MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Updated: Rakuten.co.uk may be closed by the end of August, the marketplace has told sellers. The retail marketplace, which was formed in 2014 after Rakuten acquired Play.com, informed those that utilise the service that they are talking to employees about the closure of the entire operation and the Cambridge office. …
Read More »Play.com officially no more
Once popular UK entertainment retailer Play.com is no more. Play.com was once viewed as a serious competitor to Amazon, and even launched its own video games expo – Play.com Live – at Wembley Stadium in 2008. But some disappointing results saw Play struggle to attract investment and the company was …
Read More »Play.com predicts Wii U dominance this Christmas
Play.com owner Rakuten has claimed that Nintendo’s Wii U has seen a 75 per cent sales spike in October. The company predicts that Wii U and iPad will be more popular than Xbox One and PS4 amongst children this Christmas. It adds that a Twitter analysis has revealed that its …
Read More »Video games escape UK’s latest retail crisis
The collapse of HMV and Blockbuster is unlikely to have a massive impact upon the video games market. The two entertainment giants fell into administration over the last two weeks, following news that Play.com is ending its own direct-to-retail business. All three retailers are big supporters of the games industry, …
Read More »What went wrong at Play.com?
It was early 2009 when Play.com was at the height of its power. The National Consumer Satisfaction Index had Play.com rated above Amazon and iTunes as the No.1 online retailer, while Verdict Research named it as the UK’s second favourite music and video retailer behind Amazon. That year it would …
Read More »In this week’s MCV: Disney vs Activision as toy war heats up
This week’s MCV isnow available to view online – and it features Disney vs Activision as the battle for video game toys begins. We also analyse the challenges faced by HMV, THQ and Play.com and run our exclusive 2012 retail charts. We’ve listed the contents in full below. Download our …
Read More »Play.com to shut down retail business
The closure of the Jersey tax loophole last year has been blamed for the end of Play.com as we know it. The retailer has confirmed that it will from March 2013 become a marketplace-only service, allowing customers to sell goods via their site with Play taking a slice, much like …
Read More »Nintendo 3DS XL is out tomorrow: Where’s cheapest?
With a 90 per cent bigger screen, more grown-up design and refined controls, 3DS XL is an attractive new device. But who has the best deal? GAME has a trade-in deal running, where you can hand over your old 3DS and buy the new machine for just 79.99 – that’s …
Read More »Play.com considering payment on delivery option
Online retailer Play.com is considering the introduction of a payment-on-delivery offer for its customers. The service is commonplace in Japan, and the site’s new Japanese owners Rakuten are keen to make Play.com the first to offer it in the UK. The idea is to attract customers who are uneasy about …
Read More »Uncharted Vita RRP listed at £44.99
Several online retailers have priced PlayStation Vita’s launch titles, while listing Uncharted: Golden Abyss with a 44.99 RRP. ShopTo, The Hut and Play.com are among those which have placed the launch line-up available to pre-order online.RRPs range from 24.99 to 44.99 on ShopTo, although Uncharted is the only Vita title …
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