Game industry business news

The lid has now officially been lifted on highly anticipated RPG sequel Mass Effect 2, with a release confirmed in early 2010 on Xbox 360 and PC – though not, it seems, on PS3. The game is a sequel to the Microsoft-only RPG original, which became a critical and commercial …

Former MySpace commercial operations exec Chris Ellis has been revealed as IGN Entertainment’s international new senior vice president and managing director. Ellis takes charge of IGN Entertainment’s non-US operations, including ket sites such as IGN, Rotten Tomatoes and AskMen. I’m excited about building on these accomplishments,” Ellis stated. There’s a …

Bluetooth multiplayer and microtransactions join usability enhancements including cut and paste

Apple’s iPhone 3.0 preview last night lifted the lid on a number of enhancements on the way for the device this summer, a number of which are squarely aimed at boosting the iPhone’s gaming credentials. The new version of the iPhone and iPod Touch software will allow for peer-to-peer Bluetooth …

Apple has confirmed that the combined global sales of its iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch have now hit 30m, with the iPhone alone topping the 17m mark. In 2008 the company sold 13.7m iPhones – far ahead of its 10m target it set for itself in 2007. For more …

Big Huge Games up for sale while Heavy Iron and Incinerator go independent

ELSPA, the trade body of UK games publishers, has welcomed the European Parliament’s decision on games classification detailed in its recent Report on the Protection of Consumers in respect of Videogames. The report is essentially the formalising of a draft document submitted by Dutch EP, Mr Toine Manders, in late …

1980’s hit Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler is the most downloaded track in Sony’s SingStore in the UK, it has emerged. SingStore is the online content portal that arrived alongside the PS3 iteration of Sony’s world conquering karaoke franchise SingStar in December 2007, and has to date …

Whilst Apple continues to redefine the definitions of what a mobile phone operating system should be capable of and Goole Android fights to fulfil the lofty ambitions placed upon it, Symbian remains by far the most popular smartphone OS on the market. New research shows that for the fourth quarter …

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