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

Martyn Gibbs has returned to GAME as the firm’s new CEO. Gibbs is a popular figure in the trade. He was MD of Gamestation when GAME swooped for the chain in 2007. He has been a key voice at the firm, even announcing the upcoming Gamefest at last year’s video …

A 65 per cent majority of the total gaming hours logged in SingStar are made up by females, compared to a share of 28 per cent for the average game. With a little bit of something for every musical taste, SingStar has remained a popular party series from its 2004 …

Unit 13, MAG and SOCOM dev Zipper Interactive has been closed, Sony has confirmed. The first party studio was acquired by Sony in 2006 and at the time of closing was home to approximately 80 employees. Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm the closure of Zipper Interactive, a Seattle-based internal game …

EA’s FIFA Street has claimed No.1 in the UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40 for the third week on the trot. It does so despite a week-on-week fall of sales of 44 per cent. As well as climbing No.2 with Mass Effect 3, EA also claims third place in …

Good news for PS Vita owners looking for some brutal action on the go, as Mortal Kombat is finally heading to the device next month. Previously the updated fighting franchise prequel was to arrive as a Vita launch title, but ended up slipping back a few months. The version will …

Disney’s upcoming Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is to receive a PC/Mac release. The publisher confirmed toGameInformerthat the sequel will shed its previously announced console-only label that the original game also held. Disney added that the version will be a hybrid PC/Mac release, which would seem to fall …

An XBLA release date and pricing details for Konami’s upcoming fighting game Skullgirls has been revealed. A post from developer Revenge Labs community manager Peter Bartholow confirms on the Neogaf forums (via Shoryuken) that the title will be available for download on the Xbox 360 marketplace April 11th. The game …

The former joint COO of Dixons, David Hamid, will become GAME’s new executive chairman, MCV understands. Hamid’s former employers include MFI (chairman), Halfords (CEO), Nationwide Auto Centres (chairman) and Russian retailer Mvideo (deputy chairman). He is also an operating partner of OpCapita’s. OpCapita’s Henry Jackson will also be involved in …

Retailer GAME has announced its exit from administration following a successful bid by Comet owners OpCapita. Private investment firm OpCapita has secured a sale of GAME’s UK assets to Baker Acquisitions Limited. Under the terms of the deal Baker has bought the UK arm of GAME Group out of administration …

Namco Bandai will bring hit RPG franchise The Witcher to theatres this year in the form of a new musical stage show. The Witcher: A Temerian Story hasbeen described by the publisher as ‘the West End’s most constroversial musical ever’, and will show at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West …