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

Retail has hailed Microsoft’s mission to hit the mainstream after dropping its entry-level SKU to under 160 – and stores have seen sales rocket following the cut. MCVUK.com revealed this week (via ChartTrack figures) that the console enjoyed a 36 per cent rise in sales after three days at its …

Manhunt 2 has finally been cleared for release – but its convoluted journey to retail has exposed the inherent problems with the current games classification system, say commentators. In the last week, MCVUK.com revealed that the BBFC was forced to green-light the title for release after the Video Appeals Committee …

To have become one of the most high-profile brands in the industry from its beginnings as a small team by the name of DMA Design in Edinburgh is quite an anchievement – today’s endless column inches in the financial press, in the tabloids, and indeed this editorial leader are testament …

Games Convention 2008 will be less of a strain to get to this year thanks to new air, rail and road services. The event, which takes place from August 20th to the 24th, will now boast six new flight connections, a GC rail travel offer and direct coach services from …

Company blog points to 'the next few weeks' for service launch

Women and minorities targeted for financial aid

Microsoft has pulled off a major coup by luring former I-Play CEO and MD of Nintendo Europe David Gosen to its management team, MCV can reveal. The new VP of strategic marketing within Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business in Europe joins a newly-promoted Chris Lewis to further drive Xbox 360’s expansion …

Microsoft is gearing up for the second wave of Halo 3 downloadable content, due for release on April 15th. On sale for 800 Microsoft Points from Xbox Live Marketplace, The Legendary Map Pack will contain three new maps along with extra forge options. These new maps include the mid-sized map …

The online games market in china grew to $1.66 billion last year, according to market research firm Pearl Research. China’s most popular online games include Netease’s Fantasy Westward Journey, with 1.66 million peak concurrent users, followed by Giant Interactive’s Zhengtu Online with 1.52 million. The year 2007 exceeded expectations with …

Late March will see the introduction of system software update version 2.20 for PlayStation 3 – and will bring with it ‘the ultimate interactive film experience’ according to Sony. Dubbed BD Live, the new functionality will bring a host of interactive features to Blu-Ray movies. A variety of downloadable content, …