Publishing

Brand will continue but main Emeryville studio has now closed

GAME’s 20m swoop for Multiplay can transform eSports in the UK, say leading industry execs. The retail giant acquired the events organiser – famous for the Insomnia festivals – this week, and Multiplay’s founder Craig Fletcher told MCV that the deal will drive eSports success across Britain. The backing of …

Microsoft’s VP of Interactive Entertainment Phil Harrison is leaving the company, a report has claimed. Games Industry says it has word from multiple sources, although officials such as Xbox boss Phil Spencer and ID@Xbox head Chris Charla have refused to comment when challenged at GDC. The site says that Harrison …

Maxis Emeryville, the main home of Sim City and The Sims creator Maxis, has been closed by EA. EA insists that the move will not effect The Sims or Sim City, or even the Maxis brand. The studio as we know it, however, will cease to exist. Today we are …

Incubator studio reportedly being merged with Soho Productions

Elite co-deveoper and Raspberry Pi trustee to pic up accolade at next week’s ceremony in London

A number of new indie games have been confirmed for Xbox One, including the successfully Kickstarted Wasteland 2. Also in the line-up are Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight and Bedlam, a currently Early Access game based on the Christopher Brookmyre book of the same name. There’s also a free-to-play Magic …

Leading game-makers and more ponder Epic Games’ surprise decision to drop subscriptions for its technology

New Zealand studio RocketWerkz teams with UK start-up Improbable

Fruit Ninja Kinect 2 will arrive on Xbox One later this month, Halfbrick has announced. The sequel, developed by Hibernum Creations, is scheduled to launch worldwide for Microsoft’s latest console on March 18th – the original Fruit Ninja Kinect was released for Xbox 360 back in 2011. The game packs …