Tag Archives: video games

I don’t think anyone in the industry is kidding themselves as to the challenges retailers have faced in 2010. Every interview I’ve conducted of late starts with a dour acknowledgement of the pressures in the market. So I’m sure everyone appreciates the fears mounting at every level over January’s VAT …

Publishers must lower the cost of games, retailers have warned – or they will cut back buying new stock when VAT rises in 2011. Buyers and store bosses are fearful that they’ll have to swallow next year’s 2.5 per cent tax rise in order to remain competitive – and want …

With more MMOs turning to the growing digital retail sector, with creators selling the game to consumers via a downloadable client, the question of how retail will fit into the future of the sector arises. We’re in a bit of strange transition at the moment,” says Codemasters’ David Solari. Publishers …

As if accusing FIFA execs of bribery wasn’t enough, next week BBC’s Panorama threatens to lift the lid on ‘games addiction’. With an agenda sure to put UKIE and senior publisher PR teams on red alert, the show examines ‘how manufacturers ensure gamers keep coming back for more’. Earlier this …

The huge growth in the second-hand market has seen a surge in sales for disc repair specialists. Total Disc Repair, whose machines are used by Asda among others, claims there are almost 5,000 of its devices on the market. The spike in demand follows the need to clean recently traded-in …

Electronic Arts has no desire to return to the games-film licensing business that it once made a fortune from, a key exec at the firm has said. EA Games label president Frank Gibeau told Develop that film licence-based games, such as James Bond and Lord of the Rings, no longer …

LoveFilm has applauded publishers’ efforts to encourage new sales with the rise of second user charges. The inclusion of second user charges means rental copies of titles such as FIFA Online and UFC Undisputed 2010 will have limited functionality – but LoveFilm is happy to see games firms driving customers …

As any keen gamer will know, this last Q4 has proved very expensive for anyone looking to buy all of the big console releases – and one of the co-founders of BioWare thinks it’s a big problem. There’s too many games released today,” Ray Muzyka told sister site Develop. It’s …

Gran Turismo 5 will ensure 2010 ends with a bang as the last triple-A smash hit to roll out before Christmas. That’s according to Sony, which finally released its long-in-the-making PS3 racer on Wednesday. 2010 has been one of the strongest years in recent memory for quality game releases, and …

The market boom that enveloped the video games market in 2008 will never again be recaptured, analyst Screen Digest has warned. A gradual eradication of RRP, the disruption of the console hardware cycle and the rise of digital means that the High Street has only decline to come, analyst Ben …