Take Two has announced that it will be publishing Cryptic Studios’ MMO Champions Online under its 2K Games label. They will also deliver Champions Online to North American and 'international' audiences, the title will be released on PC and Xbox 360 in spring 2009.

Cryptic Studios creates games that are easy to get into and give MMO gamers the challenge they are looking for through innovative game systems and by providing deep, fun, and rewarding gameplay, supported by strong communities. Cryptic Studios are well known for creating the City of Heroes and City of Villains MMO titles.

“2K Games is excited to work with such a talented group as Cryptic Studios,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Given their stellar pedigree and amazing grasp of the MMO genre, we are confident that Champions Online will deliver an innovative and exciting action MMO experience to gamers.”

“2K Games is a terrific publishing partner for Champions Online,” said John Needham, CEO of Cryptic Studios. “Cryptic is proud that Champions Online will be 2K’s first MMO title and we look forward to working together towards a tremendous launch next year.”

Champions Online for Xbox 360 is not yet concept approved by Microsoft. It is not also rated by the ESRB.

References:
http://www.crypticstudios.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=
view&id=205&Itemid=31

Posted by Lika Todadze at 8:33 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, XBox

E3, the video-game industry's big trade show, is next week, so a lot of the new software coming between now and Christmas. But there's a bit of a lull until Aug. 12, when "Madden NFL 09" unofficially marks the beginning of the fall game season. Here are the best of the year so far:

1. "Grand Theft Auto IV" (Rockstar, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3): The latest episode of "GTA" has its flaws, particularly in the storytelling department. But living a life of crime has never been more fun, thanks to much tighter gameplay and an exquisitely detailed vision of a decaying metropolis.

2. "Lost Odyssey" (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360): The epic tale of immortal mercenary Kaim is a delight for fans of classic role-playing games.

3. "The World Ends With You" (Square Enix, for the Nintendo DS): This adventure set in modern Tokyo is the most innovative RPG in years.

4. "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" (Konami, for the PS3): It may be more of a movie than a game, but it's a dazzling finale for one of gaming's most fascinating sagas.

5. "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" (Nintendo, for the DS): Charming characters wrestle with clever puzzles in this beautifully written and illustrated gem.

Reference:

http://www.gamepro.com/

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 4:22 PM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Games, Nintendo, PlayStation, Wii, XBox

New addition of Xbox 360 game Viva Piñata - “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” will be released this autumn.

With more than 30 additional new piñata species, expanded co-op options and multiple gameplay modes, “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” offers limitless fun for every animal-lover in the family.

In a new game Piñata Island is bigger. Players can explore wild areas outside of the garden where they will need to bait and retrieve exotic piñata species who won’t venture into the garden on their own.

Now you can play the game with your friends or family members, who can share in the joy of creating a garden by plugging in an extra controller. The second player has access to all tools, actions, activities, and can help by collecting magic. It's an entirely new way to play. You can also teach Piñata different tricks with the new trick stick tool.

Using the new photo mode in “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise,” you can snap, print and upload pictures of your unique garden or customized piñatas showing them off to your friends. You also can photograph your piñata and turn it into a piñata card, share it with your friends so they scan it and put it into their own garden using the Xbox LIVE Vision camera.

“Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” will hit the store shelves on September 2 in the United States and on September 5 in Europe and UK.

References:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6193366.html?om_act=convert&om
_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;4

Posted by Lika Todadze at 5:09 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, XBox

Ubisoft announced the full list for the upcoming release of “Fan Pack” – an all-new downloadable content (DLC) package for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Vegas 2 for the Xbox 360.

The Free Fan Pack will feature the three new maps Calypso Casino, Murdertown and CQB Training and add new XP ranks beyond Elite as well as additional A.C.E.S. Along with the Fan Pack, Ubisoft will release an update for the title that'll make RSV2 even more enjoyable including the addition of a grenade indicator, a new High Stakes setting, a few balancing tweaks and various gameplay updates.

Three new MP maps are:

* Calypso Casino: The fan favorite from Rainbow Six Vegas is back by popular demand. All Rainbow Six Vegas 2 game modes are supported, including co-op terrorist hunt.

