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

Kids’ IP specialist Nickelodeon has told MCV that it is keen to license out its key franchises to new publishing partners, in order to take its games business to the next level. The firm currently deals with THQ, Capcom and 2K, which develop and distribute games based on its pre-school …

An anxious UK trade is holding its collective breath over fears that some retailers might sell two of 2008’s biggest games early next week. On Wednesday November 5th Sony’s landmark PlayStation 3 release LittleBigPlanet, distributed by Centresoft, will hit shelves. Two days later on Friday (November 7th), Microsoft’s Xbox 360-exclusive …

The organiser of next year’s Cologne-based trade show Gamescom has boldly predicted the death of rival show Games Convention – days after revealing it had changed dates to coincide exactly with the Leipzig expo. As revealed online earlier this week Gamescom will now run from August 19th to 23rd – …

Following the news that EA is to cut six per cent of its global work force , rumours are suggesting that the team working on Steven Spielberg’s ultra-realistic next title has been sacked from EA LA. VG247 claims to have been informed by an EA employee that almost everyone on …

Global publishing powerhouse EA has announced that it is to cut six per cent of its global workforce, equivalent to between 500 and 600 positions, following increased losses in the financial quarter ending September 30th. The AP reports that the cuts will span all aspects of the company and will …

The highly-anticipated release of Guitar Hero: World Tour is set to hit retail next month, with the title’s multiple SKUs set to launch over a three-week period. Both the solus and guitar controller bundle SKUs for 360, Wii, PS3 and PS2 will be released on November 7th. The ‘super bundle’, …

Hot on the heels of its financials that were released this morning, Nintendo has now revealed that global shipments of its DS handheld have surpassed that of its successful older brother, the Game Boy Advance. For the complete story and all the stats in full, head over to the internet’s …

Market analyst DFC Intelligence has delivered a scathing verdict on Sony’s prospects this generation, claiming that the high development and manufacturing costs of PS3 make it unlikely that the machine will ever become profitable. Gamesutra quotes DFC’s Wanda Meloni as stating that Sony has the most to lose with this …

In what is arguably the biggest licence coup in the history of gaming, MTV and Beatles rights holder Apple Corps have announced a brand new rhythm-action title based on Liverpool’s fantastic four. As despite presumptions to the contrary, the title will not be a Rock Band extension but will instead …

EA has for the first time officially spoken of its upcoming foray into Tolkien’s ocr-heavy universe, Pandemic’s Lord of the Rings: Conquest. It’s not the first time EA has peered into the realm of Middle Earth, having previously enjoyed great success with it’s two titles based on New Line Cinema’s …