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

Etail giant Amazon has plans to install a network of item collection ‘lockers’ in shopping centers in the UK. The move is set to echo a similar trial of delivery lockers across the chain of 7-Eleven stores in the US. The UK lockers which allow customers to pick up items …

The makers of Rock Band and Dance Central have released a new music game on Apple’s App Store. Entitled VidRhythm, the Harmonix title allows players to put together music videos based on short clips they take with their iPhone or iPad camera. These can then be remixed so that sounds …

Sega has announced a limited edition Sonic Generations game will come packed with a plethora of Sonic goodies when it arrives later this year. The Collector’s Edition for Xbox 360 and PS3 will include retro Sonic and modern-day Sonic figures, an art book celebrating 20 years of Sonic, lenticular packaging …

Electronic Arts may have invited negativity over the past year with its divisive Online Pass system, but it has turned out to be a nice little earner for the firm. During this week’s Citi 2011 Tech Conference in New York, EA CFO Eric Brown discussed the impact of its one-time …

An analyst has backed up the claims by Sony exec Rob Dyer that Microsoft’s strategic decisions are currently designed to protect what is being regarded as the technological disadvantage being suffered by Xbox 360. Dyer said last week that I think what [Xbox European boss] Chris Lewis and the other …

Around 1.25m consumers have put down pre-orders for EA’s upcoming FPS Battlefield 3, says CFO Eric Brown. He announced the milestone at the Citi 2011 Tech Conference yesterday, reports Gamasutra. "To date we have about 1.25m pre-orders on Battlefield 3, so it’s still well ahead of its predecessor title, Battlefield: …

01net has acquired somewhat of a reputation for reliable Nintendo gossip, particularly after the recent hard-to-believe but actually very real leak of a joypad add-on for 3DS. And the latest story to emerge from the French site is that developers are struggling with early builds of the Nintendo Wii U. …

As many as twenty developers have been made redundant at Utah-based studio Avalanche, according to reports, as part of a substantial cutback operation underway at Disney. The Mickey Mouse media conglomerate has in the past year cut loose as many as 500 game dev jobs from its once-thriving development fleet. …

Publishers do not want to share data to make a download chart, says Paul Jackson OBE. Comments from the former EA UK and ELSPA boss come in stark contrast to the message from trade body UKIE, which says the industry must unite and start sharing data. When asked what he …

Microsoft has made two significant changes to its Xbox UK senior management team. Neil Thompson – former regional Xbox director for Northern Europe – has been promoted to lead Microsoft’s new Consumer Channels Group (CCG). The group unites all of Microsoft’s physical consumer products, which includes Windows PCs, Windows Phones …