ONOFF Stores Acquired

JULY 20, 2011 • Thirty of the 67 locations of bankrupt Swedish electronics retailer ONOFF are being acquired by the Norwegian competitor Expert International GmbH. The latter has a 9% market share currently, which will then increase to 12%-13% following the acquisition. Impact: ONOFF has been around since 1982 but the Swedish home electronics market has been brutal in recent years. Stiff comp.....

Ubisoft U-play Passport System

JULY 15, 2011 • Ubisoft U-Play will use a DLC passport system for its core game titles. Titles by the publisher purchased used will require a $9.95 fee to access multiplayer matchmaking and additional content if the original code was redeemed. Impact: EA did it. THQ did it. It seems everybody’s going to eventually do it: requiring a new game purchase, or charge second hand purchasers a fee,.....

Ra. One for India

JULY 11, 2011 • Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is developing a Bollywood-based game for the Indian market. Ra. One – The Game, is based on this fall’s science fiction film starring Shahrukh Khan. The title is a prequel to the movie, with PS2 and PS3 versions in production. Impact: Listen to Sony executives in India and you’ll hear a lot of realism. The potential within the I.....

CCP DUST 514 Charges Upfront

JULY 11, 2011 • Developer CCP says it will charge a “cover fee” that players will have to pay in order to play DUST 514 on the PlayStation 3. The title is primarily a free-to-play experience, yet CCP believes it is important that players get acquainted with the virtual item store for the game. The fee, which will be somewhere between $10 and $20, will immediately be converted into in-game currency. .....

Space Invaders Optioned

JULY 8, 2011 • Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer behind the Transformers and G.I. Joe feature films, is part of a team that has optioned the film rights to the Space Invaders arcade game, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Impact: This one has us massaging our foreheads in wonderment. Space Invaders may be ranked the most popular arcade title ever by Guinness World Records, but there is .....

CCP Games Preps Dust 514 F2P Shooter

JUNE 6, 2011 • Iceland-based CCP Games announced that its FPS game set in the EVE Online universe, DUST 514, will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive. The title will be free-to-play, and will be monetized through virtual item sales of weapons and military gear for in-game characters. Dust 514 Players will operate as tactical ground troops, a role not available to players in the PC MMO. CCP says the events in the two games will be linked on a progressive basis over tim.....

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