MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry

The Playing for the Planet Alliance today unveiled “Beyond the Endgame: How Climate and Nature Enhance Game Narratives”, a new resource designed to help game studios integrate themes of climate, nature, and the environment into the worlds and stories they create. The guidance was commissioned by Playing for the Planet and produced by Context Collab (home of the Hollywood Climate Summit) and the Rewrite the Future project at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).

Steel City Interactive, developer of the critically and commercially successful Undisputed video game franchise, today announces three senior appointments. Glen O'Connell joins as Commercial Partnerships Director, James Shaw as Senior Production Director, and Shaun White as Brand and Communications Director. They arrive at the Sheffield-based studio following distinguished careers across sports and interactive entertainment, including roles at EA SPORTS across the entire portfolio.

PLAION is excited to announce a new distribution partnership agreement with award-winning publisher Secret Mode, appointing PLAION as the global physical distributor for Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the debut title from AAA development studio Fuse Games. This strategic collaboration leverages PLAION’s expansive global distribution capabilities to ensure the physical editions of Star Wars: Galactic Racer reach enthusiasts worldwide.

After eight months in Early Access and ongoing community-driven updates, German indie developer and publisher ByteRockers’ Games has now launched the full 1.0 version of Net.Attack() – Code or Die! on Steam. Net.Attack() – Code or Die! puts a unique coding spin on the bullet heaven genre: players program their attack patterns in a visual coding interface. It has 190+ drag-and-drop nodes, as well as synergising optimisation picks and run-defining modification drops. ​ ​ ​

NC America has announced a partnership with independent developer emptyvessel to publish the close-quarters cyberpunk shooter DEFECT. The agreement enables NC America to publish emptyvessel’s intense, tactical shooter on multiple platforms at a date yet to be revealed. 

When Scopely was founded 15 years ago, there was no blueprint or guaranteed path to success — only a belief in the power of play, its ability to bring people together, and that great games can stand the test of time.

Ryan Lastimosa joins Devoted Studios as Studio Art Director. A more than two-decade AAA veteran behind Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – his decision to make this move says something about where the industry is headed.

ProbablyMonsters, an independent video game company focused on building original IP through a focused, scalable development model, today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team. Jonathan Lander joins as Chief Publishing Officer, David Reid joins as Chief Marketing Officer, and Mark Subotnick now serves as Chief Product Officer, aligning product leadership with the company’s broader C-suite structure.

Team17 and Beehive Studios are proud to announce that Lumentale: Memories of Trey is coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch 1 on May 26th 2026! Explore the Italian-inspired region of Talea, catch over one hundred Animon of different varieties, assemble your team and cook hundreds of meals in a brand-new Monster-Collector from the minds behind Xenoverse: Per Aspera Ad Astra, with a beautifully written, story-driven approach.

At the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) 2026, Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, electrified GDC 2026 with AI‑powered breakthroughs for the games industry, introducing a new wave of AI-powered solutions set to redefine how games are developed, played, and protected. From intelligent in-game communication to next-gen security, these innovations are shaping the future of gaming by connecting players, streamlining development, and raising the bar for immersive experiences.