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

There are precious few talents that can boast an influence on the games business as profound as Sam Houser. While it was the visionaries behind Pong and Space Invaders that set the ball rolling and the genius of Shigeru Miyamoto’s Super Mario Bros. that took the market a giant step …

The first US-bound title for developer and publisher Deep Silver has been unveiled – Ride to Hell, for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Promising hard drinking, bare knuckle environments and biker gangs, the period game, set at the end of the 60’s, is set in a massive game world”. …

Media-shy Rockstar founder Sam Houser has told MCV that the biggest challenge of his career so far has been powerful people” who have tried to put Rockstar out of business”. Speaking exclusively in the latest instalment of our MCV Legends series – and naming no names – Howser said that …

Konami is seeking compensation over alleged patent infringement in the Rock Band video game, according to Bloomberg. The Japanese publisher, which makes similar music-based titles involving guitars, microphones and dance mats, insists Rock Band infringes on its patents relating to musical instruments and a ‘musical-rhythm matching game’. Konami is reportedly …

The online version of the games industry’s definitive guide to agencies and service companies, Sourcebook, has gone live today. Sourcebook ’08 – sponsored by Universally Speaking – is an all-year reference tool, featuring over 70 companies across eight different categories. The print version of the title is available in this …

System 3 is working speedily to restore levels of Ferrari Challenge stock in stores, according to the firm. The publisher said that a distribution hiccup coupled with demand for the title has resulted in limited numbers of copies on retailer shelves. Mark Cale, CEO of System 3 CEO Mark Cale …

Whilst retroactive developer support of PS3 Trophies seems a little uncertain at the moment, the hope is that upcoming titles will all support Sony’s new Achievement system – and the upcoming PS3 version of BioShock is the latest title to join in the fun. In an article on the 2K …

Japanese developer conference to feature 100 sessions, expects 2,200 attendees

No smoke without fire, or groundless internet chin-wagging? There’s no way to know for sure, but talk has once again erupted concerning Infinity Ward and an upcoming sci-fi FPS. CVG reports that this month’s edition of the mag claims: "The net is awash with rumour mongering that Infinity Ward are …

No-one would argue that Guitar Hero’s achievements to date have been significant, but Bobby Kotick, the chief executive of Activision Blizzard, has said that the franchise can achieve even greater things by challenging Apple’s iTunes music download service. Speaking to The Financial Times, Kotick talked of plans for a Guitar …