Archived News:
Activision Blizzard's December Quarter and Calendar Year 2010 Financial Results are online, as expected. For the quarter the publishing giant announces GAAP net revenues were $1.43 billion as compared with fourth-quarter 2009 net revenues of $1.56 billion, which is a a GAAP loss per share of $0.20, adding that: "Revenues from digital channels for the quarter were more than $470 million, an increase of 40% year over year." For calendar year 2010 GAAP net revenues increased to $4.45 billion, as compared with $4.28 billion for 2009, and earnings per diluted share increased to $0.33, as compared with $0.09 per diluted share for 2009. As was already revealed, they add: "At the same time, due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011. The company also will stop development on True Crime: Hong Kong™. These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world's best interactive entertainment experiences." There were also revelations in their post-earnings conference call, as they announced plans for a new digital content studio called Beachhead for "the development of an innovative new digital platform and special services for our Call of Duty community," though exactly what that means is open to speculation right now. And while Shacknews notes they have no games on the 2011 schedule right now, a follow-up on PC Gamer says Activision has not ruled out a 2011 release for the action/RPG sequel, quoting an Activision rep saying: "We have not announced a release date for Diablo III."
Brain Candy announces Fray, a sci-fi turn-based, multiplayer, real-time strategy game for Windows and OS X planned for release later this year, explaining the strategy genre blending by saying it "eliminates the waiting involved with most turn-based games by introducing simultaneous play." Here is some artwork, and more details can be found on the Brain Candy Website. Here's a bit on the game: Players will enter Fray with a squad of four characters, each with their own specialties. Outfit your squad with a variety of weapons, items and abilities to prepare them for combat. Once inside, Fray is played in turns, where all players choose their actions simultaneously. When actions are chosen, or the timer has run out, the action then plays out in real time cinematic fashion with dynamic camera angles. By virtue of the simultaneous action selection system, the delay and frustration of most turn-based strategy games has been eliminated.
The release of Torchlight II is being pushed back to "probably" July, reports Digital Spy, where they quote Runic Games CEO Max Schaefer. "I'd say that the Xbox project, having to do the extra work with the interface, has pushed us back a little bit, so we're probably talking July right now for Torchlight II," he tells them. "It's going great, however. We've actually got some optimisations and technical improvements that went into making the Xbox version that we've been able to go back and implement into Torchlight II for PC." Thanks Big Download.
Kalypso Media and Chromatrix announce a license agreement to allow the use of The Dark Eye title and rules from what they call "Europe's biggest roleplaying world" for use in DEMONICON, their upcoming action/RPG, which is now titled The Dark Eye – DEMONICON. This seems to have been the intent of the game all along, as this it was originally announced with the title The Dark Eye: Demonicon, which was later changed to Demonicon: The Dark Eye, but was simply called Demonicon, when Kalypso acquired the game last year. "By integrating the official The Dark Eye rules, DEMONICON becomes the must-have title in the hearts and minds for the fans of The Dark Eye world and creates a new and exciting brand for fans of action role playing games to experience." says Simon Hellwig, Global Managing Director, Kalypso Media Group.
A BLEEDOUT Episode 7 Trailer is now online, teasing the next chapter of CrimeCraft, Vogster Entertainment's multiplayer shooter/RPG. Word is: "Episode 7 introduces players to Mayor Cartagena and the alliances he must maintain to preserve his power in a city run by criminals. Players will see exactly what stands to be lost in the days leading up to the expiration of the Thumbcuff Accord, as the clock ticks towards go time."
New patches are now available for the Windows and OS X editions of Two Worlds II to update Reality Pump's role-playing sequel to version 1.2. The patches are available on the ZuxxeZ Forum and mirrored on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, Gamona, and The Patches Scrolls. The patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
A new patch is now available for The Kings' Crusade, updating the real-time strategy game formerly known as Lionheart: Kings' Crusade to version 1.02. The patches can be found on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls, and here are the change notes. Continue here to read the full story.
A new Rulers of Nations patch updates this geopolitical and economic simulation to version 4.23. You can find the patch on AtomicGamer and The Patches Scrolls, and here's what's changed. Continue here to read the full story.
A playable demo for the OS X edition of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is now available. The download is available from AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell.
