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

PC games code retailer Kinguin has announced the formation of the first weekly Hearthstone league – and many of the game’s biggest eSports stars are already on board. The Daily Dot reports that the roster includes the likes of Cloud9’s Cong ‘StrifeCro’ Shu and Aleksandr ‘Kolento’ Malsh, Nihilum’s Adrian ‘Lifecoach’ …

Why are UK gamers so averse to spending money this year? It’s a question we’ve been asked, in varying forms, several times. And the answers are numerous: these consumers just spent lots on their consoles and they received loads of games with them. There actually haven’t been many games. And …

John Vechey seeks artists to build social virtual experiences

It might be easy to dismiss the success of Warner Bros’ video games division. Warner is an entertainment powerhouse with billion-dollar brands like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Batman. It can attract the biggest talent and spend significant sums of money to secure it. But that counts for …

What were the biggest developments for Supermassive in 2014?Pete Samuels, MD & co-founder: 2014 was a massive year for us as we re-announced Until Dawn for PS4 and took it out to events across the world. We’ve been delighted with the responses from press and gamers alike to our trailers …

Chinese mobile games publisher Allstar Games will launch in the UK this year, and is splashing $4m (2.6m) on the venture. The firm’s debut release will be mobile action strategy title Allstar Heroes for iOS and Android. The $4m spend is designed to promote both Allstar Games and Allstar Heroes. …

After years of decline, the number of physical shops selling games increased in 2014. 5,665 stores sold video game products last year, according to the Entertainment Retailer’s Association’s Yearbook. That’s an increase of 1.3 per cent year-on-year. And that number does not include every indie retailer, either. The surprise growth …

The Walmart-only Gold Mario Amiibo is selling for over seven times its RRP on eBay. The SKU was discovered on Nintendo’s website earlier this month and was this week confirmed as a Walmart-exclusive in the US. The $12.96 figure is reportedly already sold out across the country, with a large …

Nick Gibson considers how mobile games can appeal to core gamers

Optimisation tool now being used in Japanese studio's future titles