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

The first of ESL’s season of Dota tournaments begins next month with ESL One Frankfurt taking over the Commerzbank-Arena. A total of $1m is on the line across at least three events this year, with two more to be announced shortly, and the first $250,000 up for grabs on the …

The cross-over between casual phenomenon Puzzle and Dragons and Nintendo’s Mario IP is, unsurprisingly, a chart-topping combination in Japan. According to the latest data from Famitsu, Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros Edition for 3DS was the best-selling title in the Japanese retail rankings last week. The game’s popularity helped …

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Developers and artists share their experience of creating iconic characters

Japan could soon be home to its second billion dollar mobile franchise. GungHo’s Puzzle & Dragons currently stands alone as the nation’s single seven-figure mobile hero, but VentureBeat reports that Mixi’s Monster Strike currently makes $3.8m per day and has, since its launch in October 2013, been downloaded over 30m …

It probably doesn’t qualify as free-to-play, but Nintendo is again tinkering with payment models, this time with the release of a new Pullblox game. Siliconera reports that Pushmo: Hippaland can be downloaded on 3DS for free. For 500 (around 2.67) players can then grab another 100 levels. Three further 50 …

Mastertronic CEO Andy Payne offers advice on what to expect – and demand – from potential partnerships

Ubisoft has shown more enthusiasm for virtual reality, teasing that it is currently developing titles for the new technology that will be based on its hit franchises. During this week’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Yves Guillemot discussed the potential for virtual reality and said it will have a few titles …

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VR Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry could be seen as early as next year