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

Microsoft is offering those who have pre-ordered Xbox 360 RPG release Fable III the chance to design an in-game character who will appear in their quest when the game arrives on October 29th. The Fable III Villager Maker, which is accessible via browsers, allows those who have pre-ordered the game …

US games retail giant GameStop wants to exploit the crossover between ‘core’ gamers at retail and ‘casual’ gamers playing online. The firm this week told MCV that it is following customers to the non-console areas they play games in – with the acquisition of Flash games site Kongregate on Tuesday …

He has predicted it, Activision has denied it – but now outspoken US games analyst Michael Pachter has published his most detailed argument yet as to exactly why he believes Call of Duty: Black Ops will offer an additional paid-for multiplayer component. Multiplayer online game play is as strong as …

Game Trading Technologies Inc has announced that it is to launch its first ever games peripheral. Now it has confirmed that it has designed, developed a produced what it describes as a revolutionary plastic hockey stick that will be bundled with a new multi-player hockey video game for the Nintendo …

Dare to be Digital 2010 team Angry Mango talks exclusively to Develop about working on their entry title Mush.

Takashi Iizuka, the producer of Sega’s upcoming Sonic Colours, has warned that there’s no way the game will be able to appease the hedgehog’s disparate fanbase. There are so many fans, each with their own unique first experience of the Sonic franchise, so I do understand that there are different …

Next Level Dundee set to welcome new media professionals in early September

The head of UK developer Team 17 has said that the reason for PSPgo’s struggles has nothing to do with its reliance on digital distribution – instead, it’s down to the hardware and software pricing strategy adopted by Sony. Digital Distribution is here to stay” he Martyn Brown told IncGamers. …

Founder of Facebook game giant to open November conference

One of the best selling games on the Apple iTunes App Store is apparently making the move to console, according to an admission from its developer to The Sun. Speaking to the UK newspaper, Rovio co-founder Joe Wee stated that the studio is also releasing [Angry Birds] on Nintendo DS, …