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

5% of UK staff to go; CEO Steve Ballmer implies further job cuts may be necessary

The past year was ‘not great’ for Electronic Arts – and the firm is gunning to grab back market share from rivals Activision and Ubisoft this year. That’s according to UK boss Keith Ramsdale, who has boasted of EA’s ‘amazing line-up’ for the next 12 months. FY09, which I have …

Ahead of the first ever Gamescom in Cologne this August, the event’s organisers have released details about the many ways visitors will be able to get to expo. Travelling by air will be easy with European flights to Cologne/Bonn costing as little at €75. International travellers will fare well, too, …

While executive producer Yoshinori Kitase looks to handhelds and download services as platforms for experimentation

Empire Interactive has finally and officially been put into administration, MCV can reveal. KPMG was appointed to handle the administration of the firm on Friday, May 1st. 49 staff have been made redundant at the company with six being kept on to help KPMG with the process, the administrator told …

The Carphone Warehouse has moved into video games retail, and plans to increase its presence ahead of the arrival of Best Buy early next year. The High Street chain launched five of its new ‘Wireless World’ stores in November last year – and MCV understands that 40 more will be added …

DSGi has locked down its sales figures on core products as it looks to hide vital information from emergent retail giant Best Buy – leaving GfK-ChartTrack with no choice but to ban the firm from its panel. The retailer, which owns PC World, Currys and Dixons, told GfK-ChartTrack last week …

The Conservative Party’s Creative Industries Task Force, which examines ways in which the Government can ensure the UK remains a leader in video game development, has asked MCV’s readership to send it their thoughts on the industry’s future. The review looks to ‘make Britain a global hub for content creation …

It is estimated that within five years we will be living in a video-centric world where most information and entertainment will be available on demand. The opportunity to slice, dice and monetise Intellectual Property will escalate and business models will change as content creators take advantage of the opportunity to …

Click here to view the latest additions to the RETAIL BIZ previews section, offering a guide to some of the most promising titles coming out in May. Codemasters’ high-octane racer FUEL is in pole position this week, bringing gamers 5,000 square miles of varying and challenging terrain to master. The …