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

A leaked snapshot of a supposed Google ad has lead to speculation that the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops could be an Xbox 360 exclusive. Little-known site Leakerz.net claims to have screens of the beta signup page, which also reckons early access will go live tonight – …

Michael Rawlinson this week called for the industry to work closer together as the games market evolved and changes . Speaking in a wide-ranging speech at the Abertay Digital Spark conference, the ELSPA director general said "boundaries are blurring between developer and publisher and with these changes new opportunities are …

Rockstar has announced that an HD version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be released for the Apple iPad on September 9th, priced at $9.99. In addition to the wide range of features developed specifically for the previous App Store iterations, including intuitive multi-touch user interface controls, adjusted difficulty …

Just days before the company is due to rebrand to UKIE, ELSPA boss Michael Rawlinson today took to the stage at the Abertay Digital Spark conference to call for unity in the industry. Here, MCV presents the full transcript of his speech, which covers why the organisation is rebranding, what …

New peripherals supported on popular middleware and development tool set

Publisher EA has announced that it is bringing its children’s’ virtual world Littlest Pet Shop Online to the UK this September. The game is based on the popular Hasbro kids licence. Targeted at girls, it offers the chance to create and customise pets and share them with online friends. Players …

Disney Interactive has revealed the extra it will be throwing in with its Collector’s Edition version of interesting Wii outing Epic Mickey. 1UP reports that the SKU includes a five inch Epic Mickey figurine, a console skin for the Wii, a WiiMote Faceplate and behind the scenes DVD. We’re thrilled …

2K Games successful action RPG Borderlands is to get a Game of the Year Edition this month. CVG reports that the SKU will contain previously released DLC The Zombie Island of Dr Ned, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot and The Secret Armory of General Knoxx on the disc. In addition, a …

Publisher Sony has taken the interesting step of offering players the chance to purchase a small piece of extra functionality in online shooter MAG in return for paying a monthly fee. As of yesterday, players are now able to purchase additional character slots for the game that allow them to …

Social networking game Madden NFL Superstars has launched on Facebook today. It’s the American football equivalent of FIFA Superstars which launched earlier this year – with both titles developed by casual firm Playfish. Madden NFL Superstars features 1,500 players from 32 NFL teams and allows users to play against friends …