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

Microsoft has lowered the price of an Xbox Live Gold subscription to $1 for the first month. Once the first month has expired, gamers will be automatically charged for the next 11 months at the regular price, Joystiq reports. They will be able to opt out of this if they …

Publisher EA has heaped praise on the emerging business models being pioneered by the online casual games market, fuelling the fire in the bellies of those who still believe the company is on the hunt for a big casual acquisition. We’re in investment mode,” COO John Pleasants stated. We have …

When CEO John Riccitiello memorably told MCV in 2003 that million sellers weren’t a big deal any more, this wasn’t what he had in mind. What’s gone wrong? The short-term diagnosis: Having stumbled in the transition, EA underestimated Wii, allowed costs to spiral, and made too many mediocre games and …

Sony’s European studios boss has told MCV that the firm is on the hunt for new IP – across its three platforms. Michael Denny said that PlayStation is keen to disrupt” the market with its new products. In an exclusive interview with MCV, he commented: Our strategy is very clear. …

The fortunes of the PlayStation format are these days always under some scrutiny. Has that impacted much of your product strategy this year?Our strategy is very clear. We have big franchises we want to expand and need new IPs. We still have three active platforms that we are supporting. PlayStation …

Former Virgin Interactive and US Gold boss Tim Chaney has returned to the UK to set up a new online gaming platform. Zattikka will look to buy online games portals and studios after it opens for business on July 1st. The venture is Chaney’s first since he left Virgin Play …

Remedy Entertainment licences Umbra's rendering optimisation toolset for â??faster content creationâ??

The top 10 game engines as selected by Develop continues

UK publisher Mastertronic has become the latest outfit to put its weight behind the casual games sector with the announcement of a brand new arm to its publishing business – Great Indie Games. The new label is designed specifically to bring independently developed titles to a wider retail audience. The …

Best known to gamers as being the sole carrier of Apple’s iPhone in North America, AT&T has revealed a number of ambitious gaming initiatives designed to propel it to the forefront of the games sector. The bigger picture is for AT&T to create a unified and tethered gaming experience that …