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December 19, 2011

Yoshinori Kitase on Final Fantasy XIII-2

The game's producer explains why it won't repeat XIII's mistakes.

You can read our full preview of Final Fantasy XIII-2 in our print edition.

Our January issue, which is on sale now, features an extensive hands-on preview with Square Enix's new game, of which this interview forms part.

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No data lost in Square Enix hack

Square Enix has confirmed that no personal user data was taken in the recent attack on the Square Enix Members site. The publisher took Members - a community site for North American and Japanese users - offline last week after it spotted the attack, and later warned that the data of up to 1.8 million customers may have been compromised.
http://andriasang.com/comzey/sqmembers_hacking/
Andriasang

Square Enix has confirmed that no personal user data was taken in the recent attack on the Square Enix Members site.

The publisher took Members - a community site for North American and Japanese users - offline last week after it spotted that its system security had been breached, and later warned that the data of up to 1.8 million customers may have been compromised.

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Mojang launches Cobalt

Minecraft developer Mojang has launched Cobalt, a side-scrolling action game developed by fellow Swedish studio Oxeye Games. Cobalt launched on Friday as planned, costing €9.95, but is currently only available on Windows. The Mac and Linux versions will follow when the game enters beta.
http://mojang.com/2011/12/16/say-hello-to-cobalt/
Mojang

Minecraft developer Mojang has launched Cobalt, a side-scrolling action game developed by fellow Swedish studio Oxeye.

Cobalt launched on Friday as planned, costing €9.95, but is currently only available on Windows. The Mac and Linux versions will follow when the game enters beta.

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Vita playtest

As Vita launches in Japan, we go hands-on with the first wave of software.

Getting our hands on a Vita handset – free from the ungainly wires of a devkit and now with silver trim and a shine worthy of a car showroom – we’re hit by the realisation that Sony’s next-generation promise is now a reality. Beyond the hardware itself, delving into the first wave of titles clarifies how each unique feature of the device is being put to use. Each game harnesses the specific Vita functionality that best serves its purposes.

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HMV on the brink as losses deepen

Retailer HMV has admitted that ongoing market turmoil and its continued poor performance could force it out of business after another miserable set of financial results saw its losses grow 62 per cent. Sales in the 26 weeks to October 29 fell 17.6 per cent to £364.9 million, with the firm hit with a loss after tax of £50.1 million, up from £30.9 million this time last year.
http://www.hmvgroup.com/media-centre/news/2011/2011-12-19.aspx
HMV

Retailer HMV has admitted that ongoing market turmoil and its continued poor performance could force it out of business after another miserable set of financial results saw its losses grow 62 per cent.

Sales in the 26 weeks to October 29 fell 17.6 per cent to £364.9 million, with the firm hit with a loss after tax of £50.1 million, up from £30.9 million this time last year.

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Opinion: Videogames, free speech and deviancy

Steven Poole explains why Whack ’Em and Hack ’Em will not be coming to a game store near you any time soon.

In America, the Supreme Court ruled in June this year 
that videogames are protected under the First Amendment’s principle of free speech. In Britain, the News Of The World has been closed after further revelations of phone hacking. It is surely time to take advantage of this double newsfruit to produce an updated version of the celebrated Atari 2600 porn game Beat ’Em And Eat ’Em.

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Vita launches in Japan

PlayStation Vita launched in Japan on Saturday, with Sony's Kaz Hirai and Andrew House handing over the first system sold at a special event in Tokyo. Hirai, executive deputy president of Sony, and House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, were at the flagship Tsutaya store in Shibuya, posing for photographs with the first customer to lay hands on a Vita at 7am on Saturday.

PlayStation Vita launched in Japan on Saturday, with Sony's Kaz Hirai and Andrew House handing over the first system sold at a special event in Tokyo.

Hirai, executive deputy president of Sony, and House, recently promoted to president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, were at the flagship Tsutaya store in Shibuya, posing for photographs with the first customer to lay hands on a Vita at 7am on Saturday.

