MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Gamers in Crimea are currently unable to access Battle.net-based titles such as Hearthstone, World of Warcraft and Diablo III. PC Gamer reports that publisher Blizzard has revoked access to its network in the region to comply with US sanctions. Crimea is currently at the centre of a sovereignty dispute after …
Read More »Blizzard suing DOTA Legend developers
Blizzard plans to sue Shanghai-based developer Lilith Games over its mobile game Soul Clash. The title was published by Longtu Games in Taiwan and China as DOTA Legend, which also translates to Turret Legend. Unlike Blizzard’s Dota, the game is actually a card collection and battle game rather than a …
Read More »Blizzard suing Lilith Games, which is suing Heroes Charge
Chain of lawsuits grows longer as Dota firm enters the fray
Read More »Heroes of the Dorm eSports tournament to be broadcast on ESPN
A tournament that sees American and Canadian university students compete in Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm MOBA will be televised on ESPN in the region. Up for grabs in Heroes of the Dorm is over $450k in tuition fee contributions, with the winning team receiving contributions of up to $25k …
Read More »Blizzard ‘trying hard’ to add diversity to Overwatch
New character Zarya "a step in the right direction" as consumers call for more varied casts in video games
Read More »Blizzard hopes new Overwatch character will help address female diversity criticisms
World of Warcraft and Hearthstone developer Blizzard has said that the latest character revealed for upcoming shooter Overwatch demonstrates an renewed commitment to diversity in games. New character Zarya eschews many of the typical traps that female games characters fall victim to – such as unpractical armour designed purely to …
Read More »Next Hearthstone expansion named and dated, smartphone version release nears
Blizzard has said that the next Hearthstone expansion will be called Blackrock Mountain and will be released in April. The single player expansion will follow the pattern laid down by the first expansion, Curse of Naxxramas, in releasing a new ‘wing’ week-by-week. Unlike Naxxrama, however, the first wing will not …
Read More »World of Warcraft introducing gold and game time swapping
Blizzard’s MMO World of Warcraft is to offer a new mechanic that will allow players to trade gold and game time between one another. Players will soon be able to purchase WoW Tokens for real money and subsequently sell them through the in-game store for in-game gold. Buying a Token …
Read More »Diablo III getting microtransactions
But initially only for players in Asia
Read More »Diablo III is getting microtransactions… but not in Europe
An upcoming patch for Blizzard’s Diablo III will introduce microtransactions in some markets, but not in Europe or America. Patch 2.2.0 will introduce a number of changes for players in Asia, the most notable of which is the addition of a new in-game currency called Platinum which will, among other …
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