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The fifth annual Develop Conference hit new heights this year with an abundance of memorable speaker sessions from the likes of Tim Schafer, Peter Molyneux, Hello Games and – yes – Ed Vaizey.
Here’s a rundown of the best of the best.
THE FIVE STORIES YOU NEED TO READ
How Schafer survived Brutal Legend 2 axe
In a keynote that offered frequent laughs, industry legend Tim Schafer casually explained that, oh yeah, Brutal Legend 2 is axed and the studio is working on four new titles.
BioWare: Don’t push devs on crunch
See; everyone crunches. Nature of the beast. BioWare runs through some dos and don’ts.
Vaizey: You haven’t made the case for tax breaks
In a brave move, the culture minister faced a packed-out room of enraged developers, as well as the mainstream and specialist. Vaizey’s verbal legerdemain was enough to see off many challenges, but perhaps he regrets this surprise claim.
Molyneux: Fable 2 project hit 67,000 bugs
Attendees set their faces to stunned as the Lionhead boss unleashed a torrent of criticisms of his old project.
Develop Awards 2010
Best year ever? The Develop Awards were cut wide open this year, celebrating the rapid pace in which the industry has diversified. The sparkling evening honoured the Gowers, Unity and more.
HE SAID WHAT!?
‘No monkeys?!’ Why publishers nixed Joe Danger
Hello Games runs through a list of reasons why publishers turned down Joe Danger. Both hilarious and tragic.
‘I assure you that piracy is coming to consoles’
InstantAction CEO Louis Castle insists that anything that can be made can be hacked.
PopCap couldn’t sell Bejeweled for $60k
Yes, it’s one of the best games of all time. And yes, publishers wouldn’t buy it for even a bargain-bin price.
‘Mobile gaming will beat consoles within a year’
Fishlabs CEO Michael Schade says that rendering capabilities on mobile devices will be “superior to the Xbox 360” within a year.
Helgason: Jobs doesn’t understand development economics
Unity CEO, one day before he was handed the Develop Grand Prix award, lays into the iPhone kingmaker.
