RETAIL CATEGORY Independent Retailer: Grainger Games Specialist Retailer: GAME Entertainment Retailer: HMV Online Retailer: Play.com Star Store: Zavvi, Oxford Street PR & MARKETING CATEGORY PR Team: Nintendo Game Campaign: Halo 3 (Microsoft) New Games Brand: Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft) Trade Marketing Team: Electronic Arts Marketing Team: Nintendo PEOPLE & INDUSTRY CATEGORY …

Blockbuster has launched a bid for US retailer Circuit City worth more than $1 billion, with the entertainment retailer suggesting that the move would help it compete more efficiently with the likes of Best Buy and Apple’s retail operations. Blockbuster’s chief executive James Keyes claimed that the combined company, which …

Inspired by the results of last week's Develop 100, Develop exec editor Owain Bennallack, who also wroe entries for the book, analyses the trends from the listing of the world's most successful studiosâ?¦

ALL FORMATS TOP 50: MARCH 1. Mario & Sonic and the Olympic Games (Wii, DS) Sega 2. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (360, PS3) Ubisoft 3. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training (DS) Nintendo 4. Army of Two (360, PS3) EA 5. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) SCE 6. Call of Duty 4: …

Codemasters Online’s vice president David Solari has hit out at the number of developers rushing out casual games after signing a deal to bring a range of Mumbo Jumbo titles to retail. The deal kicks off with ten new games set for release on April 25th on the Funsta label …

Sony Computer Entertainment UK MD Ray Maguire has predicted that 90 per cent of games sales will be taking place online in ten years’ time. Speaking at an ELSPA press conference with Dr Tanya Byron last week, Maguire read out his concerns with recommendations in the Byron Review – focusing …

There has been a halo effect for rivals as well as partners. Whether fuelling the boom at retail or helping third parties like Sega rack up an incredible million UK units of Mario and Sonic in just four months, Nintendo has aided the wider business. Nintendo leapt from ninth biggest …

A dozen different companies picked up awards at last night’s trade awards, but the event was still dominated by Nintendo. The Japanese giant’s impact on the booming UK games industry over the past 12 months pushed it to victory across four award categories. Nintendo won prizes for PR Team, Marketing …

The head of EA’s casual and mobile games business Kathy Vrabeck has forecast that interactive entertainment may evolve to the point that it is now longer referred to as ‘games’. Next-Gen.biz reports that Vrabeck added user-generated content and personalisation of games worlds will become ‘everything’ to consumers. Vrabeck was speaking …

MCV sister publication Develop has unveiled this year’s top 100 studios according to retail sales – head over the the official site to take it all in.