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Skyrim takes UK Christmas number one

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim tops the UK all-formats chart, Bethesda's sprawling RPG breaking Activision and EA's eight-year dominance of the Christmas number one. Chart compiler UKIE reports that the last time a game not published by EA or Activision was number one at Christmas was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2003.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim tops the UK all-formats chart, with Bethesda's sprawling RPG breaking Activision and EA's eight-year dominance of the Christmas number one.

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Xbox 360 dash update causes video playback issue

Microsoft has apparently failed to respond to concerns raised by beta testers who spotted a drop in the quality of video playback after installing the Xbox 360 Metro dashboard update. Users told Eurogamer that videos played from the new dash run at limited range RGB levels, with colours washed out and blacks appearing grey, with Digital Foundry tests confirming the issue.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-new-dash-borks-video-playback
Eurogamer

Microsoft has apparently failed to respond to concerns raised by beta testers who spotted a drop in the quality of video playback after installing the Xbox 360 Metro dashboard update.

Users told Eurogamer that videos played from the new dash run at limited range RGB levels, with colours washed out and blacks appearing grey, with Digital Foundry tests confirming the issue.

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December 18, 2011

Remedy on Alan Wake's American Nightmare

And why Wake's latest chapter owes more to Tarantino than Stephen King.

You can read our full preview of Alan Wake's American Nightmare in our print edition.

Our January issue, which is on sale December 20, features an extensive hands-on preview with Remedy's new game, of which this interview forms part, and includes a design showcase of concept artwork.

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Remedy on Alan Wake's American Nightmare

And why Wake's latest chapter owes more to Tarantino than Stephen King.

You can read our full preview of Alan Wake's American Nightmare in our print edition.

Our January issue, which is on sale now, features an extensive hands-on preview with Remedy's new game, of which this interview forms part, and includes a design showcase of concept artwork.

read more


THQ victorious in Ubisoft talent poaching case

A Quebec appeals court has struck down an injunction which sought to prohibit THQ from hiring Ubisoft talent.

A Quebec appeals court has struck down an injunction which sought to prohibit THQ from hiring Ubisoft talent.

The dispute between the publishers arose after former Assassin’s Creed creative director Patrice Désilets joined the then newly-formed THQ Montreal studio, and allegedly helped lure key creative talent from his former employer to his new one, despite being bound by a non-compete clause not to recruit any Ubisoft staff during the 12 months following his departure.

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Modern Warfare 3 still Nordic chart number one

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 holds the top spot on the latest Nordic software chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 holds the top spot on the latest Nordic software chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

In another quite week for new releases, Battlefield 3 and FIFA 12 jump two spots, to second and third respectively, while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure round off the top five.

Elsewhere, Super Mario 3D Land drops out of the top ten to make way for Just Dance 3, which moves up six places to number seven.

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Modern Warfare 3 still Nordic chart number one

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 holds the top spot on the latest Nordic software chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 holds the top spot on the latest Nordic software chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

In another quite week for new releases, Battlefield 3 and FIFA 12 jump two spots, to second and third respectively, while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure round off the top five.

Elsewhere, Super Mario 3D Land drops out of the top ten to make way for Just Dance 3, which moves up six places to number seven.

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December 17, 2011

News round-up December 12 - 16

A raft of new game announcements, auteur reshuffling and long-awaited flotations - a week in videogames.

The new issue of Edge is out next week, here are the full details on what you can expect to find inside.

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December 16, 2011

Channel 4 appoints games commissioning editor

Channel 4 has named Colin Macdonald as its first-ever games commissioning editor as the UK broadcaster seeks to strengthen its link to the videogame industry. Macdonald's career in the game industry stretches back 20 years, during which time he has served as a producer on the Grand Theft Auto series at DMA Design, and was studio manager at Realtime Worlds for almost nine years, overseeing development of the likes of Crackdown.

Channel 4 has named Colin Macdonald as its first-ever games commissioning editor as the UK broadcaster seeks to strengthen its link to the videogame industry.

Macdonald's career in the game industry stretches back 20 years, during which time he has served as a producer on the Grand Theft Auto series at DMA Design, and was studio manager at Realtime Worlds for almost nine years, overseeing development of the likes of Crackdown.

