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

Microsoft has announced that, following a successful trial last December, it is to resurrect its Xbox Live Arcade ‘Deal of the Week’ this year – and it begins today with a 33 per cent cut to the price of Jonathan Blow’s Braid. MCV’s sister site CasualGaming.biz has the full story …

Having teased a brand new title reveal last week, Capcom has confirmed that Lost Planet 2 is in the works. The announcement came via a movie download on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Marketplace service. The video suggests that the game will, unlike its predecessor, not be limited to snowy terrain and …

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American McGee's studio to return to Wonderland with console release

Music Box Leisure is on the prowl for new retail accounts – as Morrisons appoints the firm its long-term exclusive distribution partner. Morrisons told MCV that its future supply route would be handled by Music Box last week, after the company stepped in following the collapse of its former wholesaler …

Just Flight is optimistic about its business despite the loss of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X developer ACES. Microsoft closed the studio last month, raising concerns over the future of its Flight Simuator series, for which Just Flight sells expansions. However, the studio’s closure is not a setback for the publisher. …

UK and European retailers and media are a ‘primary focus’ for 2009’s E3, ESA CEO Michael Gallagher has told MCV. Late last year, the association which organises E3 announced the event was to return to its original format this coming June after two years operating an unloved, smaller show. Gallagher …

Fresh weight has been placed behind the rumours that Activision Blizzard’s Tony Hawk revamp due later this year will see the game controlled with a skateboard peripheral. Variety reports that two sources” have seen the accessory first hand, claiming that it does not measure balance but instead allows the user …

Following the UK release of next-gen fighter Street Fighter IV last Friday, Japanese games publisher Capcom has announced that it has shipped two million copies of the game worldwide, Edge reports. Its week one success in the UK will be revealed later today when GfK-ChartTrack announces the latest UK Charts. …

Whilst the drive towards digital distribution continues to gather pace, leading North American games analyst NPD has stated that gamers still prefer boxed product – and that 58 per cent have still never downloaded a game. Edge reports that speaking at last week’s DICE Summit in LA, NPD’s Anita Frazier …