Game Developer

Report: Average U.S. Game Industry Salary in 2007: $73,600

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 14, 2008 - 11:29am.

San Francisco - The average salary for a U.S. video game industry employee was $73,600, up slightly from 2006's figure of $73,316, according to the results of Game Developer magazine's seventh annual Game Developer Salary Survey. Programmers made an average of $83,383, while game designers averaged $63,649, artist and animators $66,594, and business and marketing positions in the industry averaged $101,848.

tags: Games | Reports | Game Developer | Research |

Report: European Game Developers Earn 33% Less than North Americans

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 2, 2007 - 3:07pm.

London - According to a new survey, European video game developers earn on average about a third less than those doing the same jobs in North America, GamesIndustry.biz reported.

tags: Games | Reports | Surveys | Game Developer |

U.K. Game Developer SCi Confirms Takeover Rumors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 24, 2005 - 7:31am.

London - Shares in SCi Entertainment, the U.K.-based game developer behind the popular "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" series, soared by as much as 28% in late afternoon trading in London after the company confirmed that it has received takeover approaches from several companies. "The board of SCi notes today's press comment and confirms that it has received approaches from various parties which may or may not lead to an offer for the company," SCi said, adding that it would comment further on the matter "as and when appropriate". A number of news reports have linked U.S.-based game makers Midway and Electronic Arts with the bids, while Apax Partners, a U.K.-based venture capital firm, is also rumored to have thrown its hat into the ring.

"Tomb Raider" Game Developer Circle Studios Plans London IPO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 26, 2005 - 7:45am.

Bolton, England -- Circle Studios, the U.K.-based DVD and video game maker behind the popular Lara Croft "Tomb Raider" franchise, announced that it is planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in October. The company also has the rights for the official FIFA-licensed DVD soccer quiz games and is planning to create DVDs around the "Now That's What I Call Music" collections. Circle, which develops games that use the interactive functions of household DVD players, said it expected to raise about $5.3 million with the IPO, which will value the company at about $35.6 million. "We are at the forefront of this exciting new sector," said Circle CEO Jeremy Heath-Smith. "Our expertise, combined with key brands, will enable us to deliver highly compelling interactive DVD games."

tags: Game Developer | Tomb Raider | Circle Studios | London IPO |

Vivendi Acquires Game Developer Swordfish Studios

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 15, 2005 - 8:31am.

Birmingham, England -- Vivendi Universal Games announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Swordfish Studios, a U.K.-based video game developer, for an undisclosed sum. Swordfish recently completed work on a first-person shooter, "Cold Winter," for VU Games The company has also earned several awards for game development, including the Independent Game Developers Association's "Developer of the Year" award and the best "New U.K. Studio" at the Developer Industry Excellence Awards. Under terms of the deal, VU Games will retain Swordfish's team of 45 development professionals, as well as the company's office in Birmingham. Furthermore, acting Swordfish managing director Trevor Williams will continue to lead the studio in the same role, VU Games said.

tags: Vivendi | Game Developer | Acquires | Swordfish Studios |

Sega Acquires "Total War" Game Developer Creative Assembly

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 9, 2005 - 5:05am.

San Francisco -- Japanese video games firm Sega announced on Wednesday that its Sega Europe unit has acquired The Creative Assembly, a developer based partly in the U.K. and partly in Australia that created the "Total War" game franchise. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although some reports said Sega paid about $30 million for its first acquisition as a third-party game publisher. Founded in 1987, Creative Assembly counts 75 staff in the U.K. and Australia, who in addition to "Total War," have also developed rugby sports titles for Electronic Arts. Sega Europe said it will publish the studio's "Spartan: Total Warrior" for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in September.

tags: Sega | Game Developer | Creative Assembly | Total War |

WSJ: Game Developer Take-Two in Talks With MLB for Exclusive Rights

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 20, 2005 - 7:53am.

