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June 06, 2011

Activision announces Call of Duty Elite beta date

Says public access to the subscription-based platform for Black Ops and MW3's multiplayer is "expected to begin 14th July 2011" in E3 press release. "While the full capabilities of the service will not be on display until the launch of Modern Warfare 3, the beta will give users a taste of the experience and allow the service to be tested by gamers currently playing Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer." Activision says it has already chalked up over a million registrants since announcing it last week.
http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=582809
Activision


LA Noire keeps top spot in UK sales chart

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean and Dirt 3 take second and third.

In a chart much the same as last week's, LA Noire stays in the lead for its third week despite over halving its sales numbers. The Sims 3: Generations was the week's highest new entry, beating Hunted: The Demon's Forge, which entered at 14.

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Hackers attack Nintendo Of America

"The server contained no consumer information. The protection of our customer information is our utmost priority," says Nintendo. Lulzsec claims responsibility but says: "We didn’t mean any harm. Nintendo had already fixed it anyway."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/05/us-nintendo-idUSTRE7541WP20110605
Reuters


Sony trademarks PlayStation Vita and PSVita

Application to the Trade Marks And Designs Registration Office of the EU matches the rumours of what Sony's forthcoming handheld, currently codenamed NGP, will be called.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=28312586&postcount=2234
GAF


Microsoft press conference report

An overwhelming amount of motion dominates Microsoft's E3, much of it going backwards.

If there was any sentiment going into Microsoft's E3 briefing this year, it was that Xbox 360 feels like the future. And the past and the present. It was a wheel-and-disc 360 made of Meccano, remember, that in 1936 burned down the Crystal Palace, having suffered the now-infamous 'three red lamps' error. Scientists predict that in the 24th century, the holodeck aboard the USS Enterprise will suffer crap textures because COD sells better on console.

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Will Wright making game based on Bruce Sterling short story

The apparently social science fiction game will appear on tablets, phones and social networks, structured around a story called Maneki Neko about "a karmic computer that’s keeping a balance of payments between different people, and causing them to interact with each other in interesting ways to improve their lives even though they’re strangers."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-06-whats-inspired-will-wrights-next-game
Eurogamer


Nikkei corroborates Wii successor controller details

The Japanese business newspaper supports the widespread rumours around Project Cafe, including a controller with a six-inch touchscreen panel and camera, which can also be used as a portable game machine. Suggests release could be in mid-2012.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/06/04/nikkei_wii_controller_details/
Andriasang


June 03, 2011

Former hacker says PSN still not secure

Hacker turned security consultant George Evans says Sony should be hiring instead of prosecuting those that seek to breach its security: "Computer hackers are like Navy SEALs. When we went in to get Bin Laden we didn’t send in the infantry. We sent the best in the world – the SEALs. But who’s protecting Sony’s network? IT managers."
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/playstation-network-still-not-secure-says-ex-hacker-exclusive/
Industry Gamers


E3 2011 preview

With the annual LA game expo starting next week, here's our guide to some of the highlights you can expect.

The 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo kicks off this week, taking place between June 7 and 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre in California. You’ll find in-depth coverage of the show and all the big announcements on our site throughout the week, but ahead of that, here’s our guide to some of the event’s highlights.

While not officially the first day of the show, many companies have chosen to hold their respective press conferences on Monday.

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The Friday Game: Drum Hammer Dig

Chris Donlan explores mines filled with the promise of sweet death.

Drum Hammer Dig was conceived and built within 48 hours, as part of Ludlum Dare’s 20th design competition, the theme being “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this!” With a complete set of features but only one level, you should perhaps think of it as a creator’s sketch, or the vertical slice of a larger project.

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Sony Ericsson reveals Xperia Play lineup

Lumines and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 among 23 new titles, with more details expected at E3 next week.
http://www.destructoid.com/announced-for-xperia-play-minecraft-bad-company-2-more-202697.phtml
Destructoid


Worldwide Xbox 360 sales pass 55 million

Microsoft confirms 2010 was Xbox's best year ever in terms of hardware sold and revenue grossed; hardware sales in first four months of 2011 up 29 per cent year-on-year; 35 million active Xbox Live users, logged in for an average of 60 hours per month.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44620/Xbox-360-tripling-PS3-growth-in-2011
MCV


