MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Cats, Evita and more top stage musicals could all soon have their own video games, as the company in charge of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s most famous brands enters discussions with video games companies. The Really Useful Group, the international musical entertainment company founded in 1977 by Lloyd-Webber, has begun preliminary discussions …
Read More »Sega and THQ end joint trade event
Sega and THQ’s annual Business Partners Summit has been retired after two successful years. MCV understands that both companies wanted to find alternative routes to showcase their products to European retail in 2009. Sega has confirmed to MCV that it will be switching support to this year’s less US-centric E3. …
Read More »HMV saves 269 jobs at Zavvi
HMV’s buyout of 14 Zavvi stores has saved 269 jobs at the beleaguered entertainment chain, it has emerged. Zavvi administrator Ernst & Young has revealed the locations of the stores – after MCV broke the news yesterday. The nine stores HMV has bought in the UK include one in Crewe, …
Read More »HMV snaps up 14 Zavvi stores
HMV has acquired 14 Zavvi stores from its rival’s administrators, Ernst & Young. HMV expects the cost of its acquisition to be around 2m, including a purchase price of 700,000 plus the refit and rebranding of the outlets. The locations of the stores are currently unclear, but they are in …
Read More »HMV enjoys best ever Christmas
HMV has defied the odds on the High Street to pull off its biggest ever Christmas – enjoying a 5.8 per cent sales growth for the ten weeks to January 3rd. Like-for-like growth was up three per cent on the same period in 2008. The total HMV Group – which …
Read More »US games specialist targets UK
North America’s fastest-growing specialist is ready to take on GAME and Gamestation – as it launches its first stores in the UK later this year. GamerDoc, a franchise concept that offers the opportunity to own, develop and operate a retail video games store, was launched in December 2007. President of …
Read More »Resident Evil 5 will be series biggest seller, says Capcom
Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV headline a star-studded Q1 line-up for Capcom, as the firm plans to add new recruits to its European operations. The line-up also includes 360 and PS3 title Bionic Commando and the Wii edition of Dead Rising. It’s definitely going to be a strong …
Read More »There are too many crappy games on Wii
The global boss of 2K has predicted that publishers bringing non-licensed games to Wii this year could struggle – as the console’s market is flooded by crappy titles”. Speaking to MCV, Christoph Hartmann said that his company would find it difficult to secure the success it has enjoyed with its …
Read More »18 more Zavvi stores axed
The Joint Administrators of Zavvi UK Ernst & Young has today announced the immediate closure of a further 18 stores. 353 employees have been laid off as a result, bringing the total number of people who have lost their jobs since the firm went into administration to 594. Ernst & …
Read More »GAME launches online rental service
GAME has unveiled its first foray into the games rental space with its new online service – GAME Rentals. The service was formed in partnership with SwapGame, and allows consumers to borrow two games at a time for a monthly fee. GAME Rentals also offers unlimited play time with no …
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