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

Call of Duty. New Super Mario Bros. Dark Souls. Halo. Uncharted. ALL games must become free-to-play, according to Candy Crush maker King. The micro-transaction is so strong and it’s definitely a much better model,” King games guru Tommy Palm told IGN. I think all companies have to transition over to …

Hyderabad-based Avakai Game has just released SMO, a multi-player sports game for iOS. SMO appears to draw inspiration from air hockey, although from the brief gameplay video, it does seem to add its own spin on the formula. The game features a minimalist art style with great use of colours, …

CCP Games has recorded a loss of more than $21m for the company’s most recently completed fiscal year, down from the $4.6m in profit made in the prior year. A significant increase in the firm’s Research & Development budget was the main culprit for the downswing, clocking in at $56.5m …

Nintendo has announced plans to release a new Princess Peach-themed Wii Remote later this month. According to the company, the peripheral will hit stores in late April for $39.99. The design is similar to the previously launched Mario and Luigi Wii Remote Plus models. The remote will work with all …

The state of Georgia has signed a new tax incentive program for video game makers into law. Gamasutra reports House Bill 958 provides $25m in tax credits for video game developers within state lines. It was signed into law earlier this week by governor Nathan Deal. Several notable studios have …

UPDATE: The physical version of Dark Souls II on PC has been delayed by one week in the UK, MCV can confirm. "This is only affecting the UK on the boxed release of the game," a Bandai Namco rep said. "It will be delayed unfortunately and we apologise to UK …

A new report says that total Google Play downloads are currently tracking ahead of the Apple App Store in terms of volume. Google Play downloads lead the App Store by 45 per cent in Q1 2014, up from 35 per cent in Q4 2013. However, App Annie’s Q1 2014 Market …

Unity warns shift by Epic and Crytek to subscription models is irreversible

Free-to-play firm still mulling floatation, not worried by King slump

Massive Entertainment’s MD David Polfeldt has heaped praise on publisher Ubisoft for delaying Watch Dogs. "It’s tremendously important for us as a developer studio, to know that the owner and the publisher are ready to take that hit, and [the Watch Dogs delay] was a massive hit. I think their …