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

Nintendo has unveiled a new version of its mega-selling handheld, as it looks to build on its record-breaking success. Set to launch on October 12th, the 99 SKU will arrive one week ahead of triple-A release The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, adding to the white, black and pink consoles …

Following numerous forum reports that Xbox live users have been targeted by phishing scams – fraudulent activity intended to illegally gain usernames, passwords and credit card details – Microsoft has confirmed the threat and stated that it has taken action to help protect our subscribers’ accounts.” The scams take the …

Swedish software developer UIQ utilising the software

Trepidation” would accurately describe my state of mind as I prepared to head out to the Games Convention in Leipzig. The town’s charms are conspicuously lacking (unless you’re mad-keen on Absinthe), and I was booked into a hotel (which turned out to resemble a Gothic Travel Tavern, although even Alan …

Develop reports that the much-rumoured closure of FASA Studio, one of Microsoft’s first-party studios, has been confirmed Whispers of the studio’s demise had been circulating since shortly before the release of Shadowrun, a game panned by critics for being a full-price game without a singleplayer component. Fans of the Shadowrun …

Bioshock tops the charts down under once again this week, successfully fighting off a strong challenge from new entry The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, which debuts at two. Elsewhere, Nintendo continues to rack up the sales, scoring four top ten hits, while South Peak’s Two Worlds storms the top ten …

XNA boss confirms plans for â??distribution mediumâ?? allowing public game sharing

In under a year Microsoft's XNA platform has gone from strength to strength, and with full Xbox Live support in version 2.0, it's clear that this is just the beginning. Develop caught up with XNA head Chris Satchell to discover what the future holds for Microsoft's inclusive development initiative...

Half of Shadowrun developer re-employed at MGS

Microsoft has unveiled details of its TV advertising campaign for Halo 3 – as well as a teaser of what fans can expect. According to the publisher, the promotional clips will bring the game’s ‘epic battles to life in the style of a museum diorama”’. The ad hits UK TV …