New York -- The Wall Street Journal recently reported that video game publisher Take-Two Interactive, known for its blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, may be in talks with Major League Baseball to secure exclusive rights to use official players, teams, uniforms and stadiums in its baseball video games. News of the negotiations follows on Electronic Arts' landmark five-year, $50 million deal with the NFL for exclusive NFL football game rights for its "Madden NFL" franchise, and its deal to replace Take-Two as the licensee of the ESPN brand for use in video games. While those deals could sink Take-Two's "ESPN NFL" game franchise, an exclusive deal between Take-Two and MLB would likely negatively affect Sony's baseball game franchise but not Electronic Arts', which does not make use of official MLB branding.

Online Marketer 180solutions Buys Game Developer Full Armor Studios

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 21, 2004 - 7:52am.

Bellevue, Wash. -- 180solutions, a provider of search engine marketing services, announced on Thursday that it has acquired Seattle-based video game developer Full Armor Studios. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Washington-based 180solutions said it will add Full Armor game titles to its new Zango Games service, which offers free access to games to users who agree to accept product and service offerings while browsing online. "180solutions' acquisition of Full Armor Studios is the company's first step towards becoming a publisher and distributor of free, premium, downloadable PC game titles as it aggressively pursues numerous partnerships in the gaming industry, said Charles Balas, director of business development for games at 180solutions.

Game Console Developer LInfinium Labs Gets $44 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 22, 2004 - 3:38am.

Sarasota, Fla. -- Infinium Labs, developer of a PC-based broadband gaming console, announced on Thursday that it landed a $44 million stock purchase agreement, replacing a previously announced placement valued at $15 million. New investor HaDavar HaNachon joined SBI-USA and Infinium Investment Partners, an affiliate of Trilogy Capital Partners, in the increased commitments. Florida-based Infinium, which yesterday was sued by partner DiStream over payments for using that company's technology, said that it expects the new funds to be sufficient to launch its Phantom game console during the 2004 holiday season.

tags: Infinium | Raise | Game Developer | Labs |

Game Developer Midway Raising $82 Million Through Stock Sale

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 14, 2004 - 5:32am.

Chicago -- Video game developer Midway Games announced on Tuesday plans to raise $82.3 million through a private placement of 11.3 million shares of its stock. The Chicago-based company said it will use the $78.4 million of net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, financing capital expenditures, research and development, marketing and distribution efforts, and acquisitions or strategic alliances. Midway's recent titles include "NBA Ballers" and "The Suffering."

tags: Midway | Deal | Game Developer | Stock Sale |

Game Developer Acclaim to Raise Funds in Private Offering

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 2, 2003 - 5:21am.

Glen Cove, N.Y. -- Video game developer and publisher Acclaim Entertainment announced on Thursday that it expects to shortly complete a financing through the sale of its convertible subordinated promissory notes, to a limited group of private investors. Acclaim did not say how much it intends to raise through the sale, but said the proceeds will be added to the company's working capital and used for general corporate purposes. New York-based Acclaim this week also announced the repayment of a $5 million loan from its lender GMAC.

tags: Funds | Game Developer | Offers | Acclaim |

Game Developer Activision Raises Revenue Projections

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 22, 2003 - 1:40am.

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Video game publisher Activision has raised its projected revenue for the fourth quarter as well as for fiscal year 2003, amid stronger than expected sales of its game titles. The company currently expects fiscal year 2003 fourth quarter net revenues of between $120-$125 million and a loss per share of approximately $0.12-$0.14, higher than its earlier estimate of $100 million in net revenues and a loss per share of $0.15. Additionally, Santa Monica, Calif.-based Activision now expects 2003 net revenues of $859-$864 million and earnings per share of between $0.95-$0.97, as opposed to its earlier estimate of $839 million in net revenues and earnings per share of $0.91. The company's fiscal year 2004 outlook remains unchanged.

tags: Activision | Game Developer | Projections |