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

Ahead of the release of its official figures next week, Famitsu publisher Enterbrain is predicting a significant decline in the value of the Japanese video games market in 2008. Enterbrain states that in 2007 the market was worth YEN 687.95 billion, whereas it expects the 2008 figure to be around …

Microsoft has claimed that it has sold 28 million units of its Xbox 360, increasing the format’s lead over the PlayStation 3 to more than eight million consoles. The platform holder has also reported huge growth to its Xbox Live service, which now boasts 17 million active members. Online consumer …

Mirroring the early 2008 chart success of EA’s FIFA 08, the publisher’s latest take on the beautiful game is starting 2009 on the front foot having pipped Call of Duty: World at War for the second time at the top of the ELSPA Gfk-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40. FIFA 09 …

New location for expanding localisation specialists

London-based publisher Oxygen has decided to cease internal development efforts at its studio in the capital. Oxygen Studios was established in 2007 and employed 14 people, primarily working on mainstream DS and Wii titles. A source close to the development team told Develop that the news was broken to the …

Save up to â?¬350 on participation fee for GDC09 event

Metal Gear designer and producer Hideo Kojima has revealed that his studio, Kojima Productions, will ‘start from zero’ from 2009 in order to better complete globally. To read the full story, click here to visit Developmag.com.

Microsoft has claimed that Christmas 2008 was the biggest sales period in the Xbox brand’s six-year European history – with sales of Xbox 360 almost doubling those during Christmas 2007. The company also announced that over eight million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold in Europe, the Middle East and …

Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of hugely popular technology firm Apple, has today answered questions surrounding his health, announcing that a recently diagnosed hormone imbalance caused him to lose weight throughout 2008. The latest wave of speculation regarding Job’s physical condition was sparked by the announcement that he would not …

UK publisher seeking buyer for South London studio