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

Vince Zampella agreed to delay Call of Duty DLC so EA could release a game unchallenged, an internal email has alleged. The unverified claim brings new details to Activision’s previous allegation that two ousted Infinity Ward bosses had been dismissed due to acts of ‘insubordination’. Zampella was discharged from Infinity …

Former Infinity Ward boss eased the commercial climate for rival EA Battlefield game, unconfirmed memo claims

Ubisoft is making the game based on the upcoming Smurfs movie. The game is set for Nintendo Wii and DS and will launch alongside the live action/ CG-animated movie, which is scheduled for Wednesday, August 3rd. Commenting on the announcement, Mark Caplan, VP of consumer products at Sony Pictures Consumer …

Virtua Tennis 4 will launch on Wii and Kinect, Sega has announced. The game was already announced for PlayStation 3 at Sony’s Gamescom press conference in August last year. It features PlayStation Move compatibility and 3D technology. The Wii edition will make use of the Wii MotionPlus. Virtua Tennis 4 …

Frontier Developments makes 17 staff redundant

Smartphones are usurping traditional games hardware, says Capcom. The firm told MCV that more and more gamers are leaving PCs and handheld consoles for smartphones, and as a result Capcom Interactive has invested in a number of upcoming titles due for release on iPhone this year. The casual gamer that …

A consumer-facing console repair specialist is shifting its focus to retail. Repair Shop emerged on the scene last summer. It mends a range of devices, including games consoles, laptops, iPod, mobile phones and more. And now the company is offering its services to retail clients. We noticed a number of …

A new distribution agreement has been forged between PQube and dtp Young Entertainment. The publisher will be responsible for sales, marketing and PR of dtp’s titles in the UK and other PAL territories. DS karaoke title Just Sing will be the first game to be handled under the new partnership. …

Creative Distribution has bought a majority share in publisher Reef Entertainment. The deal is part of the distributor’s move into the publishing arena, which began with the launch of Sniper Elite in December. And now the company is in discussions with developers to sign new games, primiarly for PlayStation 3 …

The UK games software market plunged 11.8 per cent in December, according to GfK Chart-Track. 14.91m units of games were sold last month, down from the 16.9m sold during the same period the year before. The software value figure was also down, albeit slightly. 366.63m was made by UK games …