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

Online retail is trying to muscle its way into the midnight launch market. Traditionally gamers who feel they must get their hands on a game the very moment it’s released instead of nine hours later when the shops open can either queue up in the dark and cold for a …

Konami has reportedly closed the LA-based development studio responsible for Metal Gear Online. That’s according to Eurogamer, who says that ‘sources close to the matter’ have confirmed that the developer has been shut, with 20 jobs lost as a result. Prior to the game outlet’s confirmation, 3D Realms co-founder George …

Acqusition expected to be completed by spring 2016

Two of the biggest names in games are to become one. Activision Blizzard has announced that it will purchase Candy Crush firm King for $5.9 billion (3.8bn), in a deal unanimously approved by both boards. The sum works out to a value of $18 (11.67) per share for the latter …

Mojang’s long in-development third-party release Cobalt has been delayed to February 2016. Previously carrying a release window of October 2015, the game has been pushed back to early next year to account for the console certification process. In honesty, we don’t need four months to fix the outstanding issues, but …

Obsidian’s Kickstarter success Pillars of Eternity has surpassed 500,000 units sold. The milestoneincludes copies given to backers of the game’s original 2012 Kickstarter campaign, which boasted nearly 74,000 backers combining for just under $4m in funding – obliterating the project’s $1.1m goal. Obsidian is still adding to the game post-launch, …

Grand Theft Auto V has retaken the top spot on Steam’s weekly best-sellers chart, thanks to a feature discount in the distributor’s Halloween Sale. Pre-orders for Fallout 4 – last week’s winner – are still chugging along, with the game finishing in the runner-up spot ahead of Warhammer: End Times …

Hitbox, a European startup that can stream gameplay at 4K resolution, has raised $4 million from World of Tanks developerWargamingand others to further develop livestreaming service in competition with Amazon’s Twitch division. The deal shows that Vienna, Austria-based Hitbox is making progress in its effort to provide competition to Twitch, …

A new study has debunked the theory that the majority of eSports fans play games on PC. According to number crunchers atNielsen, only 35 percent of eSports fans play on PC, with three out of every four favouring consoles. Nearly half of those console fans play games on Xbox one, …

EA is looking into ‘any and all opportunities’ to develop software for Nintendo’s upcoming new hardware, the NX. That’s according to the publisher’s CEO Andrew Wilson, who was asked during a recent investor call whether EA plans on supporting NX. This comes after EA has all but abandoned Nintendo’s Wii …