UK games sales down 30% in January to £59.2 million
MCV has posted ChartTrack’s monthly figures, it looks as though UK games sales were down 30% year-over-year for the month of January, with revenue coming in at £59.2 million. As with the NPD charts in the US, the lack of new releases was a contributing factor to UK’s decline, where as in January 2011 the ... Read More»
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Posted: Feb 10th, 2012
UKIE report aiming to make crowd funding legal in UK
UKIE has said it’s to publish a report next week that will outline the specifics on how crowd funding in the UK should be legal. The organisation’s Crowd Funding Report is aiming to change legislation, where people can fund a project or company. The news comes after Double Fine’s staggering $1.2 million and climbing Kickstarter ... Read More»
Rocksteady: UK “talent drain” to overseas studios a “real shame”
Game director and Rocksteady’s co-founder, Sefton Hill, would like it if the UK government would finally step-up and support the UK games industry, as many of his friends have moved abroad to countries such as Canada which support the industry. Speaking with CVG, Hill said it was “definitely” the powers-that-be in the UK started supporting ... Read More»
BAFTA GAME Audience Award shortlist announced
GAME’s announced this morning the shortlist for the BAFTA GAME Audience Award for the 2012 BAFTA Game Awards. It features Skyrim, Uncharted 3, Battlefield 3, Minecraft and more. The award, which was paneled by Eurogamer’s Johnny Minkley, GameSpot’s Guy Cocker, OXM’s Jon Hicks, ONM’s Neil Long and Future’s Tim Clark, will be announced at the ... Read More»
Vodafone 3G Vita comes with free WipEout 2048 in UK
Vodafone’s put its 3G Vita page live ahead of the console’s February 22 launch, confirming both a free game and a memory stick as part of the package. The Vodafone 3G PS Vita in the UK will feature WipEout 2048 and a 4Gb memory card as part of the bundle, the telco said today. You ... Read More»
Eutechnyx partners with Brain in a Jar for new racer
Develop’s reporting that UK indies Eutechnyx and Brain in a Jar have joined forces to build a new, under-wraps racing project. Brain in a Jar specializes in racing simulation and said it would be making “significant contributions to a large-scale development project” in the works at Eutechnyx. “We’re very excited to be working with Eutechnyx ... Read More»
GAME drops 46 jobs from UK HQ
GAME is to make 46 people redundant from its headquarters in Basinstoke, the retailer said today. The job losses follow speculation on the company’s future in the past week. The chain is reportedly going through credit insurance problems that have affected buying stock, and the company has said it’s looking at selling its international arm. ... Read More»
TIGA: 67% of UK devs working in digital sphere
A new study by UK trade body TIGA has found the majority of local developers have moved on from pure retail models. A survey TIGA conducted with a reported three-quarters of all UK developers found just 33% continued to produce only games destined for sale as physical releases. Other data suggests the retail market will ... Read More»
UK charts: FFXIII-2 overthrows FIFA 12, MGS HD storms in
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the new number one in the UK charts, taking over from FIFA 12 after a six-week spell. XIII-2′s week one sales are the biggest the series has ever had, taking over from 2010 predecessor Final Fantasy XIII. FIFA drops to fourth thanks to the release of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection ... Read More»
GAME brokers new deal with lenders to continue retail operations
GAME’s board of directors has announced it has “concluded discussions with its lending syndicate” and has agreed it will revise “terms for its facilities”, which will allow the firm to continue operations. In order to continue operating, the firm has agreed to do so within the “lower limits of its existing facilities than was previously ... Read More»
EA “concerned with the financial condition” of “major” European retail partner
EA said during its Q3 FY12 call to investors last night it has revised its Q4 outlook to a more conservative figure of $925 million to $975 million due to three underlying factors – one of which is “concern” over the financial condition of a European retail partner. Speaking during the call, CEO John Riccitiello ... Read More»
Death watch: GAME unlikely to survive current problems
With GAME’s business looking increasingly unsustainable, is the writing finally on the wall for brick and mortar retail in video games? Maybe not entirely, but GAME’s time is up, says Patrick Garratt. GAME is in serious trouble, and it’s likely it will cease to exist in the near future. It may have negotiated stock for ... Read More»
GAME in “dialogue” to secure lending, may sell-off overseas business