Speaking of LEGO, a new launch trailer for LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is now online, celebrating the upcoming release of the next installment in the brixillated retelling of the Star Wars saga. The embedded version follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Amazon's Buy One, Get One 50% Off Game Sale includes no fewer than 278 games. Thanks G4tv.com.
- King's Bounty: The Legend on GOG.com. Save 75%.
- MLB 2K10 on Direct2Drive. Save 75%.
Still (permanently?) on sale (previously reported). Continue here to read the full story.
GamesIndustry.biz (registration required) has word that Activision is expected to follow its earnings announcement today with the announcement of plans to close or restructure studios and scale back or cancel franchises, and refocus its business on StarCraft and World of Warcraft as its two main franchises. Eurogamer has word that these changes may already be surfacing with word from "sources" that United Front's open world game True Crime and the Guitar Hero series have been cancelled, and that DJ Hero developer Freestyle Games and Guitar Hero developer Vicarious Visions have been hit with layoffs. As BioWare's Manveer Heir tweeted: "Ugh sorry to hear about the Vicarious Visions layoffs today after Guitar Hero canceled. Shitty. Sounds like Freestyle (DJ Hero) got hit too." Update: Kotaku has a confirmation from Activision: "due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011. The company also will stop development on True Crime: Hong Kong. These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world's best interactive entertainment experiences"
A new trailer shows off the depiction off Zeus in Mytheon, UTV True Games' upcoming online action/RPG. The cinematic clip shows off the "father of all gods" and his abilities to control thunder and chew scenery, as word is: "According to Greek mythology, Zeus, the God of Sky and Thunder ruled the Olympians as a father rules a family. However, when his "children" disobey him, all Hell is unleashed and players will face intense battles as Zeus vows to destroy such mere mortals. Players will get a taste of pure Greek mythology and intense action steeped in a fully realized 3D world." The clip is embedded below. Continue here to read the full story.
Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order announce that Cities in Motion is gold, and this urban transportation sim is expected in stores on February 22. They also announce that preorders are underway, and those who make this advance commitment will be rewarded with five exclusive in-game vehicles, saying: "The five bonus vehicles will expand the player’s transit capabilities in their cities while providing their citizens with new and exciting commuting options. They include the Jubilee Blim bus, one of the iconic minibuses of the early 1960’s, the Skylark III helicopter, a civilian version of the French military model, and the Arnauld Porte metro train which first entered service in London in 1915." Here's word on the game: "Featuring an in-depth campaign mode made up of 12 scenarios along with an open ended sandbox mode, an advanced map editor that allows players to create their own cities, plus much more, Cities in Motion will challenge players to create the perfect public transport system that has no cancellations, no delays and where the passengers are always happy!" There's more information on the newly launched Cities in Motion Website.
The LinkedIn profile of Raven creative director Mike G. has the latest indication that Raven is working on a James Bond-themed stealth game, following several recent indications that such a project is in the offing. The latest fuel for this fire is his new job description: "Creative Director - Unreleased international movie license action/adventure game." Thanks GameSpot.
Just-announced shooter sequel The Darkness II will use cel-shaded graphics, reports gamesTM, based on an upcoming print interview with Digital Extremes' Tom Galt. Word from the article is: "Digital Extremes is carving its own path with the sequel, removing some of the backtracking subway elements of the original and overhauling the graphics engine with a cel-shaded look that retains the bloody and violent tone of the Top Cow comics." Thanks Computer and Video Games.
GOG.com has word on more bonuses being offered to those who preorder The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Digital Premium Edition from them. They say: "If you already pre-ordered The Witcher 2 on GOG, or you're going to do it, among instant goodies you receive for free (including MP3 tracks, wallpapers and more), now you can download 5 exclusive concept artworks from the game! You won't find them anywhere else. Plus, we made a totally new pre-order page and we wanted you to check it out :)" Their previously announced incentives for the DRM-free edition of the game include "an exclusive digital version of the artbook and one of five free RPGs from our catalogue, all for the best price on the 'net."
