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

Developers let go as Seattle multimedia giant reorganises

The iPhone 4 arrived in the UK this morning, with customers queuing from the early hours to be in with a chance of laying their hands on one. Apple’s latest smartphone went on sale from 7am today, by which point BBC News reports that hundreds were waiting outside Apple’s flagship …

Satoru Iwata has claimed that the best way to improve the industry’s falling sales is to abandon previous winning formulas. Speaking to Venture Beat, the Nintendo president said that gamers aren’t engaged any more by the same titles that used to shift millions and the industry needs to adapt to …

GAME has already reduced its price point for Sony’s PlayStation Move, despite the device not being due until September. Originally giving a price tag of 39.99, the UK retailer has now reduced the Move to 34.99, according to VG247. The new Move price now undercuts that of Amazon (37.91) and …

The DS may have been swamped by casual software over the years, but Nintendo president Saturo Iwata is confident the 3DS can retain its focus on the core audience. Speaking to Japanese news service Nikkei, Iwata said that he plans to work more closely with both first and third-party developers …

Microsoft claims the initial $150 price point for its new Kinect motion controller has not been finalised. The company previously gave it a price tag of $149.99 on its official online store, but a warning has now been added to the listing: Official pricing has not been announced. $149.99 is …

A Microsoft executive has claimed a Kinect version of Halo would defeat the point of the new Xbox device. Microsoft’s senior director of global marketing for Xbox 360 Albert Penello told Industry Gamers he would prefer to see developers create a new type of shooter for the new controller, rather …

Reports from the US say Hasbro is in early-stage buy-out talks with a private equity firm. Financial scuttlebutt says the firm is in talks with Providence Equity Partners to take the company private in a leveraged buy-out – a way for private equity firms to finance large acquisitions through debt, …

It may have stolen the show at E3, but retailers aren’t banking on 3DS to launch in Europe this side of Christmas. No one is doubting that Nintendo’s new handheld – described by one buyer as a ‘major step forward in handheld gaming’ – will impress when it arrives. But …

The message is loud and clear: retailers say Microsoft’s Kinect needs a mainstream-friendly price if it is to befriend mainstream consumers. The 360 device was the other major hardware reveal at E3 last week. As MCV revealed last year, the device is due in November. However, Microsoft still refuses to …