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

The clock is ticking ahead of the UK launch of SimCity at midnight. The game has endured a torrid start to life so far thanks to a combination of always-on internet DRM and Origin server woes. The result has been multiple reports of gamers being locked out of the single-player …

The hostile icy recesses of E.D.N. III are set to return this June, as Capcom reveals the release date for Lost Planet 3. The third game introduces a new enemy – the Snow Pirates, as well as a new giant Akrid named the Carrier. Capcom has released the new trailer …

Bravo, Ubisoft, bravo. The publisher has issued a quite wonderful reply to the accusations thrown at it by PETA earlier this week. The animal rights group lashed out at the SEO-friendly Assassin’s Creed IV on Tuesday for, what it believes is, the glorification” of whaling. (Although we don’t think there …

Joe Ybarra ditches publishers and plans Kickstarter for space strategy title

Far Cry 3 may receive a standalone follow-up title called Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. In an interview with Joystiq, lead writer Jeffrey Yohalem teased the existence of a project with the game’s world and characters in mind. "Yes … I’m working on something now that will be surprising, I …

Indie hit could wind up on Sony consoles after end of Microsoft exclusivity deal

It’s safe to say Brian Fargo’s latest Kickstarter effort, Torment: Tides of Numenera, will indeed be funded. The project shattered Kickstater records earlier today, when it surpassed the $1m milestone right around six hours into the 30-day donation period. Currently, the Kickstarter page displays over $1.58m pledged by nearly 30,000 …

Last week PricewaterhouseCoopers published what seems to be an inappropriate attack on games retail. ’20 stores a day are closing,’ screams a press release from the accounting giant, issued last Thursday. "High Street chain store closures soar," cried the BBC as it frantically rewrote the announcement. You can read the …

New NPD data shows that while core gamers are embracing digital distribution, the method hasn’t overtaken purchasing new and used physical copies of titles at retail. The analysis group’s survey found that while 70 per cent of respondents purchase full digital titles frequently, a higher percentage prefer heading to the …

Dark Side of the Jam to be hosted by American space agency