MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Sales for the DC Universe MMO has jumped sevenfold in around twenty days since the game turned free, according to new data. Microtransactions for virtual goods has driven the game’s growth, with a flood of new players accessing the title. PS3 users make up a half of all the game’s …
Read More »UPDATED: MS responds to The Sun claims, says XBL "has not been hacked"
Though MCV contests that users falling for fake phishing emails are not Microsoft’s responsibility, the platform holder has responded to claims made in today’s copy of The Sun. The paper this morning reported that users of the service were being robbed by online conmen. What it failed to adequately highlight, …
Read More »1m gamers sign up for premium Call of Duty: Elite membership
Activision has announced that over 1m consumers paid up for the premium version of the Call of Duty: Elite service within its first six days of availability. By contrast it highlights the premium online offers from the likes of Xbox Live, Netflix and Hulu took over a year to reach …
Read More »VIDEO: Spec Ops The Line gets spring 2012 release date
Publisher 2K Games has announced that military shooter Spec Ops: The Line will be released in spring 2012. Players will in the game play as US Delta Force soldier Captain Walker who is attempting to rescue some fellow squaddies in a storm-ravaged Dubai. With all of its grandeur and opulence, …
Read More »VIDEO: ’80s game icon Dizzy is returning
Cult ‘80s retro gaming IP Dizzy is on the verge of a return to gaming. Codemasters’ communications director Rich Eddy has been dropping a number of hints on Twitter this morning, including: In days of old, when games were sold, not on console but on tape, there was a Prince, …
Read More »Activision corrects Xbox Live user number error
Publisher Activision has had to correct one of the stats it released following the huge success of Modern warfare 3. The company had claimed that the game set a new concurrent Xbox Live user record of 3.3m gamers.But in actual fact the 3.3m figure referred to the total number of …
Read More »Next-gen Hitman already in development?
A new Hitman title is currently in development for Xbox 360 and PS3, but it is now being rumoured that work on a brand new entry in the series for next-gen platforms is already underway. Publisher Square Enix yesterday announced the opening next year of a brand new development studio …
Read More »Pickford attacks BAFTA Game Awards
A prominent indie developer has listed extensive criticisms of the BAFTA Game Awards and its organisers. Ste Pickford said the glitzy annual event ‘ghettoises’ the triumphs of small-scale independent work, and is too preoccupied with big-budget triple-A titles. He also claimed the Awards’ genre-based categories are pointless for celebrating the …
Read More »Government had "no data" when formulating Digital Economy Act
The UK Government has amazingly admitted that it made no attempt to gather its own evidence when formulating its anti-piracy plans that were included in the controversial Digital Economy Bill. Instead, the decision to implement a three strikes” rule and demand that ISPs play a role in internet censorship was …
Read More »Xbox Live ‘hack’ gets front page treatment from The Sun
UK national newspaper The Sun has this morning given front page space to a story concerning a phishing scam that has affected Xbox Live users. It’s not a hack”, though the opening paragraph strategically uses the word to give that impression. What the paper is in fact referencing is a …
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