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

Backbreaker studio smashes revenue records with its first freemium app

Nintendo has announced that it is to launch a black version of its Wii Balance Board next month. A bundle including both the new-look peripheral and a copy of Wii Fit Plus. It will be released on October 7th. Until this point only the white version of the accessory has …

Sony hoping to enrich user experience of upcoming systems

MCV chats to Enzyme Labs president and CEO Yan Cyr about the challenges of testing 3D games, motion titles and more. Is user-testing important in an age of 3D and motion gaming? Do you cater for this? At Enzyme Labs we have been performing focus groups and playtests on games …

Samsung announced that the Korean electronics giant has sold over ten million Galaxy S II smartphones with five million in just eight weeks. The high end Android smartphone was launched worldwide back in May but has recently gathered renewed attention as the US-dominated tech press cover the recent North American …

European indie group Masthead has survived another hostile legal assault by US publishing giant Bethesda. Complaints by Bethesda forced a ruling to be made in a Californian court – some six thousand miles away from Masthead’s Bulgaria base of operations. Masthead did not fly a representative over, but Californian Judge …

Asda’s online customers can pre-order the FIFA 12 special edition for 35 later today, MCV can reveal. That’s 25 off the EA game’s RRP. This offer will not be repeated in stores and marks the arrival of the grocer’s in-house entertainment site. The Hut Group has previously handled the retailer’s …

Adam Saltsman, of Canabalt studio Semi Secret, offers advice for aspiring game designers

The review embargoes for both FIFA 12 and PES 2012 are up, and EA’s game has not only raced into the lead – it also looks on track to become the highest rated release ever in the series. It’s early days, but the game is currently averaging an amazing 92 …

Gears of War 3 is the new UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats No.1 on its first week of release. It has also become the biggest launch of 2011 to date, as well as the seventh largest Xbox 360 launch ever and the 12th largest single platform title launch. It was …