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

Cult shmup creator on the West/East game design divide, and looking to new genres

Speaking at Ubisoft’s E3 conference, company CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed that game design luminary Michael Ancel is returning to Rayman, the series he conceived, to create a 2D platformer named Rayman Origins. The game is set for a XBLA and PSN release, and has been created by a team …

The sports games market always belonged to EA. In its ‘90s heyday it was renowned for creating the finest licensed sports sims around, launching timeless franchises – from NBA to FIFA. With EA’s marketing muscle and the power of the official licence, EA Sports had become a sales force worldwide. …

The sports games market always belonged to EA.In its ‘90s heyday it was renowned for creating the finest licensed sports sims around, launching timeless franchises – from NBA to FIFA. With EA’s marketing muscle and the power of the official licence, EA Sports had become a sales force worldwide.But with …

Though we’re still waiting for an official RRP for Microsoft’s Kinect motion camera, UK retailer GAME has told MCV that interest in the device amongst consumers is proving strong. Although we have no confirmed pricing for the UK, Kinect is increasingly looking like a must-have item for both the casual …

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has told investors that the publisher wants a slice of the $3bn pre-owned games. Speaking at the Activision E3 2010 investor conference he said: Today there’s a $3bn used game market that we do not participate in. If we look at the share of market we …

The first UK retail listings for the Xbox 360 Slim have gone live with a pre-order price of 199, mirroring Microsoft’s promise that the new design will cost the same as the existing hardware. Play.com is the first UK retailer to begin taking orders on the unit, but expect others …

Although the actual Expo itself doesn’t start until later today, yesterday E3 was opened in spectacular fashion, with Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and Virgin press conferences. Between them a raft of new hardware, online services and original games were unveiled. And MCV has been reporting on every single detail. But if …

With the $299 Xbox 360 Slim already making its way to the North American High Street, Microsoft has confirmed that a second model is also in the works. In the same way that the old machine came in two versions – a high-end Elite model and an entry-level Arcade SKU …

Ubisoft unveiled one of its most varied line-ups to date last night at its E3 press conference, including games based on celebrities, revitalised franchises and ambitious new IP. You can find each of these announcements detailed in our E3 feed, or check out our summary of the biggest Ubisoft news …