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

Nintendo's Austin, Texas first-party studio sees departure of chief staff Metroid Prime, says report

The Develop Industry Excellence Awards return on Wednesday, July 30th. But what are the categories, how does anyone win and who won last time? Read on to find outâ?¦

Comic book giant nabs Sony Pictures vet Ira Rubenstein to lead new Digital Media group

In a letter addressed to the mother of Strauss Zelnick, lawyer Jack Thompson has likened the Take Two boss to a member of the Hitler Youth – and blamed GTA for the death of three policemen in Alabama. The outspoken critic also accused GTA of being a murder simulator. The …

After MCV sister site Develop broke the news that Sega was planning to close its UK Racing Studio development team, it now understands that nearby Codemasters could save some – or all – of the team’s staff from redundancy by acquiring the studio. A number of reports have circulated amongst …

Oberon Media has unveiled a new unified publishing division which unites its online, mobile and TV casual games interests. The consolidated I-play brand is designed to show the wide portfolio of products the firm produces. Oberon has acquired I-play and interactive TV games firm PixelPlay in recent months. Since then …

Mad Catz has named Thomas R Brown, 57, as its new non-executive chairman of the Board. Brown replaces former chairman Geofrey Myers, who sadly passed away last month. He has served as an independent, non-executive member of the company’s Board since 2006. Mad Catz’ Board of directors is comprised of …

Sources say Britsoft firm will rescue Solihull team from redundancy via acquisition - but company remains tight-lipped

The first reports of illegal rips of GTA IV appearing online on Xbox 360 have started to emerge – and the game’s presence on a number of gamertags confirms that some are already getting to grips with Liberty City. Kotaku reports that a PAL rip of the title appeared on …

The Chicago Transit Authority has removed advertising for Grand Theft Auto IV from buses and buildings in the city. According to GameDaily, the decision comes after a weekend of violent shootings in the city – and a Fox News affiliate publishing an article questioning the placement of the Chicago ads. …