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

It may not be making the social gaming strides many would expect, but it’s impossible argue that Activision’s digital strategy is not paying off. Speaking in an analyst day conference call yesterday, the publisher said that its digital revenues for the year ending June 2011 have hit $1.7bn. That’s a …

The Metropolitan Police arrested two suspects today for conspiring to commit offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. The arrests were made as part of an investigation with the FBI, South Yorkshire Police and other law enforcement bodies into hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec, and in particular the activities of …

Japanese publisher Square Enix wants to position its Canadian studio Eidos Montreal at the very centre of its game development operations, a new report claims. Its subsidiary Eidos Montreal could grow from about 350 staff to nearly 700 if a deal with state officials is agreed, according to local business …

If you think it’s hard getting games to stand out amongst the Christmas blockbusters of FIFA and Call of Duty, try being a retailer. Each year there appears to be another outlet or two trying to muscle in on a market already crammed full of competitors. This year Bee.com is …

A new Driver finally makes it to store shelves today – five years after Ubisoft spent $24m buying the brand and its studio.But it’s just the first step in Ubisoft’s plans for both the re-engergised franchise and the driving genre, says CEO Yves Guillemot. Driver: San Francisco takes the series …

The UK boxed games market has recovered from its ten-year low on the back of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Square Enix’s latest blockbuster shot to the top of the charts, and is the first quality triple-A title released in months. The UK games retail market was worth 14.6m this week, …

The High Street can play a major part in selling digital games, and Microsoft has the proof. Two thirds of Xbox Live Gold members paid for their subscriptions via traditional retailers, the platform holder told MCV. It highlights the extent to which retail has played a major role in growing …

Mobile games publisher Gameloft has reported a net profit of €5.3 million (around $7.6m) for the first half of 2011, the same as it reported for the first half of 2010. The company’s revenues rose from €66.6 million to €76.8 million in the same period, so why were net profits …

Nintendo has confirmed that its popular roadshow from last year called the Nintendo Connection Tour will be returning this year. The tour, which commences at Westfield Southland in Victoria on Saturday 24th September, will have The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword playable on Wii for the first time, as well …

Although it wasn’t due for release until next week, Wallabies Rugby Challenge has just landed in stores Australia-wide. The game was developed by Sidhe in Wellington, New Zealand, and had its NZ release as ‘All Blacks Rugby Challenge’ last Friday to great success. Mario Wynands, managing director of Sidhe, told …