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

Microsoft has announced that gamers can gain access to the upcoming beta for Gears of War 3 by pre-ordering from GAME Group stores. Anyone that orders the game from GAME or Gamestation will be able to try out the multiplayer when its trial begins on April 25th. The beta will …

Developer Rovio also says driving and sport spin-offs possible once Rio tie-in is out; console versions still on-course

In a frank and honest admission, publisher THQ has revealed its aspirations for upcoming shooter Homefront to compete with the very biggest names in the first person shooter sector. When asked by Eurogamer if he’d like to see his title competing with the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield, …

Cliff Bleszinski has claimed that any middle class games” released are doomed to failure in the current market. Speaking to developers at GDC 2011 in San Francisco, he said that only triple-A or indie titles can hope to see success because they stand out, according to Eurogamer. I’m going to …

UK video games retailer GAME has begun offering pre-orders for pre-owned versions of the latest titles, MCV understands. It’s the first time that a UK retailer has allowed customers to pre-order a used version of a game before its released on the High Street. News of the offer has cropped …

Publisher Ubisoft has announced a new partnership with Nivea that has seen the pair publish free downloadable DLC for Xbox 360 Kinect fitness title Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. The new workout has apparently been developed by "Nivea’s fitness and lifestyle expert Sarah Maxwell". The free content, which is called Nivea …

Activision has declared that Call of Duty: Black Ops is the best-selling PS3 game of all time. The publisher claimed this achievement had been proved by figures from GfK Chart-Track and NPD, although no sales figures was given. If true, this means Black Ops has topped records set by Gran …

The release of Rift marks the start of a new era for up and coming MMO publisher Trion Worlds. Arriving on shelves today (Friday, March 4th), the game is the company’s first release and culminates five years of work on its unique MMO infrastructure. Promotions kicked off in October, targeting …

InComm Europe will sponsor this year’s MCV Industry Excellence Awards. The company – known for its digital games cards and vouchers for Xbox Live, PSN, RuneScape and more – has signed up as Table Gift Partner. InComm Europe joins fellow sponsors Nintendo, Codemasters, Michael Jackson: The Experience, Sega, The Hut …

Minecraft creator attacks accusations regularly directed toward games piracy