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

This past week I had the opportunity to spend time with not one, but six of the senior execs at Sony Computer Entertainment, from David Reeves through to members of the third-party relations team, R&D chiefs and Phil Harrison replacement Shuhei Yoshida. Amongst them I could sense an upbeat mood …

Leading Japanese games bible Famitsu is reporting that Square Enix is to delay the release of one of its upcoming threesome of Final Fantasy XIII titles, according to reports . Developers who had to date been working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII have been shifted to the team handling PS3 …

Digital distribution will be the ruling force in games within the next decade and the PS3 will be the centrepiece of that new online era – but we must not ignore the serious issues which faced the music industry, Sony’s David Reeves has warned. The president of SCEE last week …

Sainsbury’s has targeted a major expansion in video game floor space as it looks to grow its entertainment offering, the supermarket chain has told MCV. Both Asda and Tesco have been quick to tout their recent success in video game sales, and Sainsbury’s is keen to catch up by improving …

Microsoft VP of interactive entertainment business in Europe Chris Lewis is determined that losing studio figurehead Phil Spencer from his team will not damage the company’s optimism. Speaking exclusively to MCV, Lewis also laid out his criteria for Spencer’s replacement – and said Europe was a priority for his management …

Our IP Profile scrutinises the Britsoft hit franchise as speculation mounts over sequel

In the fifth instalment of our IP profiles series, Nick Gibson looks at Reflectionsâ?? driving successâ?¦

Ken Levine, Christopher Kline, Nate Wells and Bill Gardner to offer secrets of their success at July event

UK developers to be canvassed in vast survey of the games industry and other media workforces

THAT MERGER with Blizzard is expected to be fully sanctioned by shareholders soon and the two huge organisations will then surely start to consolidate. What that means to jobs, HQs or partners across Europe, publishing boss Joerg Trouvain isn’t saying just yet. He’d rather focus today on Activision’s tremendous performance. …