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

Split/Second: Velocity is a major release for Disney.It is well on-course to be the publisher’s most successful original gaming IP to-date. Not only is it a spectacular looking game, but the early response from the critics have been overwhelmingly positive, with many suggesting the game could be the kick in …

Britain’s new coalition government will prioritise key policy plans and look to find its feet” before beginning discussions on game development tax breaks, a Whitehall source has said. Though it is hoped that the new Liberal-Conservative government will ultimately back game development tax breaks – as both the Lib Dems …

Sony is beating its chest after hitting a brand new sales milestone in Australia. The next-gen console has now hit 850k sales in the region, and SCE Australia head Michael Ephraim told GameSpot that he believes that the console will pass the 1m sales barrier by the end of 2010. …

Nordic Games will fight to top the Wii karaoke market this summer with We Sing Encore. The game features 40 new songs that span rock, pop, rap and R&B, from artists such as Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, Elton John, Lady GaGa and more. Encore is due for launch around the same …

The PSPgo market may be more profitable than first thought – Slitherine claims the Sony handheld is one of its most lucrative platforms. MCV spoke to the publisher about its digital strategy following news of its merger with US firm, Matrix Games. And the company says that despite slow sales of …

30 per cent of today’s gamers never pay for the games they play – that’s the claim of a new report by tracking firm Newzoo. Whether it’s the 59p iPhone app revolution or the host of free Flash games available online, a full-time gaming habit is certainly potential cheaper today …

Illicit filesharing â??killed lots of great developersâ? says Mike Capps

Too early for new government to explore policy, says Whitehall source, though signs remain encouraging

Playlogic announced a year-on-year loss of $20.3m today for its fiscal year ending December 31st, 2009. However the publisher’s net revenues were up from the same period in its previous year increasing $9m to $11.1m – a 23 per cent rise year-on-year. It also reached an agreement with shareholders and …

Former HMV commercial director Gary Warren (picture, left) has become the new managing director of content and talent at the HMV-owned events-based MAMA Group. Taking his place will be former supply chain director Steve Napleton (picture, right), who assumes the role of commercial director immediately. As well as his new …