MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The European Commission has announced it will be launching an investigation into the bilateral agreements concluded between Valve and five PC game publishers over a suspected breach in EU antitrust rules. The Commission says it wants to investigate whether these companies are preventing consumers from purchasing digital content due to …
Read More »Trig eSports sponsor under investigation by Swedish Economic Crimes Bureau
Trig Social Media, sponsor of Smite and League of Legends teams and the highest-grossing StarCraft II player in the world, is under investigation by multiple European financial authorities for ‘suspicions of irregularities.’ The Swedish Economic Crimes Bureau and the German Federal Financial Standards Agency (FSA), BaFin, are investigating the Swedish …
Read More »Turkish minister orders investigation into Minecraft ‘violence’
Authorities in Turkey have turned their attention to family favourite Minecraft following allegations of violent content. The BBC reports that Turkey’s family and social policies minister Aysenur Islam has ordered an investigation to assess its suitability for children. Should it be deemed too violent the government could seek to ban …
Read More »The FBI is investigating the online harassment of game developers
The International Game Developers Association is working with the FBI to try and tackle the recent rise in harassment suffered by game developers online. Polygon reports that the two organisations met in July, with IGDA executive director Kate Edwards saying that the FBI has noted” and has monitored” the activity, …
Read More »Gridiron Thunder cleared by Kickstarter investigation, dev claims
Controversial Ouya title Gridiron Thunder will be released on September 30th, its developer has claimed. Gridiron was one of two games hoping to secure Ouya’s Free The Games Fund cash that attracted suspicion after allegations of improper conduct. The other, Elementary My Dear Holmes, saw its Kickstarter campaign suspended. The …
Read More »Molyneux warns devs over IAP investigation
Developers must be careful of how they manage their free-to-play games and in-app purchases in the face of the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into the business model, says Peter Molyneux. Speaking toDevelopEditor Will Freeman at the F2P Summit, as transcribed byThe Guardian,Molyneux warned of the dangers that a varying …
Read More »UK video games tax breaks in doubt as European Commission launches investigation
Having gained approval in the March 2012 Budget, plans for UK tax breaks for video games developers are now in doubt. The European Commission (EC) has announced that it plans to investigate the proposals, questioning whether there is an obvious market failure in the UK games industry. Specifically, it is …
Read More »UKIE pledges to work with OFT in IAP investigation
UK video games trade body UKIE has said that it will assist the Office of Fair Trading in its investigation into in-app-payments. The OFT this morning announced plans to investigate how companies offer IAPs in game amidst concerns that some publishers are specifically targeting children, some of whom may not …
Read More »Vince Cable to investigate OpCapita’s handling of Comet collapse
The Business Secretary Vince Cable has launched an investigation of the circumstances surrounding OpCapita’s acquisition of Comet and the chain’s subsequent collapse. The decision comes amidst growing unease about OpCapita owner Henry Jackson who will reportedly pocket some 50m as Comet prepares to close its doors today. Other reports claim …
Read More »Zynga share dealings face legal investigation
Lawyers have announced an investigation into Zynga’s share dealings. The company suffered an astonishing 40 per cent drop in its share price following its disappointing recent financials that revealed a $22.8m loss for its fiscal Q2. However, people have asked questions about a flash stock sale around two months prior …
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