Game industry business news

Speaking to The Guardian , The Sims creator Will Wright has confirmed that his hugely anticipated ‘life, the universe and everything’ sim Spore is in development for the Nintendo Wii. Wright has recently stated that in his opinion the Wii is the only genuine next-gen games system, criticising the rival …

Sony has said that it expects losses in the unit to be double its initial forecast for the financial year ending March ’08. Reuters reports that contrary to its initial prediction of losses totalling YEN 50 billion, it now expects its gaming losses to exceed YEN 100 billion ($875 million). …

MCV sister site Develop reports that the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport has said that the UK may challenge the legal basis of Canada’s generous tax credits in a bid to level to the paying field for the country’s interactive entertainment talent. Speaking to Channel 4 news, the minister …

Investment cash pumped into parent company ZeniMax Media

The games industry’s finest has been gathered at London’s Park Lane Hilton this afternoon to enjoy the 25th Annual Golden Joystick Awards, and it was Microsoft’s and Epic’s Gears of War that stormed the show. The Xbox 360 and PC shooter won four wards in total, including the biggest gong …

MCV sister site Develop reports that some staff at EA’s studios around the world are facing redundancy, in what the publisher is calling a small-scale and routine move that comes as production on the year’s games winds down. Develop understands that staff at the company’s studios – including its big …

Celebrating today’s release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and PC, Sega Europe duo Dwayne Buck and Aaron Francis have proved that they are the best PES players in the industry by conquering all the claim the first ever PES Industry Cup, in association with MCV …

ZeniMax, the parent company of US publisher and developer Bethesda, has confirmed that part of the $300 million investment it has received from Providence Equity Partners will be used to finance Bethesda’s future MMO development. We believe that Providence will be an ideal partner for us as we build our …

After years of losses, Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division has for the first time reported a profit, raking in operating income of $165 million for the quarter ending September 30th – a stark improvement over the $142 million loss in the same period last year. The Division’s revenue reached $1.93 …

LEADING developers have spoken out against pre-owned games at retail – warning that studios could turn their back on the ‘traditional’ publishing model if the trend continues. TimeSplitters and Haze developer Free Radical Design and Frontier Developments’ David Braben have both told MCV that the current system is flawed – …