The Sims 3 will be the latest title to penalise those who buy the pre-owned version of the game when it arrives on Xbox 360 and PS3 later this year. Those hoping to use the new Facebook functionality that allows players to share achievements and other in-game features with friends …

New website tradeyourgames.co.uk, which buys and sells pre-owned titles, will roll out a business-to-business service so that independent video game retailers can sell excess stock. The site launched earlier this month and claims to offer consumers trade-in rates of up to 40 per cent more than High Street stores. It …

Confused by the current legal row between games retailers and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the US? MCV is at hand to explain the background to the feud… In the UK, any games deemed to be violent are currently required to undergo the BBFC certification process. The resulting age rating is legally …

The US Supreme Court will deliver the final verdict in the increasingly feverous storm that is enveloping the US games sector that sees Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to illegalise the sale of violent games to kids. California hopes to become the first US state to successfully introduce legislation that bans …

The UK games industry may be increasingly mature, but it still has a sense of humour. Leading execs from Electronic Arts, Activision, Nintendo, Sega, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Future and more starred in a special sizzle video shown at the MCV Industry Excellence Awards last week, just before host Marcus Brigstocke took …

Israel has lifted its ban on the Apple iPad two weeks after customs began confiscating the device due to concerns about the strength of its wi-fi signal. Officials started allowing citizens and visitors to bring the device into the country yesterday, Reuters reports. "Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, …

The value of the UK games software market fell in March by seven per cent year-on-year. But it was still a great month of major releases, while EA and Square Enix both saw big gains. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was the runaway success story of the month with most copies …

Headlining this week’s Mega Monday at online retailer Zavvi is a quite unbelievable offer – the Xbox 360 version of Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for just 17.99. The game, which five months on from its release is still riding high in the ELSPA GfK Chart-Track All Formats …

The Hut Group has revealed plans to become a publicly listed company within the next 12 months after securing 14 million worth of investment. The retailer secured the money last week and says it will use the cash to enter new product categories – either organically or by acquisition – …

Intent Media’s Sourcebook is back this July. The annual guide to the leading service companies operating within the European games industry will have a print circulation of 20,000 copies. An online version will be promoted all year via MCV, Develop, CasualGaming.biz, PCR, and Mobile Entertainment. The sectors this year’s guide …