Latest issue of Develop out now

The June issue of Develop has been sent to subscribers and is now available to read online – for free – either as a PDF here (registration required) or in-browser via the Flash-based viewer Issuu.

This month’s cover story is an in-depth interview with one of the biggest surprises from this year’s GDC – the OnLive digital streaming service. We cornered CEO Mike McGarvey to talk about the feasibility of the service, what developers have to do in order to take advantage of it, and the new gaming possibilities that it’ll bring.

We’ve also got an interview with Telltale CEO Dan Connors, in which we discuss the Californian indie’s embrace of the Wallace and Gromit licence, why the studio is the only one to achieve the episodic model, and dream licences – including UK favourites Doctor Who and The Young Ones.

Also prominent in this issue is a detailed look at Finland’s game development scene, and in particular the extensive government benefits provided to studios in the region. We also profile eight of the country’s most prominent developers, including Habbo Hotel creators Sulake, mobile maestros Digital Chocolate, Recoil Games, plus smaller creators like Super Stardust developer Housemarque and iPhone darlings Secret Exit.

On the tools and tech side, we’ve taken a detailed look at the game engine marketplace, examining its buoyancy during the economic downturn and the new frontiers that middleware developers are looking to address. We’ve also got a run-down of ten of the most prolific and most innovative engines, including all the information on latest feature updates. Plus, there’s an extra-special interview with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s Research and Development team about the genesis and ongoing development of their free cross-platform PhyreEngine.

Elsewhere in the issue John Broomhall takes a look at the audio creation process for Swordfish’s 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand; the Epic Diaries go head-to-head with Wolverine; Ruffian Games’ Billy Thomson spills game design doc secrets; Games Investor Consulting’s Nick Gibson opens a series of profiles of innovative online game developers with a look at Flash maestros Artix; and Black Rock Studios’ David Jefferies enumerates solutions for dealing with colour banding.

So, to check out the latest issue, either download it as a PDF here (registration required) or view it in-browser at Issu. Comments, criticism and compliments are welcome at ed.fear@intentmedia.co.uk.