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

The overall UK video game market was worth 2.52bn in 2011 according to the latest UKIE figures. That represents a year-on-year drop of 13 per cent from 2.88bn and a third year of decline. In 2009 the UK market was worth 3.31bn and in 2008 it reached a record value …

Retailer Comet has pledged to fight its corner in the dispute with Microsoft over the manufacturing of 94k Windows recovery discs. Yesterday MCV reported that Microsoft was suing Comet for producing what it claimed were thousands of counterfeit Windows CDs” that it then supplied to unsuspecting customers in the UK”. …

GameStop has revealed two exclusive in-game items that will be given to all who order Mass Effect 3 from the retailer in the US. The first is the N7 Valkyrie Assault Rifle, which for non pre-orderers will only crop up in the game as a rare black market icon. The …

Develop interviews the man in command of Zelda

The MCM Group has announced it will launch a new Birmingham expo in 2012. MCM Expo Birmingham Comic Con will run alongside another of the Group’s popular events, Memorabilia. It will be held at the NEC from March 31st to April 1st. Like the London, Midlands and Manchester MCM Expos, …

Sales of the PlayStation Vita have fallen below 50k during its third week on the market. Eurogamer reports that Sony’s new handheld shifted 42,648 units during its second full week on sale. Vita shifted 325k units in its opening weekend, only for sales to plummet to 72k during the following …

It may have suffered from a slow start, but analysts are confident the Nintendo 3DS has "turned the corner". Industry experts believe the price cut and release of key first-party titles have dramatically improved the handheld’s prospects for 2012, according to Eurogamer. "It’s very successful, but ran into a headwind …

Advertising watchdog the ASA has banned a Talk Talk television advert which claimed that the internet provider’s broadband package was the "UK’s safest." The TV ad featured a toy family in a dolls house, apparently guarded by a row of toy soldiers while a voice-over claimed that "Talk Talk homes …

Cloud gaming company Gaikai is now providing its demo service to Ubisoft and Best Buy following deals with YouTube, EA and more. The streaming service allows internet users to play games online through their internet browsers without the need for installation or high-end graphics cards. Gaikai now runs this service …

Xbox manufacturer signs multi-year deal with Facebook dev Arkadium