a 10GB install if they want ‘a smooth play experience’. Andriasang reports that series creator Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed the details via Twitter, though he added that only a 250MB install will be mandatory. …

Read More »

Team 17 breaks ties with publishers

Team 17 has turned its back on third-party publishers in favour of digital distribution. The UK-based studio is returning to its publishing roots by increasing the number of downloadable games it produces – at least 15 SKUs in 2010 alone. The company has only released two boxed games over the …

Read More »

Green Man Gaming to add seven staff

Green Man Gaming is hiring seven new recruits after securing additional funding. The ambitious digital firm is also launching its mobile Android platform next year, and is seeking partnerships with retailers across the world – including those based in the US. CEO Paul Sulyok said: We will be rolling our …

Read More »