The E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy Website offers a new trailer from this upcoming Source-engine shooter/RPG showing testing of Motra submachine guns at Angel Corps Weapons Engineering and Enforcement Division (yup, W.E.E.D.). They also offer an explanation of the game's subtitle: "And as a bonus, a small explanation concerning the term Divine Cybermancy, as some people asked us about it: Divine Cybermancy is a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy, as the player's character more or less follows a similar path. Cybermancy, that means the divination by the cybernetic way, comes to replace the term Comedy. More explanations could spoil the game's plot that we want to preserve." Finally, they also now reveal the game's minimum and recommended system requirements, which follow. Continue here to read the full story.
Battle.net has word that the new version 4.0.6 is now live in World of Warcraft, Blizzard's MMORPG. They offer an overview of the patch, these patch notes offer complete details, and this post outlines known issues. Not content to stop at that this post outlines a number of hotfixes that have already been applied since the release of the patch. Thanks Ant.
The Diablo III PvP Preview on G4tv.com gives hands-on impressions of player versus player action in Blizzard's upcoming action/RPG sequel based on "a very early build" of the game. Topics include the different skill each class must master, how the arena works, the "stunningly sharp" graphics, and more. The article also includes a video preview that offers an interview on PvP with Jason Bender, senior designer on Diablo III and includes gameplay footage.
The Crysis 2 Interview on Edge Magazine chats with Crytek president and creative director Cevat Yerli about their upcoming first-person shooter sequel. One topic that gets a good deal of focus is PC graphics, and Yerli talks about frustration that discussion of the original Crysis is dominated by the game's steep system requirements, which is directly addressed in this answer: "But this isn’t necessarily a game you can’t play today, or where you need another two years to max it out. That’s not the approach this time. Now, it’s more like we want to give you the best PC experience with current high-end equipment. So if you bought the last high-end graphics card, you’re going to get a blast out of it. Likewise, the minimum-spec experience will be of a far higher quality than Crysis was."
A Dragon Age II: Console or PC article on IGN discusses the differences between the Windows and console editions of Dragon Age II, BioWare's upcoming action/RPG sequel. They describe improvements to the appearance of the Xbox 360 edition, new limitations on the camera in the Windows edition, and conclude with this: "As might be expected, the game looks better on a nice PC than on consoles. The art style, which I was extremely skeptical of after seeing the initial screenshots, is an improvement over Origins. Everything from the armor sets to the animations and environments have been improved, making for a world that looks and feels more natural. It seems as though BioWare is taking Origins, which was super nerdy and very specifically targeted players like me, and giving it a graphical facelift so it can appeal to a wider crowd. You know, the crowd that doesn't know what a Gate spell is and isn't instantly apprehensive when someone mentions a Beholder. Here's hoping the final version doesn't lose anything in the transition. At the very least, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners should be getting a smoother and ultimately more playable product." There's also a new Dragon Age II official Champion trailer (thanks PC Gamer) that shows how the three different approaches to the game, depending on whether you are a warrior, a mage, or a rogue.
GamesIndustry.biz (registration required) has word that Bulletstorm will carry a USK 18 + rating in Germany, even after "very heavy censorship" at the behest of the German Entertainment Software Rating Board. Word is the German version the game will not include ragdoll effects, blood, splatter, and dismembering.
DC Comics announces plans for a Batman: Arkham City comic book miniseries to bridge the gap between Batman: Arkham Asylum and the upcoming Batman: Arkham City videogames. The series will be written by Paul Dini, writer of Batman: The Animated Series and the two Arkham games, and drawn by Carlos D’anda, the concept artist for the videogames. The six issue miniseries will be available in print and digitally, kicking off with two issues in May.
MCV has details on the latest financials for Disney Interactive Studios, where they report a 58% increase in profits for the quarter ending January 1st, aided by strong sales of Disney Epic Mickey and Toy Story 3. Disney's gaming division did post a $13 million loss for the year, in part due to the acquisition of social game developer Playdom for $763 million. Full disclosure: MrsBlue works for Disney Publishing Worldwide, a sister company of Disney Interactive.
Well there was no helping my laptop after Windows decided it was no longer legit, as it insisted on a Windows reinstall, so I opted for the restore function to bring it back to factory state. This is no great tragedy, as it only had a couple of applications installed, and no data of importance. On the other hand, it is a startling pain in the ass to get a machine reconfigured from vanilla Vista, as every time I install a new batch of Windows updates, another batch shows up. If I'd have realized what a hassle this all would be I would have taken this as an opportunity to upgrade it to Windows 7.
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