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

Take-Two chair Strauss Zelnick has revealed that the software tie ratio for Grand Theft Auto IV is the highest it has ever been” for the franchise, reports Edge . Speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference, and citing US NPD sales data through early October 2008, he revealed …

Having shifted a highly notable two million units in its opening weekend last month, Microsoft-published Xbox 360 third person shooter Gears of War 2 has now surpassed the three million sales barrier. The confirmation came from an email to Edge Online from the game’s developer Epic. It’s take the title …

Middleware provider reveals focus on â??character behaviour in destructible environmentsâ??

Obviously excited about the arrival of its celebrated racing franchise on PC for the first time, developer Criterion has announced that PC gamers will be able to try out Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box in its entirety for free upon its release in February. A demo, which will be available …

Microsoft has announced the global release dates for its upcoming Halo Wars, and the surprise is that it’s Japanese gamers who are set to take the first bite of the RTS cake. Ensemble’s strategic take on the Master Chief’s universe will be released in Japan and Asia Pacific on February …

UK retailers continue to suffer as a recent survey reports that overall sales have declined over two consecutive months for the first time in three years. The latest edition of the British Retail Consortium-KPMG retail survey reveals sales in November were down by 0.4 per cent when compared to a …

Atariâ??s online vision strengthens with purchase of MMO specialist

Sony has announced it plans to cut 8,000 jobs from its electronics business, as well as shut ten per cent of its manufacturing plants. The company aims to generate cost savings of 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) by March 2010, and follows the news that the Japanese economy has shrunk …

Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty: World at War has achieved its fourth consecutive week at the top of ELSPA/GfK-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 Chart, fending off advances from a range of new entries. No new entry lands higher than No.22, which goes to the PC version of Rockstar’s Grand Theft …

Factor 5 is currently suffering severe financial issues”, which have led to a project being cancelled and employees advised to start seeking new employment, it has been claimed. An artist working for the development studio, Sam Baker, has described on his blog how his project was recently cancelled. He also …