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

UK Juice and US Rainbow studios renamed and restructured under THQ Digital umbrella, charged with making online titles

Best Buy has refuted growing industry chatter about a partnership with European games specialist, GAME. Several industry nose-tappers have suggested the US retail giant is looking to buy GAME outright. Meanwhile, others suggested that branded in-store concessions would appear in Best Buy’s UK outlets when they open in the spring, …

Decorated game composer and producer joins Goichi Sudaâ??s team for EA project

Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll will expand the fanbase for its long-running arcade-style puzzle franchise, thanks to Balance Board compatibility. That’s according to Sega, which is holding high hopes for the upcoming Wii title, due for release on February 12th. The firm believes the device’s accessibility will introduce the …

Microsoft has dashed hopes that the launch of a standalone SKU for the 250GB Xbox 360 HDD in Japan may lead to a similar move in the UK, while at the same time suggesting that the current top-end 120GB model is on the way out. Microsoft is now offering a …

Philippines studio closure follows months of intermittent expansion and contraction

Publisher Warner Interactive has announced that it has shipped over 1m copies of its critically acclaimed DS title Scribblenauts since it was first released last September. The game uses an innovative mechanic that requires users to spell out the name objects needed to solve puzzles and fight enemies. To date …

A new range of WWE-licensed accessories will soon hit shelves, thanks to a new deal between the wrestling federation and Pinpoint Consumer Electonics. Under the agreement, the peripherals firm will be able to produce and market accessories and other products boasting officially licensed images of WWE’s most popular wrestlers, as …

How-To-Draw author Christopher Hart wants to launch a series of art games that utilises the DS stylus, as well as Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3’s motion controllers. Hart’s books, which teach readers to draw a wide range of subjects – from Manga to human anatomy – have sold more than …

Take-Two has denied our earlier report that it will layoff a segment of its workforce. The company says it will not make any significant cuts – branding current rumour and speculation in the trade that it will do so as ‘erroneous’. And while the games giant flat out denies cuts …