Game industry business news

Newbay unites video games group under MCV

screen shot 2017 11 20 at 124802png Newbay unites video games group under MCV

NewBay, the publisher of MCV, Develop and Esports Pro, announced today that it will be evolving its UK-based video games brand portfolio into a single website, magazine, and suite of events, under the banner of MCV. The brand will be led by the current Editor, Seth Barton, who said “MCV …

Read More »

EA adjusts progression in Need for Speed Payback following microtransaction criticism

nfspaybackjpg EA adjusts progression in Need for Speed Payback following microtransaction criticism

Such is the scale of the Star Wars Battlefront 2 outcry that another quieter controversy surrounding microtransactions in EA’s Need for Speed Payback has slipped under a lot of people’s radars. The game entered the UK charts at No.4 last week but this week dropped all the way to 11th. …

Read More »

Zelda Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn shine at Golden Joysticks

breathofthewildjpg Zelda Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn shine at Golden Joysticks

Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Cuphead were all big winners at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards. Nintendo’s Zelda game picked up four awards – Ultimate Game of the Year, Best Audio, Nintendo Game of the Year and Critics’ Choice. Developer Nintendo EPD also won …

Read More »

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will arrive on smartphones this week

animalcrossingcampingjpg Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will arrive on smartphones this week

Nintendo has dated its next smartphone title. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be released on both iOS and Android this week on November 22nd. Visually the game will be very similar to anyone who has ever played previous entries in the series. The main difference is the camping theme, although …

Read More »

CD Projekt calms fears about Cyberpunk 2077 monetisation

cyberpunk2077jpg CD Projekt calms fears about Cyberpunk 2077 monetisation

The Witcher developer CD Projekt has spoken out to quell concerns about the possible use of a ‘games-as-a-service’ model in upcoming RPG Cyberpunk 2077. “Worry not,” the studio said in a reply on Twitter. “When thinking CP2077, think nothing less than The Witcher 3 — huge single player, open world, …

Read More »

Streamer criticised for beating and refunding a Steam game live on air

sonicforcesjpg Streamer criticised for beating and refunding a Steam game live on air

Twitch streamer WeeGeeTheGod has been criticised for what some are calling an abuse of Steam’s refund policy. Polygon reports that WeeGeeTheGod, whose real name is Cade McKown, recently streamed a complete playthrough of recent Sega release Sonic Forces. McKown was clearly not enjoying the game, and upon completion then streamed …

Read More »

EA insists loot boxes are not gambling despite Dutch and Belgian investigations

swbf2lootcratejpg EA insists loot boxes are not gambling despite Dutch and Belgian investigations

In the hours leading up to its decision to suspend Star Wars Battlefront 2’s loot crate spending, EA has argued that the system is not a form of gambling. This is despite the news that two European countries are investigating just that question. Gamasutra reports that Belgian Gaming Commission general …

Read More »

Green Man Gaming appoints McGregor as CMO

mcgregorjpg Green Man Gaming appoints McGregor as CMO

Ian McGregor has been named as the new chief marketing officer of digital retailer Green Man Gaming. McGregor’s career includes stints at Activision and EA, and he has previously worked on games including FIFA, The Sims and Call of Duty. GMG notes his involvement in launching the FIFA Interactive World …

Read More »

US market dips in October despite hardware growth

switchoctjpg US market dips in October despite hardware growth

NPD has said that the overall video game market spend in the US in October was down 11 per cent year-on-year at $825m. That’s despite gains in the hardware market, which was up ten per cent at $238m. Switch was the month’s best-selling platform, with Nintendo adding that: “When combined …

Read More »