Game industry business news

Developer-cum-publisher Data Design Interactive has opened a new US office in Sarasota, Florida. The studio will operate as a separate US registered company. The firm says the HQ can ‘provide the correct creative atmosphere required to work effectively on today’s demanding Next-Gen projects’ – including PS3 and Xbox 360 titles. …

The company formerly known as Zoo Digital Publishing is set to get a new parent, following the buyout of GreenScreen Interactive by Los Angeles-based Mandalay Media. The announcement of the deal comes just one month after New York-based GreenScreen snapped up Zoo and Destination Software – merging the two companies …

Doom developer id Software has left the Entertainment Software Association, joining the recent departures of Activision, Vivendi, and LucasArts. A representative from the company told Next-Gen.biz that it had opted to not renew its membership with the ESA, which organises the E3 expo. Id declined to comment further. In an …

Government must act immediately, say Games Up? organisers as campaign goes public

15 studios, plus Tiga and ELSPA, start 'Games Up' campaign to put pressure on Government

The boss of EA’s Casual Entertainment division Kathy Vrabeck has said that she expects the total global casual games market to be worth around $13.5 billion in the next couple of years”. In a candid Q&A session – published on MCV sister site CasualGaming.biz – Vrabeck added that her department …

As the ESC held its successful Golf and Spa Day (raising over 20,000 in the process), a new charity, GamesAid, was announced. GamesAid is setting out to offer a new level of choice for participants at all levels and is happy to live alongside any ‘official’ industry charity. Its arrival …

Future Publishing has reported a like-for-like 17 per cent rise in trading profit for the six months to March 31. The publisher recorded a total pre-tax profit of 4.1m – with video games magazines a star performer. The firm reported a 6.2m pre-tax profit for the same period a year …

Nintendo has pulled out of this year’s Leipzig Games Convention. The platform holder said it wished the show all the best, but had chosen this year to concentrate on smaller, local events and national promotional tours. During the past months, the company has gained many positive experiences with smaller, local …

Industry watchers have told MCV that with iPhone and Apple TV in its arsenal, technology giant Apple could be the next big thing” in the games market. While mobile gaming has struggled to fulfil its potential thanks to handset fragmentation and compatibility issues, Apple’s iPhone looks set to change all …