Publishing

VR firm continues to pinch staff from Half-Life developer

Online miscreants have chosen to disrupt Battle.net services a week after the launch of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. The actions have left players facing problems attempting to log in to Blizzard’s biggest titles. Diablo, World of Warcraft, StarCraft and Hearthstone players may be impacted by high latency and disconnections …

Microsoft veteran Phil Spencer will now lead a reorganised Xbox division. The new-look division combines Xbox, Xbox Live development teams and the Microsoft studios. He will report to Terry Myerson, who is in charge of the group developing operating systems, as the two business areas look to work closer together. …

Minister believes games tax breaks signals a 'golden age' for sector

The partnership between BBC’s Top Gear and Microsoft’s Forza series is continuing with a new DLC pack for Forza 5. The download, which is included as part of the game’s Season Pass, includes ten cars, all of which are instantly accessible through the game’s garage but can also be purchased …

Grant to help studio employ new staff and support development of original IP

Leading esports firm ESL has announced the acquisition of event services and technologies agency ESS. Electronic Sports League has also announced that it has opened a 7,000 square foot full production studio at its LA office – complete with room for an audience of hundreds – which paired with this …

Technology giant gains 80 wearable computing patents in secretive deal

The Xbox One is being lined up for a release in China, Microsoft has said. Global Times reports that Microsoft’s global vice president Zhang Yaqin has said that the platform holder is stepping up efforts to bring in its multi-purpose Xbox game console to the Chinese market as soon as …

Patrick Redding working on unannounced title at Montreal studio