MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
There’s a world of contrasts in some of our big stories this week. GameStop, the retail giant with over 6,500 stores around the world, wants to grow its global empire – but using web services to go way beyond bricks and mortar. Meanwhile Blizzard, the epitome of a publisher that …
Read More »Pang series returns through Rising Star
Rising Star Games will resurrect popular arcade franchise Pang later this year. Pang: Magical Michael for DS is due to arrive on September 17th, and marks the first entry in the series since 2000. Pang debuted in 1989 with the original arcade game, also known as Buster Bros, and is …
Read More »System 3 hits 360 with Pinball Classics
Williams Pinball Classics will be System 3’s first Xbox 360 title. The game will also appear on Wii, PS3 and PSP when it arrives this October. It will feature some of the most popular Williams Pinball tables, rendered in high-definition on 360 and PS3. System 3 is confident it can …
Read More »Blizzard: Retail central to our business
The publisher renowned for making most of its money online has pledged its future to bricks and mortar retail. Blizzard is best known for its multi-billion dollar MMO, World of Warcraft, which generates most of its money through subscriptions. But the firm says it couldn’t release its blockbuster titles without …
Read More »First hairdressing game inbound
Wii and DS owners will soon be able to get their hands on the first game to be made by a hairdresser. Busy Scissors will be published in North America by new US publisher Little Orbit, with Namco Bandai Partners distributing the game in Europe this October. Unlike the plethora …
Read More »Activision has begun to slip
In a damning assessment of Activision’s quarterly financial report, analyst Michael Pachter has claimed that he fears Activision has begun to slip a bit” and that November’s Call of Duty: Black Ops will fail to match the performance of last year’s global hit Modern Warfare 2. The Q2 results were …
Read More »Is Nintendo readying Wii 1.5?
Screen Digest analyst Piers Harding-Rolls has predicted that Nintendo could release an ‘upgraded’ version of the Nintendo Wii in the near future that would act as a stop-gap between now and the launch of a ‘proper’ successor to its home console some time in 2013. We expect the Wii to …
Read More »Activision admits to pre-owned problem
Publisher Activision has made one of the most blatant statements yet concerning its intention to tackle what many executives see as the pre-owned ‘problem’ in the video games market. Responding to a question from Wells Fargo Securities’ Jess Lubert in a call to investors, COO Thomas Tippl initially responded gently …
Read More »Square Enix reports strong Q2
Japanese publisher and developer Square Enix has reported an impressive 814 per cent year-on-year increase in operating profit to YEN 5,434m for the quarter ending June 30th 2010. Recurring income was up 124 per cent at YEN 3,426m while net sales grew by 11 per cent to YEN 32,540m. Net …
Read More »Namco brings casual in-house
In a nod to the ever growing importance of the casual games sector, it has been confirmed that social games publishing division Namco Networks America is to be merged with Namco Bandai Games America. Current Namco Networks CEO and COOKenji Hisatsune will subsequently become president and CEO of the new …
Read More »