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

A sequel to Final Fantasy XIII will be released this year. At Square Enix’s Japanese event yesterday, the publisher made the surprise announcement of Final Fantasy XIII-2, which will continue the adventures of last year’s hit RPG. The game will be released in Japan before the end of the year, …

Next Elder Scrolls title to feature Behaviour animation tool

The last few years have seen 505 deliver diversity and success on a scale sufficient for it to no longer be called ‘the Cooking Mama company’. If you look at its most recent releases and its 2011 slate, it certainly seems determined not to be pigeonholed. Last year its pillar …

Nintendo has spoken out over rumours that its upcoming 3DS handheld will be region-locked. Last week MCV reported that 3DS games may only work on hardware bought from the same territory. Nintendo still isn’t clear on whether this is entirely the case although it stressed the importance of buying games …

Gran Turismo 5 owners will be able to use Remote Races as of next month. The feature, known to fans as Gran Tursimo Anywhere, was announced before the game’s release but was removed from the retail version. Remote Races allows GT5 players to control their B-Spec races on their PS3 …

PC fans of upcoming shooter Bulletstorm have been described as grumpy” as disputes emerge over the game’s demo. Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski has teased consumers that have already expressed disappointment that only Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will be able to sample the studio’s over-the-top FPS. Bulletstorm demo coming to …

Culture minister Ed Vaizey held meetings with games firms today over Research and Development tax credits. The likes of UKIE, Tiga, Revolution Software, Ubisoft Reflections and Playfish were at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the talks. Vaizey said: "We are making sure that games are at the …

Key talks held ahead of skills review publication

Analyst group estimates 30 million apps sold each day

The Nintendo 3DS will be compatible with standard DSi chargers when it hits stores later this year. Game boxes are also slimmer than DS titles, and 3DS consoles can exchange data with other units even when in sleep mode, reports GoNintendo. The site issued a roundup of hardware details following …