Game industry business news

An anonymous development source claims to confirmed to MTV a long-running point of industry rumour and speculation: that Microsoft plans to introduce its own Wiimote-styled controller "Microsoft’s response to Nintendo’s Wii will appear before the end of the year," says the report, which adds that the Xbox 360 motion-sensing device …

MTV News says that Rare is working on Mii-like system of digital avatars as well

Sony’s Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has made its debut in the Spanish charts – and, according to sales data released by GfK International, it’s hit the top spot. That makes it a cool trio of number one positions for the title – as it sits atop both the UK and …

Germany’s all formats chart for the week ending Monday, March 31st is in – and Sony’s Gran Turismo: Prologue has taken top spot in its first week. The strong German PC software market is in full show according to the chart, from Gfk International, with EA’s Command & Conquer 3 …

Sony’s Gran Turismo: Prologue has enjoyed its second week at the top of ChartTrack/ELSPA’s All Formats entertainment software chart. The title was responsible for 39 per cent of all PS3 games sales – but, possibly due to its non-premium price, only provided 28 per cent of the format’s software revenue. …

The Independent newspaper has referenced a ‘market source’ who suggests that the speculative bid for SCi/Eidos that saw the publisher’s stock leap by over 10 per cent last week came from a ‘larger American peer’. That would point to Warner Bros., who were mentioned in the original Guardian finance story …

Disney Interactive Studios is to acquire Gamestar – one of China’s leading independent video game software developers. With locations in Shanghai and Wuhan, Gamestar was established six years ago, and describes itself as a ‘world-class games developer’. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Gamestar will play an …

SCEA’s VP of product marketing Scott Steinberg has revealed that Sony may go further in its changes to PSN that it has previously announced – stating that the service will be "overhauled" later this year. Steinberg even goes so far as hinting that that movie and TV services may arrive …

CEO of Eidos parent SCi Phil Rogers has given his first press interview since the company’s recent restructuring to MCV – and talked of a more ruthless”, upbeat attitude at the troubled publisher. Rogers spoke to MCV before speculation surrounding takeover talks pushed the company’s share price up by over …

THQ vice president of worldwide studios Jack Sorensen has said that the publisher has over $400m to spend in the market – and that it is targeting the casual and mobile sectors for expansion. Speaking to Gamespot, Sorensen said he wanted THQ to become the ‘ubiquity’ of gaming, adding that …