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

It looks like the chances of Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation phone the Xperia Play hitting the UK High Street tomorrow are becoming increasingly slim. An email forwarded to VG247 last night suggests that Vodafone has now delayed the launch of the handset. Sony Ericsson have advised us that they will not …

Pokemon’s creators say the browser games market is not safe enough for younger players. Game Freak director Junichi Masuda – who produced Nintendo’s new chart-topping DS titles Pokmon Black and White – told MCV that the traditional boxed retail model presents a safer and more secure platform than online games. …

New project to use the tech for a third time

Battle of the Android app stores heats up

New uDraw games will arrive every 60 to 90 days, complete with marketing support, says THQ. The next campaign takes place around Easter for the launch of SpongeBob SquigglePants. uDraw made a dramatic entrance into the Chart-Track Top Ten last week, having missed out on the Top 40 the week …

Financial firm Goldman Sachs has issued a damning report on the future of GAME Group. The company’s Rachel Carson has downgraded GAME from Neutral to Sell. She says the firm’s decision to move further online and into digital is ‘late in the evolution of the industry’ and will therefore be …

Accusations of false ratings to push games up and down the charts

At Turner Media Innovations, we understand that kids’ gaming habits differ greatly from older gamers. Parents tend to see console games purchases as a gift for special occasions. From birthdays, school holidays, exam success through to the all important Christmas period, kids’ games purchases run on a completely different purchasing …

Mike Hawkyard breaks down what this new committee means for UK devs

Bosses of industry event Gamescom will be holding a press conference at London’s Zetter Hotel next week. Members of the press and the games industry are invited to attend the informal presentation and lunch which takes place on Thursday, April 7th at midday. Attendees are asked to turn up from …