MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
With an air of mystery still surrounding Activision’s new Call of Duty studio ‘Project Beachhead’ and its long-term roadmap for the shooting franchise, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has played down the possibility of a subscription-based extension to the brand. "You know, honestly, we don’t really spend a lot of …
Read More »Guitar Hero strategy ‘was wrong’
Activision’s decision to sell Guitar Hero as a product as opposed to a content platform was the ultimate cause of the IPs downfall, GamesBrief analyst Nicholas Lovell has told MCV. "I wasn’t surprised by the news," he stated. "Sales peaked at $1.7bn for music games in 2008, fell by 50% …
Read More »Activision ‘interested in Take-Two dev buy-outs’
Rumours fly that the likes of Rockstar and Irrational could join Call of Duty publisher
Read More »Activision eyeing Take-Two swoop?
An eventful week for Activision rolls on: rumours are circulating at the highest level that the company is eyeing a shock acquisition of rival Take-Two. If true, and if successful, the bid would bring blockbuster brands and hit studios under one roof – Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, …
Read More »Source: 50 staff gone at Vicarious Visions
Activision 'cuts at least a quarter of studio workforce'
Read More »Activision fined 1m for price fixing
The European Court of Justice has fined Activision Blizzard €1m (845,000) for raising the price of games. Nintendo and seven distributors were originally fined €167.8m (1.4m) collectively for fixing console and game prices between 1991 and 1997. One of which is Activision Blizzard Germany – formerly known as CD-Contact Data. …
Read More »Activision ‘closes music developer 7 Studios’
Staff say their goodbyes in an emotional outpouring on Twitter
Read More »‘No layoffs for now’ at FreeStyleGames
UK developer said to be exploring options amid mass staff cull
Read More »What is Project Beachhead?
We’ve known that a dedicated premium online version of Call of Duty has been in the works for some time now, but Activision’s confirmation that a brand new studio is working on the title certainly came as a surprise. But details of both the game itself and the people behind …
Read More »Activision readies toy-game crossover
While Activision may be dropping the likes of Guitar Hero and True Crime, the publisher still has a few new tricks up its sleeve. The company’s latest financial report reveals it is working on an innovative new universe with broad appeal that will be revealed at Toy Fair later this …
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