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

The pressure is mounting on Australian authorities to introduce legislation to legalise the sale of adult-rated video games, with both retailers and consumers throwing their support behind the initiative. We would fully support and instigate any new legislation the government seeks fit to introduce,” a spokesperson for the Aussie branch …

5 studios cut so far: RedOctane, Neversoft, Luxoflux, Radical, Underground

One of the founders of controversial BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay has lifted the lid on a brand new venture named Flattr that hopes to make money for a wide range of creative hopefuls. Members of Flattr will pay a minimum monthly subscription fee of €2, though they will be …

Looking for a new job? Industry veteran Trevor Williams is here to help...

Publishing kingpin makes swift reductions in music game investment

Such is the momentum driving Sony’s PS3 onwards and upwards right now that SCEA has warned consumers that retail may face shortages of the in-demand console over the coming weeks. We’re working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the …

Highly anticipated FPS sequel BioShock has shot straight to the top of the ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 on its first week of release. Furthermore, it becomes the biggest new release of the year to date in the process, surpassing EA’s Mass Effect 2 in the process, which slips …

With falling sales of Rock Band blamed for a three per cent year-on-year decline in sales for Harmonix owner Viacom, the company has said that it wants a partial refund of bonuses paid to the developer in 2008. Viacom enjoyed strong profits of $694m for the quarter ending December 31st, …

Activision revealed the brutality of its latest redundancy operation over the weekend by confirming that Red Octane’s offices had closed down with substantial jobs cut. The closure of RedOctane – a studio which only a year ago appeared in excellent health – adds to a worryingly growing list of Activision …

Workforce cut to a skeleton crew, reports claim, as the Guitar Hero studio closes doors