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

Prepaid digital content specialist InComm has told MCV that its products are available in more than 220,000 retail locations worldwide. The company is the largest provider of gaming cards for brands such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Runescape, which can be found in a variety of specialist games stores …

QA and localisation specialist Testronic has opened a 3D games testing studio. The firm has secured 3D technology from Sony and Panasonic and is already working on what it claims is a ‘high-profile’ high-end game for a major client. The new studio follows the launch of Testronic’s 3D Home Entertainment …

Combat of Giants will make its Wii debut this November with Dinosaurs Strike, Ubisoft announced at Gamescom today. The Ubisoft franchise has already sold more than 1m units worldwide with Dinosaurs, Mutant Insects and Dragons games appearing on DS over the past few years. Dinosaurs Strike is the latest in …

Ubisoft has revealed a handful of tracks that will be playable in the eagerly awaited Michael Jackson: The Experience. The upcoming dance game based on the late King of Pop’s career will feature some of his most popular hits, including ‘Bad’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Earth Song’, ‘The Girl is …

Oliver brothers' studio's senior team en route to Dundee

The value of the UK games software market plunged 18.2 per cent in July, compared to the same period the year before. According to Gfk Chart-Track, the number of games sold fell by 13.3 per cent. It’s a sharp fall compared to last year, although July 2009 did see the …

Ubisoft has announced Fighters Uncaged, a fighting game developed exclusively for Kinect. The game will be released in November and pits Xbox 360 owners against a variety of fighters in a series of tournaments of competitions. The Kinect controller recreates their real-life attacks in-game and the title even teaches players …

Half-life and Left 4 Dead developer Valve has reportedly revealed a February 9th 2011 release date for its PC and console puzzle FPS Portal 2. CVG also reports that Office writer and comedy actor Stephen Merchant has been drafted in as the voice of the ‘Buddy Sphere’ Wheatley in the …

FarmVille studio buys rival Facebook developer, establishing Zynga Boston

MCV wasn’t alone in keeping a particularly close eye on Sony’s Gamescom briefing last night in the hope that Sony would use the venue to at last reveal all about the still mysterious PSP2. But, despite persistent rumours and many developers having admitted to recently signing PSP-related NDAs, yet again …