MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Microsoft has claimed that it is continually keeping ahead” of its rivals’ online services with additions to Xbox Live. The firm this week added social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and music portal Last.FM to Live – as well as HD movie streaming service Zune. However, Facebook arrived on …
Read More »Mama' boy
The latest in the five million-selling Mama franchise hits store shelves this week. Christopher Dring meets 505 Games’ Tim Woodley to discover what’s next for Mama… What would you say has been the secret to Mama’s global success?The appeal of Mama is in its simplicity. The simplicity of the concept, …
Read More »The Producers pulls out of Trilogy partnership
Mastertronic-owned The Producers have backed out of a high-profile plan to align distribution efforts with Trilogy. Just three weeks ago The Producers and Trilogy announced plans to take on the likes of Gem, Centresoft and Koch Media by creating an alternative distribution business for entertainment goods. At the time, the …
Read More »‘Sony iTunes’ coming early 2010
Sony Computer Entertainment chairman Kaz Hirai has revealed the firm has pencllled in an early 2010 launch date for its new iTunes-rivalling online service. As reported by MCV yesterday, Sony Online Service will offer consumers digital movies, music, games, books and more through a range of devices – including PS3, …
Read More »Xbox Live class action begins
Abingdon Law, with offices in and around Texas, has posted the outlines of its "investigation" while seeking out barred Xbox Live players hoping for recompense. The firm says Microsoft deliberately timed its recent banning order against owners of modified machines, soon after the sale of some of the year’s biggest …
Read More »GameStop up and down
Slower sales of hardware were blamed on the dip, but overall Gamestop enjoyed a decent quarter. Sales rose 8.2% to $1.83 billion, while profits rose from $46.7 million to $52.2 million. As the economy suffered, used game sales were up 20 percent, but new game sales also saw a jump …
Read More »China warns games ‘too low-brow’
China’s Ministry of Culture has issued a circular demanding that game companies refrain from content that is "not up to standard" or offering "lowbrow cultural content that is having a negative effect on the healthy development of the industry". There are more than 50 million gamers in China, a market …
Read More »CoD MMO reports intensify
A lengthy feature in The Los Angeles Times yesterday covered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s astounding commercial success, once again framing the game’s $550 million five-day revenues against Hollywood blockbusters. But there was also talk from internal sources of intensified activity on the franchise. Reporter Ben Fritz wrote, "One …
Read More »MMOs fill 15% of game time
Today’s Gamers MMO Focus Report says gamers in the U.S. and Europe spend over five hours a week playing MMOs – or 15% of total play time. The report includes hardcore fantasy epics such as World of Warcraft as well as children’s favourites like Club Penguin. 40% of MMO players …
Read More »Fitness chain turns to Wii
A retail campaign entitled ‘We know fit….we know fun’ will be launched today in selected outlets, with a full roll-out planned for the spring. Staff have been trained in the art of Wii Fit games. But getting Nintendo on board has been a long slog for the Colorado-based company, which …
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