The latest issue of leading game development publication Develop starts arriving with subscribers from today – and after seven years in its current guise the magazine boasts a fresh new look.

A number of changes have been made to Develop - still the only magazine written by, for and about games developers – which reinforces its position as the one magazine at the heart of the games industry’s creative community.

The new look incorporates editorially rich news, features and technical sections – called Alpha, Beta and Build respectively.

Key content in the March issue include the latest on development for Nokia’s new N-Gage platform, an exclusive and detailed look at how Web 2.0 is informing developers to think about a new ‘Games 2.0’ movement and user-generated content, and a significant uplift in technical features.

Other additions to the magazine include an exclusive new monthly developer sales chart compiled by ChartTrack/ELSPA, plus a strengthened Develop Directory, which lists the global games development industry’s key studios, service companies, tool providers and courses.

“The new Develop is the result of an extensive relaunch and rebranding exercise which began in August 2006,” says Michael French, editor.

“We’ve always taken pride not just in reporting on the games development industry, but being a core part of it, too – no other publication boasts such a pool of such authoritative, knowledgeable and passionate individuals who continue to operate at the heart of the development business," added Stuart Dinsey, MD of publisher Intent Media, which also publishes MCV. "The redesign isn’t just a fresh lick of paint – it’s a radical reimagining of a trade publication, which will continue to position us as the leading magazine in our sector.

“The magazine continues to go from strength to strength, but rather than sitting back and being complacent, we want to evolve with the times. As the development community meets the demands of next-generation game production, so we offer the next-generation in trade publications – a magazine by the business, for the business.”

A free PDF of issue 70, the first to boast the new look, can be downloaded here. Free trial subscriptions are available to any games development professional working in the industry – email here to find out more.

The new look magazine is also being distributed at next week’s Game Developer Conference.