Publishing

Acitvision Publishing has strengthened its stable of UK studios with the acquisition of FreeStyleGames. The publisher said the music game talents of the Leamington Spa-based team, which previously worked on original PSP/PS2 title B-Boy (which won the Develop Award for best audio in 2007), attracted it to the studio.For more, …

Amid a global climate of credit meltdowns and consumer struggles, the US games market continued to grow in August, but its rate of growth has dropped to its lowest in over two years. August sales were nine per cent up on the same month in 2007 – reason to cheer, …

Microsoft is understandably delighted by its August sales victory over Sony’s PS3 , and has highlighted the massive surge in Xbox 360 hardware sales in early September in its response to NPD’s August US sales figures. Having been crowned the victor in its battle of Sony in August, Microsoft immediately …

Despite losing out to Xbox 360 in the August US hardware battle , Sony has concentrated on the many positives the firm can enjoy in its response to the latest NPD stats. PS3 shifted 185,353 units in the US throughout August, with sales so far in 2008 hitting two million …

Nintendo has released an understated, though understandably chuffed, response the news that Nintendo’s DS and Wii claimed first and second spots respectively in the US August hardware charts , according to data from NPD. The positive public response to Nintendo DS and Wii has stayed strong throughout 2008,” Nintendo of …

Japanese publisher/developer Capcom has revealed it wants to sign up sports games developed by independent studios in the West as part its bid to target the casual games space. In its 2008 investors report, published today, the Japanese publisher/developer’s COO said the firm is still keen to grow its slate …

The new, improved Gizmondo mk.2 console will definitely be on sale in Europe by Christmas. No need to check your screen: that’s a promise by the CEO of the creator of the handheld console. Mediapower boss Rich Jenkins has shown off the new system for the first time to a …

WBIE is pretty new to the games industry – what’s your strategy? Our main objective is to establish all of the Warner Bros. franchises in the video game market, and not just to be a movie games publisher. I’d like to ensure that the franchises we have are anticipated by …

Former GDC boss uses new-found freedom to air doubts over key industry trends

Sony is set to capitalise on the popularity of ABBA musical movie Mamma Mia with an officially licensed SingStar game of the Swedish band. The title is due for release on PS3 and PS2 in Europe and the US this Christmas, and represents a ‘window of exclusivity for ABBA disc-based …