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

Though it only has ten remaining stores in North America, Virgin Megastores has announced Q4 growth of 11.5 per cent in the territory compared to the same period in the year before. Video game sales increased by 111.9 per cent, ahead of the 18.1 per cent rise in DVD sales …

French publisher Ubisoft has announced that its upcoming FPS Far Cry 2 will not be a PC exclusive, and will also be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 as well. The original title was a pioneering PC outing in its day, blending FPS action and free-roaming, free-thinking gameplay to offer …

Following a troubled period for Microsoft’s gaming network Xbox Live that saw many users’ service disrupted over the traditionally gamer-friendly Christmas period, Microsoft has stated that it is to offer a free Arcade game to all subscribers. The announcement, which was made through Major Nelson’s blog, stated: During this past …

SPECIAL REPORT: Leading UK developers urge authorities to act in providing further industry support

Gore Verbinski set for keynote address at February event

Microsoft has revealed a new set of figures following a bumper festive period, according to Reuters . As well as reaching the 17.7m mark in terms of worldwide console sales, the platform holder confirmed that it has shifted 4.3m units in the last three months. On top of the hardware …

Late last year Microsoft announced a new XNA AI competition Silicon Minds, which offers contestants the chance to win an internship at Lionhead, Rare, or Microsofot's Research Labs team in Cambridge. We spoke to Microsoft Research Labs' Joaquin Quiñonero Candela to find out more�

The recent approval of French government tax breaks for developers by the EU was greeted with considerable interest at Blitz HQ.

Epic Games' new UE3-based shooter used in classes at US youth summer camp

THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER WILL BE REVEALED IN NEXT WEEK’S MCV.