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

The UK games industry is braced for another tense Budget report, as new indications suggest George Osborne could re-introduce games tax breaks into the finance bill. In recent weeks, and with the March 23 Budget looming, the government has noticeably cultivated more positive connections with the digital entertainment industries. Now …

Media division Metro Apps offers national buzz

The Xbox 360 version of cult arcade shooter Deathsmiles is approaching 100,000 sales in Japan and the US. It hit UK shelves last week (Friday, February 18th), courtesy of Rising Star Games. A Cave spokesperson told MCV: Cave games have had a strong user base and following in Japanese game …

A senior brand manager for SCEA has said that platform exclusivity is damaging for brands and that the company in future would rather sign deals for exclusive post-release content. "We work very closely with our third parties publishers, not necessarily to lock down games exclusively, but to lock up exclusive …

Potential of Sonyâ??s next handheld widens

The likes of EMI and Universal have enjoyed huge success partnering with Activision’s Guitar Hero franchise. However, Music Week’s digital specialist Eamonn Forde says the record companies will quickly move on following its demise. In today’s music market, the decline of any revenue source is not to be taken lightly,” …

Six engines already on offer for external developers

Whether you love it or hate it – and a lot of people love it – you have to agree that the tease of Deep Silver’s Dead Island has this week caused a huge stir. The trailer for the zombie adventure game, developed by Polish outfit Techland and out later …

Veteran game studio boss Peter Molyneux is next in line for the BAFTA Fellowship, the organisation has said. Molyneux follows a prestigious line of Fellowship award winners, from Shigeru Miyamoto to Will Wright and Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Molyneux said, Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it …

Gamescom is seeing a stronger early demand than it did last year, with EA, Nintendo and more already confirming attendance. More companies have taken advantage of the early bird booking period this year than 2010, with the online and browser game hall nine almost already sold out. Trade show Gamescom …