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

Publisher Sega has confirmed that Platinum Games’ Bayonetta will the Q4 2009 release window and is now due for release some time in early 2010. The game joins other high-profile delayess such as Heavy Rain, BioShock 2, Red Dead Redemption, Mafia II, Alan Wake, Singularity and God of War III.

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The dust has barely settled on the news that Activision and other publishers will be raising their prices this Q4 – but it has emerged that retailer Argos is this week set to follow suit. The firm is expected to increase its prices by five per cent in its new …

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 …