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

EA has decided to give age-old puzzle classic Tetris a free-to-play makeover. Tetris Blitz is described as an innovative new twist on the world famous puzzle game” that contains fresh new features and stunning visuals for the ultimate Tetris experience”. In much the same way as PopCap altered the rule …

Studios need to constantly improve tech pipelines to keep costs reasonable, says Ted Price

Kai Zhao to lead developer relations and technical direction North America expansion

Touchscreen need not play second fiddle to physical controls in the first person shooter sector, DeNA’s Ben Cousins argues. And the former exec intends to prove it with upcoming release The Drowning. The game will shun virtual joystick controls in favour of a gesture-based affair. Shooting is handled by the …

Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider to discuss sexism and sexuality in games

Sega returns to the hardware market”. We very nearly went with that headline on this one. Because it’s kind of true. No, the company isn’t launching a new console. Nor it is reissuing the Dreamcast or Saturn. What it is doing, however, is releasing four PC laptops with retro console …

Consultation for draft guidelines ends on March 1st

In times of uncertainty on the High Street, it’s reassuring to feel some of that old-fashioned friction that only the games market can provide. Yep, the Format Wars are back. With Sony offering a ‘glimpse at the future of PlayStation’ (aka the PS4 announcement) next week, the reinvigorated UK Xbox …

The UK games trade is concerned over the latest round of redundanciesat beleaguered retail giant HMV. The firm has cut down the group of ten games buyers and merchandisers down to just two. Amongst the redundancies were head of technology and games Ewan Pinder and games category manager Andy Pinder. …

UK games retailers want Nintendo to revitalise Wii U sales with a fresh marketing push and a price drop. Console sales have slowed since its December launch. Last week, it lost exclusive rights to Rayman Legends and Ninja Gaiden 3, and Activision boss Bobby Kotick said the publisher is disappointed” …