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

Claims are circulating that pre-owned Wii U consoles are able to access digital content purchased by the machine’s previous owner. Eurogamer reports that even machines whose hard drives have been wiped and accounts removed are still susceptible to the loophole. Speculation suggests that the problems stems from the fact that …

This week’s MCV isnow available to view online – and it boasts our huge review of the year where we discuss the seven games that defined 2012. We also analyse the November sales data, pick the 25 Gadgets to stock this Christmas and reveal the full state of the UK …

VOiD Games releases first title on App Store with plans to release four more apps by summer

Final Fantasy developer has no plans to license its next-gen technology

MCV runs through the biggest releases and events that will grow the industry over the next 12 months. 1. Grand Theft Auto VWatch out Call of Duty, the previous ‘biggest entertainment launch of all time’ wants its crown back. Rockstar has drip fed information about its next game to the …

Rick Gibson asks whether PlayStation Mobile is a worthy platform for your games

Electronic Arts was comfortably the UK’s top physical games publisher of 2012. The firm enjoyed a successful year thanks to record-breaking sales of FIFA 13, which sold through 2m units two weeks faster than its predecessor. Other games that helped propel the publisher to the top of the rankings included …

Sales of video games consoles in 2012 fell 33.1 per cent year-on-year. Handheld sales dropped 31.3 per cent, despite the arrival of PlayStation Vita and 3DS XL. The portable sector is a market potentially hit by the booming sales of tablets and smartphones. Home console sales were down by 34.1 …

Fresh data this week suggests the worst: selling video games in the UK during 2012 was a storm of recession and poor momentum. Total software sales were down 17.6 per cent overall. Modest gains in digital sales, up 7.7 per cent to 552m, was not enough to cover the 26.4 …

The UK games industry is hoping for a brighter 2013 after last year’s software sales fell by almost 400m. 39.5m physical games were sold over the last 12 months, 15m fewer than in 2011. This generated 1bn, a drop of 26.4 per cent year-on-year. According to IHS?Screen Digest, UK?digital game …