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

Catalis grows testing and certification offer via acquisition - move also aids expansion into the US

Shock deal worth $18.9bn creates world's biggest publisher, called Activision Blizzard, and huge development resource

In the most surprising news of the year, Electronic Arts has been dethroned as the games industry’s biggest publisher, ousted by a new company formed following the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games. The two companies said that the massive power-shifting deal, worth a total of $18.9bn, will create ‘the …

Creative director leaves studio "by mutual agreement"

Nintendo has in a surprise announcement confirmed that the upcoming Virtual Console version of N64 title Pokemon Snap will boast additional Wii-specific functionality – the first time a Virtual Console title will differ from its original coding. CVG reports that the game will allow people to post photographs they have …

French firm Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company of US publisher Atari, has announced its financial results for the half year ending September 2007 – the highlight of which is a drop in the firm’s operating loss, which stood at €29.3 million, down from the €36.9 loss in the same period …

ON FIRST impressions, starting up a games publisher in the current industry climate appears to be like taking on Tyson armed only with Ken Dodd’s tickling stick. True giants of the entertainment world – let alone the games industry – stand in the way of anyone with ambitious ideas of …

Following a period of sustained success in Japan , Sony is celebrating a home console sales victory with the news total sales for the month of November saw PS3 outsell Nintendo’s rival Wii – the first time Sony’s machine has prevailed over a four week period since it launched last …

Yesterday MCV reported that Microsoft looks set to unleash the European version of Xbox 360 video on demand service by the end of the year – and today news arrives that Sony’s PS3 equivalent could be with us just weeks later. Though there’s still no mention of a possible date …

John Riccitiello, the CEO of leading global games publisher Electronic Arts, has stated that he believes there will be less consolidation in the games industry in the future, and that new business models such as microtransactions and in-game advertising will be the driving factors in the years to come. "Is …