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

Rockstar Games has finally spoken on the record about accusations that the working atmosphere at its San Diego studio were cruch-heavy. A statement posted on its official reader response blog conceded that there are ‘challenges’ in games development, but that it was ‘saddened’ some staff felt under too much pressure. …

The entire editorial staff of fledgling video games website Crispy Gamer have been laid off, it has been confirmed. Furthermore, the news was followed by the immediate departure of CEO Chris Heldman, whom Joystiq reports walked away from the company in protest at the redundancies. The collapse comes just a …

Konami has lifted the lid on a brand new digital Metal Gear Solid bundle for PSP that’s now available to download on the North American arm of Sony’s PlayStation Network. The $29.99 single download includes gaming duo Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Portable Ops Plus, as well as the …

The web portal of global hit BBC TV show Top Gear has introduced a new games review section that, unsurprisingly, focuses on driving simulations. The section is currently headed up by Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport 3, which scores a more than respectable 9/10. Others games currently listed include Need for Speed …

Leading game engine group talks of adapting to an increasingly democratised development sector

Despite the luke-warm reception that has so far greeted Tony Hawk: Ride’s arrival on the market, it seems that work is already underway on the sequel. Tony hawk himself said yesterday on Twitter: [I] just met with @robomodo about our next project and it’s already much better than I expected. …

BBC Worldwide has named former EA and Yahoo exec Robert Nashak as EVP of digital entertainment as part of its games strategy reboot. The news comes after yesterday’s revelation that the broadcaster is courting both publishers and developers to turn Doctor Who, Top Gear, In The Night Garden and many, …

The build up to this year Gamescom has begun – and exhibitors are being invited to sign up at special early prices. The trade fair takes place in Cologne on Wednesday, August 18th and will run until Sunday, August 22nd. Prospective exhibitors are already being encouraged to visit the Gamescom …

Video games have been blamed for a surge in the name of rickets cases in UK children. Doctors claim children are spending too much time indoors playing games or browsing social networking sites. This leads to a lack of vitamin D, a key cause of rickets, according to a report …

A look at the character art outsourcing studio