MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The closure of the Jersey tax loophole last year has been blamed for the end of Play.com as we know it. The retailer has confirmed that it will from March 2013 become a marketplace-only service, allowing customers to sell goods via their site with Play taking a slice, much like …
Read More »Digital up, pre-owned down as GameStop reports 4.6% sales drop
Global games retailer GameStop has fared better than the overall games market by posting a sales drop of just 4.6 per cent for the nine weeks ending December 29th. Global sales for the period were $2.88bn. Like-for-like sales fell 4.4 per cent, with the US declining 3.5 per cent and …
Read More »Retail narrowly avoids Christmas drop, grows 0.3% YOY
UK retail sales values were up ever so slightly by 0.3 per cent year-on-year fro December. It’s a severe drop from the 2.2 per cent gain made in 2011, but better than some had feared. The BRC reports that total sales were up 1.5 per cent. This is down from …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How HMV is hanging on
We are barely a week into the New Year and once again there is much talk about HMV’s financial troubles. The firm recently warned that it may breach lending agreements this month, and has been in constant talks with suppliers, banks and lenders over Christmas. And in what is becoming …
Read More »GAME hosting EA lock-in events; Play Dead Space 3 early
UK retailer GAME is to host a number of EA lock-ins” across the country. The events will invite gamers to hang around after hours and get hands-on with a number of pre-release EA titles, starting with Dead Space 3. And pig out on free food and drink. Customers will have …
Read More »Console sales down by a third in 2012
Sales of video games consoles in 2012 fell 33.1 per cent year-on-year. Handheld sales dropped 31.3 per cent, despite the arrival of PlayStation Vita and 3DS XL. The portable sector is a market potentially hit by the booming sales of tablets and smartphones. Home console sales were down by 34.1 …
Read More »OPINION: New Year’s Revolution – 2013 is the year where everyone is a retailer
Fresh data this week suggests the worst: selling video games in the UK during 2012 was a storm of recession and poor momentum. Total software sales were down 17.6 per cent overall. Modest gains in digital sales, up 7.7 per cent to 552m, was not enough to cover the 26.4 …
Read More »New Year, new start despite 2012 washout
The UK games industry is hoping for a brighter 2013 after last year’s software sales fell by almost 400m. 39.5m physical games were sold over the last 12 months, 15m fewer than in 2011. This generated 1bn, a drop of 26.4 per cent year-on-year. According to IHS?Screen Digest, UK?digital game …
Read More »Sainsbury’s and Morrisons expected to report poor Christmas trading
The share prices of Sainsbsury’s and Morrisons have fallen amidst predictions that the pair will report disappointing Christmas trading results later this month. The Grocer reports that analysts are expecting a 2.8 per cent drop in like-for-like sales over the period for Morrisons and a dramatic slowdown of growth at …
Read More »Flipkart lists Bioshock Infinite special editions
Retailer Flipkart has listed Bioshock Infinite’s Premium Edition and Ultimate Songbird Edition for release in India. Interestingly, the Ultimate Songbird Edition, which features a striking 9.5-inch songbird statue, has only been listed for PS3. It is priced at Rs 8,999. The Premium Edition, which includes all the contents of the …
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