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

French telecoms and media group Vivendi has posted a 48.6 per cent year-on-year drop in earnings for its second quarter – but its games division has reported a whopping 91.9 per cent jump in operating profit. The firm’s overall sales grew 7.4 per cent year-on-year to €5.2 billion, up from …

MCV is aware that you’ve already started poaching a few experienced, high-level industry sales and marketing execs. What’s the plan for this recruitment drive? It is particularly important to have games-specific expertise in sales, marketing and PR. We are going out in the marketplace now and we have been working …

Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg are all in the running to take Games Convention a step further in 2009 after last week’s biggest ever event in Leipzig. While event organiser Leipziger Messe has confirmed that the show will be back in Leipzig next year, the race is on for other …

Skills to pay the bills on new online competitive title

The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) is to meet with the Conservative Party – where it says it will address” comments made by David Cameron this week. ELSPA will meet with Shadow Secretary for Culture Jeremy Hunt in October – whom MCV interviewed on his plans for the …

Israeli multiplayer games specialist Viva La Mobil acquired

The British Board Of Film Classification has refuted David Cameron’s call for a review of its guidelines – and has been backed by the Government. The Conservative Party leader this week revealed the Tories’ new ‘mini-manifesto’ on ‘Britain’s crisis’, entitled: It’s Time to Fight Back. The dossier calls for an …

The finest minds in the business will gather at London’s AKA bar next week for the second Xbox 360/MCV Industry Pub Quiz to see who can dethrone Konami as the Brains of Games. The event takes place on Wednesday evening and is already sold out. Headline sponsor Microsoft will present …

Carnival Games uses Irish companyâ??s middleware

Global retail president at Vivendi, Pascal Brochier has re-affirmed the publisher’s commitment to the UK after a recent re-structuring of its management line-up. The publisher is looking to take on a UK boss, following Xochilt Balzola-Widmann’s appointment as executive VP and general manager for European retail after the departure of …