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

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has told The Times that he’s finding it difficult to make sport look attractive to youngsters – and games aren’t helping his cause. Kids are attracted to visual, interactive forms of communication. It’s not going to be easy for sport to counter …

London studio inks long-term development deal for new title with growing publisher

Disney’s movie adaptation of Prince Of Persia will star Donnie Darko actor Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role, Variety has revealed. Jerry Bruckheimer’s big-budget adaptation of Ubisoft’s hit fantasy title Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time, will also star Gemma Arterton as the female lead. She will also appear in …

Despite revealing her criteria for acquisition targets last month, GAME CEO Lisa Morgan has told MCV that the firm isn’t expecting to grow through buyouts any time soon. Speaking after GAME’s impressive financial results announcement last month, Morgan said that the firm’s strategy hadn’t changed” and that any potential acquisition …

The Game Factory is targeting women with its new range of casual games, and feels the industry should follow suit. Zenses Ocean and Zenses Rainforest is scheduled for release this year, and the publisher is targeting 25-34 year-old women in terms of marketing and gameplay. The male-dominated core gamers market …

Activision is looking to outstrip EA’s Rock Band with its new Guitar Hero World Tour title. Featuring a newly redesigned guitar, an electronic drum kit and a microphone, the new iteration of the mega-selling franchise also introduces a music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own …

Team Ninja boss Tomonubu Itagaki has boasted that Ninja Gaiden II couldn’t have been made by any other studio in the world, but has ruled himself out of further sequels. Brushing aside the suggestion that Japanese developers are falling behind Western studios, Itagaki told MCV: For better or worse there …

The Golden Joysticks is set to become the jewel in the crown of this year’s London Games Festival as MCV can reveal that the Future-organised event is the official awards partner for 2008’s celebration of gaming culture. Publisher Future is calling on the industry to make this year’s event the …

Video games saved British retail’s blushes in April – with High Street sales falling by less than expected thanks to a consumer ‘rush’ to buy interactive entertainment. According to The Office for National Statistics, overall retail sales volumes fell for the second straight month in April, down 0.2 per cent …

Around 50 million games were sold for Nintendo’s Wii during its first 18 months on the market, according to the platform holder. The figure would set a new record for software sales, beating the previous record holder, PS2, into second – and, according to Nintendo, doesn’t include copies of Wii …