* Murdertown - Dark: Experience this map’s intense, close-quarter action underneath the cover of darkness.

* CQB Training - Dark: This map is set at nighttime, so expect more tactical assaults as players must use their night vision to spot enemies.

But these maps aren't the only additions in the Fan Pack. It will also include a game update that adds a new gameplay option called High Stakes, which removes some of the game's more forgiving elements. For instance, High Stakes will disable players' radars, aim assistance, and health regeneration. Ammunition will also be more limited and moving while shooting has a greater negative impact on accuracy.

Finally, the update includes a variety of balance tweaks, new features like a directional indicator when players are within range of a grenade, more spawning and chat options when hosting a game, and new ranks and A.C.E.S. levels for players who have already maxed out the game's current player prestige limits.

These and many other additions to Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will be available on the Playstation Network free of charge in July.

References:
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=28989

Posted by Lika Todadze at 5:04 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, UBISOFT, XBox

Aerosmith fans can finally get their chance to feel themselves as Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as video game developer Activision Inc released its Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game on Friday.

Dozens flocked to the Hard Rock restaurant in Times Square to see the legendary five-member rock band debut the game and try out the latest Guitar Hero addition. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford even brought his sons to take a look at the band's creation.

The game features 30 of the band's most notable hits such as "Love in an Elevator" and "Sweet Emotion." It also includes songs from various artists Aerosmith performed and collaborated with over the years, including Run D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett. There is even a special guitar controller emblazoned with the band's red-and-white logo for hard core fans.

The game and guitar controller bundle for Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Xbox 360, Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation3 and Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii sells for $99.99, with an additional PlayStation2 version for $89.99. The game is also sold individually for each of the consoles and costs $59.99 and $49.99, respectively.

The Aerosmith game is the first Guitar Hero edition that focuses on an individual rock band. The previous three versions of the game featured various rock music genres that ranged from grunge, classic rock, metal, punk and '80s hits.

During the game's creation, band members spent two weeks performing in a motion capture studio in order for their video game figures to move exactly as the group performs on stage. Activision is set to come out with a Metallica Guitar Hero edition in 2009, but declined to specify what month the game will be released.

The company will also release Guitar Hero: World Tour during the Christmas season, which will include a drum set and microphone in addition to the guitar controller. This version will rival Activision's biggest competitor "Rock Band," produced by Viacom Inc's MTV unit and Electronic Arts Inc.

Reference:

http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=318345

http://www.guitarhero.com/ghaerosmith/uk/#/media/

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 10:40 PM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing, Games

Sony Corp. will win back its electronic leadership by improving its Internet-linked gadgets, wiping out losses in video games and TVs and pushing services and software, not just hardware. "This is not your father's Sony, “ - Chief Executive Howard Stringer said Thursday at Sony's Tokyo headquarters, outlining a strategy for growth.

Stringer said the company will become profitable in its TV and video game businesses during this fiscal year, which ends March 2009. Company wants to beef up networking gadgets, making sure 90 percent of Sony Corp.'s electronics products wirelessly connect to the Net by March 2011. Sony has rebounded from a bottom in 2005 by exiting or downsizing 15 product categories, reducing 10,000 global workers and shutting down 11 manufacturing sites.

Sony is going to come up with better software and services that match its longtime reputation for gadgets and entertainment content. A movie download service also will come for the PlayStation 3 game console in the summer in the U.S., said Kazuo Hirai, who heads Sony's video game unit. The service will be offered in Japan and Europe at later dates.

Sony is widely viewed as having erred in not pursuing flat-panel TVs soon enough, and in sticking to proprietary software with its gadgets, battering its earnings early in the decade. But it has posted a remarkable recovery recently, racking up a record profit of $3.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31. Now, executives said, Sony is investing $16.7 billion over the next three years for future technology. Sony made its announcements shortly after trading ended on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Its U.S. shares slipped 67 cents to $45.55 Thursday.

