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

The online hubs for Xbox and Games for Windows are to be merged on July 11th, platform holder Microsoft has announced. The move will merge the company’s disparate PC and console gaming brands. "All of the same content from GamesForWindows.com will be available on Xbox.com so members of communities across …

Education minister Michael Gove MP discusses the benefits of computer games as teaching tools

Could F2P bring Blizzard's subscriber levels up past their peak?

EA is shelling out some extra digital goodies for those who pre-order September’s FIFA 12. Customers who pre-order the GAME and Gamestation exclusive FIFA 12: Ultimate Edition will get 24 free Ultimate Team Gold Packs, for use with the Ultimate Team game mode. They will be available at a rate …

Around ten developers working on The Learning Company games let go

The success of 505 Games’ Zumba Fitness powers on as the title racks up a third consecutive week at No.1 of the UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Chart. The game has now achieved a total of six weeks at the top, and this week it outsold the next four titles …

Despite not being due to hit retail until September 20th, an early build of Xbox 360 shooter Gears of War 3 has appeared for download on the internet. Microsoft has obviously said that it’s on the case with tracking the source down, but in the mean time it has claimed …

PS3 platform holder Sony has extended its Welcome Back offer for PS3 owners. The scheme was designed to compensate customers for the widely publicised shut down of PSN and offered a host of free content – chief of which was free games for PS3 and PSP. However, many users reported …

The PSN crisis may be distant memory in the West, but it’s a different story in Japan where full restoration has finally been confirmed for this Wednesday (July 6th). Though most PSN services were restored in the country around the same time they were reactivated in the West, the Japanese …

It’s the silent success story of modern gaming. It’s growing. It’s bigger than you realise and it becomes more influential every day. And it believes video games should be free. That’s the realisation that could well this morning be hitting the industry’s top level execs right in the face following …