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

Following the closure of Microsoft first-party developer FASA last September, former head Jordan Weisman has founded a new studio entitled Smith & Tinker, and has secured the rights to former FASA titles Crimson Skies, Shadowrun and MechWarrior from Microsoft. "We’re not quite ready to announce our plans for each property, …

Game music concert to run alongside next yearâ??s conference

European Game Development Federation members demand cultural acknowledgment from EU politicians

ALL FORMATS TOP 20 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360, PS3, PC, DS) Activision 2. The Simpsons (360, PS2, DS, WII, PSP, PS3) EA 3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2, 360, PS3, PC) Konami 4. Assassins’s Creed (PS3, 360) Ubisoft 5. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 (360, PS2, …

Developer to make mobile casino for online gambling site

Electronic Arts has proclaimed FIFA 08 as ‘the true entertainment launch of the year’ after the game achieved one million sales in the UK after just nine weeks on the market. The title was the first release to hit the milestone this year – a week earlier than FIFA 07 …

The biggest names in the UK publishing industry have predicted great things for new giant Activision Blizzard – and celebrated the audacity of the Vivendi-driven deal. Giants such as Nintendo and Ubisoft have predicted that the consolidation of the two companies will enhance the quality of product coming to market, …

As the online news services of sister titles Develop and MCV became the first media to break the story last Sunday afternoon, it became clear that everyone was reacting with similar astonishment. We broke the news before many Activision and Vivendi Games staff had been told. Indeed, this was less …

The industry is still reeling following the Vivendi/Activision acquisition earlier this week, with the announcement throwing up the question of how the two companies will be integrated, what this means for the industry – and, most importantly, how its competitors will react. The deal, worth an astonishing $18.9 billion, means …

Of all the pressures that come from beavering away in the industry in the lead up to the Q4 gifting frenzy, distribution companies bear the brunt. Not only are they responsible for ensuring that publishers’ frenzied delivery demands are met, but they’re also in the firing line from retail when …