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

The games retail market is going through a shift. Over the past 12 months, specialist retailers have been declining – with 115 game or entertainment shops closing its doors. In contrast, supermarkets have opened 343 outlets over the same period. The information comes part of MCV’s research into the 14 …

The news that Microsoft has priced the Kinect motion camera right at the top end of the expected price range has been met with anger from followers of the device on Facebook. A selection of comments include: • Simon Kitcher: Total rip off!!!• Karl Crowther: This product will bomb at …

Hot on the heels of its official announcement regarding the UK price for Kinect, Microsoft has also confirmed the details of the long rumoured ‘cut-price’ Xbox 360 S SKU. Officially called the Xbox 360 4GB, the machine will include in-built wi-fi (a feature some had speculated would be culled in …

Microsoft has at last announced an official price for Kinect – and it’s come in at the top end of the UK industry’s estimates. The standalone device will retail for 129.99 and will include a copy of Kinect Adventures in the box. In Europe it will cost €149.99 and in …

Sega has announced it will be releasing the official video game of the upcoming Marvel film, Thor. Players will take on the role of the God of Thunder, wielding the sacred hammer Mjolnir against beasts from the various Norse realms. The game will feature a storyline based around both the …

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has established Sainsbury’s as a major player in games, claims the supermarket. The retailer celebrated the impact of the game’s launch during its 2010 Entertainment Conference, highlighting the event as one of its most successful ventures in the past twelve months – thanks to …

Many of the video games companies rushing towards the digital markets will fail. That’s the warning from Digital River’s global gaming VP Jeff Hemenway, who is concerned by the sheer number of start-ups and major publishers looking to capitalise on free-to-play games and digital downloads. There is a goldrush, there’s …

A new UK games trade site has launched, which offers consumers three ways to buy and sell titles. GaBoom.co.uk allows users to either contact other members on the site’s forum to agree on postage terms, use GaBoom’s own escrow service or ‘Secure Swap’ feature for a safer transaction. We have …

Peripheral to include a copy of Kinect Adventures in the box

An update to the CV of a level and mission designer currently working at Microsoft Game Studios’ 343 Industries seems to suggest that work began this month on a brand new title in the lucrative Halo franchise. As spotted by CVG, the document now claims the developer in question began …