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

PC GAMING WEEK: The companies building this year’s major Steam Machines have hit back at critics over their high pricing. The Steam Machines are designed to take PC gaming into the living room, putting them in direct competition with the likes of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. However, even at their …

EA claims 'rate this app' prompt designed to gather feedback on how it can improve the title

Sega has lifted the curtain on a brand new look for iconic mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. The makeover comes as the publisher reveals new cartoon Sonic Boom, which is also to receive an associated game (a prequel, no less) on Wii U and 3DS. Interesting it’s being developed by US …

Activision Blizzard has announced better-than-expected earnings for its past quarter, reporting $1.5bn in revenue. Overall for last year, earnings were down slightly from $4.85bn in GAAP net revenue to $4.58bn – though the publisher still earned the top spot in console and handheld publishing in both North America and Europe. …

Activision has announced the Skylanders series has grossed more than $2bn worldwide. The publisher revealed the milestone during its annual investor call, adding that the figure is current as of December 31st – the end of Activison’s previous quarter. The series surpassed $1.5bn in retail sales as of August 2013, …

Diablo III has sold a lifetime total of 15m units, Activision Blizzard has revealed. The announcement came during the publisher’s annual earnings call this week. The game had moved 14m as of November—meaning it’s racked up another million copies sold between then and now. The steady numbers this far out …

The Xbox 360 version of Titanfall has suffered a slight delay, publisher EA has announced. EA’s executive vice president Patrick Sderlund confirmed on the firm’s website that the 360 version will arrive two weeks after the game’s original launch on Xbox One and Windows PC. "[It gives Xbox 360 developer …

New versions of Grand Theft Auto V could come to other platforms, if that’s where the gamers are, says Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick. The publisher boss would not be drawn on whether the game will arrive on PC and next-gen consoles, or not, which isn’t surprising as the firm leaves …

Mamoru Samuragochi, the famous Japanese composer behind the Resident Evil and Onimusha soundtracks, is a fraud. Once dubbed as a digital-age Beethoven by Time magazine, Samuragochi – whom has for years claimed to be deaf – has now admitted to hiring someone else to pen his most famous works under …

PS4 now have more control of their gameplay experience in Killzone: Shadow Fall. Today’s v1.90 patch introduces amongst other things the option to lock the game’s campaign mode to 30 frames per second. Said Guerrilla: To guarantee a steadier framerate in the campaign mode, players can now lock their game …