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

Nintendo will next week launch an official Mario-themed content pack for the Wii U version of Minecraft. The free download includes a pre-made Mario world full of the company’s recognisable characters. There will also be themed music and textures based on titles such as Super Mario World, Mario 64 and …

Since the platform launched, YouTube has become a major force within the games industry. Millions of people spend billions of hours watching their favourite personalities do Let’s Plays – videos of them playing games. This content has become influential and the opinions of these people are held in high regard …

Study will investigate job opportunities, industry trends and working conditions for audio experts

Artist Alan Quah and writer George Mann reveal what makes a game suitable for adaptation, the pressure of working with beloved IP and what Dark Souls and Marvel have in common

Geomerics’ global illumination tool now being used to sell houses

Like many great ideas, Wipeout began at the pub. Developer Nick Burcombe was drinking with Jim Bowers, his colleague from Liverpool-based studio Psygnosis, at Oxton’s The Shrewsbury Arms. A dev kit for Sony’s first PlayStation console had recently arrived at the office, and the duo was trying to think about …

'I know I can put a team together for it,' says co-creator of sci-fi racing franchise. 'I’d be looking at a proper undertaking on this and really reinvent the whole thing'

The crowdfunding gamble has just got a little riskier with news that online payment giant PayPal will no longer offer payment protection on money pledged to crowdfunding campaigns. PayPal’s customer protection is typically pretty robust and has for some been seen as a much-needed failsafe should a Kickstarter go belly-up, …

Aj Grand-Scrutton, co-founder of the Essex-based dev, reflects on his own journey

By now, we all know the importance of the indie development community to the future health of the videogames industry. It’s undeniable and the funding routes offered by crowdfunding, plus a range of distribution platforms means – in theory – that anybody, (almost) anywhere can make a game and sell …