UK retailer GAME confirmed in a statement today that it’s in talks with lenders to secure more funds, following news yesterday that the firm’s credit insurance is in jeopardy. “In response to press speculation the GAME Group plc confirms that it is in on-going dialogue with its lending syndicate to reach agreement on revised terms ... Read More»
GAME facing credit insurance “challenges,” but will stock new titles this week
Despite behind-the-scenes worries it’s facing “challenges” with its credit insurance, UK retailer GAME will stock new titles this coming Friday, MCV‘s reporting. The trade site has said GAME’s financial outscape since the start of the year has “changed significantly,” and is in the midst of working with publishers to help solve its current woes. However, ... Read More»
Crackle, CinemaNow available now on Xbox Live
Major Nelson advises streaming video services CinemaNow and Crackle have both been activated on Xbox Live. CinemaNow is only available within the US, but Crackle has also been pushed out to Australia, Canada and the UK. The new additions join a growing collection of entertainment services available from the Metro-style Xbox 360 dashboard update, which ... Read More»
Jurassic Park Xbox 360 Euro retail release shelved
Kalypso has cancelled plans to bring the Xbox 360 version of Telltale’s Jurassic Park: The Game to store shelves. “Currently we won’t be publishing this on 360 – just on PC. No one else is bringing the game to retail,” Kalypso’s PR head Mark Allen told MCV. The boxed PC version will arrive as expected ... Read More»
Get Vita for as little as £80 at GameStation
Cheapskate, your day is about to be made. GameStation’s announced those who trade in a 320Gb PS3 or 250Gb Xbox 360 can get a Wi-Fi PlayStation Vita for £80, or £130 for 3G. If you happen to trade your 3DS instead, it’ll set you back £100 on Wi-Fi or £150 on 3G. There’s more offers ... Read More»
Morrisons goes discount heavy on hardware bundles – £150 PS3 and 360, Wii for £85
UK retailer Morrisons has discounted a bunch of hardware bundles as part of a new in-store hardware deal, including PS3s for £150. Also in the offer is a £150 250Gb Xbox 360, Wii and Mario Kart for £85. There’s more details on the new deals on MCV. You’d be mad to miss out on one ... Read More»
Splash Damage hires Enslaved gameplay programmer
Splash Damage has announced the hiring of Marc Fascia, gameplay programmer for Enslaved at Ninja Theory. This is the second hire announce in the past week from the Brink developer following the news it hired ex-FIFA director Griff Jenkins as its new director of production. “We’re hugely impressed by Marc’s combination of insane technical ability ... Read More»
UK charts: FIFA 12 goes six weeks clear, Resi Evil: Revelations enters sixth
FIFA 12 has stayed at the top of the UK charts for a sixth straight week, eight in total, with Resident Evil: Revelations entering the top ten as a new entry. The Capcom 3DS horror entered at sixth following its release last week. The rest of the line-up is all movers and shakers, with last ... Read More»
Vita demos now available at all GAME and gamestation stores
Sony has announced all 600 GAME and gamestation stores will have PS Vita on hand for consumers to sample in the UK. The top 150 stores will include a dedicated Interactive Display Unit the coming weeks. Every store manager has been sent a Vita unit to “enable them and their staff to demonstrate first hand ... Read More»
Quick quotes: UKIE on why new digital chart can work without Steam, Origin
“”I would love every company to be involved in the project. Are we going to get every company? Probably not. We are getting data that publishers and developers and IP owners themselves have. So if you’re a publisher or developer selling on Steam, those publishers and developers are giving us those sale figures. So they’re ... Read More»
GAME launches ‘Fun for a Fiver’ campaign
GAME’s begun a new promotion called the Fun for a Fiver offer. Concept is simple: buy a new upcoming game like Final Fantasy XIII-2, The Darkness II, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games on 3DS, Soul Calibur V or Tekken 3DS, trade it in within two weeks and you’ll only have spent ... Read More»
Pink, white 3DS units going on sale individually next month
Nintendo’s announced it’s to release the white and pink 3DS units on their own in the UK from February 10. The colours have only been available in hardware bundles with Nintendogs + Cats and Super Mario 3D Land up until now. No RRP was mentioned for both units in the press release. Read More... Read More»
GameStop: NI closures “part of our plan” to exit bricks and mortar
GameStop has said its Northern Ireland closures shouldn’t have surprised anyone. “The recent store closures in Northern Ireland are part of our plan, announced six months ago, to exit the UK market from a brick and mortar perspective,” commercial director Michael Finucane told MCV. “We started this process last year closing our Birmingham, Stockport and ... Read More»
