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

Mobile game developer to test-launch first title in the summer

Few companies have so fully embodied the shift in global games development from the West to the East as Square Enix. Once famed for its Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest RPG series, in recent years the company has put more effort into Westernised titles such as Deus Ex, Tomb Raider …

Minister believes games tax breaks signals a 'golden age' for sector

The partnership between BBC’s Top Gear and Microsoft’s Forza series is continuing with a new DLC pack for Forza 5. The download, which is included as part of the game’s Season Pass, includes ten cars, all of which are instantly accessible through the game’s garage but can also be purchased …

Grant to help studio employ new staff and support development of original IP

Leading esports firm ESL has announced the acquisition of event services and technologies agency ESS. Electronic Sports League has also announced that it has opened a 7,000 square foot full production studio at its LA office – complete with room for an audience of hundreds – which paired with this …

Technology giant gains 80 wearable computing patents in secretive deal

Valve’s Michael Abrash has joined Oculus after three and a half years with the company. He has been appointed by Oculus as chief scientist just days after the firm was bought by Facebook for $2 billion. Abrash had been leading Valve’s own foray into virtual reality development but said the …

John Carmack has spoken positively of Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus and believes the firm gets "the big picture" for virtual reality’s potential. "There is a case to be made for being like Valve, and trying to build a new VR ecosystem like Steam from the ground up," he said. "This …

The Xbox One is being lined up for a release in China, Microsoft has said. Global Times reports that Microsoft’s global vice president Zhang Yaqin has said that the platform holder is stepping up efforts to bring in its multi-purpose Xbox game console to the Chinese market as soon as …