Leading global games retail force GameStop has posted record financial results for the quarter ending November 3rd, with net earnings reaching $52 million – up a massive 283 per cent compared to the same period last year. Sales increased by 59.3 per cent to hit $1.6 billion, up from $1.0 …

Ubisoft has taken on former Konami man and 13-year industry veteran Michael Rotchell as trade sector manager of the grocery and non-specialist retail business, effective November 19th. Rotchell (pictured) began his career at the GAME store in Leeds before opening and running a new store in York for over a …

EVER-EXPANDING MMO publisher NCsoft has revealed that it is giving its European European development capabilities a huge boost – doubling in size in the next 18 months alone. The target was revealed as NCsoft’s chief executive officer Geoff Heath told MCV that its first PS3 project should be hitting retail …

Empire releases Jackass into the busy Christmas market next Friday – but is confident that the mass-appeal title will hit a top five spot in the chart despite some tough competition. A new DS version of the game has been added to the publisher’s release roster for Q1 2008, showing …

IGN reports that according to data from Media Create Nintendo’s popular handheld console the DS has now sold over 20 million units in Japan. The original model succeeded in shifting 6 million units in the first 14 months on the market, but since the arrival of the redesigned DS Lite …

Retail is preparing for two of the busiest Fridays of the year – as over 15 serious Christmas contenders fight for space on their shelves. Both today and next Friday see the release of a host of Triple-A titles gunning for the festive number one spot, with publishers keen to …

Next Friday sees the release of Need For Speed ProStreet – the latest in the world-beating racing series – and publisher EA is confident the title will be first to cross the finishing line in the race for Christmas number one. A Need for Speed game has been Christmas number …

Nintendo’s motion sensing technology has brought flapping your arms around in the name of fun out of the shadows and into the mainstream. But it’s not just the Japanese giant targeting this style of gaming. For years, In2Games has dabbled in this field with its GameTrak technology. Now the UK …

The firm has bought out Paris-based Banque Magnetique – which enjoys sales of €245m (170m) – for an undisclosed sum. Banque Magnetique customers include top French IT and electrical retailers, dot-com companies and supermarkets. The company boasts a product range consisting of many brands Gem already handles, including Logitech, Creative, …

In the second part our latest exclusive extract from the governmentâ??s Playing for Keeps report, Games Investor Consulting looks at the leading business models and distribution channels in use todayâ?¦