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

With violent games currently causing a stir in Australia, closer to home it has emerged that Switzerland is now considering banning violent video games outright in the territory. A resolution restricting the sale of mature games to minors has already been passed unopposed, according to Gamesmarkt, and will be now …

Sega has placed faith in an external indie developer to build on its treasured Sonic franchise. Osaka-based Dimps – developers of Capcom’s Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD – were hired last year to build the new episodic Sonic game. Develop has the full story.

While less than half believe that labour laws protect them from their employers

Famed MMO creator and father of Ultima Online Rcichard Garriott has returned to the games industry after revealing that he’s one of the founder of social gaming startup Portalarium. Joining him at Portalarium are the likes of Dallas Snell and Fred Schmidt, both of whom worked with Garriott at both …

Though one unnamed game allocated â??as low as 2%â? budget share

Much like his PlayStation-loving team mate Fernando Torres, Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson has become the latest sports star to confess his love for gaming – more specifically, Eidos’ Championship Manager. As well as keeping him sane during his ongoing spell on the sidelines due to injury, the game has also …

Having already hit Xbox 360 and PC late last year, futuristic shooter Section 8 is now heading to PS3 – though developer TimeGate has skipped publishers and retail, opting instead for a digital-only release on the PlayStation Network. The decision is most likely related to TimeGate’s legal spat with SouthPeak, …

Virginia-based US publisher SouthPeak Interactive has seen the $1.2m profit it enjoyed in the quarter ending December 31st 2008 turn into a $2.6m loss for the same period in 2009. Also down were revenues – they fell from $17.3m to $10.1m, a decline of 42 per cent. Operating costs, however, …

UK development legend calls for Canada-style tax breaks

Sony is set to demonstrate the latest version of its motion controller prototype at this year’s Game Developers Conference in March. The unveiling will give a rare public presentation of the unfinished peripheral, which was first unveiled at last year’s E3 event. The full story can be read on Develop.