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

It will come as a surprise to absolutely no-one that the UK games retail market has suffered one of its worst six months in history. Sales of video games reached 13.7m for the first half of the year, that’s almost 7m fewer games than compared with this point in 2011. …

The success of PS4, Xbox 720 and Wii U rests on retail, says Sony. UK boss Fergal Gara says the High Street is suffering a ‘readjustment’ following the steep games market decline since 2008. Over the last 12 months alone, the number of UK specialists has dropped by 300 (see …

'A lot of franchises out there don't take this seriously', says DICE general manager

The Japanese have Misty Pink. The Aussies got Lavendar Pink. In Europe we have Coral Pink. But they all lose out big-time in the pink stakes to the brand new Shimmer Pink. Tiny Cartridge reports that two new colours – Shimmer Pink and Cerulean Blue – will be launched in …

Rockstar is offering the chance for players to get their likenesses into Max Payne 3’s multiplayer mode. This is the second – and last – opportunity for four lucky gamers to get their mugs modelled onto selectable multiplayer avatars for the autumn DLC pack. Beginning tomorrow, and for all of …

Reef Entertainment’s Rambo: The Video Game will be playable for the first time at Gamescom. The action game was announced last year and will be available to consumers at Reef’s stand. "We showed the game behind closed doors at E3 to a favourable response," Reef’s general manager Will Curley told …

The launch of the Crystal White Vita has nearly doubled the handheld’s weekly sales in Japan. Enterbrain reports that Vita sales for the week ending July 1st reached 22,638 – a massive improvement over the 12,000-13,000 units shifted the week before, according to VG247. However, software sales remain slow. There …

Capcom’s next zombie blockbuster could have a fourth campaign starting fan favourite Ada Wong. Resident Evil 6 is already split into three campaigns starring Leon S Kennedy, Chris Redfield and new character Jake Muller, each with a distinct style of gameplay. Files found by members of NeoGAF and GameFAQs have …

Capcom has confirmed a brand new digital title – Marvel vs Capcom Origins. The SKU includes both Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Heroes, which were first released in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Both will feature an HD rework and support for Achievements/Trophies, as well as online …

Not-for-profit organisation Women in Games Jobs has hired the former head of business development for New Media at Eidos as its first CEO. Gina Jackson, who has also worked at companies such as Kuju and Ocean Software, will work on developing partnerships and initiatives for the organisation to help encourage …