Reference:

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200806/08-080E/08-080E.pdf

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 10:45 PM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Games, PlayStation

Metal Gear Solid 4 (MGS4) boosts PS3 sales in Japan. MGS4 broke records in its first week of sales in Japan, quickly becoming the best selling PS3 title yet over there. It sold 476,334 copies in four days (from June 12, 2008 to June 15).

Two special editions of Guns of the Patriots were released in Japan: the MGS4 Premium Pack, and the PS3 MGS4 Welcome Box. The Premium Pack includes the "very" limited-edition gunmetal PS3 along with the game, and retails at ¥51,800 ($481). The PS3 MGS4 Welcome Box is simply the game plus a Dual Shock controller in ceramic white, black, or satin silver and retails at ¥63,800 ($593).

MGS4 caused quite the boost for PlayStation 3 hardware sales. While the system was struggling to reach 10,000 units in a given week, MGS4 caused a sales spike to 77,208 units.

The second-best-selling console of the week ending June 15 was the PlayStation Portable, still buoyed by Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G sales (released on March 27, and currently number five in the chart), which clocked in 64,675 units. The Wii was next with 45,564, followed by the DS Lite with 39,201, the PlayStation 2 with 7,297, and the Xbox 360 with 2,163.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a story-driven adventure game, with seasoned hero Solid Snake drafted for one final mission. Set across stages including the Middle East and South America, the now aged Snake has been asked to assassinate his old adversary, Liquid Ocelot. To do this, however, he must make his way through a series of battlefields, using his legendary stealth abilities and all-new OctoCamo suit to avoid detection and to reach his target.

References:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.famitsu.com%2Fgame
%2Fnews%2F1215919_1124.html%3Fref%3Drss&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=ja&tl=en

Posted by Lika Todadze at 8:46 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, XBox

What does it feels like when you are politics and doing your job? It’s like a big, serious game! U.S. presidential election year was an idea of a new computer game called "Political Machine" casts you as Democrat Barack Obama, Republican John McCain, or other politicians trying to win the White House.

The underlying mechanics of "Political Machine" will be familiar to veterans of strategy games that usually have players collect resources, build facilities and make weapons. Instead of weapons like nuclear cannons and energy beams, players deploy spin doctors and smear merchants to take down opponents and boost their own ratings. Instead of conquering planets, players must win over enough states to carry them to electoral victory.

The game also offers alternate scenarios, such as the 1860 election that preceded the U.S. Civil War, and more whimsical ones like seeing what Europe or an alien planet would be like if U.S.-style elections were transplanted there. The game had mixed success in predicting the outcome of the 2004 election: it picked Kerry over Bush but correctly foresaw that the contest boiled down to who won Ohio.

"Political Machine" went on sale this week for personal computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system. Luckiest one who loves politics!

References:

http://www.politicalmachine.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Political_Machine

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 9:16 PM | 1 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing, Games, Microsoft

For its first baby step, the game's Spore Creature Creator goes live at www.spore.com . The program, for Windows and Macintosh PCs, lets players design creatures using the game's editing tools. Those creations will populate the world - actually, the galaxies - of Spore when the full game launches Sept. 7. In addition to the free trial download, a $10 retail version is also sold in stores.

In development for nearly five years, Spore is an evolutionary simulation game that goes beyond the God game genre. In the full version of Spore, players can begin as a single-cell organism that must make its way out of the mire and onto land. Your critter evolves from a slug-like animal and gets smarter, joins tribes, creates a civilization and ultimately goes into space.

Each of the game's five stages - cell, creature, tribal, civilization and space - has a creative editor for evolving your creature and building structures and vehicles. The Creature Creator's drag-and-drop design tools that let you choose from a palate of body parts (mouth, eyes, legs and claws) and them adjust the malleable body and appendages to your liking. Also coming Sept. 7, in addition to the PC and Mac game is Spore Creatures, a game for the Nintendo DS, and Spore Mobile, two methods of evolving your creatures on the go.

Reference:

http://eu.spore.com/home.cfm?lang=en

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 12:56 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing, Microsoft

Metal Gear Solid 4 is finally in New York. Hideo Kojima's signing took place on the bottom floor of the three-story megastore Virgin, in Times Square, New York City.

