MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Since the beginning of 2010 the total number of US internet users who have been legally approached regarding BitTorrent piracy has now hit 200,000. TorrentFreak reports that the tactic has now become a feasible new revenue stream for copyright holders. Typically, once the contact details of those who have allegedly …
Read More »EA could lose $1bn over athlete lawsuit
A US judge has denied EA’s dismissal of a court case over player likenesses which could result in a heavy pay-out. Former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller and former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon took legal action against EA and sports association NCAA two years ago, reports USA …
Read More »Apple’s cash reserves are bigger than the US Government’s
Well, it finally happened. Steve Jobs’ consumer electronic empire Apple now has more money to play with than the US treasury – the world’s biggest economy and lynchpin of the Western financial system. According to US Treasury figures released this week, the United States has an operating cash balance of …
Read More »Analysts predict tight sales race between PS3 and Xbox 360
The PS3 could catch or even overtake the global install base of the Xbox 360 in 2011, analysts have predicted. While Microsoft’s machine remains the firm favourite of the pair in key territories such as the US, it’s a different story in other parts of the world. And it could …
Read More »US date announced for Prototype 2
Activision has announced that its long-awaited sequel Prototype 2 will be released in North America on April 24th 2012. That more likely than not means an April 27th release for the PS3 and Xbox 360 title in the UK, though that has yet to be confirmed. "We know our fans …
Read More »Pokémon 3DS game confirmed
The Nintendo 3DS will get its first game based on the mammoth Pokmon franchise this October, but it’s not a traditional RPG. Pokmon Rumble Blast is a 3D action game that follows the formula of 2009 WiiWare title Pokmon Rumble. Players can battle waves of toy Pokmon alone or with …
Read More »Final Fantasy XIII-2 gets 2012 US release date
Publisher Square Enix has announced that console RPG sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released in North America in January 2012. It has already been pencilled in for a December 2011 release in Japan on Ps3 and Xbox 360. There’s no concrete European release date as of yet, but that’s …
Read More »US: Game sales drop 10%
Retail sales of games, accessories and consoles in the US fell ten per cent year-on-year in June, NPD data shows. Sales of consoles alone totalled $366.6m during the month, compared to $401.7m generated during the same period last year. Software sales accumulated $469.5m – a dip of 12 per cent …
Read More »Market rebound unlikely unless we get hardware price cuts
Ahead of the publication of the June US video games market numbers, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has predicted big drops for every major format. We expect hardware sales of 325,000 Wii units (down 23 per cent year-on-year), 355,000 Xbox 360 units (down 21 per cent year-on-year), 240,000 PS3 units …
Read More »Pre-owned and digital games catching new boxed releases
NPD’s Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend report has revealed that the US games market is quickly approaching the point where new, boxed video games sales are no longer the primary sector. In Q1 2011 US consumers spent $2.03bn on boxed console and PC release. In the same period, however, they …
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