MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The UK’s only growing games chain is on the hunt for senior retail experts to cement itself as the second-largest specialist. Grainger Games opened its 49th store yesterday (Thursday, January 27th). If you include its website it now operates out of 50 outlets. Its growth is being led by retail …
Read More »GAME breaks store closure news to staff
Retailer GAME has this week informed staff members of 19 stores that it intends to close in the coming weeks. The move comes as part of the store closure plan outlined back in April 2010. "You will remember that last April we announced plans to close 85 UK stores over …
Read More »PopCap console games head to retail
Some of PopCap’s most popular casual games are making their way to UK retailers thanks to Mastertronic. The titles will arrive as boxed releases on Xbox 360 and DS for the first time in Europe, with Mastertronic responsible for publishing and distributing the titles. PopCap Hits – which includes Bejeweled …
Read More »OPINION: Will NGP defeat pre-owned?
Sony’s new physical format has the potential to change the face of the pre-owned market. Earlier this morning, the platform holder confirmed that the flash-based card for its upcoming Next Generation Portable will store the full software titles plus add-on game content” at the device’s big unveiling. Tying downloadable content …
Read More »Back to the Future retail-bound
Game revamps of Back to the Future and Jurassic Park may be download-only for now, but retail will get a look in eventually. That’s the message from developer Telltale Games, the firm behind hit episodic games such as Sam and Max and Monkey Island. The company last year signed a …
Read More »Moshi Monsters toys arrive in UK
Mind Candy’s casual gaming phenomenon Moshi Monsters made its UK toy debut last week thanks to a new range of products from Vivid. The free-to-play Moshi Monsters currently boasts over 30m users worldwide, with one in three UK kids said to have used the site. The spring/summer range includes Talking …
Read More »UKIE: Piracy cost £1.5bn in 2010
UKIE has reported that pirated video games may have cost the industry around 1.5bn in sales last year. The trade body has reported that several publishers have claimed illegally downloaded games could outnumber those sold legitimately by as much as 4:1 – and UKIE director general Michael Rawlinson claims that …
Read More »OPINION: Murder on the shopfloor
Make no mistake – the same industry shift that the MCV Awards are already addressing is weighing heavily on the minds leading the retail braintrust. What does the future hold for retail at a time where the default word to describe its sector is ‘challenging’? It’s a question being asked …
Read More »3DS: 900,000 units for launch, 5m in year one
Nintendo will ship 900,000 units into Europe during the first three weeks of the 3DS launch, MCV understands. It will then look for sales of around 4.5-5 million during year one. Nintendo itself has offered no comment or guidance on ship-in or sales figures. The new format is, however, the …
Read More »Ubisoft working on Smurfs game
Ubisoft is making the game based on the upcoming Smurfs movie. The game is set for Nintendo Wii and DS and will launch alongside the live action/ CG-animated movie, which is scheduled for Wednesday, August 3rd. Commenting on the announcement, Mark Caplan, VP of consumer products at Sony Pictures Consumer …
Read More »