Archived News:
Ubisoft's First Half 2010-2011 financial results are now available ( Adobe Acrobat-format), showing first-half sales up 57% to €260 million creating a current operating loss of €64.9 million. The report includes some delay news, as well, saying: "Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier™ and Driver ® San Francisco, which were previously planned for release in the fourth fiscal quarter, will now be included in the 2011-12 line-up." There's also a vague reference to project cancellations, as word is: "Ubisoft is taking measures to adapt its structure to the major changes in the industry by reorganizing the roles and operations of its studios, which has resulted in the termination of certain projects." Gamasutra has some quotes from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot about all this from the post-earnings conference call, and Big Download notes during that call Guillemot answered a question about a possible new Assassin's Creed game in 2011 with a vague reply, saying: "There will be something around Assassin's. That's the only thing we can say."
The Newcomer Website has details on this role-playing game in the works for the Commodore 64, which becomes a little less perplexing when it becomes clear that this game has been in development for 20 years now (which raises its own set of perplexing questions, but it's best to stay on track at this point). The game is apparently near release, as an update from November 1 has word they are gearing up to create a gold master. There are articles on the history of the project on Play This Thing and GMZ. Thanks Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
The promised new Games For Windows Website is online, offering the opportunity to buy games online without client software. Thanks Big Download.
Bloomberg has quarterly financial reporting for Vivendi SA, where the parent company of Activision Blizzard beat market estimates in posting an adjusted net income of 688 million euros ($936.5 million), up 6.7% from 645 million euros in the same period last year. Word from Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy is that their strategy of investing in games has helped make up for declines in their Universal Music unit. Word is: "Its Activision Blizzard Inc. unit was the quarter’s biggest growth driver with sales rising 17 percent. SFR, which accounted for more than 45 percent of sales, reported a 1.3 percent revenue increase, while Vivendi’s telecommunications unit in Morocco, Maroc Telecom Group, had a 7.2 percent sales growth."
A new trailer from Kingdom Under Fire II is now available, showing off more in the next installment in Blueside's real-time strategy series. Here word on the clip: "This latest trailer unveils never-before-seen footage of the towns and landscape of Bersia, the game’s main setting. It also shows the various types of Battaloons, the class-based motherships which serve as the players’ means of conveyance, and the customized characters whose outfits differ depending on the player’s level. The trailer also features several scenes that give hints as to how the universe of KUFII is shaping up." Blueside also announces plans for a closed beta test this winter for selected gamers in Korea, followed by an open beta test scheduled for the summer of 2011. Finally, they also reveal plans to show the game to the public for the first time at G-Star, which kicks off on November 18th in Busan, South Korea. Word is: "Those in attendance will also have an opportunity to check out the game’s trailer in full 3D, at a dedicated venue within the BLUESIDE booth." Here's the embedded version of the trailer. Continue here to read the full story.
New patches from 3000AD are now available to update All Aspect Warfare and Angle of Attack. There are two patches for All Aspect Warfare, one a version 1.00.39 patch with changes and fixes outlined in this change log and an unsupported version 1.00.40 patch to enable "space mode," as described here. The version 1.00.39 patch is mirrored on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, The Patches Scrolls, and WorthPlaying. The unsupported version 1.00.40 patch is available from AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell. The new Angle of Attack is also a version 1.00.39, which is mirrored on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, and WorthPlaying.
A new version 2.5.0.8 of PrBoom-Plus is now available, offering an update to this modified version of the PrBoom port of the DOOM source code. This change log outlines all that's new and different. Thanks Ant.
Blizzard now lists job openings for a Lead Programmer, Console, a Senior Producer, Console, and a Lead Designer, Console (thanks IncGamers). Though all three jobs under the general heading of Diablo III, a post to the Battle.net forums by Blizzard states "this is not an announcement of a console title," but that they are "currently exploring a Diablo-related concept for consoles." Here's word: As some of you may have seen over on the Diablo III home page, we’re currently exploring a Diablo-related concept for consoles. As we’ve said in the past, with proper care the gameplay could suit the console platform, and we’re interested in seeing what talent out there might be interested in contributing to such a project.
To further reiterate what’s posted on the home page: this is not an announcement of a console title. We are first and foremost developing Diablo III for Windows and Mac PCs, and we have no intention of allowing a console interpretation to delay or otherwise affect the release of the game. As always feel free to discuss this topic here, but please note that we don’t have any further details to share at this time.
If you or someone you know would be interested in joining the Diablo team, then head over to the job posts to check out the requirements and submit an application.
Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time is now live on Facebook, offering a free game from Telltale Games to tie-in with their upcoming episodic Back to the Future game, saying this represents a new plan to support all their future releases with free-to-play social games. Word is: "Created through an agreement with Universal Partnerships and Licensing, and developed with acclaimed online games developer, Mediatonic, Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time is a free-to-play race against time. Players need to match the unstable molecules inside the Time Machine's Flux Capacitor to trigger chemical reactions that enable time travel. Fans create speeds of 88 mph and jump to a new era to unlock special point multipliers."
