MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
After its successful rollout last year, Microsoft is to make NXE a mandatory upgrade for 360 users wanting to play the latest titles on their machines, according to reports . NXE, or New Xbox Experience, was released last year and completely overhauled the Xbox 360’s previous dashboard ‘blade’ system. It …
Read More »Midway holding Mortal Kombat talks
US publisher Midway has confirmed that it is holding talks with parties interested in acquiring its cherished Mortal Kombat property – but it added that it would still ideally like to hold on to its brand. There are conversations for certain,” spokesperson Geoff Mogilner told MTV. There’s definitely interest in …
Read More »Gibson fails in Guitar Hero lawsuit
Famed guitar maker Gibson has seen its lawsuit against Guitar Hero publisher Activision Blizzard thrown out of court after it ruled that Neversoft’s game does not infringe any existing patents. Edge reports that Gibson had claimed its US Patent 5,990,405 for a system and method for generating and controlling a …
Read More »Square Enix very interested in XBLA, PSN and WiiWare
In an exclusive interview with MCV’s sister site CasualGaming.biz, Square Enix president and CEO John Yamamoto has said that online distribution channels such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and WiiWare form a significant part of his company’s ongoing plans. There is a large audience for casual titles that is growing …
Read More »Capcom: We used Xbox 360 to break into Western markets
Keiji Inafune, the head of research and development at Japanese publisher Capcom, has stated that the firm decided to opt for platform and timed Xbox 360 exclusives on some of its earlier releases this generation because it believed it was the best way into the Western market. I think I …
Read More »Toys R Us trialling pre-owned
US retail giant Toys R Us has become the latest High Street retailer to test out the pre-owned game waters with the news that it is trialling a second hand scheme in some of its North American stores. A spokesperson for the company confirmed to Joystiq that it’s testing the …
Read More »50 megastores planned in Currys push
DSGi has revealed that as many as 50 Currys megastores could be rolled out over the next couple of years, and its High Street presence could be reduced to just 100 stores. The firm yesterday confirmed its plans for a new chain of Currys megastores. It also detailed the progress …
Read More »PC sales in record decline
Worldwide PC sales will fall at their sharpest rate in the history of the sector this year, according the latest figures from Gartner. According to the research firm, a total of 257m units will be shipped during 2009, a decline of 11.9 per cent compared to last year. The biggest …
Read More »Blu-ray losing out to downloads
A new report from consumer knowledge site Reevoo has claimed that Blu-ray has not seen significant sales rises as a result of either the demise of Toshiba’s HD-DVD or the drop in Blu-ray hardware prices – and it’s saying that direct downloads have stolen the missing piece of the pie. …
Read More »Midway haemorrhaging cash at an alarming rate
Midway owner Mark Thomas, who bought the publisher for $100,000 last December , has admitted that Midway’s cash reserves are rapidly depleting. In a filing unearthed by GamePolitics, Thomas states: Midway has an immediate need to access and use AHS’s Cash Collateral [another company owned by Thomas]. Nor can it …
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