MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
American TV giant NBC has followed contemporaries Warner Bros and Disney to stake a big claim on the games market, acquiring a controlling stake in German casual site Bigpoint for €70m ($110m). NBC’s equity firm Peacock has teamed up with UK-based private funding firm GMT to grab a 70 per …
Read More »Activision shares rated strong buy ahead of merger
The latest Wedbush Morgan mailout has revealed raised estimates for the combined business’ income FY ’09 revenue to $3.70 billion – up significantly from $2.41 billion. On July 8th, shareholders are expected to approve the deal, with Wedbush Morgan predicting that the merger will be officially closed by July 11th. …
Read More »Razorworks studio to close
MCV sister site Develop has received word that Razorworks, the last internal development house of publisher Empire Interactive, is set to shut its doors – or be sold – in the coming days. For the rest of the story, head over to Develop here.
Read More »Jack Thompson banned
Jack Thompson, the US attorney and frequent critic of video games, has been disbarred from practising law for a minimum of ten years. The transcript of the hearing, where the Florida Bar recommended the disbarring for professional misconduct, has now been released and is available here from GamePolitics. The disciplinary …
Read More »Wii Fit turns YouTube sensation
Nintendo has denied being responsible for a voyeuristic Y ouTube video that shows a young lady gyrating to Wii Fit’s Hula Hoop game, according to a full page report in the Metro newspaper. The video clip entitled ‘Why Every Guy Should Buy Their Girlfriend A Wii Fit’ was filmed by …
Read More »Ubisoft joins empire expansion race
As the Activision Blizzard deal and EA-Take Two saga suggest that the publishing community is set on expanding significantly, Ubisoft head of studios Christine Burgess-Qumard has told our sister site Develop : We are in the race, definitely – and we’re not in it to come last.” The comments came …
Read More »Nintendo signs up to EIF
The Edinburgh Interactive Festival has announced an agreement with Nintendo UK to become a Gold Partner of this year’s event. The event takes place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre between Sunday 10th and Tuesday 12th August 2008. The agreement confirms Nintendo as a major supporter and partner of the …
Read More »New PSP bundle announced
Sony has announced the release of the Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII PSP bundle, which will launch on Friday, June 20th. The pack will be priced at €189.99 (around 150) and contain a limited edition Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII-engraved silver PSP and a copy of the game. Developed …
Read More »High School Musical 3 announced
Disney has announced two new High School Musical games for console, due for release around Christmas. High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! for Wii, Xbox 360, PS2 and PC allows players to ‘dance’ along with favourite characters to familiar ‘High School Musical’ songs from all three movies. Players move …
Read More »Xbox looks to RPGs to boost 360 in Japan
Microsoft has unveiled the range of RPG titles it hopes will reverse its fortunes in Sony and Nintendo-loving Japan. At a press event in Tokyo yesterday, Xbox execs introduced a series of titles, which will be released in Japan over the next 18 months. The Xbox 360 is famously struggling …
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