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

Media Molecule’s massively hyped LittleBigPlanet has been given a firm release date of October 30th – in Japan, at least. The news comes from Sony’s official Japanese PS3 site. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on either a European or US release date. Some sources are claiming that an October release …

Series A funding round for Ngcomo, developer of games for new Apple phone

Plans mounting for Microsoft's European developer conference

Our IP profile examines the value of the franchise as sequel talk intensifies

A brand new original survivor horror game entitled Cursed Mountain has been unveiled by Deep Silver, who will be both developing and publishing the title. Set in the 1980s, the game sees players assume the role of a mountaineer climbing the Himalayas in an effort to find his lost brother. …

Movies on PSP could undergo a major revival if retailers sell UMDs at the right price, says Boulevard Entertainment. The DVD specialist dipped its toe into the gaming world by moving into UMD movies in recent months, and has found success with cut-price catalogue and new release titles. When we …

Microsoft revealed that it would be scrapping charges for Games for Windows Live at Gamefest 08 last week – but has confirmed to MCV that it won’t be doing the same for Xbox 360 service. The Games for Windows fees, introduced last year, are now being waived as part of …

Whilst the actual launch date for Sony’s long-awaited PS3 Home social networking service remains the thing of mystery for now, Sony has at last invited gamers in Japan to apply for access to the beta version of the service. Engadget reports that an option in the Japanese PSN Store allows …

Disney Interactive Studios has unveiled Disney Think Fast for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2. The game show-style quiz game is set to feature 5,000 questions based on both Disney trivial and general knowledge. The PlayStation 2 version will come bundled with a set of four buzzers, whilst the Wii version …

Emergent partners with Allegorithmic for free access to procedural content tool