Game industry business news

Official announcement is still due, but N-series phone users can now access Nokia's game service

George Lucas’s gaming arm LucasArts has confirmed that its massively hyped and much anticipated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be released on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP and PS2 on September 19th in Europe, CVG reports. It will hit stores a few days earlier in North America on …

Sega has officially announced the long rumoured Sonic Unleashed. The game is said to seamlessly combine 2D with 3D gameplay, and is due for release on PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. By combining rich and vibrant scenery with dynamic viewpoints Sonic Unleashed will provide an immersive 3D experience whilst …

Dr Tanya Byron has told the biggest names in UK video games publishing that retailers persuaded her to give more power to the BBFC over PEGI – as ELSPA members voiced their disagreement with the decision. Addressing ELSPA members in Portman Square, London at a closed meeting this morning – …

According to fresh Famitsu data – translated by Kotaku – Nintendo ruled both hardware and software slaes in Japan throughout 2007. The Nintendo DS beat out all other consoles – with PSP coming in second and Wii placed as the highest home system in third. The full annual hardware sales …

Speaking to UK newspaper The Guardian , UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson has insisted that his company did not back the wrong horse when it supported Toshiba and its HD-DVD high definition disc format. "The horse that we’re fundamentally backing is the one that says the future of entertainment content …

Gamers have already faced a lengthly wait to get their hands on Atari’s latest instalment to its Alone in the Dark series – and the wait has seemingly lengthened just that bit more with the news that the game has slipped from May to June. Videogamer.com reports that the publisher …

The first issue of CVG Presents… hits shelves on April 16th, and is based on a minor Rockstar title you may have heard of called GTA IV, offering a comprehensive mix of newly-commissioned editorial and features from the Future archive. It plans to be a coffee-table style publication, and is …

$1m prize fund available to modders using Unreal Engine 3

Dr John Charlton of Bolton University has discovered that game playing can dominate users’ lives, causing them to miss sleep and meals. Dr Charlton studied almost 400 regular players of online role-playing game Asheron’s Call. The studied showed that the closer the gamers came to being addicted, the more they …