Government cracks down on loot boxes in bid to curb child gambling September 23, 2020 The government is considering banning controversial loot boxes in video games as ministers seek to crack down on problem gambling among younger generations. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is today launching a consultation on the video game features, which gamers can purchase for the chance of receiving randomised virtual items. Ministers [...]
Google Stadia responds to complaints over lag on gaming platform November 19, 2019 Google’s Stadia has responded to complaints that lag is affecting services on the new cloud-based game streaming platform. Early adopters have complained about latency – delays between when they press a button and that action being carried out in-game – on the new service. Read more: Google announces Stadia game streaming platform Google vice president [...]
Shares in Angry Birds maker Rovio crash as it lowers outlook September 12, 2019 Shares in the company behind hit video game Angry Birds dropped more than 20 per cent this morning after it lowered its revenue forecast for the full year. Read more: Angry Birds maker Rovio predicts bumper 2019 despite halved profits Rovio said it now expected to post revenue of between €295m (£264m) and €310m, down [...]
MPs call for regulation of video game ‘loot boxes’ amid gambling concerns September 12, 2019 The government is facing calls to regulate so-called loot boxes in video games and ban their sale to children amid growing concern they are harming players. Loot boxes, which refer to in-game purchases that award players random items or modifications, have become increasingly prevalent in console and mobile games in recent years. Read more: Competition [...]
Levelling up: London investor Beringea backs e-sports firm Fnatic in $19m round May 1, 2019 Monica Vinader-backer Beringea has participated in a $19m (£14.6m) round for global e-sports brand Fnatic. The round was led by tech entrepreneur Lev Leviev of LVL1 Group, who also joins the board, with new and continued support from investors including Beringea, Blackpine, Unbound and Joi Ito. The Hackney-headquartered company will use the funding to bolster its place [...]
Game over? Competition watchdog to probe console video gaming autorenewals April 5, 2019 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today launched a consumer law investigation into the console gaming sector. The watchdog said the investigation would focus on the auto-renewal practice of Nintendo Switch, Playstation and Xbox. Read more: Astro Bot Rescue Mission is the PlayStation VR's killer app It said it was “concerned about whether some of [...]
Ladbrokes-owner GVC increases gambling revenue in first quarter April 5, 2019 GVC said today that it had increased gambling revenue in the first quarter by eight per cent. In a trading update, the Ladbrokes-owner said online net-gaming revenue (NGR) increased 17 per cent, which it said included strong volume growth in all territories. Read more: GVC shares plunge as bosses offload majority of their holdings UK [...]
Apple’s big ecosystem play March 26, 2019 | City Talk Doubts and unanswered questions aplenty following last night’s glitzy event, but make no mistake this was another big step in the pivot towards making Apple more of a services business. You would call this an ecosystem play, with new services designed to strengthen the bonds between consumers and the brand. Services revenues have soared lately [...]
Apple ‘show time’ event: Tim Cook debuts Apple TV streaming service March 25, 2019 Apple has unveiled a new streaming platform to take on Netflix during an eagerly-anticipated launch event in California this evening. Oprah, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Aniston were among the celebrities who took to the stage during a dramatic presentation to announce a revamp of Apple’s TV service. Read more: Apple reveals UK pricing for its [...]
Google announces Stadia game streaming platform March 19, 2019 Google has announced a video game streaming service called Stradia as the tech giant attempts to challenge Sony and Microsoft in the $140bn gaming market. Stadia will allow users to play games on their internet browser without having to download any content or buy a new console, Google announced at the Game Developers Conference in [...]