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

But in the stampede towards the mass market, the industry shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that video games have built their legacy and reputation on both inclusive experiences (ie the ones for my Wii-owning dad) and visceral, single-player entertainment (ie the ones for me). Yes, great family games – …

Regional director of Xbox in the UK Neil Thompson has told MCV that parents are still erroneously treating consoles and adult games as ‘toys’ – and called on the industry to educate families. ELSPA member Thompson said that the publishers’ body would corral the industry” into teaching parents the difference …

The BioShock 2 project will now see four studios working simultaneously to develop the game. Principal developer 2K Marin is already partnering with 2K Australia for development of the game’s singleplayer, while Canadian dev Digital Extremes is stepping in to provide the game’s multiplayer component. Now the trio will be …

Media Molecule is working on a LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year edition for PlayStation 3, MCV understands. The new title is due for release this year and will feature much of the downloadable content currently available over the PlayStation Network. LittleBigPlanet was released in November last year to huge critical …

The MMO subscription model is a thing of the past – that’s the verdict of Jolt Online Gaming boss Dylan Collins, who believes that the advent of browser-based gaming signifies a real sea-change in the way the business operates. Broswer-based gaming has effectively standardized the notion that all MMOs really …

There are plenty of opportunities listed on the jobs board this week

The Big Three platform holders – Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo – will not support OnLive with their software, according to Gaikai founder David Perry. A pretty obvious difference between Gaikai and OnLive is the fact that they’ll never have a Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft game on their system,” Perry told …

Play.com’s marketing boss Richard Chapple has left the retailer to join The Hut as commercial director. Chapple – an MCV Retail Advisory Board member – will work across TheHut.com and Zavvi to devise a communication strategy and drive the company’s marketing. Chapple will also expand the white label side of …

Funding available for indies and students doing 'cool things' in popular engine

Having previously stripped the ‘Call of Duty’ name from Infinity Ward’s upcoming Modern Warfare 2, publisher Activision Blizzard has had a change of heart and decided to bring the much-loved brand back to the shooter. News of the change first appeared through an image posted on the Yfrog service from …