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

There was more doom and gloom on the High Street this morning as two major players in the entertainment retail sector reported significant sales declines over the Christmas period, The Retail Bulletin reports. Argos suffered a 7.5 per cent like-for-like decline in the 18 weeks to January 3rd compared to …

Irish comedian Dara O’Briain is set to host this year’s GAME British Academy Video Games Awards. As well as being a popular stand up comic, O’Briain has presented a number of TV shows including Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week. He is also a graduate of Dublin’s University …

The first release of Mudbox from Autodesk is just the start, co-creator Dave Cardwell tells Developâ?¦

Itâ??s official: Apple is gunning for the games market. Develop caught up with Greg Josiwak, head of iPhone and iPod marketing, to find out moreâ?¦

HMV has acquired 14 Zavvi stores from its rival’s administrators, Ernst & Young. HMV expects the cost of its acquisition to be around 2m, including a purchase price of 700,000 plus the refit and rebranding of the outlets. The locations of the stores are currently unclear, but they are in …

HMV has defied the odds on the High Street to pull off its biggest ever Christmas – enjoying a 5.8 per cent sales growth for the ten weeks to January 3rd. Like-for-like growth was up three per cent on the same period in 2008. The total HMV Group – which …

North America’s fastest-growing specialist is ready to take on GAME and Gamestation – as it launches its first stores in the UK later this year. GamerDoc, a franchise concept that offers the opportunity to own, develop and operate a retail video games store, was launched in December 2007. President of …

Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV headline a star-studded Q1 line-up for Capcom, as the firm plans to add new recruits to its European operations. The line-up also includes 360 and PS3 title Bionic Commando and the Wii edition of Dead Rising. It’s definitely going to be a strong …

Japanese publisher and developer Square Enix, the company famed for its global success with ‘hardcore’ RPG franchises such Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, has said that its first foray into the casual pre-teens girl market will arrive next month. For the full story on the release, click here to take …

The global boss of 2K has predicted that publishers bringing non-licensed games to Wii this year could struggle – as the console’s market is flooded by crappy titles”. Speaking to MCV, Christoph Hartmann said that his company would find it difficult to secure the success it has enjoyed with its …