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

Console initiatives heading to PC as Microsoft pushes its cross-platform strategy

‘Retail should get involved with eSports’. It’s a headline we’ve run several times in MCV over the last two years. The big eSports specialists believe that the High Street is its opportunity to turn pro-gaming from a niche (albeit widely watched) pastime, into something every gamer can participate in. GAME …

The creator of Minecraft and the head of Valve now rank among the world’s most wealthy individuals. That’s according to Forbes’ 2015 list of the world’s billionaries. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is back at the top of the list, his pockets lined with a plush net worth of $79.2 billion. …

Reports suggest Xbox executive could be departing from the platform holder after three years

Valve’s upcoming Steam Machines will struggle to attract a more mainstream audience unless they make the platform simple to understand. That’s according to the manufacturer of one of the machines, Webhallen, which highlighted the range of companies making their own version of the Steam Machine as potentially confusing for consumers. …

Sega’s strategy title Total War: Attila would have charted at No.3 in the GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40 if the rankings took into consideration digital sales, MCV can reveal. The title sold 21,680 copies in the UK in its first week on sale. 81 per cent of those sales …

Brand will continue but main Emeryville studio has now closed

The Vive VR headset won’t be Valve’s only entry into the Virtual Reality hardware market; the firm also has VR controllers in the works. Unlike the Vive, which is set for a consumer launch later this year, Valve’s VR controllers are still in a prototype phase – Valve insists the …

This week MCV speaks to GAME and Multiplay bosses Martyn Gibbs and Craig Fletcher about the retailer’s acquisition of the eSports firm. In addition, UK publishers and analysts share their thoughts about the retailer’s move into pro-gaming. This issue also features interviews with Slightly Mad Studios and Digital Foundry about …

GAME’s 20m swoop for Multiplay can transform eSports in the UK, say leading industry execs. The retail giant acquired the events organiser – famous for the Insomnia festivals – this week, and Multiplay’s founder Craig Fletcher told MCV that the deal will drive eSports success across Britain. The backing of …