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

Ubisoft is releasing its Assassin’s Creed IV story DLC as a standalone release. Launching on PC, PS3 and PS4, Freedom Cry is a digital-only download and will not require players to own the original Black Flag in order to access the new single-player content. Currently, there’s no mention of potential …

GAME will re-develop two of its stores so that primarily focuses on pre-owned products, namely electronics. And more stores could follow, MCV can reveal. The new outlets will go under a new name: Gametronics, and are refitted versions of pre-existing GAME stores. The retailer says it will primarily target cities …

Elliott Advisors, a US hedge fund specialist, has amassed a 99 per cent stake in Game Retail. The Financial Times reports that the move comes ahead of GAME’s expected flotation and could land the company a significant windfall, although the paper adds that a final decision on whether or not …

Microsoft will next week release its first post-launch Xbox One update. Arriving on February 11th, the automatic download will add the ability to manage the console’s storage space (game saves, downloads and the like), while separating My Games and My Apps into separate lists. It will also introduce additional control …

Well that didn’t take long. Having just last week vowed to ramp up its licensing activity, Nintendo UK has struck a deal with McDonald’s. Says the McDonald’s UK site, as spotted by NintendoLife: Our next Happy Meal invites kids to Run, Jump and Power Up with Super Mario.” There’s no …

On the surface, it’s been a horrible few years for Konami. Its big franchises have failed to light up the sales charts, not least Pro Evolution Soccer, which continues to lose market share to its big licensed rival. Yet behind the scenes, the Metal Gear publisher has been rebuilding. Its …

Sony’s upcoming streaming games service PlayStation Now is a joke” according to outspoken US analyst Michael Pachter. The problem, he argues, is that publishers will be unwilling to licence their content for fear of adversely affecting their software’s ongoing sales. "PlayStation Now is a joke," he told Game Informer, as …

Sony has slashed the prices of a number of its top titles in a surprisingly aggressive February sale on PSN. Headline deals include PS4 title Knack (35.59) and PS3 titles Gran Turismo 6 (29.99), Catherine (16.49), Spelunky (4.79), The Last of Us (19.99) and Call of Juarez Gunslinger (3.95). On …

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Data from Futuresource Consulting Research has revealed tremendous growth in the smartphone market throughout 2013. The firm says that global smartphone shipments grew 43 per cent last year, hitting 1.02bn units. Tablet shipments, meanwhile, grew 57 per cent to 243m units, with 90m units being shipped in the quarter ending …