The Xbox 360 and PS3 multiplayer demo for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has been downloaded over 3.5m times since it was released by EA last month, the publisher has revealed. Since its arrival gamers have successfully slaughtered 500m times, though they’ve also revived 25m of their fellow soldiers. In addition …

The contentious copy-protection method that will require all Ubisoft PC titles to be constantly connected to the web is crucial for fighting piracy, the publisher says. The new ‘online platform’, as the publisher describes it, will be introduced with the release of Assassin’s Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 on …

Too right – the chain has sold games for as long as I remember, from before a heyday of Spectrum and C64 titles and onwards. It helped solidify games’ legitimacy on the High Street, and its buying decisions kept some of developers in the Britsoft Hall of Fame in business. …

WHsmith’s loss could be HMV’s gain: the entertainment specialist has launched a new superstore concept this week. A new outlet in Newcastle features HMV’s games, movie and music ranges, an array of books from sister retailer Waterstones, plus concessions. Games claim 20 per cent of the entertainment section – with …

The deadline for submissions in the ongoing debate around mature and violent video games in Australia is this Sunday – and campaign group Grow Up Australia says it already has 16,055 submissions to present to the government. Of those, the body says that nearly all are in favour of the …

Echoing previous predictions by MCV, US games analyst Michael Pachter has predicted that Microsoft’s Natal will retail for between $50-$80 when it goes on sale worldwide this Christmas. MCV revealed last November that Microsoft is intending to sell Natal for under 50 in the UK, with some sources predicted that …

Electronic Arts’ troubles – fiscal losses, massive job cuts, a thinning roster, waning market confidence – serve as an illustration of the whole industry’s troubles. The firm’s second-in-command, COO John Schappert used his DICE presentation in Las Vegas to show the industry a way out. He said EA and the …

Speaking of his regrets in a fascinating speech at last week’s DICE summit, Activision boss Bobby Kotick has admitted that he rues missing out on the chance to buy Amiga during the late 1980s. A keyboard-less Amiga, he believed, could have triumphed in the console war of the time. It …

WHSmith has finally pulled out of games retail. The chain confirmed to publisher product managers this week that games buyer Graham Pert has moved to another area in the business, now looking after online. Ditching games comes after years spent battling skilful rivals in entertainment. Games have been a staple …

One of the most successful IP marriages of recent times continues to perform for Sega at retail with news that Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games has now sold over 6m copies worldwide. The game was first released in October and debuted at number five in the ELSPA …