MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
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Read More »Playlogic files for bankruptcy
Dutch publisher and developer Playlogic has finally filed for bankruptcy after a torrid year that has seen it slip deeper and deeper into trouble. The firm admitted as long ago as August 2009 that its long-term prospects were looking shaky, stating that its circumstances raise uncertainties about the company’s ability …
Read More »PvZ update removes Michael Jackson
Casual games publisher PopCap has confirmed that it will be ditching its use of a zombie character resembling Michael Jackson from future versions of the popular tower defence game Plants vs Zombies. Pop legend Michael Jackson passed away a little over a year ago, and now the Jackson Estate has …
Read More »Disney acquires Playdom in $763m deal
Disney will acquire social games giant Playdom for a fee that could rise to $763.2 million. The deal, which was rumoured last week, involves an initial payment of $563.2 million, with a further $200 million dependent on performance. The news comes weeks after Disney swooped for iPhone music game pioneer …
Read More »How much did GameStop pay for Kongregate?
Though the price GameStop paid for casual games portal giant Kongregate wasn’t divulged as part of the surprise announcement of the acquisition earlier today, one analyst has had a stab at guessing the figure. We view the acquisition of Kongregate as a slight positive for GameStop,” Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter …
Read More »Cousens issues pre-owned warning
Publishers must find a way to monetize sales of pre-owned software if developers are to maintain their ability to expand the potential of games – that’s the warning of Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens. In terms of traditional publishing, the maturing formats have shown rapid decline and portable markets have been …
Read More »ANALYSIS: H1 2010 market
In January 2010, UK games execs told MCV they were hopeful of a positive start to the New Year. And it was easy to see why: publishers had pushed their big Q4 2009 titles into 2010, and we had a mammoth release slate of blockbuster titles – including BioShock 2, …
Read More »Activision backs Bond to shine
There is no new Bond movie on the horizon, but Activision says it can help plug the gap with two blockbuster Christmas releases. The 23rd Bond movie was postponed indefinitely in April due to uncertainty over the future of film company MGM. But that hasn’t derailed Activision’s plans for the …
Read More »New video games league debuts
The best UK gamers can win up to 30,000 in a new video game league. Play the Gamer kicked off earlier this month, and is run by events agency Living It Loving It – better known for its live poker and crime scene nights in the UK, US and Europe. …
Read More »Starcraft II gets £44.99 RRP
Publisher Activision has seemingly challenged the established norms of UK video game RRPs by apparently placing an official price of 44.99 on today’s new release Starcraft II. Though 45-50 tends to be the RRP of console titles, the very top rate for PC product tends to be between 35-40. However, …
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