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

FarmVille creator and Facebook gaming behemoth Zynga is close to floating on the stock market. The US-based developer is reportedly setting up an Initial Public Offering this week worth as much as $2bn in shares. That’s the equivalent of around ten per cent of the business, which has been valued …

It looks like Ubisoft’s console title I Am Alive could be closer to release than expected. With little heard about the title since it missed its spring 2009 release date, some had presumed the game had been scrapped, though Ubisoft has always insisted that its production has continued. However, an …

Develop continues its profiles of emerging and leading technology

After one of the most turbulent periods in the company’s history, Sony has announced details of a significant management reshuffle right at the very top of the organisation. Current president and group CEO Kaz Hirai will from September first become chairman of Sony’s video games business. More significantly for the …

Develop meets a duo of promising young Unity users

Social gaming firm rumoured to float; Now valued between $15bn and $20bn

In the latest twist in what is becoming a somewhat untidy saga, retailer GameStop has reversed a decision to block consumers from trading in copies of 3DS title Resident Evil: Mercenaries. It emerged earlier in the week that the game, which saves data directly onto the card, will not allow …

It feels like barely a day passes without another key MMO dropping subscriptions in favour of the free-to-play model, and now the biggest MMO of them all is getting in on the act. Yes, Blizzard’s earth-conquering World of Warcraft is now free-to-play. Sort of. An alteration to WoW’s trial account …

Lobbying for this year’s Games Media Awards in association with Grainger Gamesis well underway, with journalists, broadcasters, PRs, readers and viewers nominating their favourite mags, websites and more for one of the sector’s top accolades. But there is still time to ensure that your voice is heard – you have …

In an interview with MCV, the EMEA VP of Xbox Chris Lewis has said that Kinect implementation in core Xbox 360 games will not happen simply for the sake of it. Earlier this month Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer said that he envisages that all first-party Xbox games will …