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

Some of the biggest financial transactions involving games companies in recent years have been by traditional media buying studios in the online space. From Vivendi merging with Activision to Disneyâ??s acquisition of Club Penguin, big media moving into games have tended to stick with what they know â?? massmarket entertainment.

But of course thinks the titles he is making with I-Play are well made

Legendary games designer Will Wright has admitted that he believes his upcoming release Spore has been over-hyped, and that the building anticipation for his game is concerning him. Speaking to Game Informer, Wright stated: I think it’s too much hype. About a year ago, we were realising how much hype …

The Sun’s official medical expert, Dr. Keith Hopcroft, has told his readers that interactive entertainment is replacing exercise for many young men. In an article entitled, ‘Time for exercise – not for excuses’, Hopcroft writes: ‘The only bits of anatomy many young men exercise are their fingers and wrists. ‘No …

Sony’s virtual world platform PS3 Home will go live in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan this autumn. Closed Beta testing for Home will begin from Mid-September in the region. Sony has invited Hong Kong and Singapore users to participate, with details made available on the official website from August 29, …

Game Park Holdings has unveiled its latest iteration of its Korean-developed open-source handheld, the GP2X Wiz . The machine packs a bright 2.8-inch OLED touch-sensitive 320×240 QVGA screen and a 533MHz processor – which compares favourably with the PSP’s 333MHz CPU. It also boasts a built-in mic and expandable SD …

Indian developer to offer its services to developers and publishers worldwide

But 'more Japanese production houses working with foreign companies' means it'll catch up, say Capcom's sound team

Brothers In Arms developer Gearbox has been approached to create Halo 4 for Microsoft, according to Hollywood sources. An insider told Variety that the Gearbox had definitely” had conversations with Microsoft about the project – and was very excited” by the prospect. However, they confirmed that no deal had been …

Electronic Arts’ Casual Entertainment label is the latest to use a celebrity face to help promote a mass-market console title. The firm has signed up pop singer Natasha Bedingfield as the spokesperson for its new Boogie SuperStar game for the Nintendo Wii. For the full story, visit MCV sister site …