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

Competitors hoping to release alternatives to Kinect will find it very difficult to replicate the advances found in the software powering the device, Microsoft has stated. "I think what we’ve done with the software is something that’s really hard to pull off," Microsoft Game Studios’ head Kinect designer Kudo Tsunoda …

The legions of fans continuing the play the online segments of titles such as Modern Warfare 2, Bad Company 2, Gears of War 2, Halo 3 and FIFA 10 remains the main reason why the global games industry continues to suffer year-on-year sales declines, according to analyst Michael Pachter. Furthermore, …

Zenimax owned publisher Bethesda Softworks has announced that that it is to open a new Benelux office in Eindhoven. The new base of operations will oversee sales and marketing throughout The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg. It will be headed by new territory general manager Menno Eijck, who most recently served …

The Xbox 360 version of PopCap’s successful desktop defence title Plants vs Zombies will be released on XBL tomorrow (September 8th) for 1200 Microsoft Points – which is around 10. PopCap also confirmed retail versions of Zuma and Peggle will hit stores later this year. Plants vs Zombies on Xbox …

Consumers looking to get involved in the PlayStation Move experience but not intending to pick up the Move Starter Pack will be able to download demos of a number of Move-compatible titles over PSN. The news comes from the US PlayStation forum where the platform holder states: Most of the …

Kinect may be the pioneer of entirely controller-free games control, but there was a time in its development when both British developer Rare and Microsoft Game Studios boss Peter Molyneux were adamant” that some sort of physical controller was vital to its success. We went over to see Kinect – …

Warren Spector recounts the nervy time he told his team to go back to the drawing board

With Andy Murray imploding on the courts of Flushing Meadows earlier this week, it has been left to publisher 2K Sports to bring a bit of cheer back to British tennis with confirmation of a 2011 release for Top Spin 4. The game will boast a completely redesigned control scheme …

The decline of the boxed PC games market has claimed one of its most high-profile casualties yet with news that the PC arm of famed football management series Championship Manager has been put on hold”. Instead, developer Beautiful Game Studios is to focus on expanding the series into growing markets …

UK studio partners with Chinese games group Shanda