The game launch event featured long line of fans; Hideo Kojima and a few actors who gave the game their all with motion capturing and voice work. The first in line was Yascear Deolall 21, who had been waiting over 30 hours for the chance to meet Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a story-driven adventure game, with seasoned hero Solid Snake drafted for one final mission. Set across stages including the Middle East and South America, the now aged Snake has been asked to assassinate his old adversary, Liquid Ocelot. To do this, however, he must make his way through a series of battlefields, using his legendary stealth abilities and all-new OctoCamo suit to avoid detection and to reach his target.

With series favorites such as Meryl Silverburgh, Raiden, Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich, Eva and Roy Campbell returning, and with all new gameplay features including a remote-controlled Metal Gear Mk. II and enhanced CQC (Close Quarters Combat) system, Metal Gear Solid 4 rounds out the Metal Gear saga with a fittingly cinematic and gripping final outing.

References:

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/06/new-york----at.html

Posted by Lika Todadze at 5:04 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development

New research shows that U.S. retail sales of video games, consoles and game accessories hit $1.12 billion in May, a 37 percent rise over the same month last year. These parameters reported on Thursday by Market researcher NPD Group.


Take-Two Interactive Corp's Grand Theft Auto continues to be the No. 1 selling video game, and its version IV, released in April, sold 871,300 units in May. According to the research the top-selling hardware unit is Nintendo Co.'s Wii console. 675,100 units were sold in May. Nintendo's DS handheld player took second with 452,600 units sold. Those units have captured the top two spot's for four consecutive months. Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 trailed with 208,700 and 186,600 units sold.


As to hardware sales, they rose 34 percent to $428.6 million, while software sales rose 41 percent to $536.9 million, compared to the same month last year. Sales year-to-date come to $6.6 billion and the industry is on pace to bring in revenue between $21 billion and $23 billion for 2008.

Reference:
http://www.npd.com/corpServlet?nextpage=corp_welcome.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2008-06-13-video-games-sales-may_N.htm?csp=34

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 10:17 PM | 2 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing, Games, Hardware, Microsoft, Nintendo, PlayStation, Sony, Wii, XBox

Speaking in a new PlayStation Blog post Susan Panico, Senior Director of the PlayStation Network, has announced a new interactive digital magazine TV show called Qore. An addition to the PlayStation Network (PSN), the subscription-based gaming program will debut today.

Available only on the PlayStation Store on PSN, Qore is the first in a series of original content planned for the PlayStation community. Qore will feature exclusive multimedia news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews, and behind-the-scene looks at popular PlayStation games. Sony said subscribers will also have special access to game demos, betas, add-ons and other downloadable and game-related content.

The first issue of Qore comes packed with exclusive content for games such as SOCOM Confrontation (including an invitation to the beta), Secret Agent Clank and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Qore is available on the PlayStation Store for a one-off payment of $2.99 per issue, or for a yearly subscription fee of $24.99 for 13 issues.

"Qore is the first step in providing original content dedicated to the PlayStation community and evolving the network into a place where our customers can gather, share and discover new forms of entertainment," - said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America.

According to Mike Goodman, a video-game analyst at Yankee Group, PSN is an entertainment network aimed at digitally delivering innovative content and fostering a community for a worldwide audience. The network has eight million members, according to Sony, and Qore is the latest addition. But Sony is still very much in building mode versus its rival, Microsoft's Xbox Live.

Reference:

http://blog.us.playstation.com

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 9:27 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Sharing, PlayStation, Sony, XBox

Asus announced that it would launch the Eee Box at Computex, backing it with a Nintendo Wii-like controller. Asus was a bit more circumspect than rival Gigabyte, which announced its own Computex plans. Of note will be the Eee Box, which is expected to bring prices down in the desktop space as its notebook counterpart has within the notebook market.

One of Gigabyte's oddest announcements is the Asus Eee Stick, which appears to be almost the copy of the Nintendo Wii controller, but for the PC. Pricing and availability were not announced.

