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

Develop sources: Microsoft is preparing microtransaction system

Ubisoft was crowned quiz champions at the MCV/Xbox 360 Pub Quiz in Holborn last night. The great and the good of the UK games industry took part, with IGN and Microsoft coming close to Ubisoft’s total of 56. There was also a host of spot prizes for each of the …

You’ve been in business for almost 25 years – what has been key to your success?The ongoing support of publishers and distributors – without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. We started out selling Atari, Amiga, Spectrum and Commodore systems, the early home computer formats. We soon began …

Continuing its experiments with early digital releases, Sony has made Infamous 2 available to download via PSN. The game only landed on shelves two weeks ago, but now PS3 owners can avoid the trip to the shops and download a digital version straight to their console, according to the PlayStation …

IGN Entertainment’s US-based editorial team has been downsized, with at least four members laid off. The site’s ‘expanded audience’ editor-in-chief Dana Jongewaard confirmed on Facebook that she has left the firm, while writer Nicole Tanner posted on Twitter that she has been laid off today. Gamasutra reports that GameSpy’s editor-in-chief …

Retailer HMV has launched an impressively innovative 3DS offer for customers. It will give a ten per cent discount on any 3DS game to any customer who picks up an HMV store Mii using the 3DS Street Pass system. Street Pass, for those who aren’t familiar, allows 3DS owners to …

Activision has said that the mysterious "action-adventure" instalment to the Call of Duty franchise is on hold. The game was first cryptically mentioned in the wake of the Infinity Ward saga of early 2010. However, with Sledgehammer named as one of the four studios working on Modern Warfare 3 the …

Tickets for the first ever UK GAMEfest show have gone on sale. GAME reward card owners can buy tickets from the GAMEfest website, while those without loyalty cards can sign up for one first at www.game.co.uk or in-store. Tickets cost 10 for customers over 12 years old or 5 for …

An American lawsuit filed this week alleges that Sony laid off a number of staff in charge of maintaining the security of its online networks. It also claims that the company invested more in securing its corporate information than it did in protecting the details of its customers. Reuters reports …

Japanese gamers are still none the wiser as to when the PlayStation Network will be fully restored in their country where the PS Store still remains offline. When PSN was eventually reactivated last month, the Japanese government stepped in to block its restoration in Japan saying that it wanted further …