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

Surge of interest for Hero Engine, vendor claims

GAME will close Gameplay.co.uk next week, MCV can reveal. All that website’s customers will now be served via Gamestation.co.uk as of March 1st. The move makes sense for GAME. It acquired Gameplay back in 2004 but since then it has become a forgotten brand at the retail specialist. The site …

Using magnets instead of torrents 'will make is harder for our common enemies to stop us'

Having released Battlefield 3 on the Apple App Store earlier this month, EA has now pulled the game from sale. IGN reports that the decision was made after an influx of negative reviews regarding both its controls and its network stability. The game is free to play thanks to sponsorship …

Lucky Gem Casino offers virtual currency gambling

EA subsidiary PopCap is to dip its toes in the gambling waters with the release of its fourth Facebook game – Lucky Gem Casino. As the name and platform would suggest, the title will allow players to gamble with virtual currency. It will include a total of seven mini-games. It …

Nicoll Hunt alleges Andrew Smith has been withholding payments; Smith claims no malice nor legal obligation

Are you prepared to take pre-orders on this year’s biggest blockbusters? James Batchelor takes a look at the hottest games that retailers can expect throughout 2012 Q1 2012: HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING January may have been quiet but there’s no denying the supply of new titles into retail is picking …

Ubisoft’s colourful platformer Rayman Origins has emerged as the critics’ favourite of the PlayStation Vita launch range. The game currently carries an average review score of 89 per cent on Metacritic. It has been praised for the quality of its visuals, which are said to be an ideal match with …

MCV has been told that Codemasters racer F1 2011 will belatedly arrive on the PlayStation Vita store shortly. The game was conspicuous by its absence last night when the store went live and has yet to appear on the service. It had been named earlier that day as a launch …