The MAG and SOCOM developer shedding staff due to "normal business practice".
MAG and SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive has been hit by layoffs, according to Kotaku. No information on how many staff have lost their jobs is yet forthcoming.
A Sony spokesperson subsequently confirmed the layoffs, saying they were "normal business practice and a result of cutting back on production resources after the launch of two major franchises."
Problem spreads to Xbox 360 as Sony denies culpability and Rockstar issues workaround.
Sony has told us unequivocally that there is no issue with its 3.61 firmware update. Earlier today it was thought that the update, which was released to upgrade security on the console, was causing units to overheat following complaints from some LA Noire players.
Rio themed release accounts for 35 million of that figure.
Speaking at the PaidContent Mobile conference in New York, which took place yesterday, Rovio marketing boss Peter Vesterbacka revealed that Angry Birds has now passed 200 million downloads. This figure includes 35 million downloads of the Rio-branded version of the game.
Password reset website back up, potential security hole now fixed.
Following yesterday's revelation that Sony's PSN password reset page was vulnerable to a "URL exploit", Sony has posted a statement on its blog saying that it has now resolved the issue.
Consoles freezing and shutting down; Rockstar customer service rep attributes problem to update.
UPDATE:
Sony has told us that while it is aware of the problem, there is currently "no evidence to indicate firmware 3.61 is causing any issues with PS3s."
Users need take no action, update will roll out globally "over the next few days".
Following yesterday's discovery that 99.7 per cent of smartphones using Google's Android OS were vulnerable to a hacking exploit, Google has begun rolling out a fix to plug the security hole.
Fresh exploit means PSN passwords could be changed using information stolen in initial attack.
It would seem that Sony's rebuilt security measures have already been bypassed, according to reports. An exploit on Sony's password reset page allows people to change users' passwords using only a PSN account email and date of birth - both of which were stolen in last month's hacking attack.
32-month high following North American release of Team Bondi's crime thriller.
Take-Two has enjoyed a significant boost to its share price following the North American release of LA Noire yesterday. The publishers shares closed at $17.10 at the end of trading yesterday, $1.23 up on the previous day - an increase of 7.75 per cent.
But Microsoft will replace machines that can't read format for free.
Microsoft's new Xbox 360 disc format, support for which is due to be included in a dashboard update due for release tomorrow, is incompatible with "a very small number" according to the company. The issue was flagged up following a recent beta test of the discs in the US.
Format: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release: Out now (US), May 20 (UK)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Team Bondi
German research group has discovered a security flaw in Google's OS; unecrypted data also being transmitted.
UPDATE: Google has responded to our request for comment saying that it is aware of the exploit.
"We're aware of this issue, have already fixed it for calendar and contacts in the latest versions of Android, and we're working on fixing it in Picasa," a company spokesperson told us.
LucasArts' adventure builds on previous weeks' success, dislodging Portal 2 from number one.
Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars has returned to the top spot, knocking Portal 2 from number one after only a week at the top, in this weeks Nordic chart which covers Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Lower restructuring costs, improved financing and better product performance cited.
Atari has published results for the past financial year, reducing its losses by more than half compared to the previous year. Net loss shrunk from €19.4 million ($27.5m) to €6.2 million ($8.8m), an improvement Atari puts down to lower restructuring costs, smaller losses from discounted operations and improved financing expenses.
What appears to be Nintendo's Project Cafe and associated touchscreen controller shown in video.
A video purportedly showing a Nintendo representative demonstrating Project Cafe, the company's successor to the Wii, has been posted online.
The shaky video shows tech diagrams on a projection screen below which sits a box. The diagrams show the console and rumoured touchscreen controller.
Champions Online developer listed as "discontinued operations" in publisher's latest financial report.
In its latest financial results report, Atari has revealed that it will sell off Champions Online developer Cryptic, listing the studio under "discontinued operations".
Support for Champions Online and Star Trek Online will not be disrupted, and nor will development of Cryptic's current project Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter, the company says.
Five territories covered intially, Sony to pay customers' premiums for first twelve months of the programme.
Sony has detailed the ID protection scheme it will offer to European PSN users affected by last month's security breach. The programme will be offered by Affinion International Limited and will be free to all eligible users for a period of twelve months.
Developer's first Android titles only available from online retailer for 14 days; free on day one.
PopCap has penned a deal with Amazon that will see its first two Android games hosted exclusively by the online retailer for 14 days before making their way to Google's own Android Market. In addition, both games will be free on the first day of release.
Chuzzle, which is released today, will be exclusive to Amazon until May 30, while Plants vs. Zombies will launch later in the month.
Former Sony boss and business expert brought onboard to "disrupt the way games are discovered and enjoyed."
General partner at London Venture Partners and former president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison, and Robin Kaminsky - an expert in building consumer and technology companies with 20 years experience - have joined the advisory board of cloud-based streaming game service Gaikai.
Gather with friends in themed virtual environments; facial recognition "just the beginning".
Microsoft has confirmed that Avatar Kinect, its "social entertainment experience", will launch this spring for Xbox 360, bringing with it facial recognition. The program will use the Kinect sensor's "precise facial-recognition capabilities to project your face and your expressions into a virtual world."
The Psychonauts developer has had to learn its own lessons while working on its first educational title.
Mojang Specifications wants to bring other studios' games under the Mojang brand by Autumn.
Mojang Specifications business development director Daniel Kaplan has revealed that the Minecraft developer is interested in co-publishing indie games with other studios, and has its sights set on getting a title to market by Autumn. Though the details are yet to be pinned down, the studio wants to bring new games under the Mojang brand.
Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon features coming to cinemas.
Ubisoft's movie division, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, is working on 3D features based on Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon, according to Variety.
The formation of the Paris-based film and television company was announced earlier this month, and is headed up by former CEO of the Luc Besson-owned film studio EuropaCorp Jean-Julien Baronnet.
Despite slow overseas sales, strong performance in China sees quarter-on-quarter rise.
NCsoft, the Korean MMOG publisher behind titles such as City Of Heroes and Guild Wars, has announced a 33 per cent increase in profits for its first financial quarter.
Though revenues fell 7 per cent year-on-year to ₩155.4 billion ($142.7m/€101.0m), net income rose 33 per cent quarter-on-quarter to ₩40.8 billion ($37.5m/€26.5m). The figure is a year-on-year decrease of 30 per cent, however.
