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

UK games retail can expect another 18 months of decline before things start growing again,says Asda. The firm was talking following last month’s E3 conference, with games chief Andrew Thompson describing the games on show as ‘unbelievable. ‘The quality is so high now,” Thompson told MCV. You don’t really see …

Anew accessory from peripherals manufacturer KontrolFreek allows gamers to give their standard controllers an arcade makeover. The Rcade Freek is compatible with Xbox 360 and PS3, and fits over the analogue sticks to create a more authentic arcade-style experience for downloadable titles such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man. KontrolFreek has …

Retailers: Make sure you stock up on Microsoft Xbox Live points cards. The annual summer games lull may be approaching retail, but Microsoft is expecting nothing of the sort on Xbox Live Arcade. The platform holder is kicking off its 2011 Summer of Arcade promotion on July 20th with the …

The video game tie-in for upcoming Hindi sci-fi movie Ra.One will be published for PS2 and PS3 by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Ra.One is being developed by Mumbai-based studio Trine Games and depicts events leading up to the superhero film of the same name, according to Gamasutra. The film is …

Kikizo.com has revived its original name as part of a rebrand that takes the site beyond video games. Formerly known as Video Games Daily, the site now positions itself as a general interest entertainment and lifestyle blog, focusing on gaming, film, TV, music, and technology – all summed up by …

On Sunday July 10th a group of the UK games industry’s finest gathered to run the British 10k race in London to raise money for games charity SpecialEffect. Fancy dress was the order of the day with stars such as Mario, Sonic, Lara Croft, Price of Persia and Plants vs …

A press release issued in Germany seems to indicate that Nintendo’s 3DS Video download service is due to launch in Europe tomorrow (July 13th). The content available will vary depending on the country you’re in, but UK consumers have been told to expect episodes of Shaun the Sheep as well …

In a move that perhaps kicks off what will be an intense six months of campaigning and rivalry, it has been discovered that the URL www.ModernWarfare3.com redirects to the homepage of rival game Battlefield. The URL appears to have been registered anonymously, though some – such as Future site GamesRadar …

Gotland-based startup building co-op focused PC titles

Develop's monthly dissection of a recent hit game