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

Traditional handheld games consoles are in decline with 1m fewer devices produced this year compared to 2009. The drop has been attributed to the rise in popularity of mobile phones equipped to play games and other forms of entertainment. Research shows handheld consoles will decline 2.5 per cent to 38.9m …

As has been suspected for some time, Atari has confirmed that its Xbox 360, PS3 and PC racer Test Drive Unlimited 2 has been delayed until the first quarter of 2011. Speaking to GameSpot, Eden Games studio manager David Nadal said the extra time will allow for further polish, particularly …

Search giantâ??s gaming aspirations turn up a notch with rumoured investment in successful iPhone developer

Google Ventures, the venture capitalist arm of the internet company, has reportedly invested between $3-5m in successful iPhone games developer Ngmoco. Already this month Google has been linked with two possible games acquisitions – the first a $182 deal for developer Slide and the second a rumoured buyout of in-app …

The High Court ruling that confirmed DS R4 piracy cards are illegal will get developers excited about the DS again. Last month, a UK specialist IP court helped solidify the case against the cards, encouraging some rogue retailers to confess to being guilty of IP theft. The platform holder hopes …

Sony Ericsson is planning to launch an Android-powered gaming smartphone which may carry PlayStation branding, according to a report on tech blog Engadget. Citing a ‘trusted source’, the report claims that the device could be revealed as early as this October, running the as-yet unreleased Android 3.0 operating system. The …

Dare to be Digital 2010 team Bears with Jetpacks talks exclusively to Develop about working on their entry title Grrr!

Sony Ericsson rumoured to be at work on touchscreen gaming smartphone

We speak to the studios and tech firms making Europe shine

Nintendo has confirmed an October 22nd release date for Professor Layton and the Lost Future. The game is the third outing for the handheld puzzle-adventure and sees the Professor and Luke dealing with a future threat to London. It includes 165 new puzzles and several new mini-games – as well …