In the notebook space, Asus will announce the Mini PC Nova Lite PX24 – the world´s smallest mini PC equipped with a built-in independent graphics card. A compact 11.1-inch widescreen U2E notebook with a 32 Gbyte Solid State Disc memory module will also be announced. Finally, Asus will launch the ASUS G70 notebook, which utilizes a "Multi Dual-Engine" architecture for gamers.

In desktops, Asus will launch the ASUS Essentio CS5110 – the world´s smallest Desktop PC equipped with a fully embedded discrete graphic card, the company claimed, together with the Ares gaming PC.

Asus also plans to announce the ASUS P320 – the smallest Windows Mobile GPS PDA phone; the R700t PND, which utilizes a 3D map function to allow users to easily and conveniently view their GPS positions in real-time; and the M930 smart phone.

For detailed information check out the reference here.

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 10:42 PM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Hardware

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) launched Immune Attack TM, an exciting, fun and fast-moving video game that teaches the critical scientific facts of immunology.

The cutting-edge game is designed to teach how the immune system works to defend the body against invading bacteria. The visual elements and simulations are critical for grasping the complex interactions of the biological systems.

“My students were very engaged while playing Immune Attack,” said Netia Elam, AP Biology Teacher at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, VA. “The video game provides great visuals and allows the students to interact while playing the game. The kids really wanted to master the game and to do that they needed to learn the immunology concepts.”

The game allows students to use sights, sounds, and touch to get better acquainted with the immune system. It also encourages them to interact with each other and have problem-solving discussions to enhance their game-play and ultimately learn the subject.

Preliminary surveys show that the students who play Immune Attack show an increase in knowledge when compared with students who did not play the game. After playing the game students also showed a higher interest in biology.

Immune Attack was created by FAS in collaboration with teams of game developers, instructional designers, immunologists, teachers, and learning scientists including Brown University, the University of Southern California, and Escape Hatch Entertainment.

References:

http://www.fas.org/press/news/news.html

Posted by Lika Todadze at 5:14 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Fun, Game Development

As games are amazingly popular all around the world game developers work a lot to satisfy the needs of their consumers, who have different requests and abilities. So their mission is not really an easy one.

Three graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Class of 2008 have created a game to foster independence among disabled individuals.

Graduating seniors Jennifer Ash, Zach Barth, and Peter Mueller have led an interdisciplinary student team. In the frame of the CapAbility Games Research Project, the students worked in collaboration with the Adult Services Division of the Center for Disability Services in Albany to develop a game that specifically addresses the needs of the center’s consumers.

The game, called “Capable Shopper,” simulates a shopping trip at a local Price Chopper. Players walk around the virtual grocery store - which is based on actual blueprints obtained from an area Price Chopper where the center’s consumers often shop - using a specially designed joystick or a head mouse, depending on their individual mobility.

A computer monitor set up directly in front of the user simulates the layout of the store, and a second monitor to the left displays a virtual shopping list. Users start the game by selecting a meal they’d like to make.

The new game also helps people to find their way easily around the supermarket and to identify the right aisles in which to find items on their shopping list, and selecting specific items off of shelves.

P.S. So here is a new game to gain independence. Let’s see how it will work.

Reference:

http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2444&setappvar=page(1)

Posted by Lika Todadze at 8:38 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development

While Grand Theft Auto IV is racking up sales records, console makers are vying for bragging rights of their own, and Microsoft seems to be the victor.

GTA IV was released April 29 and global sales totaled more than $500 million in the first week alone. The first day the latest addition to the hit Rockstar Games series hit retail store shelves, sales were $310 million. More than six million copies have been sold.

The only question is, which console is the game being played on? GTA IV was developed by Rockstar North on two platforms -- the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Both manufacturers are reporting higher console sales as a result.

According to news reports that claim to have the inside scoop on Microsoft's sales data, Redmond is the big winner. Reportedly Xbox 360 console sales jumped 54 percent. Other reports estimate more than 60 percent of GTA IV games went to Xboxers, leaving less than 40 percent for PlayStation 3 gamers.

