Game industry business news

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 – …

Watch out Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s: Woolworths has promised to outspend its supermarket rivals in a bid to be crowned entertainment king this Christmas. And the general retailer has promised an ‘aggressive’ focus on games in its marketing – which recently became a bigger moneyspinner for the firm than either …

Established High Street and online games retailers risk losing significant share to broadband suppliers, and possibly even utility companies, if they do not embrace digital distribution. That is the robust view of Pierre Gaudet, CEO of Europe’s leading games digital distribution outfit Metaboli, which has begun a renewed effort in …