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

Software for the Nintendo 3DS will be region locked in much the same way as DVDs, consumer blog VG247 is reporting. In recent years the portable market has been free of region coding, with software for both the DS and PSP being (on the whole) universally compatible across all territories. …

It was only a matter of time before Amazon’s UK website began buying and selling used games. The online retailer’s US arm has been offering the same service now for almost two years, allowing users to mail in games in exchange for credit. But now that the UK site has …

Konami’s upcoming Silent Hill game has been renamed Downpour. The new title was revealed by Game Informer, promoting a more detailed reveal that will be published in its next issue. The game was formerly known as Silent Hill 8. Water is expected to be integral to Downpour’s gameplay and will …

Platform holder Nintendo has denied claims that it has stopped manufacturing the DSi ahead of the launch of the 3DS over the next two months. This morning Kotaku reported that the machine was out of production in Japan, with inventory stock being all that’s left of the machine in the …

Nintendo reckons two new titles out next month can help keep consumers excited about Mario following the mascot’s 25th anniversary. Mario Sports Mix for Wii and Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem are out for Wii and DS respectively on February 4th. Nintendo saw the full range of Mario games …

A popular German publisher will see a number of its games hit UK shelves via Koch Media. BitComposer’s PC games Wildlife Park 3 and Air Conflicts: Secret Wars (also coming to Kinect) will reach stores later this year. As a franchise Wildlife Park has sold over 500,000 units worldwide since the …

Studios could fund educators to teach pupils, and have priority on hiring them in return

IGN has signed a year-long online promotional partnership with BAFTA and the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards. The deal will sign IGN Entertainment promote this year’s awards across its network of sites. The winners of IGN’s ongoing talent search Game Changer will be central to the site’s coverage of …

Yet education secretary 'has open mind' about working with tech and games industries, culture minister insists

Registrations have opened for industry members to attend E3 2011 in Los Angeles. Exhibitors signed up so far include major platform holders Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, as well as big-name publishers including Activision, EA and Ubisoft. Registrations can be completed on the E3 website. ‘Qualified industry professionals’ who register before …