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

Leading online reviews aggregation site Metacritic is to introduce fresh registration measures and crack down on pre-release user reviews following a spate of fanboy attacks that resulted in a number of top titles receiving disproportionately poor user reviews. At the time of writing, 3671 users had left scores for Microsoft’s …

Flying in the face of the global credit crunch, Capcom has reported some positive financials for the quarter ending September 30th 2008. Kotaku reports that net sales for the period hit YEN 31.26 billion, up 0.4 per cent on the same period last year. Net income increased by 16.8 per …

Ahead of the high-profile Xbox 360 firmware update that will bring with it the New Xbox Experience later this month , Microsoft has admitted that it had to cut half of its plans during the development process. Speaking to CVG, Microsoft’s Jerry Johnson stated: There’s still a lot of stuff …

Japanese games publisher Sega has pulled an online ad for its Wii rhythm-action title Samba De Amigo following a successful campaign from animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). PETA’s blog reads: We’re officially bananas about Sega. In fact, we’re sending them a thank-you card and …

A new report from market analysts Verdict Research has forecast that gaming is on track to overtake both music and film to become the UK’s number one entertainment choice by the end of the year. The BBC reports that spending on gaming will rise by 42 per cent to reach …

Production house provided 38 hours of vocal performance for Lionhead's epic

Nintendo’s global president Saturo Iwata has revealed why the Wii is the only current console not to receive a price drop – he doesn’t like them. Kotaku translated an interview with Touch-DS, in which the leading gaming icon stated: This is my personal thinking, but when the model’s price-tag drops …

Namco Networks has announced the release of a brand new mobile outing for its cherished cult console series Katamari Damacy. Rolling with Katamari will be familiar to anyone who has played any of the console outings, though it incorporates a number of original levels designed exclusively for the mobile title. …

Online betting site Paddy Power has released its odds on the race for the coveted Christmas number one game – and has sensibly backed Activision-Blizzard’s upcoming Call of Duty: World at War for the win with odds of 3/1. Other favourites include EA pair FIFA 09 and Need for Speed, …

Japanese publisher Capcom has told MCV that its highly-anticipated beat ‘em up Street Fighter IV will hit shelves on February 20th 2009. The game, which is schedule for release on PS3, 360 and PC, arrives a week before the Wii edition of Dead Rising, which is scheduled for February 27th. …