Develop May: Amazon’s games development ambitions explored

Amazon’s plans to become a credible platform holder, six pages dedicated to QA, an in-depth look at web development… oh, and the Develop Awards 2014 finalists.

All this and more await you in the May issue of Develop, which you can read online or download now.

Also in the issue, we talk to Kabam and Chillingo about how the free-to-play market is changing, and not just on mobile. We also talk to the biggest free-to-play firms on PC, and offer an overview of the best free middleware and game-making tools – perfect for studios on a tighter budget.

The print edition of our April issue will be on its way to subscribers later this week. Not a subscriber? No problem – you can read Develop through your browser and on iPad. The iPad or digital version of the magazine costs just £14.99 a year, or you can buy the March issue for a one-off payment of £1.99.

The latest issue features:

• Develop Awards 2014 Finalists revealed – are you among them? You can also check here.
• Playing with Fire: Amazon tells us why its gathering the development talents of Double Helix, Kim Swift and Clint Hocking behind its new Fire TV console.
• QA Special: Six pages dedicated to the tough world of testing, including a roundtable with leading experts, case studies on some of the biggest games of the last few years and a look into the potential of automation.
• Web of opportunities: We explore the possibilities afforded by web development and how new technologies like HTML5 are changing the market.
• Kabam says console gamers may eventually warm to microtransactions in their games, if the model is used properly.
• Chillingo dubs free-to-play "the fairest model of all"
• Tim Sweeney talks about Unreal Engine 4 and how Epic is opening up everything it has to developers
• Nick Gibson discusses the hurdles that remain in China’s new console market
• Debbie Bestwick advises indies about how to stay independent for the long term
• Brains Eden’s Jeremy Cooke calls for closer ties between development and academia
• We explore the biggest success in the PC free-to-play market
• Mixamo talks readers through the major updates to its character animation and rigging software
• #DevelopJobs: Five pages dedicated to the latest games recruitment news, including a behind-the-scenes look at Double Fine and what it’s really like to work at Mind Candy
• Make your game for free: We list the best free middleware and tools available to games developers
• Heard About takes a look at the audio creation process behind innovative mobile adventure Device 6
• Futuremark shares more info on its benchmark testing tool 3DMark
• Just Add Water reveals how Unity helped it restore Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssee for both a modern audience and fans of the original
• Sunbreak Games talks more about its endless runner Buddy & Me, a game made with Marmalade
• Geomerics discusses the origins of its deal with Unity to get Enlighten into the latest version of the engine
• Crytek’s Karl Hilton reflects on his early career and discusses his love of racing games 

You can read the digital edition through your browser and on iPad.