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

What made you want to develop Dance Central?Kasson Crooker, project director: We’ve wanted to do it for a long time. Over five years ago a bunch of us into hip-hop and dance music said someday we need to make a dance game, because it’s perfectly aligned with music. We looked …

Innovate or die. Harmonix says it’s this belief that is key to competing in the increasingly fierce music games market. And this developer is certainly not lacking in innovation. Since producing the first two Guitar Hero titles, the firm was bought out by Viacom and MTV Games in 2006 and …

Not so fast. YouView’s plan to launch an app store for the TV is emblematic of significant changes ahead. Clearly there’s a battle the three format-holders have seen coming. Their integrated channels for iPlayer, Sky and movie content are built to maintain an edge not just over each other, but …

Format-holders are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Supply enough product for launch, just enough to satisfy day one with some overspill, then you’re branded a so-so hit. Or a borderline failure. Don’t supply enough product, and you aren’t working hard enough, over-inflating demand, or simply cocked …

Leading retailers are planning special Kinect charts and in-store demo areas to celebrate the peripheral’s arrival next week – despite a complete sell-out nationwide. GAME has already been running Kinect evenings in many of its stores, which the firm says have given it an edge over its rivals. What I …

In a move that will delight the series’ many followers, Crytek has confirmed that it is putting in the groundwork to try and get a new entry in the TimeSplitters franchise off the ground. The studio, which was formerly known as Free Radical and was the original creator of the …

A bug in the iPhone’s alarm settings meant that the smartphone forgot to wake users across the UK this morning, due to the software failing to update to the Daylight Savings Time switchover. The clocks went back an hour yesterday to resume standard GMT time, however what appears to be …

Design middleware firm makes first release since Illuminate Labs acquisition

Casual publisher PopCap has announced that it will in December release Bejeweled 3. An assortment of expansions aside, it’s the first proper sequel to 2004 hit Bejeweled 2. The Bejeweled series has sold over 50m units across the globe and has been played by an estimated 500m people for a …

â??I am not sure I would say tax breaks were poorly targetedâ?? says Treasury director