Game industry business news

It had previously been suggested that a multiplayer beta for Sony’s next-gen FPS Killzone could make its way to the PlayStation Network before the end of the year, but SCEA has now stated that shooting fans will have to wait to next year to get their hands on the preview. …

A recent study by Professor Rowell Huesmann of the University of Michigan has claimed that viewers of violent TV and video games are more susceptible to increased aggression, according to Science Daily . "Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well-known threat to …

Though it can be hard to get firm data from platform holders regarding the success, or otherwise, of their digital distribution offerings, Nintendo has stated that it has to date made $33 million from paid downloads on its Virtual Console service, IGN reports . This equates to 7.8 million downloads …

With the global demand for Nintendo’s Wii currently far outweighing the available supply of hardware, despite the 1.8 million units being manufactured by the firm each month, Nintendo’s American president has admitted that the shortage is a missed opportunity for the platform holder. Retail giant Amazon recently admitted that it …

The Video Recordings Act 1984 makes it an offence to supply a recording containing a video work without BBFC classification. Video games which are not video works, or which are not supplied as a video recording, will not require classification from the BBFC. The question in each case is therefore …

You recently signed a major deal with NBC – can you tell us a little about it? Justin Townsend: This new agreement effectively means that their digital sales force in North America will be able to sell a portion of our inventory alongside the various premium TV properties NBC owns …

UK-based developer Kuju is to launch a new studio named Double Six that will focus on the production of digital download titles for emerging networks such as Xbox Live Arcade, Wii Ware, PlayStation Network and casual PC games portals, Gamesindustry reports. We believe that there are some great opportunities out …

Future Publishing has posted a pre-tax profit of 9.2 million in its full-year financials, up dramatically from the 36.7m loss of the previous year. While revenues were down from 188.1m in 2006 to 165.7m for the financial year ended September 30th 2007, the company is confident that it has turned …

One of the most vocal critics of video games in North America, Senator Leland Yee, has issued a stark warning to parents concerning the purchasing of adult-themed games in the run-up to Christmas, Next-Gen reports. A statement from Yee’s office read: Unfortunately, some parents don’t realise that in many top …

After Monday’s admission from lead designer Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka that his recent release Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 had failed to meet his expectations, Konami has released a patch for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game that addresses some of the major criticisms. The download is an effort …