MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Restructure follows consecutive months of financial woes as stocks and sales fall
Read More »Digital PSP sales to end in 2016
The end for the PSP is nigh. The PlayStation Store is being removed from Sony’s first handheld in Japan on March 31st 2016, the platform holder has announced. The UMD Passport service, which allowed players to pay a small fee to convert their physical games into a digital version, is …
Read More »Can Japanese games rule again in the West?
Name a hit games franchise from the 1980s or ‘90s and it’s bound to be a Japanese creation: Mario, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Pokmon, Pac-Man. Recall one from after 2000 and it’s instead likely to be a product of the West: Halo, Call of Duty, Angry Birds, Minecraft, Assassin’s Creed. It’s …
Read More »Star Wars Battlefront stays on target at top of Japanese charts
The latest Star Wars game has unsurprisingly shot to the top of the Japanese retail rankings in its debut week. EA’s return to the Battlefront series sold in excess of 100,000 units on PS4 during its first week on sale, outpacing the combined efforts of fellow newcomer Atelier Sophie: Fushigi …
Read More »Black Ops III holds the top spot in Japan
The PS4 SKU of Call of Duty: Black Ops III is still No.1 in Japan. Sales of Activison’s shooter – published in the region by Sony – were down 63 per cent week-on-week, according to data provided by Famitsu. The PlayStation 3 SKU falls from third place to No.8 as …
Read More »Valkyria Chronicles IV and remaster headed to PS4
Sega’s cult hit RPG Valkyria Chronicles is getting a brand new instalment on PS4 – as well as a remake of the first game in the series. Valkyria Chronicles IV: Valkyria of the Blue Revolution will be the first new instalment in the popular tactical role-playing series since 2011’s Valkyria …
Read More »Can Yo-Kai Watch repeat Pokémon’s success in the West?
A kids game for handhelds that involves capturing fantastical creatures, then battling them against rival monsters. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. No, it’s not Pokmon we speak of, but newcomer Yo-Kai Watch. Like Nintendo’s critter-catcher, the ghost-hunting series has taken Japan by storm, crossing from 3DS into …
Read More »VIDEO: Star Fox Zero launches in April
Nintendo has revealed Star Fox Zero will launch on Wii U this April. During this week’s Nintendo Direct event, the company unveiled a new trailer for the game and announced solid release dates in multiple territories for the 3D scrolling shooter. This after the game was delayed from its initial …
Read More »Black Ops 3 tops Japanese charts in debut week
Blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops III has shot to number one in the Japanese retail charts, fighting off a number of home-grown titles. The latest in Activision’s franchise (which is published by Sony on PlayStation in Japan) sold nearly 150,000 units on PS4, with a further 25,000 on …
Read More »God Eater rules Japanese charts in Top Ten free of Halo 5
In a contrast to the UK’s Halo-ruled rankings, Japan’s retail charts were last week dominated by home-grown titles from the territory. The only Western title to make the Top Ten was the debut of sports game NBA 2K16, which achieved seventh place, according to the latest data from Famitsu. Both …
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