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

Publishers need to consider the ‘wider context’ of ads for violent games if they don’t want to see them banned from TV. That’s according to the Advertising Standards Agency, which will next week release new guidance for games publishers and their ad agencies. MCV understands that this will encourage publishers …

New outfit holds 45 staff, together working on two next-gen titles

James Batchelor speaks with leading publishers about the reasons for this genre’s impressive growth and find out how they plan to capitalise on Nintendo’s success… As MCV reported last week, Wii Fit is so far the best-selling game of 2009. And it launched over a year ago. Where other games …

Engine firm doubles sales, community participation and staffing

EA’s Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince has climbed three places to take the top spot in ELSPA/GfK-ChartTrack’s All Formats Top 40 this week – boosted by the release of the movie in cinemas. The publisher’s own Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 drops from No.1 to No.3, with sales …

Whilst question marks remain over Microsoft’s intentions to make a gaming machine of its MP3 player Zune, the Xbox platform holder IS planning a foray into the handheld gaming space, according to corporate VP Shane Kim.

 When asked about a possible Microsoft handheld, Kim told Kikizo: For us, it’s a …

PSP has flip flopped with the DS over the last year to fight for bestselling hardware device, as Japan becomes the land of the handheld. The Wii has been in year-on-year decline since the middle of last year and the PS3 is finding new heart among its faithful home crowd. …

Californian developer Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has axed 41 of its employees, representing a workforce cut of 5 per cent. The SCEA subsidiary cited cost-efficiency as the key reason behind the job losses, though it was not prepared to discuss who had left the studio. SOE is responsible for popular …

The nominations process for this year’s Games Media Awards is now open You can vote for yourself or your own brand, a colleague or one of your favourite writers or titles. You can vote in as many or as few categories as you like. You don’t need to include any …

Bizarre Creations’ upcoming racer Blur is at the centre of a crucial $40 million payout deal between the Liverpool-based studio and its owning company Activision. Develop has today revealed that Activision paid out $67.4 million in cash to wholly acquire the Project Gotham Racing developer back in 2007. However, an …