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

True Crime: Hong Kong developer United Front Games has apologised to consumers after Activision canned the game. The Vancouver studio had been working on the upcoming True Crime multiformat action game which was officially announced in December 2009. A statement on the developer’s website said: We are sorry we did …

Famed for its multi-million selling success in the East, Tecmo Koei’s Dynasty Warriors series celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. But the hard work is not over yet. The publisher is still trying to grow the franchise’s UK audience and it believes helping gamers to better understand the series’ appeal …

The Activision empire is pulling back on risk, but one major gamble remains

Time is running out. There is only one day left to send in your suggestions for this year’s MCV Industry Excellence Awards. All nominations must be sent to AwardsLobbying@intentmedia.co.uk by 12pm on Friday, February 11th. Be sure to include a brief summary of why your chosen candidate should be considered. …

The shortlist has been revealed for The GAME Award of this year’s video games BAFTAs. This is the only category in the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards that is voted for by the public rather than a selected panel and will recognise the consumers’ choice for the best title …

Outplay targeting social and mobile games, creating 150 jobs in Dundee â?? and backed by Scottish government

Capcom’s Smurf’s Village could soon overtake Angry Birds in the iOS charts as the game that generates the most revenue. Rovio’s bird-catapulting best-seller is still top of the charts on both iPhone and iPad, but Capcom’s FarmVille-esque title has risen to second place on the former, according to Gamasutra. Unlike …

As it attempts to adapt to the ever-changing games market, publisher Activision has pledged to realign its focus on its digital business. The strategic move has come at the cost of key brands such as Guitar Hero, and has also resulted in the loss of some 500 jobs. "Digital distribution …

We might not know what game Bungie is working on, but Activision says it will be one of its key long-term revenue drivers. In an investor call Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg talked up the game which isn’t scheduled to hit shelves until 2012. This is one of our key …

Sony’s ongoing war on hackers has stumbled as a judge has ruled against the company’s planned subpoenas. In order to learn more about the identities of hackers such as George ‘GeoHot’ Hotz, fail0verflow and others responsible for the surge in PS3 hacking, Sony attempted to subpoena the likes of Google, …