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

Walmart’s exclusive Super Mario Maker Wii U bundle is now available for pre-order. The bundle’s listing can currently be found on theUS retailer’s website, ahead of its September 11tharrival. Nintendorevealed the bundleearlier this week, announcing the $299.96 package will include a 32GB Wii U, a digital copy of Super Mario …

Following his sudden exit from Amazon, Far Cry 2 creative director Clint Hocking has rejoined Ubisoft. In a post on Ubisoft’s blog, the company confirms Hocking’s rehiring as creative director for Ubisoft Toronto. Hocking had spent nine years at Ubisoft Montreal before leaving in 2010. The move comes in wake …

In an effort to market its new mobile title Lara Croft GO, Square Enix is setting an number of models dressed up as Lara Croft loose on the London Underground. Commuters who know a secret password can approach any of these models, whisper it and win an iPad mini. The …

Gaming giantNintendois no stranger to eSports – it’s helping to foster a seriously competitive scene aroundSuper Smash Bros.– but it’s taken the intervention of another Japanese company to launch its latest multiplayer title, Splatoon, as a top-flight tournament with a prize pot to match. Last week, Japanese telco and online …

Developer Larian has admitted it was totally surprised by the speed at which its RPG sequel Divinity: Original Sin II was successfully funded on Kickstarter. The game hit its $500k target in under 12 hours and currently stands at $673 with 33 days to go. Who would’ve predicted that a …

Machine Zone has found itself embroiled in a second trade secrets row in a single week. The Wall Street Journal that the developer’s director of global infrastructure Jing Zeng, who is at the was arrested as he attempted to board a plane to Beijing, carrying with him data about Game …

Most people I talk to are genuinely confused byeSports. I often hear, "who in their right mind watches this stuff?", or "those nerdy dudes make how much money!?" The incredulity goes on. The fact is, eSports is happening and it’s happening in a big way. Read more at Pulse >>>

A number of customers who had pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain have had their orders cancelled. GameSpot reports that’s GAME’s communication to customers had blamed either a failed payment or an issue with the delivery address. In several instances customers have disputed the …

Retailer Amazon has developed a new business model that allows it to offer a number of Android apps to users for free. Amazon Underground is the name of the initiative, which is delivered via a dedicated Android app. It claims to offer over $10k worth of apps, all of which …

Streaming service Twitch passed a big milestone over the weekend, hitting two million concurrent viewers on Sunday 23 August. The company’s senior vice president of marketing Matthew DiPietro revealed the figure when asked about the impending launch of rival service YouTube Gaming. Read more at IBT >>>