Starbreeze: Jim Wilson tried to cancel Riddick

[EDIT: 1UP has corrected the story to say that Michael Pole was the exec who wanted to cancel the project.] Now CEO of Atari, then-Vivendi exec Wilson attempted to cancel the 2004 Xbox / PC title The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. Project only saved by Universal Pictures threatening never to work with Vivendi again. "It wound up being a pretty big nasty fight."
http://www.1up.com/features/starbreeze-secret-history
1UP


Kevin Butler returns

"I just shaved off the most epic beard ever," says Sony's VP of all sorts, following resurrection of PSN Store in US and Europe.
http://twitter.com/#!/TheKevinButler/status/76307352244072448
Twitter


El Shaddai European release date announced

Publisher Ignition confirms it will be out on September 9; look out for our review in our redesign issue, out next week.
http://elshaddaigame.com/
Ignition


EA announces Origin

Publisher takes on Steam with a PC download service of its own; will exclusively host The Old Republic on release.

Electronic Arts has unveiled Origin, a digital distribution platform for PC, which will exclusively host downloads of BioWare's hotly anticipated Star Wars MMOG, The Old Republic (above), when it is released later this year.

Set to launch this afternoon, Origin will offer an initial lineup of over 150 games, and in the coming months will also sell exclusive limited editions of upcoming games including Battlefield 3 and FIFA 12.

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Sony to sponsor Gamer Camp students

Two applicants to have their £8,000 tuition fees for development "finishing school" covered by SCEE.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) is to pay the tuition fees of two students on Birmingham City University's game development course, Gamer Camp: Pro.

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Jack Claw: the end and the beginning

In a new column, Frozenbyte's Mikael Haveri reveals a fascinating crowdsourced development project, Jack Claw.

Game developers of all sizes work on projects that for one reason or another get abandoned. Sometimes the projects just fall flat of original intentions or outside factors force a shutdown. In some cases, these projects act as warning signals and shape the way the company works, or open new doors.

Jack Claw was a project here at Frozenbyte that took a while to incubate and even longer to foster, just to be shut down two years later when the reality hit us in the face, despite the game showing a lot of promise.

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Dark Souls release date announced

Namco Bandai confirms the even hardercore Demon's Souls spiritual successor will come out in Europe on October 7, in the US on October 4 and in Japan on September 15.
http://www.preparetodie.com/
Namco Bandai


Witcher 2 coming to Xbox 360

CD Projekt confirms its PC RPG will be released on Xbox 360 later this year.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/304522/news/witcher-2-for-xbox-360-is-real-set-for-e3
CVG


Capcom backtracks on PC DRM

Corporate officer and senior VP Chris Svensson confirms plan to patch out DRM shortly after launch, following outcry over requirement for constant Internet connection that restricted offline players to 15 of 39 characters. "We had it wrong...The argument that legitimate users would have a worse experience than pirates was the loudest and most convincing."
http://www.capcom-unity.com/sven/blog/2011/06/02/ssfiv:_ae_pc_%E2%80%93_drm:_we_had_it_wrong
Capcom-Unity


Nintendo EAD tops Develop 100

Super Mario Galaxy studio named world's best for second year in a row; 2D Boy of World Of Goo fame takes second spot, ahead of Cut The Rope studio ZeptoLab.
http://www.develop-online.net/features/1230/DEVELOP-100-The-100-in-full
Develop


Kojima unveils multiplatform Fox Engine

Metal Gear creator hoping to "push out great games with shorter development times".

Hideo Kojima has unveiled Fox Engine, a development platform that he says will see future Kojima Productions released on multiple platforms with shorter development cycles.

"Up until now we have been developing games exclusively for specific platforms, but in the future we look to go more global," he told GameTrailers in an interview. "We are paving the road to to multiplatform for future titles. Hopefully we can push out great games with shorter development times."

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The Witcher 2 review

Though agonisingly slow to get to the good stuff, CD Projekt's RPG sequel rewards patient monster slayers.

Did anyone tell Polish developer CD Projekt to stop making roleplaying games about a scarred old man in leather trousers? If so, it was in vain. The Witcher 2 is unapologetically faithful to the 2007 original and its hoary protagonist, eager depiction of sex, and morally bleak fantasy world.

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Good Old Games adds classic EA PC games to catalogue

Nostalgia rush! Roster now includes Ultima Underworld I and II, Wing Commander: Privateer and Dungeon Keeper, with Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Magic Carpet coming soon.
http://www.gog.com/en/news/gog_com_s_catalog_gets_huge_with_addition_of_classic_ea_titles
GOG


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