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

After Microsoft’s aggressive price cuts in Japan that saw its entry level Arcade machine drop below the price of Nintendo’s rival Wii console, leading games industry analysts are predicting that price cuts are now sure to come in North America. Edge Online reports that both Lazard Capital’s Colin Sebastian and …

It seems a little strange that it’s taken so long to finally rear its head, but Sony has at last announced that a dedicated PSP Store is on the way, PSP Fanboy reports. Currently, PSP owners need either a PS3 or PC to access the PSP Store. Content can be …

Ahead of the release of LittleBigPlanet on October 24th, developer Media Molecule has stated that a ‘limited’ public beta will commence later this month – though there’s no news currently on how people will be able to gain access. Speaking on a thread in the Official PlayStation Forum, Media Molecule …

Though Sony is still hurting from the news of the Xbox 360 release for Final Fantasy XIII, rumours are suggesting that another of its loyal PlayStation brands, Kingdom hearts, will be staying that way. Kotaku reports that the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine claims that the third outing for …

Many had presumed that the game had been canned following a long period of indefinite delay, but Nintendo Europe has out of the blue announced that Disaster: Day of Crisis will be released in the UK on October 24th. The game, which is being developed by Xenosaga and Baten Kaitos …

High Street retailer Woolworths has dropped the price of the Nintendo Wii, selling the console with Wii Sports for 159.99. The offer will stand for only one week, and marks the first time the Wii has fallen from its RRP of 179.99. Woolworths has also cut 20 off all Wii …

President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Martin Tremblay believes that LEGO Batman will kickstart the media giant’s assualt on the market – and that more studio acquisitions will help the new publisher compete with the trade’s existing big guns. Following its acquisition of TT Games for an estimated 100m last …

Microsoft’s German Xbox 360 product manager Boris Schneider-Johne has declared that console exclusives are not only rarer, but also ‘less important’ in today’s games marketplace. In an interview with Golem.de, Schneider-Johne discussed Microsoft’s views on the falling importance of console exclusives. In the past, in the eighties and nineties, that …

Will Wright will be touching down at HMV Oxford Street at 12.30pm on Wednesday September 3rd for a Q&A session ahead of Spore’s release on Friday (September 5th). The event will be restricted to 200 fans, who can pick up a wristband for the event from 9.00am on the morning …

External specialists can bring big benefits to game developers, but both sides need to protect their future business interests before they start working togetherâ?¦