Sony Buys Out Sony Ericsson

OCT. 27, 2011 • Sony Corp. is buying out its Swedish partner for €1.05 billion ($1.45 billion) to assume full control of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone joint venture. The acquisition transfers a range of patents to Sony, and better enables the consumer electronics maker to better int.....

Ubisoft Opens Mid East Studio in Abu Dhabi

OCT. 25, 2011 • Abu Dhabi was chosen as the location for the latest of Ubisoft’s development studios, set to open in December. Yannick Theler, a 10-year veteran with the publisher, will head the new studio. In addition to creating games, the Abu Dhabi operation will also train local talent in cooperation with twofour54, Ubisoft’s media partner in the venture. Impact: A lot of lip s.....

KMM Brisbane Shuttered

OCT. 17, 2011 • KMM Brisbane became the latest game studio to shut down in Australia. The branch of KMM Sydney was set up to work on Happy Feet Two on various platforms and had been operating for less than a year. Many of those employed there had come from Krome Studios, which was shuttered in 2010. Other Australian developers to close down in the last two years include a branch of EA’s Visceral Games, Pandemic Studios, Team Bondi, as well as THQ’s Brisb.....

Microsoft AcquiresTwisted Pixel

OCT. 12, 2011 • Microsoft Studios acquired Twisted Pixel Games LLC based in Austin, Texas. The studio is best known for its Xbox Live Arcade titles such as Splosion Man and The Gunstringer. No financial terms were released. The acquisition was touted as a way to bolster Microsoft’s fortunes on e.....

Analysis: Can Games Capture Big Advertising Bucks?

OCT. 5, 2011 • DFC Intelligence recently released its first in a series of reports: on video game advertising. Unlike other media with similar usage patterns, for various reasons, the video game industry has never been heavily supported by advertising.  This is expected to gradually change over time and thus DFC has started to look closely at how games are likely to work as vehicles for advertising. The video game industry ge.....

Amazon Kindle Fire Debuts

SEPT. 29, 2011 • Amazon.com introduced its Kindle Fire tablet. The unit is the online retailer’s first color touch-screen model that comes with a seven-inch screen, and wifi connectivity for $199. Fire uses a substantially altered Android system that optimizes access to Amazon’s digital and hard products. Impact: At $199, the Fire is a scary device. HP discovered how well that pric.....

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