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

Square Enix has just confirmed the rumours – Final Fantasy XIII will be released on PS3 in Japan on December 17th. The game will cost YEN 8,800 – that translates to around 60, which could conceivably point to a higher than normal RRP in the UK a la Call of …

As reported by MCV last month, SCEE is to add a number of new titles to its PS3 Platinum software range. The new titles joining the line-up are Guerrilla Games’ Killzone 2, Evolution’s Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and Insomniac’s Resistance: 2 in the 19.99 catalogue shortly in the UK. The exact …

Operations manager promoted a Mechscape draws near

Alex Seropian and his Wideload studio is acquired by Mickey Mouse firm

Another Electronic Arts exec heads to a casual gaming start-up

Numbers from La Tribune suggest that the PS3 Slim sold 37,000 units in its first week of release in France – an increase of 1000 per cent. The growth mirrors that seen in the UK according to ChartTrack, and the actual sales number is likely to be similar to the …

You can ‘pay what you like’ for Eidos’ new Championship Manager. A brave new step in games’ business model – or a headline-grabbing gimmick? Tim Ingham reports… You don’t get something for nothing. But for a penny? The world’s your oyster. Radiohead’s decision to ask fans to ‘pay what you …

Microsoft has defended its decision to hand over the development responsibilities of Crackdown 2 to Scottish startup studio Ruffian. Back in December, Realtime Worlds – developers of the original Crackdown – had explicitly contested rumours that Ruffian was working on the lucrative IP. I very much doubt that Microsoft would …

Broadcaster highlights the merits of smaller teams for its new educational games

Many are predicting that publisher Square Enix will later this morning at a Tokyo press event announce the release date of the massively hyped Final Fantasy XIII in Japan. Furthermore, an ad that went live on Square Enix’s Japanese website yesterday suggests that December 17th will be the day the …