MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Online retailer Amazon has reported a sharp drop in net income for the three months ending December 31st. The period saw income of $97m, down significantly from the $177m it reported in the same period last year. Revenues, however, are up from $17.43bn to $21.27bn. Ebooks were credited as the …
Read More »Xbox 360 claiming lion’s share of GameStop DLC sales
65 per cent of DLC sales in GameStop stores are for Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the retailer has revealed. PS3 accounts for 28-30 per cent, with other devices” accounting for the rest. Expect the bulk of those latter sales to be claimed by Steam, which is unsurprisingly gathering momentum. "I would …
Read More »Preorder DLC announced for Tomb Raider in India
With Tomb Raider a little more than a month away from release, distributor E-xpress Interactive has kickstarted the game’s preorder campaign in India. The preorder DLC differs from retailer to retailer. While some retailers are offering the Combat Strike Pack on preorders, others are offering the Explorer Bundle Pack. Combat …
Read More »UK GAMES INDUSTRY SALARY SURVEY: What are you worth?
This year, our salary survey shows a decline in the average UK games industry yearly wage. Last year we reported the number at 33,123 – this year it is just under 4,000 less, at 29,358. This is actually back in line with broader historical data, rather than a serious decline. …
Read More »Zelda art book tops Amazon.com bestsellers
A Zelda art book is currently the best selling title on the mighty Amazon.com. The success of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Hysteria on the American retail site was spotted by NintendoLife, which adds that the book had previously topped Amazon.com’s listing back in August of last year. Furthermore, the …
Read More »Rubin: THQ would have survived in the games industry of the future
THQ stood a great chance of survival if it could have rode out the turbulence of the transitioning games industry. Popular consensus is that consolidation and downsizing will result in a leaner games industry in the future, with the spoils shared between a limited number of huge international publishers and …
Read More »HMV bank syndicate turned down offers higher than Hilco’s
Hilco’s bid for HMV’s debt was not the highest on the table, it has been claimed. The Telegraph reports that the eight-bank syndicate of lenders including RBS and Lloyds who are owed the bulk of HMV’s outstanding debt feared that their reputations would be tarnished were they to turn the …
Read More »Hilco could close up to half of HMV stores
HMV now looks very likely to survive on the UK High Street – at a price. The Daily Mail reports that Hilco could close around half of HMV’s 223 UK stores in the hope that a streamlined version of the chain can live on. It’s the same strategy that the …
Read More »Calls for Government to change laws on gift cards
Independent financial adviser John Bloomfield is calling on the Government to take action on store gift cards. The move comes after HMV administrators Deloitte initially announced that it would not allow customers to use gift cards at the troubled chain. However, pressure from government and publicity for a man who …
Read More »Activision: Skylanders proves there is growth at retail
The phenomenal sales of Skylanders proves there’s strength left in the High Street, says Activision. As we revealed last week, over 6.2m Skylanders toys were sold in the UK last year. And now the company is preparing the third game in the series, which will be revealed in a matter …
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