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

The world’s three biggest retail markets for video games saw a combined decline of eight per cent in sales last year according to a new report. A new Top Global Markets report from NPD, GfK-ChartTrack and Famitsu – which integrates data from USA, UK and Japan – shows the downtown …

According to recent findings from Top Global Markets, an integrated monthly report from leading providers of consumer and retail information in the video games industry, The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited and Enterbrain, Inc., combined video game software unit sales across the world’s three largest games markets experienced a decline …

Global retailer EB Games is to throw its weight behind the drive to legalise violent games in Australia by promoting awareness of the campaign in its many stores across the territory. Due to the way the Australian regulators are structured, the highest certificate currently available for video games is M15+, …

From tomorrow a number of PlayStation Minis titles will go on sale for two weeks, with savings of between 50p and 1.50. The cuts come as part of what Sony is calling ‘Minis Month’. All the details are over on CasualGaming.biz.

â??The only failing in the otherwise truly excellent Modern Warfare 2 was that the story felt quite old-schoolâ?

[UPDATE:Take-Two has since denied that development jobs are under threat, but has confirmed that a corporate restructure is in progress.] Up to 400 Take-Two staff could end up being laid off by the publisher. According to MCV sources the games giant has to make some tough decisions as it prepares …

The PS3 will eventually outsell Xbox 360 – that’s the prediction of PlayStation Network boss Peter Dille, who claims that Microsoft’s machine is unlikely to enjoy the same ten-year lifecycle that Sony has planned for PS3. I’m confident PS3 will be around in ten years and I can say that …

Direct2Drive has launched its new EU store. The new store can be found at www.direct2drive.eu, and is aimed at customers living in continental Europe, complete with Euro pricing. The IGN-owned digital distribution firm has also teamed up with publishers on a series of price promotions, beginning with 50 per cent …

Yet another Sony executive has gone on record to confirm that the platform holder is currently accessing the possibility of adding a subscription payment model to its online PSN network. I think there is just tremendous improvements to the PlayStation Network,” PSN boss Peter Dille told IGN. It’s been our …

Codemasters has this morning told MCV that talk of an impending closure of its US office is incorrect, though it has confirmed six job losses at its Californian operation. Consumer website IGN last night reported that Codemasters had laid off the marketing staff at its American operations and will soon …