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

Students and MMO devs also set to gain from tech releases

Emerging UK games force Foreign Media Games is to publish Casual Mania – its second release in the region – on DS next month. The game bundles four established casual game types into a varied handheld collection – hidden object (Mystery Case Files), marble popping (Zuma), match-3 (Bejeweled) and time …

A new take on how to deliver demo games has reportedly been patented by PlayStation platform holder Sony. Best described as a ‘deteriorating’ or ‘degradable’ tech, the idea is that gamers would initially receive the full version of the game in question. However, over time features would be removed until …

Jason West and Vince Zampella accuse publisher of forcing them out to reclaim Call of Duty

Some of Blockbuster’s 650 UK stores could be at risk as the company seeks to slash property costs. MCV understands that the retail giant has recruited KPMG to help renegotiate rents and leases with landlords, which could result in the closure of UK stores if agreements can’t be reached. However, …

Indies and analysts have already written off plans by supermarket chains to sell pre-owned games – just a week after trials began. Last week MCV reported that Asda and Tesco had started to test the viability of a trade-in offer in a small number of stores – two Tesco branches …

They came, they drank their weight in beer, and they were quizzed – and, in the end, Splash Damage proved it was the smartest games developer in London last night. Developer of upcoming console shooter Brink, Splash Damage triumphed over second placed Curve Studios and third placed Rocksteady after answering …

In what is quickly becoming a very common trend, Take-Two has admitted that it is investigating the possibility of embracing the recent trend for including DLC codes in the boxes of their releases. The scheme offers free digital content to those buy their games brand new, but requires those who …

The highlights of Jason West and Vince Zampella’s court documents against Activision can be found here. The complaint, posted online by IGN, accuses Activision of forcing the two former Infinity Ward bosses out so the publisher can avoid paying substantial bonus payments, as well as claim creative control of the …

Take-Two can deny the claims until it’s blue in the face, but analysts are seemingly unwilling to believe that Grand Theft Auto V is not in the works – and now one has gone a step further by predicting a full reveal for the title in the coming weeks. There …