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

Speaking to investors following its recent financial report, THQ CEO Brian Farrell has admitted that a combination of robust downloadable content and premium online play” will be its main weapons against the ‘threat’ of pre-owned games. He believes that the combination will increase our digital revenue, engage players with our …

Lack of royalties after Heavenly Sword removed the safety net

MTV Games has confirmed that appointment of David Walker as its new international sales director of the international sales team. Walker, who was most recently at CDV before the company was forced to close, is an industry veteran of 15 years whose former employers include 505 Games and Atari. He …

Publisher Ubisoft has detailed what consumers will find in the box of the Collector’s Edition of upcoming action title Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Destructoid reports that the SKU will include the game, two exclusive single-player maps, a physical map of the in-game world, art book, a making-of DVD, soundtrack and a …

Google is said to have acquired social games group Jambool in what is widely believed to be part of a covert operation to become a serious Facebook rival. The search engine giant has acquired the San Francisco-based company in a deal worth up to $75 million, claims a TechCrunch report. …

THQ has reports losses in both sales and income for the three months ending June 30th, 2010. The publisher’s net sales fell by 39 per cent year-on-year from $243.5m to $149.4m. Sales were largely driven by UFC Undisputed 2010, just as they were driven by UFC Undisputed 2009 in the …

Not for the first time, THQ has pointed the finger at the tough competitive window” for causing the lower then expected sales of recent release UFC Undisputed 2010. THQ suffered a $30.1m loss in its last financial quarter. UFC was named as one of the reasons for this slip. Although …

Online retailer ShopTo.net has released a downloadable app for iPhone users. The free app allows customers to browse games, check their orders, make pre-orders and buy new products. It also includes new game trailers, reviews and a forum with 40,000 other gamers. Users can even link the app to their …

The Ace Combat series will be ‘reborn’ on Xbox 360 and PS3 next year, Namco Bandai has told MCV. Ace Combat Assault Horizon marks the first time the franchise has appeared on PlayStation 3. Developed once again by Project Aces, the team has set about creating a more destructive air …

Honeyslug lead design supremo Nat Marco outlines her studio's top tips for building games character gold