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

It seems that global economic slowdown has yet to reach the sunny vistas of California’s Mountain View with news that Google’s revenues enjoyed a year-on-year increase of 17 per cent for the quarter ending December 31st 2009. Total revenues hit $6.67bn for the period, up from the $5.7bn in the …

Sony’s PSP surged to the top of the weekly hardware charts in Japan this week, but Media Create’s official figures show that the picture is far from rosy for Sony’s enduring handheld in its homeland. The PSP-3000, complete with UMD drive, shifted 71,186 units last week – beating the Wii …

It’s not just the BBC that wants to boost its games activity – ITV also wants to see more of its key properties on consoles after having already licensed hit shows such as I’m A Celebrity to Koch and Dancing On Ice to Ghostlight. We have licensed a considerable amount …

A Sonic-branded rollercoaster will launch at Alton Towers next month. The rollercoaster is part of a three-year deal between Alton Towers and Sega, which will see the publisher hold exclusive video game rights at the resort. The Alton Towers Hotel will also feature a Sonic The Hedgehog themed room, which …

Develop Jury looks at both sides of the coin

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