MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Blockbuster is on a charm offensive with the UK games industry. The company wants to be taken seriously as a major video games retailer. Blockbuster UK fell into administration in January, shedding hundreds of stores. But the brand, plus 264 outlets, were rescued by Gordon Brothers Europe last month The …
Read More »Just Cause 3 dev says there will be fewer triple-A games on next-gen consoles
The creative director of Just Cause 3 developer Avalanche has predicted fewer triple-A game releases in the future. That’s not to say that triple-A is going away, of course – despite the booming development costs and seemingly shrinking market. "I don’t think big-budget games are going away,” Stefan Ljungqvist told …
Read More »Telltale turns to DC’s Fables series for next episodic release
The fantasy world of DC’s Fables comics series will provide the basis for the next set of episodic games from Telltale. The studio has, as if you needed reminding, recently enjoyed tremendous success with its five-part episodic gaming series based on The Walking Dead IP. Its new series will be …
Read More »Jade Raymond: Market can only support 10 successful triple-A games a year
The popularity of emerging business models and free-to-play has significantly reduced the scope for full-price triple-A success in the modern games market. That’s the opinion of Ubisoft’s Toronto Studio boss Jade Raymond, who believes that while the sector has reduced in size there is still scope for success in more …
Read More »Avanquest: ‘Licensed kids games is not a dead market’
Nobody buys licenced kids and casual games anymore, right? Particularly for ageing platforms like Nintendo DS. But Avanquest has built a business out of it, and surprised many last year by performing admirably in the publisher rankings. MCV speaks to MD Steve Powell… What drove your sales in 2012? The …
Read More »EA corrects microtransactions misunderstanding
Microtransactions will NOT feature in every single EA release going forwards. Electronic Arts chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen last week claimed that the company is "building into all of our games the ability to pay for things along the way" and that "consumers are enjoying and embracing that way of …
Read More »The Hut opens PS4 software pre-orders… at £70 a shot
UK consumers are free to pre-order a handful of PS4 titles from The Hut, as long as they are willing to lay down 69.99 per game. Killzone: Shadowfall, Destiny, Driveclub, Deep Down, Knack, Diablo III and InFamous: Second Son are all available at that price, while PS4 hardware is listed …
Read More »Will free-to-play console games lead the next generation?
We’re days away from learning more about how the next generation of consoles will take shape – and developers predict free-to-play games will be at the heart of it. The games industry has embraced the business model in the past few years, with publishing giants like EA and Ubisoft investing …
Read More »Journey leads pack in BAFTA nominations
British Academy lifts lid on games in the running for esteemed accolades
Read More »Sony: We must ask third parties to make more attractive Vita games
Third parties, as well as Sony itself, must take responsibility for elevating the PlayStation Vita out of its current rut. That’s the opinion of Sony’s CFO, executive VP and corporate executive officer Masaru Kato, who told investors (as reported by Seeking Alpha): One thing clear for us that in terms …
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