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

The upcoming Sony NGP handheld is set for a 2011 launch, reaffirming previous reports it will arrive this year. That’s according to US investment company Lazard Capital Markets which has published a report on Sony’s successor to the PSP. The group claims it attended a Sony PlayStation analyst day where …

Square Enix has teamed up with TV series Spartacus to promote Dungeon Siege III. The firm’s upcoming fantasy RPG is currently sponsoring the racy drama on Sky 1 and Sky 1 HD. Each episode is book ended by 15-second idents, with six five-second spots opening and closing every ad break. …

Steam IDs published in-game

Kinect Sports developer Rare believes voice control will be instrumental in the future of Kinect games. We’re going to make using your voice much more front and centre – we’ve just scratched the surface on that,” Rare’s studio manager Scott Henson told MCV. The ability to say ‘Xbox Pause’ and …

The 3DS has achieved the best launch sales for a handheld console in Australia, with 31,000 units sold within its first week on sale. Nintendo’s new console almost beat week-one sales of the Wii, which sold 32,000 units in Australia during its first week. These figures are from Nintendo and …

Format holder Microsoft is ramping up its support for Kinect with a raft of new games and innovations. The firm already has a host of first party titles in different genres such as Kinect Sports, Dance Central and Kinectimals, but has plans to announce a line-up of brand new titles …

Devs have one month to pledge their interest

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 has become the fastest-selling game in EA’s golf series. It sold 225,000 copies in week one, beating previous record holder PGA Tour 08, reports Gamasutra. EA also estimates the new Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and iPhone game saw week-one digital revenue double last year’s amount. …

Japanese firm Grezzo rebuilding the classic title

PowerUp Heroes is a fresh IP from Ubisoft that lets gamers control their Xbox Live avatar and use powers to defeat other players online. The game is exclusive to Xbox 360 motion accessory Kinect and features over 20 power suits that gamers can collect. After beating an enemy, players can …