MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The signs had pointed to a pre-Christmas arrival for Microsoft’s Xbox Live Video Marketplace, but only now has the official confirmation arrived that UK Xbox 360 owners will finally get access to the service – and launch day is December 11th. Movies for rent on the service will include 300, …
Read More »ACTIVISION BLIZZARD: EA may be forced into action
The emergence of a new super-publisher that is similar in stature to former industry-daddy EA might force the US giant to re-evaluate its operations, an analyst from Soleil-Hudson Square Research claims. The Dow Jones Newswires quote Daniel Ernst as stating: "EA is currently not performing at its best. Though it …
Read More »UK CHARTS: Need for Speed gains momentum
There were some who thought that Need for Speed: Pro Street’s weaker than normal arrival in the ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 last week meant it could be time for a change in the annual Christmas battle – but such folk will be eating their words this week as EA’s …
Read More »Riccitiello: Console transition is over
John Riccitiello, the increasingly talkative CEO of the now second biggest games publisher in the world EA, has said that he believes the huge sales enjoyed by all three next-gen games consoles in the US through Thanksgiving proves that the transition to the next generation of consoles is now over. …
Read More »Nintendo takes first step into homebrew DS market
Though both the DS and PSP have become firm favourites in the homebrew content scene owing to the ease in which hackers have been able to crack the systems, products such as the R4 are beginning to worry publishers – and now Nintendo seems set to make an official move …
Read More »ACTIVISION BLIZZARD: Vivendi to increase stake in Activision
French entertainment giant Vivendi is set to increase its stake in Activision from 52 per cent to 68 per cent within five days of the initial deal closing. The news comes following yesterday’s announcement about the ‘merger’ of Vivendi and Activision to create new games giant Activision Blizzard. In a …
Read More »ACTIVISION BLIZZARD: What it all means
Vivendi will also purchase 63 million shares of Activision common stock for $1.7 billion, leaving the company with around 685 million fully-diluted shares outstanding. The new company (Activision Blizzard) will then tender $4 billion for up to 146.5 million outstanding common shares at $27.50 per share. Vivendi has agreed to …
Read More »Konami looks for sales manager
KONAMI * Sales Manager * Chiswick, West London Konami is looking for an experienced Sales Manager to join our UK team. This is a key role with responsibility for Konami’s sales of computer and video game software in UK and Ireland. This will suit a professional with several years experience …
Read More »Games Marketing Forum
Selling more games. That, you would imagine, would be the main thrust of the recent Games Marketing Forum at the Cumberland Hotel. But it was about a lot more than that. Gaming’s cultural resonance, legal advice on prize promotions, how to make an emotional impact, proximity marketing, working out a …
Read More »ACTIVISION BLIZZARD: Vivendi shares rise after merger news
Vivendi’s share price has this morning rose by 3.22 per cent following the news of its merger with Activision – and the surprise move seems to have set tongues wagging in the city, Reuters reports. Alongside Vivendi’s rise, fellow French publishers Ubisoft and Atari-owning Infogames also saw stock gains of …
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