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

Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connect services will shortly be shut down. This means a host of online services enjoyed by Wii and DS users will soon be unavailable including online multiplayer and leaderboards. Affected titles will include the likes of Mario Kart, Smash Bros and Pokemon. Other services due for the chop …

Intel Developer Blog: With MWC in full swing, Softtalkblog details Intel's new developer program for internet-connected appliances

Hedge fund manager and Nintendo share holder Seth Fischer has urged Nintendo to move into the smartphone market. The Oasis Management founder said in a letter to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, as republished by The Wall Street Journal, that the platform holder is "well placed to make an immediate entry …

Sony will shut down 20 of its 31 Sony Store locations in the US by the end of the year, the company has announced. The closures are part of Sony’s company-wide cost reduction efforts revealed earlier this month. A plan that will see 5,000 layoffs worldwide by March 31, 2015. …

Mob Wives personality Karen Gravano is suing Rockstar to the tune of $40m, alleging the studio used her likeness and personal history in Grand Theft Auto V. New York Daily News reports Gravano’s suit claims Rockstar used the former reality show star’s likeness and story for the character Antonia Bottino …

Steam developers can now set sales periods and discounts on their own, Valve has revealed. The news broke originally when an anonymous developer posted an image of the new tools on Reddit, with Valve subsequently confirming the leak. "As with the addition of a ‘Recently Updated’ section to Steam, this …

SCEE's Agostino Simonetta discusses the console's networking and sharing capabilities

UPDATE: Online retailer 365games.co.uk is also offering the console bundle for 369.95. Whilst listed as currently unavailable, a banner displayed on the store reveals it will match the discounted price tag for the Xbox One Titanfall bundle. ORIGINAL STORY: GameStop has sold out of its heavily discounted Xbox One Titanfall …

Warner Bros has confirmed the release date of its Arkham Origins DLC Cold, Cold Heart. It will be available for download across PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 22nd Wii U owners will miss out on the new DLC following Warner Bros’ decision to scrap the platform’s Arkham …

PS4 games made up half of the Top 20 in Japan last week. The No.1 game of the week was Knack, which was bundled with the console. The highest charting new ‘non-bundle’ title is Yakuza: Ishin on PS3, with the PS4 version at No.3. 3DS still factors strongly in the …