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

A new study has claimed that a remarkable 41 per cent of all software installations on PC last year were based on illegally pirated copies – a figure which amounts to a market value of $53bn. The global piracy rate in 2007 was pegged at 38 per cent, but successes …

As one of the games industry’s thousand pound gorillas, EA is no stranger to acquisitions. But what do the people selling their studios to Electronic Arts think of the move? According to Steven Spielberg, selling his Dreamworks Interactive studio to the publisher was both "the smartest and dumbest thing I …

Factor 5 is to close its San Rafael studio, the company’s CEO has revealed. According to a post on the official website, the ‘obstacles created by the sudden bankruptcy of Brash Entertainment for the continuation of operations have turned out too great to overcome in the current economic climate,’ wrote …

Resonance of Fate will arrive in Europe in Spring 2010 on PS3 and 360, Sega has revealed. Called End of Eternity in Japan, the game is developed by the team behind Star Ocean: The Last Home and boasts ‘Hollywood-style action sequences’, a unique story and realistic gunplay. Partnering up with …

United Front Games working on two new properties for the 360 and PS3, one being a Hong Kong-based action title with Activision

The US saw an 8 per cent year-on-year decline in hardware sales while software tumbled 23 per cent, according to data provided bythe NPD group. Physical software sales stood at $510.74 million, a significant drop from the 660.1 million during April 2008. However, NPD analyst Anita Frazier was quick to …

Sony yesterday predicted that PS3 unit sales would increase by 3m (30 per cent) in the next 12 months – a figure that Lazard Capital Markets’ Colin Sebastian says can only be achieved via a $100 price cut to the machine. PS3 guidance suggests pending price reduction – timing and …

Toshiyuki Nagai to expand outsourcer's Japanese operations

The US videogame market has seen its second successive fall in sales, dropping 17 per cent year-on-year. Sales reached $1.03 billion, according to research firm NPD. That figure includes sales of software, hardware and accessories. Last year, April sales reached $1.24 billion. Coupled with the 17 per cent year-on-year decline …

Sony Online Entertainment has given PS3 a serious casual games boost with the new that it has penned a deal with leading publisher PopCap to bring five its best selling consoles to PlayStation network for PS3. All games will offer PlayStation Trophies and 1080p graphics and will also be playable …