MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry

A Dutch court has ordered Netherland’s The Pirate Party to stop publicising ways in which consumers can circumvent blocks put on The Pirate Bay. Two of the country’s biggest ISPs have previously been ordered to block access to the site. Five additional ISPs have also been ordered to follow suit. …

Activision stands to make $100m annually from Modern Warfare and Black Ops online service

It might be a tough market out there, but Japanese publisher Square Enix has enjoyed a strong year. Having posted a loss of 12bn ($150m) in the previous year, Square Enix achieved profit of 6.1bn ($76m) in its last financial year. Revenue was up 2.1 per cent at 127.9bn ($1.6bn). …

MMO giant also holds off BlizzCon event; Confirms Gamescom attendance

PC giants bring end to trademark legal row

505 Games’ Sniper Elite V2 is the UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats No.1 for the second week on the trot. It maintains top spot despite a 38 per cent drop in sales. EA maintains its Top Ten strength with five titles – FIFA Street (2nd), FIFA 12 (3rd), Mass Effect …

Blizzard’s long-awaited RPG doesn’t even go on sale for another 16 hours but fans have been queuing for three days now. Eager consumers have set up camp outside HMV’s flagship store on Oxford Street ahead of tonight’s official launch party. They have been there since Saturday. The first person in …

Developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that the new Tomb Raider has been delayed. The game was scheduled for release some time this autumn, but will now not see light of day until the first quarter of 2013. When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there …

Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton has admitted that he personally does not support the idea of potentially blocking the use of pre-owned games on next-gen consoles. Rumours have claimed that both the Next Xbox and PS4 will utilise measures that prevent consumers from using game discs previously purchased …

Customers who have paid a deposit for Diablo III at GAME Australia have been left out of pocket. Having entered administration yesterday, the retailer has confirmed not only that it won’t be stocking Blizzard’s RPG, but also that it can’t afford to refund any deposits placed. Due to the appointment …