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

Ahead of the release of the first sales numbers of Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops today, the state media of Cuba has denounced the title, claiming that it stimulates sociopathic attitudes”. Much of the reaction stems from the game’s opening mission, which sees players taking part in an attempted …

UK production services firm reveals contribution to Fable studio work

Publisher EA has announced that it has updated the terms of its global publishing agreement with LucasArts that will see it assume extra responsibilities toward the title. The company will now handle additional publishing, marketing and distribution responsibilities that LucasArts was previously handling. It claims the move has been made …

Sony is to embark on a dedicated marketing campaign in Latin America following a tremendous boom for the PlayStation market in the region. The new ad spots, made by sector specialist Saatchi & Saatchi, feature both the PS3 and PlayStation Move and focus on a character called ‘babyman’ (who has …

Day one sales numbers pegged at just 40,000 units as Microsoft faces uphill battle in competitive smartphone sector

High Street giants: â??We will refuse to sell Steam gamesâ??

A report from TheStreet claims that on its first day of release Microsoft sold just 40,000 Windows Phone 7 units. TheStreet adds that the number doesn’t account for the 89,000 free Windows Phone 7 devices that were handed out to Microsoft employees. The numbers are thon into stark contrast when …

Steam’s grip on the PC download sector has made the market far too competitive to bother with, rivals warn. MCV understands that at least two big-name digital retailers are facing financial difficulties as they struggle to compete. They are now calling on publishers to develop Steam-free SKUs – as Sports …

Develop looks at four companies at the heart of the Quebec development cluster

Nickelodeon Fit has arrived in the US, giving kids the chance to leap around with the likes of Dora the Explorer. The title, from 2K Play and Nickelodeon, features 30 games developed in collaboration with physical education and expert science expert Dr Jacqueline Goodway PhD. Activities use either the Wii …