MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The president and CEO of SCE Andrew House has labelled last year’s high-profile hack on the PlayStation Network as ironic”. The statement comes as much of the internet – including most famously Wikipedia – have ceased operations for a day in protest at the proposed US legislation SOPA that is …
Read More »Time could be up for SOPA
The US Congress could be ready to drop the controversial SOPA bill after House majority leader Eric Cantor said there would be no vote unless there is consensus on the bill”. The claim comes from Californian congressman Darrell Issa, who is opposed to SOPA, who says Cantor had told him …
Read More »OPINION: Diablo III auctions a smart move against gold farmers
By introducing real money auctions for virtual items in Diablo III Blizzard has upped its game in the fight against illegal ‘gold farmers’. For online games such as World of Warcraft where it can take months or even years to forge a strong character, time is money. Forget monthly subscriptions …
Read More »House promoted out of SCEE
After one of the most turbulent periods in the company’s history, Sony has announced details of a significant management reshuffle right at the very top of the organisation. Current president and group CEO Kaz Hirai will from September first become chairman of Sony’s video games business. More significantly for the …
Read More »PS Vita price will unlock rapid momentum
Andrew House has told MCV that PlayStation’s Vita is already poised for mainstream success thanks to its attractive price point. The cheapest version of the device will cost around 229 when it lands. It’s a lower price than expected for the handheld – and for good reason, House said. To …
Read More »What’s the main lesson Sony learnt from the PSP?
PSP was Sony’s first attempt to crack the handheld gaming space. Despite selling well over 50m units, it proved to be a tough learning experience for the platform holder. SCEE president Andrew House says one of the key problems was not understanding what consumers wanted from their handhelds. With PSP …
Read More »‘Its difficult to run a games business on smartphones’
The current iPhone and Android app models are not good enough for gaming, says SCEE chief Andrew House. His comments come ahead of the launch of PlayStation Suite, a cross-platform system for PlayStation games that run on both mobiles and NGP. House says Suite can become a ‘destination for games’ …
Read More »NGP: Sony considered 3D for new handheld
While the NGP is undoubtedly a technical powerhouse, there is one technology notable by its absence from the spec sheet – 3D. It’s a notable decision for two reasons. Firstly, Sony has done more than any other tech company to push home 3D technology across its PlayStation, Bravia and content …
Read More »Sony: Digital retail is confusing
SCEE president Andrew House has deep reservations over digital downloading. He acknowledges that digital is becoming an increasingly important part of the games market, but believes it still has significant challenges to overcome. The reason retail has been around for thousands of years is because it works really well at …
Read More »ESA spent $1.2m on lobbying in Q409
A report filed by the House of Representatives’ clerk’s office in the US shows that trade body The Entertainment Software Association spent a whopping $1,208,000 on lobbying in Q4 2009. Spong reports that the number is up on 2008’s total lobbying spend of $980k. The ESA engaged officials on a …
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