MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Almost all 2009 releases on Wii have been outsold in the States by games launched in previous years, with only EA Sports Active standing tall. The latest NPD data, analysed by Gamasutra, shows that EA’s new fitness game is the only title in the top five best-selling Wii games of …
Read More »US: Digital casual games come to retail
Online monetization firm PlaySpan has announced that a new code card range in conjunction with PBS Kids Play called Ultimate Game Card that will be stocked in over 800 of the toy firm’s stores across North America. The cards can be used to pay for online subscriptions to PBSkids.org, a …
Read More »US: Pre-owned market worth $2bn
Games market analyst Michael Pachter has stated that the pre-owned games market in North Ameica is worth around $2bn annually, with 100m units sold in stores across the region each year. A quick calculation will tell you that the average sale price of a pre-owned title is $20 (12). The …
Read More »US: File-sharing mum fined $2m
A 32-year-old single mum has been ordered by a Minneapolis court to pay $1.92m to the Recording Industry Association of America after being found guilty of breaching the copyright of just 24 songs. The Guardian reports that Jammie was one of 30,000 people initially found guilty and ordered to pay …
Read More »US: First month Xbox Live subs drop to $1
Microsoft has lowered the price of an Xbox Live Gold subscription to $1 for the first month. Once the first month has expired, gamers will be automatically charged for the next 11 months at the regular price, Joystiq reports. They will be able to opt out of this if they …
Read More »US: GameStop bags Halo exclusive
GameStop has gained exclusive rights to the Halo 3: ODST Collector’s Pack. The American retail giant will be the only company to offer the bundle in the US, although Joystiq reports the pack will be made available in other regions at participating retailers. The Collector’s Pack includes a copy of …
Read More »US: Tiger Woods series tops $500,000,000
EA Sports’ Tiger Woods series has generated more than $500,000,000 in sales in the US to date. The figure was revealed by NPD analyst Anita Frazier’s Twitter feed, and comes in the wake of the latest release in the best-selling franchise, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Tiger Woods video games …
Read More »US: Final Fantasy XIII gets 2010 release
It’s hardly the biggest surprise in the world, but a new poster advertising campaign in the US has confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII will be released in the region in 2010 – scuppering any lingering hopes that the game would make it to retail this year. The confirmation comes form …
Read More »Factor 5 closes US dev studio
Factor 5 is to close its San Rafael studio, the company’s CEO has revealed. According to a post on the official website, the ‘obstacles created by the sudden bankruptcy of Brash Entertainment for the continuation of operations have turned out too great to overcome in the current economic climate,’ wrote …
Read More »US: Job losses and wage cuts at Best Buy
Best Buy has reportedly told staff of a slew of job losses and wage-cutting measures in North America as the leading electricals retailer aims to restructure in an effort to cope with the nation’s tightening of economic belts. StarTribune reports that 1,000 assistant store managers are to see their jobs …
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