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,.....

Amazon Preps Tablet

JULY 14, 2011 • The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon.com will release its own tablet computer by October. Whether the device was developed in-house by the online retailer, or sourced from a third-party manufacturer, was not known. Amazon.com declined to comment on the report. Impact: On the short list of major consumer facing companies that could break into the ever more crowded table.....

New PlayStation 3 Series K Blu-ray Security

JULY 13, 2011 • Newer PlayStation 3s Series K and after, will no longer be able to output Bluray movies to HD TVs via a component cable. To fall in better line with content security standards, such output will only be possible via HDMI cables. High definition game output will still be possible via component cables, however. Despite the change, Sony is not including an HDMI cable with new PS3s. In other news, SCEA announced that it will spend $20 million during .....

Owlient Goes to Ubisoft

JULY 12, 2011 • Another major publisher bent on acquiring free-to-play studio expertise is Ubisoft. The company acquired  Paris-based studio Owlient, which has been has been creating F2P content for six years, and has amassed over 25 million user registrations in that period. Owli.....

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.....

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