Archived News:
CCP Announces that
EVE Online is celebrating its sixth anniversary, as the outer space MMORPG
launched on May 6, 2003, describing the game's six year history as: "A living
history where truly brilliant strategies have unfolded. Truly terrible betrayals
unveiled. We are excited to see what will happen next." They also announce the
game now boasts 300,000 active subscribers, which does not include trial
accounts, describing this as exponential growth after starting the year with
about 244,000 subscribers.
A battle-weary THQ finishes year with $431 million loss reports THQ's
results for their fiscal year 2009, in which the game publisher lost $431.1
million. Word is: "In the fourth fiscal quarter ended March 31, the company said
revenues fell 9 percent to $170.3 million. Losses were $96.9 million. Brian
Farrell, chief executive, said that the company has completed a big
restructuring and expects to return to profits in fiscal year 2010 that ends
March 31, 2010. It is now more focused on established brands in both the
hardcore and family games markets. For 2010, the company expects flat revenues."
The Steam edition of the new
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X patch is now available, updating the aerial
combat game to version 1.02. The patch will be applied automatically when you
launch Steam.
A new "Particle Cannon" trailer from Wolfenstein shows off one of the
less historically accurate weapons in Raven's upcoming World War II shooter. The
clip is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and Gamer's
Hell.
A new Terminator Salvation trailer provides more gameplay footage from
the upcoming cyborg movie tie-in. The clip shows a number of gunfights,
emphasizing the cover system. The movie is available on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
Gamer's Hell.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
StarcraftWire.net has word that Battle.net account pages now have "Beta
Profile Settings" that include an option to send a snapshot of your
system specs to Blizzard to help gauge who should get beta invites, saying: "The
StarCraft II beta-test period is coming in the months ahead." On the topic of
StarCraft II beta testing,
StarcraftWire.net also points to
the StarCraft II Beta Test Opt-in thread on the Battle.net Forums which
indicates Blizzard seems to have changed its policy about unused beta keys from
BlizzCon 2008 or WWI 2008. They have previously said unused keys could not be
used for the StarCraft II test, but now word is: "If you have an unused beta
code from BlizzCon 2008 or WWI 2008, visit this site ( http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/misc/beta-signup.html)
to enter your code." On a semi-related note, Blizzard has issued a new
Chris Sigaty Interview and some new
StarCraft II screenshots.
Gamasutra
has a follow up on Richard Garriott's lawsuit against NCsoft, as
they have gotten to see the court documents from the case. Word is Garriott's
parting of the ways with NCsoft was not voluntary as was reported at
the time, and that the game designer learned he was being let go while in
quarantine following his highly publicized trip into space. The
reason for the lawsuit (which Gamasutra says is for $27 million, not $24
million) is that by characterizing Garriott's departure as voluntary, NCsoft
significantly changed how his stock options were handled, forcing him to
exercise his options at the depths of a downturn on the stock market.
Trion World Network announces plans to show off Heroes of Telara at E3
next month, saying this previously unannounced project is a fantasy-themed
MMORPG where "everyday gamers are forged into legendary heroes." It is not clear
if this is the MMORPG being designed by Jon Van Caneghem before
his recent departure, as here is all they are revealing for
now: In Heroes of Telara™, players are challenged to conquer the unknown
in an epic, ever-changing world. Heroes of Telara™ will feature an unprecedented
level of rich and dynamic gameplay, driven by recurring events, unexpected
challenges and limitless new content.
“Trion is excited to share what we have been working on and to reveal the
universe of Heroes of Telara™,” said Russ Brown, vice president, Channel One,
Trion. “The team is producing a magnificent new universe in which players can
immerse themselves in endless adventure.”
A new "Transporter" trailer from Red Faction: Guerrilla shows the
importance of an exit strategy in the upcoming shooter sequel, or at least the
ability to improvise one by acquiring a vehicle when needed. The clip is posted
on ActionTrip
and AtomicGamer.
Transportation is also the theme of a new Convoy trailer, though neither Big Ben
nor Rubber Duck make an appearance in this clip, which is posted on
AtomicGamer and
ActionTrip.
There is also a new
Red
Faction: Guerrilla interview on IncGamers discussing the game with
Volition's James Hague.
The Darkfall
Forums have a reaction from Aventurine to a review of their new MMORPG
published yesterday in
Eurogamer
that awarded the game a 2 out of 10 score, the lowest score the site can give a
game that isn't actually broken. The response from Aventurine includes
information from their server logs indicating the reviewer played the game for
less than two hours spread over 13 sessions.
