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

DSGi-owned electrical retailer Currys is planning to place its own age ratings on video games sold through its stores, according to Sky News . The chain wants to ‘establish a customer panel who will rate the games on how fun, suitable and challenging they are’. Sky reports that the sticky …

EA chief creative officer and company co-founder William ‘Bing’ Gordon is to leave the company to join investment firm Kleiner Perkins. Gordon will keep some ties with Electronic Arts as its ‘Chief Creative Officer Emeritus’, and will "return to the company to lead periodic workshops on innovation with EA Studio …

Microsoft has cut the price of the Xbox 360 in four key Asian territories. The drop has been put into practice in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. According to Bloomberg, the price of a ‘basic version’ of the console (360 Arcade in Europe and the US) will drop …

Blockbuster Entertainment is to expand its video games offering across all of its corporate-owned US stores. The American entertainment giant has confirmed that it will sell games and hardware for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo’s gaming platforms in its outlets. The expansion will also increase the amount of gaming software in …

In MCV’s latest Mystery Shopper feature, field marketing experts Infinite check out stores in Edinburgh – and ask them the question the whole industry is wondering: ‘Which console is best for GTA IV?’ The firm checked out eight stores in total, and you can discover what they made of them …

HMV This store clearly had a recent refit or moved the gaming section, as we were greeted with a large sign which told us that the new gaming area was now downstairs, in an area which felt like an independent concession store within HMV. Like many others, the store assistant …

ZAVVI We approached the gaming section and looked for the obligatory GTA IV POS and was shocked when we found none – not even in the chart shelves for pre-order or on any ‘coming soon’ displays. The sales advisor told us there was a GTA IV Gift Card available for …

Music may be an increasingly difficult business for the record industry, but in games it’s never been better. Publisher Activision says it has sold over six million units of Guitar Hero worldwide, generating a sales income of US $238 million. Guitar Hero is expected – within only two years from …

Publisher will have 800 employees in Eastern Europe by 2009

Former Vivendi studios boss and Ubisoft Montreal CEO to head up media firm's new games operation