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

Blizzard has announced the 2012 Arena Pass for their MMO World of Warcraft. The pass will offer exclusive rewards, a new title, and even more for those who upgrade to the Mists of Pandaria expansion. The studio has also put together a dedicated arena sandbox for the festivities. Sign-ups begin …

250,000 voters choose EA for 2012 'golden poo' award

Tactical shooter franchise will head to Facebook and mobile

App store sensation retakes #1 spot from Angry Birds Space

Namco Bandai has announced an interesting launch exclusive with Amazon for upcoming RPG The Witcher 2. The online retail giant has confirmed that its entire Xbox 360 launch stock of the The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings – Enhanced Edition has been signed by members of the CD Projekt development …

UK firm PQube will distribute motocross rally racer MUD in the UK on behalf of Black Bean. MUD – FIM Motocross World Championship is due to be released during Q2 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It’s been developed by Milestone, the studio responsible for the SBK and WRC racing …

The Witcher 2 will launch on 360 with the help of a 500,000 marketing push. Ads will run in games magazines including double-page spreads and four-page inserts up to mid-May, as well as a flipper cover and first review in OXM. An online campaign will include homepage takeovers and banners …

Specialist retail giant GameStop says the UK has already helped grow its worldwide digital empire. The company launched GameStop.co.uk in July, which included a games download service. The site quickly won over consumers with aggressive price cuts and temporary deals. GameStop is keen to build on the success it has …

XaitMap and xaitControl for Unity to be compatible iOS, Android and Unity Web Player from May

Microsoft has laid out its cinema, TV and radio campaign for its new kids game – Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure. The 360 title is being backed by cinema ads that will reach 1.3m people, plus there’ll be postcards in foyers. Further activity has been booked on TV channels, …