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

Watch out Activision and EA: THQ says it will retake a place amongst the gaming elite with a line-up to envy its rivals. The firm was once a Top Five publisher but has seen its market share shrink in recent years. The company has spent the last 18 months transforming …

It hits Xbox Live Arcade in Europe and the US today, but the Japanese release of Microsoft published RPG Torchlight has been abandoned at the last minute. Andriasang reports that the platform holder has blamed the discovery of a text bug that’s present in only the Japanese version of the …

PlayStation boss to had up Sony consumer wing

Xbox 360 hackers have found an exploit that has cost Microsoft $1.2 million. The users calculated an algorithm that allows them to re-use previously redeemed codes and stockpile Microsoft Points, according to Save and Quit. The method could be used over and over again, giving hackers 160MSP each time. One …

$100 million fund to facilitate smartphone game switch

The need for a sales chart that integrates both physical and digital sales has never been greater. The industry has been living under the assumption that following the record performances posted in 2008 the market has been suffering a steady rate of decline. But the problem is that our market …

Strauss Zelnick says a high Metacritic rating is crucial to the success of a new IP. The Take-Two Interactive CEO and chairman told the audience of Wedbush Morgan’s media conference in New York that review scores are more important in gaming than in any other entertainment business, according to Gamasutra. …

Sony’s ongoing patent battle with electronics manufacturer LG has taken a turn for the worse with news that Dutch customs officers have seized "tens of thousands" of additional PS3 consoles from ports in the Netherlands. The move leaves an increasingly high number of hardware units in limbo and seriously threatens …

Sony’s networked products and services boss Kaz Hirai has been promoted to head up the consumer products unit. 50-year-old Hirai currently looks after video games and other digital Sony businesses such as music and movie steaming. His new role will include the entire Sony consumer electronics line which consists of …

Sony has announced a brand new perk for members of its exclusive PlayStation Plus service – cloud storage for game saves. As of today, 150MB of storage will be available " for peace of mind and easy access from any PlayStation 3 system in the world". The key advantages are …