MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
LEGO Universe has been acquired by the LEGO Group, as well as a handful of staff from the game’s developer NetDevil. The Group purchased the Warner-published MMO earlier this week, according to Joystiq. The retained NetDevil members will continue to work on the game going forwards. The studio is owned …
Read More »Mastertronic gets Serious on Xbox 360
Mastertronic has acquired the rights to publish two more big Xbox 360 boxed games. Serious Sam HD First & Second Encounter and Alien Breed Trilogy will both hit shelves in March, courtesy of the publisher. The latter will arrive on March 18th while Serious Sam is due for release sometime …
Read More »Trion Worlds hits 1m sign-ups
MMO developer and publisher Trion Worlds has announced that more than one million user accounts have been registered with the company to date. This massive audience suggests a high level of interest for the firm’s first release, MMORPG Rift, which arrives on March 4th. The announcement was made as the …
Read More »Vietnam blocks late night online gaming
Vietnam has moved to block gamers from playing online at night. The country’s Ministry of Information and Communication has asked internet service providers to block access to online games after 10pm, according to Vietnam News. The initiative is to counter potentially harmful side effects from playing these titles. Provincial departments …
Read More »Zynga settles Mafia Wars lawsuit
FarmVille creators Zynga have settled out of court after being sued by online game developer Digital Chocolate. The latter claimed Zynga’s popular 2008 Facebook title Mafia Wars infringed on copyright of its own 2004 mobile game of the same name, according to The Recorder. Terms of the settlement have not …
Read More »UK CHARTS: Black Ops returns to No.1
Call of Duty: Black Ops has once again secured to the top spot of the GfK Chart-Track All Formats Charts. Thanks to 192 per cent increase in sales, Treyarch’s shooter has now racked up eight No.1s since its release in November – one less than its predecessor Modern Warfare 2. …
Read More »LEGO Ninjago due in April
Warner Bros has announced a release date for upcoming DS title LEGO Ninjago. The handheld strategy game will arrive in the UK on April 15th, and follows the release of LEGO’s latest range of toys. Developed by Hellbent Games, the title is a sequel to LEGO Battles and challenges players …
Read More »Nintendo: Retail drives the mass market
Boxed product is far from dead – it’s the key to driving sales among the mass market. That’s according to Nintendo of Europe’s MD of marketing and PR Laurent Fischer, who believes the industry’s shift towards digital distribution and mobile gaming has been nowhere near as severe as some have …
Read More »AR character cards bundled with 3DS
The 3DS will come bundled with six augmented reality cards based on popular Nintendo characters at launch. When placed on flat surface and viewed through the upcoming handheld’s camera, the cards transform on screen into an animated character. The cards included in the 3DS box will allow players to have …
Read More »Pokemon launches online card game
Pokemon Trainer Challenge is a new online version of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, distributed in the UK by Esdevium Games (www.pokemontcg.com). The new website joins a growing number of toy ranges with an online element, such as Club Penguin, Moshi Monsters and Webkinz. The Pokemon game will initially feature …
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