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

Publisher Ubisoft has once again been forced to defend the DRM it chose to implement in one of its PC titles. MCV reported earlier this weekthat strategy title Anno 2070 uses a limited activation system. This in itself is not uncommon but it transpires that if a user changes any …

The pressure is on EA and Activision, as Ubisoft became the No.1 publisher over Christmas. The firm sold more games than any other during the festive period (November 27th to December 31st). Just Dance 3 (no.3) and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (no.6) were the firm’s top sellers for the month. For …

'Too early in Angry Birds lifecycle for public offering', says Peter Vesterbacka

We reveal the top ten games publishers which had the most watched TV advertising campaigns last year. Nintendo faced little opposition as it graced our screens every week of 2011. It advertised almost three times as many campaigns as second-placed Ubisoft, with each campaign on average achieving 235 TVRs. One …

EA PopCap has dropped ZipZapPlay’s Facebook game Baking Life, despite the title having almost three quarters of a million players. The free-to-play game will close at the end of the month. Users who have bought in-game currency using real money will not be able to use this in other PopCap-owned …

Microsoft revenues pass $4 billion for the holiday quarter

Up-and-coming MMO specialist Trion Worlds has received a massive financial boost towards the company’s ongoing expansion. The publisher secured $85 million from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and current investor Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments. "We are thrilled about entering this exciting period of growth and scale with our investors," said Trion …

Microsoft has launched the Dance Central 2 Dance Cam app which lets users appear in customisable music videos. The free download for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 smartphones lets users record themselves or their friends dancing. Videos can be edited and shared, with smartphone owners able to challenge each …

Flagship BioWare game selling below expectations, analyst claims

Develop asks Sean Murray six questions on a game he made. How do you think he scored?