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

We know that the NExt Generation Portable will be launched in "late 2011", but how much will it cost? For now, Sony’s not saying, though the company has pledged that the machine will be "affordable". "I can’t put a ballpark on it in terms of figures, but what I would …

Upon seeing both the size and power of Sony’s new Next Generation portable, it’s inevitable that the first question many people asked was how long the battery would last – but Sony has assured that it will put up a decent display. "We’ll have a good, solid battery life because …

Almost 70m PlayStation Network accounts have been registered worldwide since the service launched. Speaking at the PSP2 reveal press conference this morning, SCE president and CEO Kaz Hirai said that over 69m accounts had been opened before January 25th. He also revealed that over 80 per cent of all PS3s …

2K Play has announced it will release Carnival Games: In Action for Xbox 360 in April. The game will be the first in the best-selling mini-game series – best known for its hugely popular Wii entries –that will use Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller. it will be known as Carnvial Games: …

It may have lost many men in the battle of 2010, but General Wii still stands tall on the battlefield that is taking place under the world’s TVs. From the West, swelled by year-on-year gains in American followers, the Xbox 360 continues to wear down Wii’s lead. From the East, …

Halo co-creator called in; Newspaper says layoffs could persist

Two senior development execs have left their post at Rockstar’s UK studios. Mark Washbrook has left his role as head of Rockstar London. Meanwhile Mark Lloyd, head of QA studio Rockstar Lincoln, has also left. "Rockstar says that neither of these departures will affect any current projects," says IGN‘s report. …

Sega Europe will up the ante of its licensing program this year, securing new merchandising deals for its hottest properties, such as Sonic The Hedgehog. To drive this renewed effort, the publisher has hired Sissel Henno as head of licensing. She will head up the department, working with current partners …

With the games industry currently soaking up every bit of information that it can about Sony’s new Next Generation portable this morning, it’s easy to forget about the PlayStation Phone – which last night was fully exposed by tech blog Engadget. The device, which leads with the Xperia Play branding …

Sony’s Next Generation Portable will use location-based services to bring players together both geographically and virtually. A system called ‘Near’, which will be pre-loaded onto all NGP handhelds, will allow owners to see what friends are in their area. They will then be able to see what they’ve been playing …