MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Sony has revealed that around a third of the games it sells on Vita are digital. Is that impressive? That’s a matter of opinion. Certainly it doesn’t sound anything special when the thousands of games that are downloaded everyday on iOS and Android are considered. But from a company transitioning …
Read More »Microsoft slow on digital game releases to appease retail
So why exactly are triple-A digital releases on Xbox 360 so much slower to appear than they are on either PS3 or PC? Because Microsoft doesn’t want to upset retail, according to Xbox Games on Demand senior business manager Erik Yeager. "We have a lot of strong partnerships with retailers," …
Read More »GDC 13: Warner Bros. opens San Francisco studio
Developer to focus on free-to-play, mobile, social and browser-based games
Read More »Nintendo lifts 18+ eShop download restrictions
The restriction that prevented Wii U owners from downloading 18+ content from the Nintendo eShop during daytime hours has been lifted. "Adults can now browse and buy all games at any time of the day,” a statement confirmed. "Following analysis of the Parental Controls system on Wii U and Nintendo …
Read More »Origin passes 40m member milestone
EA’s digital download service Origin has now attracted over 40m members, the publisher has confirmed. That’s up from the 39m it had at the end of last year, GameSpot reports, with the jump likely due to the recent release of SimCity which requires Origin membership to play. To celebrate the …
Read More »Security conference unearths Origin security vulnerability
Attendees Amsterdam’s Black Hat security conference have discovered a security vulnerability in EA’s Origin client. ArsTechnica reports that an attack using the loophole takes just seconds to execute” and can even be done without any interaction from the PC owning victim. The weakness is similar to the one discovered in …
Read More »UPDATED: Xbox Entertainment Awards blighted by security breach
Microsoft has this morning been hit by a security breach of its Xbox Entertainment Awards 2013 service. MCV was contacted by a reader with a link to a page that appeared to list all those who had voted and therefore been entered into the prize draw. The data included names, …
Read More »SimCity sales reach 1.1m copies, breaks Origin records
EA’s controversial city-simulator SimCity has passed the 1m unit sales mark. The publisher has announced that the game, which was released in the UK on March 8th, has to date shifted 1.1m copies. The game also broke Origin records, helping the service to 1.3m concurrent users. Furthermore, 54 per cent …
Read More »EA names free games for SimCity owners
Owners of SimCity on PC have been told which games they will be able to claim for free as an apology for the strategy game’s rocky launch. The selection is impressive and includes recent release Dead Space 3 as well as triple–A hits Mass Effect 3, Need for Speed: Most …
Read More »Gears of War: Judgment goes big on IAP
Friday release Gears of War: Judgment will offer an array of XP-boosting in-app-payment options for gamers. Videogamer reports that the entry-level purchase costs 80 Microsoft Points (around 70p) for which gamers receive double XP for ten games. 320 MSP (2.75) buys a 50-match long boost, 560 MSP (4.80) a 100-match …
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