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

Cars is probably the closest thing Pixar has had to a critical flop. It isn’t, obviously. Its Rotten Tomatoes score of 74 per cent is far from awful, but seeing as all of its other 11 movies have scored over 90 per cent (Toy Story 1 and 2 managed 100 …

It has emerged that Sony is facing a total of 55 lawsuits in the US making claims relating to the much-publicised PSN outage earlier this year. Sony has made numerous claims to insurer Zurich American to cover its legal fees according to a commercial general liability policy taken out in …

Bizarre upcoming adventure Catherine will be released in the UK this year, courtesy of publisher Deep Silver. The adult-oriented game – which blends action adventure and puzzle gameplay with horror themes – has already generated plenty of coverage in the gaming press. It will arrive on multiple formats. Gamers control …

Developers need to ensure games are better than nights in the pub, playing football and having sex

IN PICTURES:If ever a console had guaranteed seller” written all over it, it’s this. Microsoft has lifted the lid on a quite spectacular Star Wars themed Xbox 360 console that will be launched alongside the much-hyped Star Was Kinect game later this year. The console itself is styled on charismatic …

Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division has recorded jumps in revenue for both the last quarter and the full year as a whole. Q4 2011 revenue climbed 30 per cent year-on-year to $1.49bn, with annual revenue increasing 45 per cent. Profit reached $32m. Xbox Live revenue was up, as were sales …

After a false start today with an R18+ rating not reaching consensus for a national introduction, it seems it will be passed at a federal level and integrated state by state. Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor called the decision an "historic agreement" after the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) …

MCV’s 2010 expos on the frustrations retailers had with Valve’s Steam service was one of our most talked about stories last year. And it turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg.It’s no surprise to hear EA wants its own stake in downloads.Using a tentpole release for the …

Saints Row: The Third is on course to become THQ’s most pre-ordered title ever, the publisher has told MCV. Strong interest in the game has been driven largely by the Professor Genki pre-order campaign.Paying homage to madcap Japanese game shows, the Professor Genki’s Hyper Ordinary Pre-Order Pack gives users access …

At the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting today, one abstaining vote on the introduction of an R18+ rating has stalled the issue yet again. The New South Wales Attorney-General Greg Smith had earlier this week confirmed his intention not to vote for the introduction of the rating as he …