Game industry business news

Microsoft Beam is no more. Instead, the platform holder’s interactive livestreaming service will now be known as Mixer, marking the next step in the evolution of its Xbox-based Twitch rival. "Mixer represents our vision for the next generation of multiplayer – watching and participating alongside your friends in gameplay streaming …

Rayman creator Michel Ancel has once again teased fans about Beyond Good & Evil 2 – the long-awaited follow-up to his photography action adventure released in 2003 – saying it’s unlikely to appear at this year’s E3 as he’s "not sure that E3 would be the best place" to showcase …

Capcom has announced it will be bringing Monster Hunter XX to the Nintendo Switch. At the moment, it looks like the Switch version is only confirmed for Japan, but Capcom will be announcing more details about the game at a Monster Hunter event taking place this weekend. Monster Hunter XX …

The worldwide digital games market grew nine per cent year-on-year in April to reach a total of $7.7bn, according to SuperData’s latest monthly report. The mobile market also grew 8 per cent year-on-year last month, with free-to-play increasing by 27 per cent, but overall this was offset by falling sales …

GAME’s Belong gaming arenas are now available for private hire, the retailer has announced, with special packages available for birthdays, corporate parties as well as stag and hen do’s. As part of the package, groups will get a dedicated area inside the arena (which may vary, depending on the size …

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has now surpassed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as the best-selling Switch title in Japan, according to the latest figures from Famitsu. Despite 20 per cent fall in sales week-on-week, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe enjoyed its fourth week at No.1 in Japan last …

As the esports business booms, developers face tough new challenges. Esports Pro’s Jake Tucker discusses ways developers can make a smoother transition to the world of competitive gaming

HTC’s plans to spread its wings beyond its high-end Vive headset have been bolstered with the surprise launch of a new device in Japan. UploadVR reports that the HTC Link is compatible with the company’s new U11 smartphone. It promises full 6DOF tracking (six degrees of freedom), which has not …

A small alteration has been made to the Korean version of Atlus RPG Persona 5 in response to a controversy that has been rumbling on for some time. Kotaku reports that as early as last year some South Korean gamers has noticed that game character Ryuji Sakamoto appeared to be …

Codemasters and Koch Media have announced a new release date for Micro Machines World Tour Series. That game formerly had an April 21st release date. That was missed, obviously, and now the game is due out on PS4, Xbox One and PC on June 23rd. The game features 12 vehicles …