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

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 …

Two lynchpins of UK rock and roll history have claimed that Rock Band and Guitar Hero stop kids being dedicated to learning a real instrument. Former Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman and Pink Floyd star Nick Mason expressed their concern while recording a charity Beatles song for Children in Need …

A look at where Channel 4 is taking educational gaming

SPECIAL REPORT: Any green light from Westminster will only lead to a hold up in Brussels

Like many, I spent much of my weekend playing through what is a truly excellent game (75 per cent complete so far, thanks). There are a lot of things I love about the title, and don’t think the whisperings that this is already a ‘Game of the Year’ contender are …

Whilst the focus of much of the games media remains firmly rooted in the traditional backbone of the industry, The Guardian’s latest Tech Media Invest 100 listing has recognised some of the emerging businesses pioneering new monetisation models in the growing casual sector. All the details are over on CasualGaming.biz.