Game industry business news

Entertainment retail giant HMV has released a trading update for the five weeks ended January 5th 2008, which show considerable progress in the company’s three-year turnarond plan. Group total were sales up 9.9 per cent, and like-for-like growth stood at 9.4 per cent. HMV UK and Ireland total were sales …

Game developer Goichi Suda, the man behind GameCube and PS2 cult classic Killer 7 and upcoming Wii curiosity No More Heroes, has said that Nintendo are the only company making any money out of the Wii. Upon its release in Japan, No More Heroes generated quite a lot of attention …

Media giant and owner of CNN supporting game design competition

Whilst European Wii owners are still waiting to hear when Nintendo’s highly anticipated multiplayer thump-a-thon will arrive on these fair shores, US owners are facing a further delay. Having originally been lined up for an early February release, US gamers can now expect the game to be released on March …

One of Nintendo’s biggest cash-cows is to return to DS with a brad new instalment in March when Pokemon Ranger Batonnage arrives in Japan, IGN reports. A follow up to last year’s Pokemon Ranger, Batonnage will once again allow players to control a Ranger who captures those troublesome Pokemon by …

Over 80 per cent of UK employees – particularly those involved in retail – have been victims of bullying at work, according to a new survey by The Samaritans. The report, entitled Stressed Out, also found over half of retail employees say their jobs are getting more stressful and that …

Come to a sprawling Moscow and step back in time. To a land where independent games retailers are still the most powerful High Street force. Where everyone in the games business is still under 40, and barely 30. Even the bosses. And to a land where computer games rule. That’s …

Sega has outlined its marketing campaign for upcoming action-shooter The Club – and both specialist games and men’s press are set to be blitzed as part of the promotion. The publisher will have demos of the title and double-page adverts featured in Official Xbox 360, Official PlayStation and GamesMaster magazines. …

Woolworths has forecast a return to profitibiliuty for its High Street stores in 2008 – after the High Street chain suffered a 3.2 per cent drop in like-for-like sales for the 49 weeks to January 12th. The firm blamed ‘fierce discounting’ across the electrical products sector for the dip – …

The Writers Guild of America has reveleaed the nominations for its inaugural videogame writing award. Five games are in the running for a prize designed to "[honour] outstanding achievement in videogame writing during 2007". As seems to be a common theme this morning, head over to the quite wonderful Develop …