New Zealand-based Home Entertainment Suppliers announces Rugby Challenge, an upcoming simulation of the rough-and-tumble sport planned for release for Windows and consoles in Q3 of next year. The Rugby Challenge Website is live as a home to the project, and while details are still pretty scant, they do offer this outline of what this will offer: "Rugby Challenge will include the All Blacks, ITM Cup, and Investec Super Rugby amongst other licensed teams and competitions, and will feature multiplayer online play, a multi-year franchise mode, extensive customisation options, and dynamic real-time commentary."
BG2 Complete on GOG.com
GOG.com now offers the DRM-free release of Baldur's Gate 2 Complete, a bundle of the original Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn and its Throne of Baal expansion pack, a combo they describe as "only the best RPG of all time." Here's why they say that: "You've got complex character creation and development, plus mechanics based upon the 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. The in-game world is just huge and lets you visit countless locations in Faerûn, including the mysterious Underdark. The story is just enthralling and spans upwards of 200 hours of gameplay. Finally, one of the most interesting features is that your party just feels alive. Its members aren't there just for the damage, tanking or healing, but are in fact complex characters with their own motives, likes, dislikes and sometimes even love interests... You will often laugh at their quips and jeers, or find yourself defusing a potential conflict. Overall, an RPG masterpiece of legendary proportions."
Croatian studio Cateia Games announces the release of Kaptain Brawe – A Brawe New World, saying their throwback point-and-click adventure is available for Windows, OS X, iPhone, and iPad. The game's official website offers playable demos for either Windows or Mac, and here's a bit on the game: "In an alternate reality Kaptain Brawe invites us to an interstellar adventure of epic proportions. Life in the universe can really take it out of you: as if it weren't enough trouble hunting down galactic pirates on a daily basis, now two alien scientists have to be rescued from captivity. And even though the biggest conspiracy in the history of space travel is blamed on Kaptain Brawe too, he's not put off by that at all and eagerly jumps at the chance of even more adventure."
Blizzard is sending out emails to World of Warcraft players whose accounts have lapsed to invite them back to check out the MMORPG for the release of the Cataclysm expansion, reports IncGamers. They say players are being offered seven days of free play time to get re-addicted see what's up.
The Deep Silver Forums have an apology to users inconvenienced when their server ran out of authentication keys for Risen, as Steam's weekend sale for Piranha Bytes' RPG caused demand that outstripped their supply of serial numbers (perhaps due to a let-down by their bit supplier). This thread has the outrage from impacted users, who have been placated to some degree by the promise they will be able to activate their game today. Thanks Destructoid.
Venetica is now available in the U.K., reports RPGWatch, where they have an announcement from Mastertronic of their new distribution deal for Deck 13's fantasy-themed RPG. They say the Windows and Xbox 360 editions of the game, which is already available in some European territories, are out now, while the PlayStation 3 edition is expected "shortly." Thanks Acleacius.
The Football Manager 2011 Website now offers new patches to update the Windows and OS X editions of this sports simulation to version 11.1.1. The comprehensive update includes the contents of the game's first patch as well as new changes and fixes. Downloads of the various patches are hosted on this page, where it is warned that this update should not be applied to games purchased through Steam, which will update automatically. The various downloads are mirrored on The Patches Scrolls and WorthPlaying.
With the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday less than two weeks away, thoughts of trampling fellow shoppers on the ensuing "Black Friday" (November 26) sales extravaganza begin to dance through consumer's heads. Black-Friday.net has details from all the retail fliers for the occasion, which feature loads of video game and electronics deals. Thanks Ant.
BladeHaven is now out of beta, offering aspiring Inigo Montoyas a web-based first-person sword fighting game. Here's word on the game: "Players begin their adventures in BladeHaven as a lowly squire, armed with nothing more than an iron sword and a handful of gold. Knight training is provided during the introduction that teaches the player how to fight, block, and cast spells. A shopkeeper provides the future hero with weapons, spells, shields, potions, and mercenaries, all obtainable as the player progresses throughout the storyline."
Ars Technica - Risk aversion, funding mistakes block gaming masterpieces.
"As infuriating as Sony is as a bureaucracy, I really have to give them credit for their longer term vision when it comes to art house games," Carmel explained. "It's probably a way of thinking that was adopted from their film division. Sony Pictures Classic is a perfect example of balancing the nurturing of creativity with commercial endeavors. I don't think the great works of video games will ever be as profitable as the blockbuster titles, but I do think the audience is there to make them financially worthwhile when they finally start arriving. When that happens, I suspect things will look similar to the way they do in film. Lots of large production/distribution companies have art house divisions or subsidiaries."
Thanks Acleacius and Ant.
Thanks Acleacius and Ant.
Well, I had a bad feeling about last night's Giants game as soon as word came down about the Cowboys coaching game, which turned a mousetrap-sized trap game into a Temple of Doom-style trap to end all traps. Sure enough, that's exactly how it worked out. How come I don't feel good about having been so smart?
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