Archived News:
Joystiq has confirmation of "seasonal" job losses at Electronic Arts, pointing out this is the third year in a row they've cut jobs heading into the holidays. EA also tells GamesIndustry.biz (registration required) "sources may be exaggerating" the number of positions impacted. These sources include a Tweet by George Broussard, who had said: "EA Canada lays off 100+. Rumors swirl about global EA layoff in double digit range," and a post on Shacknews saying EA Black Box (likewise located in Vancouver, Canada) also suffered layoffs. Here's EA's official statement: "As you know, seasonal roll-offs that follow game launches are common and vital to maintaining a healthy business. Because so many of our games ship in the holiday quarter, the team size adjustments tend to follow in the same timeframe. However, EA is growing and several of our studios are looking to hire talented people."
The Los Angeles Times has word that ZeniMax Media's buying spree continues, as Tango Gameworks, the Japanese game studio of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, has joined Bethesda Softworks, id Software, and Arkane Studios in the Zenimax family. Word is: "Mikami will remain at Tango following the acquisition as the company's creative lead, the companies said in a joint statement. His latest game, a science-fiction shooter called Vanquish, was released Oct. 19 to generally positive reviews."
The Blood Bowl Website announces the release of Blood Bowl Legendary Edition, the new version of their fantasy-themed sports game. They offer a new trailer, and word on a special offer for owners of the original game: "We also want to remind Blood Bowl owners (standard or Dark Elves editions) that they may benefit from an exceptional, exclusive discount of -33%, on the purchase of Blood Bowl Legendary Edition on the official online store!" There is also a new version 1.2.0.1 patch for Blood Bowl on AtomicGamer, The Patches Scrolls, and WorthPlaying and a new version 2.0.0.3 patch for Blood Bowl Legendary Edition on AtomicGamer, The Patches Scrolls, and WorthPlaying.
The Battlefield Blog announces the promised patch for the PC edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is expected tomorrow. Word is: "Please note: All game servers will need to be taken down for updates. The maintenance period starts on Friday, October 29th at 06:00 AM GMT. Most of the servers should be back up by 10:00 AM GMT. The patch is roughly 900 MB in size." They outline how to get the new version via Steam or otherwise, and offer an updated set of patch notes, which follow. Continue here to read the full story.
Gamasutra has financial results from Capcom, where sales are up, but profits are way down, in part due to poor performance of the yen. The results include word that Dead Rising 2 has shipped over two million units, though delays to the zombie sequel and the underperformance of Lost Planet 2 are also cited as reasons for the 47% dip in profits.
Kalypso Media announces they are accepting registration for closed beta testing of Dungeons, saying testing should begin on November 4 and that those accepted will get "a great opportunity to help the developers create the most sinister experience possible." Here's a reminder about the game: "DUNGEONS follows the mis-adventures of the foremost of all Dungeon Lords, who spends his time luring heroes into his labyrinthine creations with the promise of treasure and a good fight -- only to be trapped by his ingenious devices."
A new patch is automatically available for America's Army 3 is now available via Steam, updating the U.S. Army's teamplay shooter to version 3.0.8.1. The patch notes are quite extensive, so here's the abstract: "This release will feature a myriad of gameplay, UI, weapon fixes and more, all designed to greatly improve performance and your gaming experience. Plus, we've heard rumors about some undocumented changes, but we'll let our Developers tell you all about that, so keep watch on our forums for more details."
Steam now offers a new automatic patch for Team Fortress 2. The change list for Valve's teamplay shooter follows. Continue here to read the full story.
The first DarkSpore producer video diary is online, where Maxis executive producer Michael Perry talks about "squads & abilities" in their upcoming action/RPG. Michael discusses the strategies behind forming squads, inspired by collectible card games, and offers examples of character abilities using gameplay footage. The embedded version of the clip follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Paradox Interactive announces the release of Woody Two-Legs: Attack of the Zombie Pirates through digital distribution, offering a casual shooter for $4.99 USD. Word is: "Woody Two-Legs is a casual score chasing arcade shooter that offers players various degrees of unlockable difficulties, building gradually on intensity with wave after wave of attack by the retune [sic] of undead pirates and their unholy allies. Part of the addiction lies in the fact that these enemies become increasingly nasty as the player unlocks the various difficulty modes, ultimately facing up against the man himself in the ultimate boss fight in Nightmare Mode."
- Aliens vs. Predator on Steam. Save 50%.
- Alter Ego on Steam. Save 50%.
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent on Steam. Save 33%.
- BioShock on Steam. Save 75%.
- Burn Zombie Burn! on Steam. Save 50%.
- Dark Fall: Lost Souls on Steam. Save 66%.
