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

A recap of the first day's headlines from the Los Angeles games trade show, as reported by our sister mag MCV

As Don Mattrick kicked off E3 today at Microsoft’s media briefing at the LA Convention Centre this morning, one thing was clear – despite fevered rumour mongering, the platform holder believes it is software, not hardware, that will finally see Xbox become a real contender in the casual space. The …

A South Park game will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade next year – and will be flanked by sequels to two classic titles. Nothing is yet known on the title, which draws its inspiration from Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s popular satirical cartoon, but Microsoft at least confirmed at its …

As expected, there was an announcement regarding some motion-sensing technology from Microsoft at E3 today – but it was SingStar rival Lips, not a Wii Remote clone, that provided it. The head of development on the title, Keiichi Yano – who was previously responsible for Elite Beat Agents and Gitaroo …

Microsoft has revealed a new system of avatars as part of a radical redesign of the Xbox 360 dashboard interface, designed to challenge Nintendo’s ‘Mii’ creation. Developed by Banjo Kazooie studio Rare, the mini-characters were unveiled to the platform holder’s media audience at its E3 conference in LA this morning. …

EA has revealed a new Sims title which allows gamers to rear animals and craft a garden paradise, entitled Sims Animals. Sims Studio boss Rod Humble took to the stage at EA’s E3 Media briefing to unveil the new animal-based spin on the franchise. "You’ll discover that just like the …

The boss of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment division Don Mattrick, has revealed the full amount Xbox Live subscribers have spent on the service – a cool $1 billion. Speaking at the platform holder’s E3 media briefing this morning, Mattrick added that a new member joins every five seconds, an that the …

Rock Band 2 will arrive on Xbox 360 in September, Harmonix has confirmed – with a whopping 84 tracks on one disc. Addressing the crowd at Microsoft’s E3 media briefing this morning in LA, Harmonix’s Alex Rigopulos revealed that fans of the first game will be able to transfer songs …

Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux treated the media to a quick demo of his eagerly-awaited new title Fable II, and revealed that online co-op would be one of several key new features when the title is released exclusively on Xbox 360 in October. Boasting of incredible AI”, Molyneux added that in …

Valve will be releasing a ‘sequel’ to Portal, dubbed Portal: Still Alive, exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade and PC this year in a move that prompted huge cheers from the assembled media at Microsoft’s E3 Media Briefing this morning. The new title will feature an exciting new challenge mode, as …