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

Xbox president Robbie Bach has criticised Blu-Ray’s lack of sales success since the HD-DVD format imploded – and questioned why consumers would bother upscaling from DVD. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bach also ruled out any possibility of a Blu-Ray enabled Xbox – either in this or the next …

Nintendo and Activision’s official distributor in New Zealand has gone into receivership. SPI (Softprint Interactive) boss William Flew confirmed to The New York Herald that the company has been placed into receivership. Flew could not comment on what that will mean for Nintendo or for game brand Activision, referring all …

Eidos is set to continue its support for Age of Conan following a stellar first week for the new IP. The game came second in the ChartTrack Top 40 in its debut week, only kept from the top spot by GTA IV, and has become the biggest PC game of …

Supervising animator Andrew Gordon on staging, posing, hands and facial animation

New report says 100 more staff will cry out in pain and get silenced (i.e. lose their jobs)

Scheme allows US educators access to PSP and PS2 dev kits

US retail giant GameStop has launched a new TV ‘channel’ in association with CBS Outener and media software and services company Reflect Systems. The new in-store digital video network, GameStop TV, will be installed in over 4,000 GameStop locations. GameStop TV will feature product promotions, game previews, developer interviews and …

Codemasters has expanded its publishing operation into Japan – with its brand set to appear on a boxed release for the first time. The UK publisher’s Race Driver: GRID title will get a fully localised release in the territory on PS3 and 360 in the winter, and will be bundled …

UK publisher reveals global ambitions with GRID to be localised for Japan

Following Wii Fit’s spectacular plummet from the All Formats Chart, Nintendo has told MCV that it is doing everything it can to resolve the game’s UK stock shortage. Accepting there was an issue, Nintendo told MCV: There are pockets of stock shortages in areas of the UK but we are …