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Rovio eyes 2013 Hong Kong IPO

Angry Birds developer Rovio is planning an initial public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2013. Chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka told Finnish newspaper Tekniikka & Talous that the move would be the first step on Rovio's path to become as big as Disney, which is currently valued at over $65 billion.
http://www.tekniikkatalous.fi/ict/rovion+hurjat+tavoitteet+liikevaihto+kymmenkertaistuu+joka+vuosi+yli+puolet+voittoa/a741033
Tekniikka & Talous

Angry Birds developer Rovio is planning an initial public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2013.

Chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka told Finnish newspaper Tekniikka & Talous that the move would be the first step on Rovio's path to become as big as Disney, which is currently valued at over $65 billion.

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Skyrim ships 10 million, breaks Steam record

Bethesda Softworks has shipped more than 10 million copies of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to retailers since its launch on November 11. Parent company Zenimax Media says that translates to around $650 million in revenue - but that assumes that every single copy has been sold for the full, $65 price. On PC, Zenimax says Skyrim outsold all other games by over three to one, with Valve's Jason Holtman calling it "the fastest-selling title in Steam's history."

Bethesda Softworks has shipped more than 10 million copies of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to retailers since its launch on November 11.

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Gareth Edmonson on going mobile

The former managing director of Ubisoft Reflections explains why he's leaving big-budget development behind.

It's been an interesting couple of months for Gareth Edmonson. Last month he quit his position as managing director of Ubisoft Reflections, the studio founded by his brother Martin in 1984, after 13 years with the company. Shortly afterwards came the news that he had been appointed CEO of Thumbstar Games, a Liverpool-based mobile game publisher.

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Zynga raises $1 billion in IPO

The biggest developer on Facebook finally takes to the stock market, valued at a third of its original target. What happened?

Facebook gaming king Zynga has, as expected, raised a billion dollars (£644.7 million) on the stock market through its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) - but it has resulted in the company being valued at barely a third of the figure that was originally expected.

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The Friday Game: Sugar, Sugar - The Christmas Special

As the name suggests, Bart Bonte’s physics puzzler is sweet and festive.

Sugar, Sugar is straightforward, economical and surprisingly dynamic. It’s a game about catching sugar crystals is a series of mugs, and it’s designed around experimentation, refinement and freedom of approach. Now it’s also designed around Christmas, with the game’s Belgian developer Bart Bonte unveiling a new suite of festive levels in which you work your way past fir trees, hanging baubles, and reindeer in order to complete each stage.

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Last chance to donate to Edge forum Child's Play fundraiser

The prior effort raised £1320.15 for kids at the Royal Manchester Children's hospital, which will have stretched to a fair few games, we'd say.

Today's the last chance to donate money to the Edge forum Child's Play fundraiser, and the total is currently standing just shy of last year's.

The prior effort raised £1320.15 for kids at the Royal Manchester Children's hospital, which will have stretched to a fair few games, we'd say.

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Fans helped Namco focus after Tohoku quake

Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada says support helped Namco realise entertainment still mattered in the aftermath of March earthquake.

Namco Bandai says that the support shown by fans worldwide in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami helped its development teams focus on their work.

The earthquake, and resulting tsunami, wreaked widespread devastation on Japan when they struck in March, and in an interview Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada admits his staff understandably felt that what they were doing no longer seemed so important in the grand scheme of things.

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Unity: "Middleware is in trouble"

CEO David Helgason tells us increasingly powerful 3D engines mean middleware is becoming a thing of the past.

Unity Technologies believes that the increasing feature-set of 3D engines, such as its own Unity, means developers are less reliant on middleware solutions than in the past.

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December 15, 2011

Edge forum Child's Play donation deadline tomorrow

Last year the forum raised £1320.15 for kids at the Royal Manchester Children's hospital (plus a DS donated by Edge), and this year's total has now reached £1129.23.

Members of the Edge forum have been raising money for videogame charity Child's Play, and the cut off point for donations is tomorrow.

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