The pressure is mounting on Australian authorities to introduce legislation to legalise the sale of adult-rated video games, with both retailers and consumers throwing their support behind the initiative. We would fully support and instigate any new legislation the government seeks fit to introduce,” a spokesperson for the Aussie branch …

Such is the momentum driving Sony’s PS3 onwards and upwards right now that SCEA has warned consumers that retail may face shortages of the in-demand console over the coming weeks. We’re working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the …

Highly anticipated FPS sequel BioShock has shot straight to the top of the ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 on its first week of release. Furthermore, it becomes the biggest new release of the year to date in the process, surpassing EA’s Mass Effect 2 in the process, which slips …

Mindscape has returned to the UK publishing scene, MCV can reveal. The firm is currently based in Leicestershire and is looking for a new office dedicated to handling its titles in the UK after a successful spell working with Koch Media. While Koch remains the distributor, Mindscape UK general manager …

The US game market in January fell an anticipated 13 percent year-on-year, NPD figures reveal. Software at retailers made $598 million for the first month of the year, down some 12 per cent on the $683 taken last January. Hardware was down further, falling 21 per cent from $447 million …

There’s just a day left to send in nomination suggestions for the 2010 MCV Industry Excellence Awards. Lobbying closes tomorrow, Friday February 12th This year’s event takes place on Thursday April 22nd at The Brewery, London, and sponsors include Nintendo (Retail Partner), Just Dance (After Party Partner), Codemasters (Pre-Event Reception …

Studios could be left waiting as publishers look to maximise efficiency

Panel examines the health of the industry

Publisher Activision says it will use the learnings of the Modern Warfare 2 launch for future releases. The game has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, and was backed by a huge retail campaign – making Modern Warfare 2 the biggest game launch in the industry’s history. "This unprecedented achievement …

Falling PS2 game sales is to blame for a ten per cent decline in the software market in US and Europe last year, says Activision. The firm’s publishing boss Mike Griffith made the claim during Activision’s conference call following its financial report – and added that he expects game sales …