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

Playtesting and making the game accessible to casual gamers key, says Sims creator

Numbers quoted on online sales tracker VGChartz claim that for the week ending October 21st Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console sold just 37,303 units across Europe – managing to outsell only Nintendo’s aged Game Boy Advance in the period. The site claims that in the same period Wii sold 70,322 units …

Game based on popular Japanese character to utilise Nokia's multiplayer platform

On the back of its announcement of a new ‘family’ orientated Xbox 360 Arcade bundle yesterday, Microsoft has confirmed a whole new selection of downloadable content aimed squarely at the family market. The Xbox Live service will soon be bolstered by over 50 Warner Brothers Looney Toons shows, along with …

It’s been a good start to the financial year for Ubisoft, with the French publisher enjoying a sales spike of 50 per cent year on year for the half year ending September 30th. Total sales for the period were €261 million, 52 per cent higher than in the same period …

Last night saw the first British Academy Video Games Awards take place at London’s Battersea Evolution, and it was Nintendo’s Wii launch title Wii Sports that stole the show, winning six of the thirteen possible awards on offer. Nintendo’s title did not capture the coveted Best Game title, however, with …

Okay, maybe not teeth. That’s an overly aggressive portrayal. And two less aggressive men than ELSPA director general Paul Jackson and MD Michael Rawlinson I have yet to meet (though chairman Andy Payne has been known to show his gnashers on occasion and board member Geoff Heath apparently carried a …

Valve's digital distribution platform to sell Jericho, Dirt and Overlord

Realtime Worlds' Crackdown, SCEA's God of War 2 and Capcom's Okami take home two each

The former European boss of online payment giant PayPal Geoff Iddison has joined Jagex, the company behind the hugely popular Java-based MMO Runsescape. "The company has built an amazing international playing community through the RuneScape game," Iddison stated. "The technology used to distribute the game and the incredible depth offered …