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

Activision Blizzard’s Modern Warfare 2 has been illegally downloaded over a week before release, according to blogs dedicated to the game. In devastating news for retail, one online source reports the that game has already been ripped for modded or ‘flashed’ Xbox 360 owners – and is available for illegal …

The UK’s first rehab centre for gaming addiction has swung open its doors. Broadway Lodge, a residential rehabilitation unit in Weston-super-Mare, treats around 400 addicts a year for a range of issues including, drink, drugs and gambling – but has now added gaming to the list of vices that it …

Sony studio collaborates for an online, 3D turn-based strategy

505 Games will become the only publisher in the country to release a flagship Q4 release in the same week as Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 next month – and has no fear of the epic shooter. Retail has ordered more units of Cooking Mama 3 than any other title in …

Is it now feasible to have a fully distributed development team?

Pitching, demos and presentations under the microscope

Could the video games industry be exploiting musicians; left with little option than to sell their wares super-cheap due to pressures from piracy? That’s the question posed by a Channel 4 News report today, which reveals that a sale of a music game featuring a musician’s track earns them just …

A dispute between Italian studio Twelve Interactive and UK firm OG International concerning the rights to the CID Dummy franchise has reportedly been resolved, according to Edge. The two set upon one another following the collapse of UK publisher Oxygen, from whom OGI – which is headed by former Oxygen …

Animation studio picks up gong for Killzone 2 trailer

Consumer games site CVG is reporting that Microsoft has pulled the plug on a number of games in development at Rare – including a sequel to Xbox 360 launch title Kameo. The portal claims that Rare earlier this year underwent a company-wide restructure” in an effort to focus its resources …