MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The ongoing PlayStation Now streaming games beta in the UK has entered paid beta modes, revealing some possible early pricing for the service. Eurogamer reports that titles seem to fall into two tiers. The first tier prices two day rentals at 4.99 and 30 days at 9.99. The second, cheaper …
Read More »Lovefilm apologies for dropping games rentals
Online rental giant Lovefilm has issued an apology to its customers for not informing them that the firm planned to abandon the games sector. Reports emerged yesterday that the company will no longer be offering video games via its postal rental service. Many consumers were both surprised and disappointed by …
Read More »Resurgent Blockbuster lands Django Unchained exclusivity
Retailer Blockbuster hopes to take another step toward recovery with an exclusive deal on Quentin Tarantino’s latest DVD and Blu-ray release. Customers will be able to rent the physical version of the film from Monday May 13th – that’s a week before it’s available to buy on the rest of …
Read More »Xtra-vision enters receivership
Irish entertainment rental and retail firm Xtra-vision has fallen into receivership after being "unable to meet its debts". The chain has 152 stores and 1,023 employees, according to Retail Week. It is unknown how many jobs will be lost. Xtra-vision cited steep declines in the movie rental business for its …
Read More »Lovefilm counter Netflix appearance with subs discount
Just hours after streaming film service Netflix launched on both PS3 and Xbox 360 in the UK, rival Lovefilm has reduced the price of its service to undercut it. As of today a Lovefilm account costs just 4.99 a month in the UK. Before the cut it cost 5.99 – …
Read More »UPDATE: Netflix finally arrives in the UK
US rental giant Netflix has at last arrived in the UK. It debuts in the form of a PS3 app which puts it squarely up against established UK rival LoveFilm, which is owned by Amazon. A Netflix subscription will cost 5.99 a month in the UK, with the first month …
Read More »New web retailer shares pre-owned revenue with publishers
An internet rental specialist has promised to share its used game profits with publishers. OnePlayS offers a video game rental subscription service similar to LoveFilm. The difference is it lets users buy the game they’ve rented – second-hand – if they like it. Then it shares the money with the …
Read More »Blockbuster: Publishers see rental model as deterrent to pre-owned
Forget Online Passes – renting is the new weapon for the war on pre-owned. Publishers have backed Blockbuster’s marketing push for its rental business as it ‘takes away from trade-ins’, the entertainment giant has told MCV. Consumers renting a game for 5 for five nights is a better option than …
Read More »Blockbuster adds games to Unlimited rental memberships
The UK arm of rental chain Blockbuster has announced that as of today members of its Unlimited Rental Plan can now rent games at no additional charge. The company’s website has already been updated to include games on its online rental selection page alongside movies. Unlimited Rental Plans start at …
Read More »Danish games rental service branches out
The already competitive games rental sector is about to get a brand new competitor – Danish firm OnePlayS. The company is already successful in Denmark and its owner Lasse Jensen, who was one of the co-founders of rental giant Lovefilm, is now rolling out across the whole of the EU. …
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