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

Xbox 360 platform holder Microsoft has announced that all owners of an Xbox 360 and a broadband internet connection will be able to access the full-blooded Xbox Live Gold service free of charge on the weekend beginning November 23rd. In addition, Microsoft is lining up a number of online events …

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has predicted that video games’ pricing model will be forced to change in the next decade – and said that EA may be one of the first to experiment. Speaking to Berkley Haas School of Business, Riccitiello said the standard next-gen software price of $59.99/49.99 …

Next-Gen reports that Infogrames publisher Atari could be facing the possibility of losing the highly lucrative Dragon Ball Z franchise, following a disagreement with licensor FUNimation. However, MCV understands that Atari’s right to publish the games in Central Europe will remain unaffected, regardless of the US outcome. The publisher licenses …

EA CEO says industry will have to rethink business model in the long-term

Technology blog Engadget reports that as well as the more publicised differences between existing PS3 hardware and the newly released 40GB version, such as the removal of the card reader and backwards compatibility, the machines also boast a revised Cell CPU. The new 65nm version of Sony’s much-touted processor consumes …

Whilst the practise of working with your peers to gain Achievement points is fairly common – indeed, games such as Project Gotham Racing 4 actively encourage it – but Microsoft has warned that those who go as far as sharing their account information to do so face possible dire consequences, …

The worlds of next-gen gaming and cutting edge rock music are set to collide in London this Friday at Ubisoft’s Fuse 07 event – and the publisher is giving you the chance to win a FREE pair of tickets. Taking place at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, the event is a …

US publisher Midway has announced that the PC version of its anticipated FPS Unreal Tournament III will ship on PC on November 19th, and whilst no European date has yet been mooted, its arrival here is expected on November 23rd. However, there’s still no news on the release date for …

Woolworths has recorded a fall in like-for-like sales for the 38 weeks up to the end of October, reported Marketing Week . Despite the 0.4 per cent dip, the retail chain’s total group sales were up by 16.6 per cent thanks to acquisitions and new contracts relating to its entertainment …

Electronic Arts has paid an estimated 5 million for the rights to use Lewis Hamilton’s name in a new game, according to The Sun . The tabloid believes that the game is in development for Xbox and PlayStation platforms. There is no indication in the story that EA’s investment will …