MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
On April 1, 2003, one of the two biggest video game publishers in Japan, Enix, legally absorbed the other, Square. The latter’s stockholders received 0.85 shares of stock in the new company compared to Enix stockholders receiving a one-to-one trade. Despite this, many top officials within Square assumed leadership roles …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 8/10
The 74 million acquisition of the second biggest specialist retailer in the UK by the biggest was a mighty shock for the entire British industry – not least the MCV team, who had to deal with the breaking news on our magazine’s deadline day. The total investment included 300,000 set …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 7/10
Blizzard had been shunted around the industry like a pinball before being picked up by CUC International in 1996. However, two years later, more turmoil: revelations of dodgy dealings meant CUC (now Cendant) lost 80 per cent of its stock value. Canny Vivendi’s media subsidiary Havas wasted no time at …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 6/10
The coupling of the world’s biggest publisher with Peter Molenyeux and Les Edgar’s lovechild led to some of EA’s most successful PC games, not least Syndicate Wars, Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? In 2000, Electronic Arts merged its EA-UK offices with the Bullfrog offices in Chertsey. By …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 5/10
The closest the video games industry has ever come to a real David-and-Goliath humdinger, Jane Cavanagh’s Britsoft baby SCi amazingly beat out the might of U2 loudmouth Bono’s cash when it bought fellow UK firm Eidos. Elevation Partners, run on Bono’s money and headed up by success-hungry John Riccitiello, had …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 4/10
Warwickshire, UK-based Rare was one of the most successful developers of the 1990s, becoming synonymous with Nintendo for hits such as Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye. However, at Microsoft’s XO event – bizarrely, at Pierre Cardin’s house in Cannes – it was gleefully announced that Rare founders the Stamper …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 3/10
Ex-Infogrames boss Bruno Bonnell’s one-man mission to buy every company worth owning in games is as impressive as it is tragic. It all started back in 1996, when the firm snapped up Ocean Software in a shock move for approximately $100 million. Philips Media BV followed in 1997. In 1998, …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry: 2/10
The US markets woke up with a bump on Monday, December 20th, when EA announced it has snaffled a 20 per cent stake in Gallic rival Ubisoft on the French exchange. The only block of voting shares still greater than EA’s was that held by the Guillemot family, who at …
Read More »Deals that shook the industry 1/10
Infogrames must still be kicking itself for this one. The French publisher let DMA go due to a complication with former GTA publisher BMG – and Take Two’s recently-formed Rockstar label was ready to pounce. The firm got in just in time to release Grand Theft Auto II, a well-received …
Read More »Games Convention appoints MCV as media partner
MCV has been signed up as the official media partner for this year’s Leipzig Games Convention. A special print edition of MCV will be published on Friday, August 15th fully previewing the Leipzig event and boasting extra circulation in numerous areas around the show – including the GC Business Center …
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