Eurogamer's response to the complaints includes the reviewer's insistence he
played for at least nine hours and the server logs are inaccurate. Another bone
of contention from the review is the complaint from Aventurine that the article
is not accurate, and the
Eurogamer forums have posts from players pointing out what they claim are
factual errors in the article. Eurogamer defends the original review, and has
refused demands it be pulled, but they also say they've "learned some lessons
from this episode," and are assigning a second writer to review the game
and see how the outcome jibes with their original write-up. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
Applications for the 2009 Penny
Arcade Scholarship are now being accepted. To apply you must be a full-time
student attending an accredited college or university in the United States
during the 2009-2010 academic school year (currently enrolled; high school
seniors are not eligible). You can have any major, as long as you plan on
entering the game industry and have at least a 3.3 (out of 4) Grade Point
Average.
Atari Follows up on this morning's story on plans for an exclusive
PlayStation launch for Ghostbusters: The Video Game, confirming that this
deal covers Europe only, and the game will be released on June 16 in North
America for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and DS: NEW
YORK, NY – May 6th, 2009 – Atari, one of the world’s most recognized video game
publishers, today confirmed the worldwide launch plans for the highly
anticipated Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
The title will launch on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft, Windows® PC, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system,
PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ in North
America on June 16th 2009 and will be published by Atari Inc.
In an exclusive deal for Europe and the PAL regions, the PLAYSTATION®3 system
and PlayStation®2 system versions will launch on June 19th 2009 published by
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The launch coincides with the 25th
anniversary of the original film’s theatrical release and the launch of the
Blu-RayTM of the classic first movie, benefiting from a worldwide launch and
licensing campaign by Sony Pictures Consumer Products.
"Ghostbusters: The Video Game is one of our most significant worldwide releases
this summer. Through Atari's North America publishing business and alongside our
partners at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, we have a strategically
diversified approach to maximize a title of this magnitude on a global basis,"
said Jim Wilson, CEO, Atari, Inc.
He continued: “As excitement in the marketplace continues to accelerate around
this title and the 25th anniversary of the movie's release, Ghostbusters' large
and loyal fan base and gamers across North America can play Ghostbusters: The
Video Game across all major platforms on June 16."
A PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) version of the game is scheduled for worldwide
launch in autumn 2009 and will be published in Europe by Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe.
As noted on the 1C
Company Forum, Tomorrow War is officially available for digital
distribution from
GamersGate, though some folks received preordered copies of this space
simulator as early as last week (thanks InBlack). Here's a rundown
on the game: "The Tomorrow War is a space sim based on the trilogy of novels
written by a famous Russian author, Alexander Zorich. These books are dedicated
to the intergalactic war of two mighty empires. Along with the graduates of the
military-space academy players will witness different stages of the conflict
between United Earth Empire and Konkordia. Gamers will participate in local
operations and in huge space battles, meet alien races and fight against
unofficial military organizations and of course take part in the final battle."
MCV
has news that Sony Computer Entertainment will take over European publishing
duties on Ghostbusters: The Video Game, making Sony the third publisher
for the movie spin-off in under a year. The move means the game will be launched
as a PlayStation exclusive in June, coinciding with the rerelease of
Ghostbusters on Blu-Ray, but ATARI will still apparently publish the game for
Xbox 360, Wii, and DS, telling
MCV these versions will come before the end of the year. The Windows edition of the
game is completely ignored by these announcements.
GamesIndustry.biz reports that Richard Garriott is suing former employer
NCsoft for a whopping $24 million. Word is the suit was filed in the Texas
Western District Court yesterday, with plaintiff Garriott filing suit against
NCsoft in the category "Torts – Property – Other Fraud," though further details
are scant at this time. The developer sometimes known as Lord British parted was
with NCsoft in November, but it is not clear at this point if the
dispute being litigated was part of the cause or effect in his departure.
Microsoft to Axe Over 140 UK Jobs reports MCV, saying about 5% of
Microsoft's UK workforce is being laid off.
Reuters has what's purported to be a leaked memo from MS honcho Steve
Ballmer saying: "As we move forward, we will continue to closely monitor the
impact of the economic downturn on the company and if necessary, take further
actions on our cost structure, including additional job eliminations."
The
Age of Conan Interview on MMORPG.COM chats with Age of Conan game director
Craig Morrison about his recent letter announcing character
revamps in the MMORPG. He discusses the reasoning behind allowing players to
create new level 50 tunes, new features, and how the free trial is progressing.
We seem to be getting a reprieve from a week of predicted rain today. This is
good news for me, as I picked up a seed mix to patch some of the bald spots in
our yard, and this gives a chance to go throw some of it around to take
advantage of the downpours when they presumably return. Having a couple of big
dogs means never having a picture-perfect lawn, but that's never been a high
priority for us; but it would be nice to get a little better coverage in some
spots, if for nothing else than to avoid the pups tracking as much mud into the
house during spates of weather like this.
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