References:

http://www.gamerankings.com/

http://www.biline.ca/xbox_list.htm#g

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 8:40 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing, Microsoft, PlayStation, XBox

Gamers who play the new Grand Theft Auto IV are able to buy downloads of the music they hear through Amazon.com. It’s an interesting twist on music marketing.

When playing Grand Theft Auto IV, players can listen to over 200 songs across 16 in-game radio stations. A new GTA IV feature called ZIT lets customers 'tag' the songs they like. When a player hears a song that interests them, they can dial ZIT-555-0100 on their in-game cell phone, and a text message appears on the phone with the song title and artist. The ZIT number is recorded on the phone for easy one-key lookups of future songs.

After playing, gamers can log on to the new online Rockstar Games Social Club community site at https://socialclub.rockstargames.com/, where they can see their stats from their game play and the full list of songs they've tagged. The site will offer a link to a customized playlist of these songs on Amazon MP3, where they can preview, purchase and download the songs as 256 kbps MP3 files.

References:

http://rockstargames.com/IV/

http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/827/827005.html

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 9:32 AM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Sharing, Games

The accolades lavished on criminal action video game "Grand Theft Auto 4", long expected to be the best-selling game of 2008, pushed Take-Two shares as high as $27.10, more than a dollar higher than the $25.74 per share offered for the company by rival Electronic Arts Inc. It was the highest level for the stock since February 28, when it touched $27.61 three days after Electronic Arts went public with its $2 billion hostile bid.

These ratings are quite extraordinary. It's something special and helps critics to understand why Take-Two was so confident and adamant that they wanted to wait. Many analysts have long said EA may have to raise its bid by a dollar or two per share.

Take-Two and Electronic Arts were not immediately available to comment.The Tuesday launch of "Grand Theft Auto 4" is expected to be the biggest entertainment event of the year, with first-week sales of up to $400 million.

Scores on gaming review aggregation site Metacritic.org show the game, in which players work for a crime syndicate in a fictionalized New York, is on track to be the highest-rated video game of all time.

Based on more than a dozen reviews so far, the version of GTA4 for Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 game console has scored a perfect 100 while that for Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 has achieved a score of 99.

Reference:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/grandtheftauto4

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 9:10 PM | 2 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, PlayStation, XBox

According to data released today by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association and compiled by Chart-Track, the UK games industry racked up a total of £418.4 million in software sales in the first quarter of 2008. It appears that Nintendo is the real winner of the increased sales, scooping up 37 percent of all unit sales thanks to the success of its Wii and DS offerings, which took the top two spots. The PC was the third most popular platform for game sales, followed by Microsoft's Xbox 360. The report also shows Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games to be the most popular game in the first quarter.

ELSPA's director general, Paul Jackson, used the release of the figures as an opportunity to petition the government for increased industry support. "The UK continues to blaze a trail in terms of creativity yet over the last few years it is becoming apparent that some talent is being lured away by more attractive prospects overseas. As it stands, the UK is already down to fourth place from third as the world's creative centre for games. It is time the Government recognised the massive financial contribution we make to the UK economy, especially when compared to the film, TV and music industries." - he said.

As previously reported on GameSpot, the UK games industry employs 25,000 people and contributes £2 billion per year to the country's economy.

References:

http://www.chart-track.co.uk/?i=543&s=1111

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 10:00 PM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing, Games, Nintendo, XBox

French telecom and media group Vivendi won permission from the European Commission on Wednesday to merge its videogame unit with Activision Inc in a $9.85 billion deal. The deal will give Vivendi a 52 percent stake in a new industry giant called Activision Blizzard with annual revenue of $3.8 billion.

The Commission said for "all categories of game software, the combined firm would continue to face several strong, effective competitors, such as Electronic Arts, and the game console manufacturers, such as Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft." Activision is riding high on the success of games such as "Guitar Hero", "Tony Hawk" and "Call of Duty" but has lacked an offering in the online role-playing area, dominated by "World of Warcraft" from Vivendi's Blizzard Entertainment.

Posted by Maka Asatiani at 9:02 PM | 0 comments  

Labels: Game Development, Game Reviews, Game Sharing