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

New bid to turn developers with guides, API map and roadshow

Recruitment is going very well for EA’s blockbuster shooter, according to reconnaissance by research firm Sterne Agee. Arvind Bhatia, one of the company’s analysts, revealed that the publisher is reporting pre-orders in excess of 1.5m for Battlefield 3. Industry Gamers reports that Bhatia believes this is due in part to …

Europress is bringing a new Horrid Henry game to 3DS, MCV can reveal. The smash children’s franchise – which encompasses books, radio shows, a BAFTA-nominated CITV series and a film – will also mark a new push into games with a Blue Ocean Horrid Henry 3DS Accessory Pack. The 3DS …

It’s going to be a Mario Kart Christmas if Nintendo gets their way, as the firm has teamed up with Tomy for a range of new toys. Ahead of the release of Mario Kart 7 on 3DS, Tomy is launching a selection of themed K’Nex sets, inspired by the previous …

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Saints Row 3 and The Darkness 2 will be amongst the blockbuster games on show at this October’s London MCM Expo. It follows news that Warner Bros’ Batman: Arkham City will be the headline sponsor for the anime, movies, comic, sci-fi and video game consumer show. The …

Stereoscopic tech tested at academic level

Social networking giant's mandatory 30% cut begins to pay off, analyst claims

Online entertainment retail giant Play.com has agreed to sell itself to Japanese company Rakuten. The agreed fee is 25m. Rakuten is the largest online retail operator in Japan. Play.com is its third European acquisition following moves for French site PriceMinister and German shopping portal Tradoria. In total the company operates …

Nearly three quarters of all App Store revenue comes from in-app item sales, new data suggests. A study published by smartphone analyst firm Distimo claims that the huge bulk of App Store cash comes from a relatively small crop of apps. Only four per cent of iOS applications utilise in-app …

Konami has announced it is working on Boom Boom Dance, a music game for Xbox Live Arcade. The title will use Kinect to track players’ movements as they reach to hit a number of onscreen symbols with their arms and legs in time with the music. The debut trailer can …