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

A major new option in games distribution has emerged, and you already know its name: Sony DADC. The company best known for manufacturing PC and PlayStation games this week told MCV it is now offering primary distribution services to publishers and developers. DADC will flex the muscle of its already-established disc …

Retailer GAME is offering a guaranteed trade-in offer on Namco Bandai’s Test Drive Unlimited 2 that effectively means gamers can obtain the title for just 5. Any customer who buys the game for 39.99 on either Xbox 360 or PS3 will be entitled to trade the game in for 35 …

Having arrived on Xbox 360 on February 1st, Call of Duty: Black Ops’ first DLC release First Strike will hit PS3 on March. The reason for the delay is the deal struck between Microsoft and Activision last year that will see all Call of Duty DLC enjoy a period of …

The man who launched Xbox gets the rapid-fire question treatment

Cutbacks at Activision will result in 500 jobs lost at the publisher, Develop reports. The firm this evening confirmed a restructuring effort to focus on a reduced slate of titles going forward, including the death of the Guitar Hero franchise, some near-completed projects, and layoffs at (and potential closures of) …

Publisher will shell out up to $50m in severance costs to lost staff

As well as the shock scrapping of the iconic Guitar Hero franchise this evening, Activision has delivered another shocker – the first word of an online-only spin-off to the Call of Duty universe. Details are scant and come from the ongoing investor conference call. The publisher has lifted the lid …

The reports are correct. There will be no more Guitar Hero games. "Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing’s Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011," a statement in Activision’s financial report, filed tonight, reveals. Earlier …

[Update:Activision has confirmed around 500 job losses.] Publisher Activision will later today announce severe and sweeping cuts across its global organisation, reports claim. The Call Of Duty owner is thought will make an unknown number of staff at London and Leamington Spa studio FreeStyleGames redundant, while the future of Canadian …

Guitar Hero and True Crime projects abolished, with multiple studios braced for cuts