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

Most publishers are accustomed to their titles hitting the pirate network the very moment they’re shipped out to retail, but Bethesda has suffered an early blow with news that Fallout 3 has already hit illegal file sharing networks. The game, which isn’t due out in the UK until October 31st, …

No More Heroes 2 development head Goichi Suda, of development studio Grasshopper Manufacture, has stated that his upcoming Wii sequel No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle will be released in two different versions – one censored and one uncut. We won’t be able to make the same game for all territories,” …

Following on from the not very surprising news that Microsoft will next year release a boxed standalone expansion for its massively popular FPS Halo 3 , developer Bungie has revealed a few more details about the title. GameSpot reports that Bungie.net’s community lead Brian Jarrard spoke to journalists at the …

Sony's Bristol-based tools firm more than doubles space to fuel expansion

Japanese developer and publisher Square Enix has given the official nod to a European release for its upcoming Xbox 360 RPG Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The game, which is actually a prequel to the existing titles in the Star Ocean series, is a classic space opera blending sci-fi and …

Your MCV team has undergone a series of staff changes which will further cement its standing as the games trade’s most essential publication in print and online. Current Develop editor Michael French becomes editor-in-chief of both MCV and Develop, with Tim Ingham set to take up the position of associate …

After a record-breaking first weekend in the UK , EA has confirmed that FIFA 09 has hit 1.2 million sales in Europe after less than a week on sale. The achievement makes it the fastest start in the history of the award winning franchise. "FIFA 09’s great kick off is …

UK publisher and developer Codemasters has confirmed that its latest expansion to The Lord of the Rings Online, named Mines of Moria, will be released in both Europe and America on November 18th. The firm has also announced a number of pre-order incentives for Turbine’s expansion, including the chance to …

Gamescom, the major new name in the video games industry’s event calendar for 2009, has signed up as a Silver Sponsor for next week’s Games Media Awards. Gamescom will take place in Cologne from September 9th-13th, with a trade day on the 9th. It has already received an enthusiastic reception …

The industry was rocked by heavy discounting this week, as High Street giants GAME and Gamestation joined independent retailers in buying extra stock from supermarkets. The latest round of price slashing kicked off at Sainsbury’s over the weekend, with the retailer cutting 30 off the price of Xbox 360 and …