- Dead Space on Steam. Save 50%.
- Devil May Cry 4 on Steam. Save 50%.
- Doom Rails on Steam. Save 50%.
- Dracula Origin on Steam. Save 75%.
- Ghostbusters: The Videogame on Steam. Save 50%.
- Ghost Master on Steam. Save 50%.
- Frontlines: Fuel of War on Steam. Save 85%.
- Haunted House on Steam. Save 50%.
- Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam. Save 50%.
- Left 4 Dead Bundle on Steam. Save 50%.
- Nation Red on Steam. Save 66%.
- Overlord on Steam. Save 75%.
- Overlord II on Steam. Save 75%.
- Overlord: Raising Hell on Steam. Save 75%.
- Overlord Complete Pack on Steam. Save 75%.
- Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition on Steam. Save 50%.
- Resident Evil 5 on Steam. Save 50%.
- Silent Hill Homecoming on Steam. Save 50%.
- Team Fortress 2 on Steam. Save 50%.
- Worms Reloaded on Steam. Save 50%.
- Zombie Bowl-o-Rama on Steam. Save 75%.
- Zombie Driver on Steam. Save 50%.
Still on sale. Continue here to read the full story.
Battle.net is now offering presales of the digital Cataclysm upgrade for World of Warcraft, Blizzard's MMORPG. Those who choose to get the expansion in this manner will be able to play the game as soon as it launches on December 7 at 3:00 am EST, as the new content will download in the background between now and then when you play the game or have the launcher open. Blizzard offers a FAQ on the process, which follows. Continue here to read the full story.
A new trailer shows off the city of Rome in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, the upcoming stealth/action sequel. Ubisoft also announces that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of the game are now gold, and expected in stores on November 16. Last month it was announced the Windows edition of Brotherhood is now expected in the first quarter of next year. Here's the embedded version of the new trailer. Continue here to read the full story.
The Tribes Universe Website is now accepting registration from those interested in alpha testing the upcoming persistent TRIBES game from Hi-Rez Studios. "We are very proud and humbled to be carrying the banner of the Tribes Franchise," said Stewart Chisam, Executive Producer of Tribes Universe. "Because the game will be focused around huge battles on huge landscapes, we need a solid group of very dedicated testers that can help us from the games' earliest stages to validate the scalability and performance of the game, while also helping tune and refine gameplay. We look forward to starting Alpha testing early next year and will certainly be providing much more information over the coming months." Alpha testing is expected to kick off early next year, and the announcement includes a preliminary feature list for the game:
- Massive PvP battles * Massive outdoor maps/landscapes
- Full persistent world with territory control (no instances)
- Three Tribes (Factions)
- Full clan support
- First person view (third person for some vehicles)
- Full vehicle support (ground and air)
- Jetpacks, skiing, lots of weapons - all the things you expect from a game set inside the Tribes game world.
German website PC Games reports that German players will not be able to install localized versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops instead of the censored German edition of the military shooter. The game requires Steam activation even for retail copies, and word is that users located in Germany will not be permitted to activate versions purchased elsewhere. Thanks MCV.
Steam News announces the release of a new update for Team Fortress 2, offering some changes and kicking off a Halloween celebration for the teamplay shooter. Here's word: "A Halloween-themed update for Team Fortress 2 is now available free of charge. The Headless headliner of the update is the introduction of the first non-player character in any TF game, the Headless Horsemann. A randomly generated boss monster, the Horsemann appears exclusively in Mann Manor, a new and completely spooky attack/defend map littered with exploding pumpkins. The update also includes new achievements, the opening of the Halloween department of the Mann Co store, new community items from 10 new contributors, and more." Here's the change list. Continue here to read the full story.
Battlefront.com now offers a new patch for Combat Mission: Afghanistan, updating the military turn-based strategy game to version 1.02. The patch carries warnings that it is not compatible with the Russian retail edition of the game and to remove any mods before installing this patch, as well as a note on how to ensure your saved game progress is not lost. The patch is mirrored on The Patches Scrolls. New features from the version 1.02 change list follow. Continue here to read the full story.
The Unknown Worlds Website has details on a new patch now automatically available through Steam to update the Natural Selection 2 alpha to build 152 (thanks joao). Word is: "This patch represented a large engineering effort, to make the physics, networking and hit registration work much better." Here is a comprehensive change log, and here are the abbreviated patch notes. Continue here to read the full story.
Well, I certainly would not have predicted a Texas versus San Francisco World Series at the start of the baseball season, but I don't think even the cleverest soothsayer would have predicted the outcome of game one. Cliff Lee giving up seven runs? I wouldn't have bet on him doing that in three starts, much less in under five innings. Pretty wild.
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