Game industry business news

A new batch of features has been added to the RETAIL BIZ previews section, where you can find MCV’s guide to some of the crucial titles due for release over the next month. Leading the pack this week is EA Sports Active, the dedicated exercise game that seeks to improve …

Sony’s PS3 has proven its naysayers wrong by increasing its annual sales by 10 per cent for the year ending March 31st, with sales for the year passing 10m units. However, the ever-popular PS2 is seemingly in a sharp state of decline, with sales of the console plummeting by 42 …

Games accounted for a large slice of the PowerPoint pie at HMV’s annual presentation to suppliers and partners last week. Held at the recently re-branded HMV Forum in Kentish Town, the event saw the entertainment retailer in good health and a confident mood as it discussed the ways in which …

PlayStation platform holder Sony has reported losses of $1.04bn for the year ending March 31st – a stark dip compared to the $3.7bn profit seen in the same period in 2008. It is the company’s first annual loss of 14 years, though it’s not as bad as the previously predicted …

SCE WWS VP and London Studios chief departing on May 29th

New game studio working on original IP

French publisher Ubisoft has told MCV’s sister site CasualGaming.biz that its successful Petz series on DS and Wii has now sold 3m units across EMEA regions. My Coach has enjoyed success especially in the recent success of My Fitness Coach has stormed the Wii charts since early this year,” group …

Having been on the brink of approval in November last year, the French government has now given final approval to new laws that could lead to the prosecution of anyone found to have downloaded copyrighted material on three separate occasions. The BBC reports that The Creation and Internet bill was …

Xbox 360 may have fallen back to the bottom of the Japanese weekly hardware charts after spells of superiority throughout 2008, but Microsoft has stated that it is pleased with the progress enjoyed by the homeland in the traditionally hostile Japanese market. I really feel like we’re expanding now,” Microsoft …

Leading component manufacturer Intel has been fined $1.45bn by the European Commission as punishment for ‘illegal rebates and practices’ used to prevent AMD from rivalling its position in the market. Intel paid PC manufacturers to postpone or cancel plans to launch AMD-equipped hardware. The fine is the biggest ever imposed …