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

Retailers want Wii U to be priced at 250 when it launches. But Nintendo could be prepared to set a cost price that will allow shops to sell cheaper than that – and ensure the machine is this Christmas’ must-have gaming item. One senior publisher confidently told MCV that the …

Online retailer GameStop has kicked off an aggressive hardware sale. The headline offer is a discounted PlayStation Vita. The Wi-Fi model is available for just 189.97 – that’s 30 cheaper than it is currently priced on some competitor’s websites. The 3G version is also on sale at 229.97. Also on …

Hi-Rez Studios’ free to play first person shooter Tribes: Ascend is now available on Steam. The game remains free, although gamers do have the option of purchasing the Starter Pack. The 7.49 download (soon to rise to 14.99) includes a lifetime 50 per cent XP boost, two special classes, 12 …

A New Zealand judge has ruled that the search warrants used to allow the raids of Megaupload owner Kim Dotcom were invalid”. The file-sharing site was shut down in January and its owner, Kim Dotcom, along with four others were arrested. The BBC, however, reports High Court judge Justice Helen …

New outings for Metal Gear, Pro Evolution Soccer and Castlevania will all be available to play in Cologne this August. Konami will give consumers the chance to check out its biggest upcoming games for themselves, as well as live streams, trailers and interviews for anyone that is unable to make …

The strong reaction to the inclusion of what appeared to be an attempted rape in a recent trailer for Tomb Raider is disproportional, Ian Livingstone has claimed. Edge reports that the Eidos life president told the audience at the GameHorizon conference that the industry should instead be celebrating one of …

Brian Quigley, formerly GM of Sales at Nintendo and former lead of distribution for THQ, has started his own company,Turn Left Distribution. Turn Left will offer high-level service to top-tier publishers across Australia and New Zealand, and has announced its first partner in Disney Interactive Games, and its first title …

It was a surprise when the 3DS XL was revealed without a second circle pad – that it’s getting a Circle Pad Pro expansion is perhaps less of a surprise. Andraisang reports the company has confirmed such a peripheral, and that it will be released in 2012. However, considering the …

Norwegian studio to adapt iconic figures into online experience for all ages

Last year’s best selling toy line, LEGO Minifigures, are to be turned into an MMO developed by Norwegian studio Funcom. The studio has scored the licence to the range of collectible figures released in quarterly waves and sold for pocket money prices, inspired by LEGO’s iconic characters. In 2011, the …