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

The 50 billionth app has been downloaded from the Apple App Store. The lucky punter who initiated the magic download – Ohio’s Brandon Ashmore – has been handed a $10,000 App Store gift voucher. He downloaded word game Say The Same Thing. It took just under five years for Apple …

The 3DS has picked up the pace in the early going of this year, with software sales up 52 per cent in the first four months of 2013 when compared to the same period in 2012. Nintendo announced 2.1m first-party titles have been sold since the start of the year, …

PlayStation 4 could get Kinect-like voice commands

A brand new first party game called Panopticon has been unveiled by Sony. At the moment it’s not clear whether it’s a PS3, PS4 or Vita title but the fact that more details will be released on May 21st – the same day that Microsoft reveals the new Xbox – …

Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced it has won the exclusive international distribution rights to the Angry Birds animated feature film. The movie will premiere worldwide July 1st, 2016, according to the company. Angry Birds developer Rovio will develop, produce and finance the film; while producers John Cohen and David Maisel …

Publisher backs off of 'unprecedented partnership' with Nintendo

A Crown Prosecution Service lawyer has branded four hackers as "cowardly and vindictive" following their successful prosecution. The BBC reports that Jake Davis, Mustafa al-Bassam, former soldier Ryan Ackroyd and the rather more well known Ryan Cleary were yesterday handed jails sentences. Cleary was sentenced to 32 months, Davis to …

NPD’s report for the four week period between April 4th and May 7th is in, revealing an overall dip of 25 per cent at US retail when compared to the same period in 2012. The sector brought in $495m total for the month, with the analysis group reminding that the …

Nintendo’s Wii U has been delivered yet another piece of bad news. EA, which just earlier this month touted its strong relationship” with Nintendo has confirmed that as of right now it does not have a single game in development for Wii U. The saga has worrying echoes about the …

Waystone's Dawngate brings EA into competition with DoTA and League of Legends