Game industry business news

Following its reveal on BBC One last Saturday, concrete details of the first of Doctor Who’s free downloadable games have been released. Doctor Who: The Adventure Games ‘City of the Daleks’ is the first of four free playable additions to the newest series and takes the Doctor to 1963 where …

A look behind the curtain as Natal gears for launch

Today’s VidZone update will add a brand new piece of functionality called VidZone TV to the music video on demand software. It will offer over 100 pre-programmed music channels that can be viewed at any time. They are broken down into various themes such as genre, year or artist. Other …

A host of new sorting functionality is coming to Sony’s PS3 Trophy system in the next firmware update – which, incidentally, is the one that will add much-touted 3D game support. Users will be able to sort their Trophies in both the ‘Trophy Collection’ and ‘Comparing Trophy’ screens, arranging them …

Microsoft is planning a $150 top-of-the-range SKU as one of its retail offerings for this Q4’s Halo Reach. PlanetXbox360 reports that three SKUs are planned. As well as the standalone release, the Limited Edition version will include a special case, collectibles and in-game armour”. That will retail for $80. The …

Gamers are now being offered the chance to insure their purchases at the checkout in some select HMV stores. The trial offers consumers the chance to protect their purchases against a range of problems including theft or damage for just 1. At the moment the idea is just a trial, …

The three leading political parties have laid out their plans for the UK games industry ahead of the General Election. Manifestos released from TIGA and ELSPA have called on the incoming Government to help tackle the skills crisis for games developers, provide financial support to studios and improve broadband connectivity. …

And $99 up-front to use the free engine for commercial purposes

Distributor Funtastic has backed out of the Australian games market. The supplier will now focus on toys and DVD. The decision follows tough economic conditions in the territory, and the firm doesn’t expect things to improve moving forward. The decision to exit games was made based on sustainability and profitability …

Foreign Media Games has secured a new distribution deal with Advantage. The distributor will now exclusively handle the publisher’s titles in the UK throughout 2010 and beyond. We’ve been very impressed with Foreign Media Games’ commitment to the UK,” said Advantage’s general manager Max Butler (pictured). The investment in product …