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

The Activision-published Angry Birds Trilogy has passed 1m unit sales at retail. There are two ways to interpret that stat. On the one hand, many scoffed at the idea of selling games that can be downloaded for 69p on smartphone at a far higher RRP on a disc. On that …

Key new releases in film, music and games will still be sold in the remaining HMV stores after an agreement was reached with suppliers. Crucially, this will mean that Monday’s James Bond release Skyfall will be available on DVD and Blu-ray. We are pleased that these agreements are now in …

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 …