Contents CONTENT Editor: Vince Pavey
vince.pavey@
biz-media.co.uk
Design and Production: Steve Williams
swilliams@designandmediasolutions.co.uk ADVERTISING SALES
Senior Business Development Manager: Alex Boucher MBE
alex.boucher@
biz-media.co.uk +44 (0)7778 538 431
MANAGEMENT
Media Director: Paul Ryder
pryder@datateam.co.uk +44 (0)1622 699 105
12 Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Um … meow?
16 Fanatical
SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your address, or check on your current account status, please contact:
subscriptions@bizmediauk.co.uk
ARCHIVES
Digital editions of the magazine are available. Recent back issues of the printed edition may be available please call +44 (0)203 143 8777 for more information.
INTERNATIONAL
MCV/DEVELOP and its content are available for licensing and syndication re-use. Contact Paul Ryder for opportunities and permissions:
pryder@datateam.co.uk
30 years and 1500 bundles later 18 Anita Wong
Looks ahead at a complicated 2026
19 Adam Smart On 2026 redefining games in a variety of ways
20 Women in Games Explains why the Women in Games Manifesto matters
22 Code Wizards
Michelle Gimsing on what a backend is
Datateam Business Media, London Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8LY
All contents © 2025 Datateam Business Media Ltd. or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Datateam Business Media Ltd. cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccura- cies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Datateam Business Media Ltd. and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Biz Media Ltd. nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licen- sees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions.
24 30 Under 30
2025's best and brightest young people
30 MJ Widomska Tells you why you should be on Reddit
32 InnoGames
Kai Ortmann on a decade of strategy game development
December/January 2026 6 Critical Path The key dates this month
10 IRL GaMaYo
38 ROG Xbox Ally
This is an (article about) Xbox 40 Lost Rift
People Can Fly on its brand-new extraction shooter
42 Wobbly Life
Thomas Dunn on letting players make their own fun
43 Debugging D&I How salary transparency could bridge the pay gap
44 Playtesting Making sure challenge is intentional, and not accidental
46 When We Made … REMATCH
48 Rokky
On geo-pricing and unlocking your global sales potential
50 PlanetPlay Wants your games to Battle for the Habitats
52 Paul Sulyok On why bundles are as good for games as they are for charity
54 Final Boss Video game purchaser Jack Smith
www.datateam.co.uk
+44 (0)203 143 8777
December/January 2026 MCV/DEVELOP | 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56