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

GAME CEO Lisa Morgan has told MCV that the company is confident it can tackle GameStop’s dominant presence in France. GAME’s current ten per cent share of the French market is dwarfed by fellow retailer Micromania, which claims 23 per cent of the market. Micromania is the leading independent video …

350 billion won ($200m) is being invested into the Korean games industy by the nation’s government, Gamasutra is reporting. The investment is set to last until 2012, with the Korean government hoping to expand the country’s games exports to $3.39 billion a year – placing the nation among the three …

Viacom is to cut seven per cent of its workforce as part of a major global restructuring. 850 jobs have gone at the firm, which is the parent company to the likes of MTV Networks, Nickelodeon, Dreamworks Animation and Paramount Pictures. Its subsidiaries have been enjoying an increasingly close relationship …

PC strategy specialist announces two titles for mobile platforms

A video of the keynote presentation from this week’s Atari Live event is now available to view online on the publisher’s official website. The footage focuses on the speech given by Atari’s CEO David Gardner and president Phil Harrison on Atari’s retail vision and the plans for the company’s future. …

Woolworths administrator Deloitte has told MCV that the retailer will launch its ‘Biggest Ever Sale’ tomorrow – with discounts of up to 50% on all goods. Deloitte said in a statement: ‘We anticipate increased footfall in the stores and have hired additional staff to cope with increased demand. Additional goods …

ELSPA (the Entertainment Leisure & Software Publishers Association) has urged parents looking to purchase games for Christmas to check the game’s packaging for the PEGI age ratings and content descriptors. Games sold in the UK display PEGI ratings – a pan-European gaming-specific rating system instigated and used by all the …

Sony has moved to dispel Microsoft claims that Xbox is outselling the PS3 in Europe, revealing internal figures that say its console has sold 300,000 more units than Xbox 360 in PAL territories. And the company doesn’t feel it has to follow Microsoft and further ignite consumer interest with a …

UK daily broadsheet The Guardian has chosen to stick up for the games industry following an article in yesterday’s NME magazine that attacked titles like Rock Band and Guitar Hero for deterring kids from playing real musical instruments. The NME piece quoted Q Radio presenter David Quantick as stating: Games …

As the struggling Britsoft companyâ??s future hangs in the balance, publishing giants move in on development assets