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

Microsoft is planning a $150 top-of-the-range SKU as one of its retail offerings for this Q4’s Halo Reach. PlanetXbox360 reports that three SKUs are planned. As well as the standalone release, the Limited Edition version will include a special case, collectibles and in-game armour”. That will retail for $80. The …

Insiders suggest that as many as fifty are gone

Gamers are now being offered the chance to insure their purchases at the checkout in some select HMV stores. The trial offers consumers the chance to protect their purchases against a range of problems including theft or damage for just 1. At the moment the idea is just a trial, …

The three leading political parties have laid out their plans for the UK games industry ahead of the General Election. Manifestos released from TIGA and ELSPA have called on the incoming Government to help tackle the skills crisis for games developers, provide financial support to studios and improve broadband connectivity. …

And $99 up-front to use the free engine for commercial purposes

Distributor Funtastic has backed out of the Australian games market. The supplier will now focus on toys and DVD. The decision follows tough economic conditions in the territory, and the firm doesn’t expect things to improve moving forward. The decision to exit games was made based on sustainability and profitability …

Foreign Media Games has secured a new distribution deal with Advantage. The distributor will now exclusively handle the publisher’s titles in the UK throughout 2010 and beyond. We’ve been very impressed with Foreign Media Games’ commitment to the UK,” said Advantage’s general manager Max Butler (pictured). The investment in product …

Speaking on a Facebook page called ‘Gamers Against Bobby Kotick and Activision’, an Activision’s media manager Dan Amrich has insisted claims that Activision sacked former Infinity Ward owners Jason West and Vince Zampella to avoid honouring bonus payments outlined in their contracts are untrue. Instead, he insists the money once …

An update to the popular McAfee anti-virus software has left many owners of PCs running Windows XP SP3 unable to use their machines. Software such as McAfee automatically updates its virus definitions (parameters by which the program identifies and isolated potentially malicious files) every time it boots. However, the most …

Though upcoming triple-A titles such as Fable III have pledged their support for Microsoft’s motion camera Natal, Bungie has ruled out any possible support for the peripheral in its upcoming FPS Halo Reach. Practically speaking, Natal didn’t exist until Reach was already two years into development,” Bungie’s community director Brian …