
Heavy Rain creator announces that he is creative director of the videogame Clancyverse.
Having recently revealed to CVG that he wanted his next game to be about war, Cage, who heads independent studio Quantic Dream, will lead the franchise for owner Ubisoft.

“Much as we’d like to think that every electronic device in your home is built by Sony, it’s not.”
Sony hopes that its new cloud music service, Q Music Unlimited, will grow beyond its own range of electronics, to Android devices and even Apple’s iOS platform.
Cuts at Red Faction and Homefront studios see 33 staff left jobless “to fit studios' current needs.”
THQ has confirmed that over 30 employees at Kaos Studios and Volition have been let go.
“We have had to let go of 16 employees at Volition, our studio in Champaign, Illinois,” the publisher said in a statement to Gamasutra. “We must adjust our workforce to fit the studio’s current needs, which is a relatively common occurence in the game development industry.”

Three SOE studios closed, 205 staff laid off, and much-delayed MMOG cancelled to “streamline global workforce.”
Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has confirmed reports that three of its studios have been closed down, with 205 jobs lost and development of its long-delayed MMOG The Agency cancelled.

Album to feature composers responsible for Parappa The Rapper, Dead Space and Deus Ex soundtracks.
Non-profit publisher OneBigGame and the Game Music Initiative have revealed the final line-up of composers set to feature on the upcoming charity CD, OneBigAlbum.

The technology company asserts that Amazon's use of the term proves it is generic.
In a recent legal filing, Microsoft has cited Amazon’s newly launched Android Appstore as evidence that it is a generic term, and required by other companies to accurately describe their market places.

The japanese company cites "various circumstances" as the reasons behind its decision.
Capcom has announced that its in-development PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title, Mega Man Universe, has been cancelled. The game was due to be released in Spring 2011 and appeared in playable form at last year’s Tokyo Game Show. The game would have allowed players to create and share stages and characters.

EA's Scot Amos moves to Tomb Raider: Legend studio to work on brand new IP.
Scot Amos, executive producer at EA studio Visceral, has joined the senior management team of Crystal Dynamics. Amos, who was executive producer on the Dead Space series, will build and head up a team to work on a new intellectual property for the company.

Complete Collection makes its presence known in the Media Create Japanese software chart.
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection has knocked Dynasty Warriors 7 from the top spot in this week’s chart, while Namco Bandai’s Gundam The 3D Battle completes the pincer movement by debuting at number three.

Why a magazine about a MMOG is written by its players and paid for with virtual money.
Eve Online’s infamously steep learning curve asks a great deal from new players. It’s a prerequisite that has ensured a uniquely invested community of pilots, pirates, bankers and council members. But another career path open to New Eden’s populace is one of a writer: contributing to official Eve Online magazine, Eon.

Free-to-play advocate behind Battlefield Heroes and steps down after four years.
General manager of EA’s Easy Studio and long time free-to-play advocate, Ben Cousins, has announced that he will be leaving Electronic Arts after a four-year tenure. Cousins has been responsible for EA’s adoption of the free-to-play model for many of its biggest brands, including team shooter Battlefield Heroes and RTS Lord Of Ultima, as well as the forthcoming Battlefield Play4Free.

Vodafone says it can’t meet April 1 release date; Sony Ericsson admits “freight issues” affecting supply.
Vodafone has become the second UK network operator to delay tomorrow’s planned launch of the PlayStation Phone, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play.
A customer who had pre-ordered the new device passed an email to VG247 in which Vodafone confirmed it would not be releasing the handset on April 1 because of a supply problem.

THQ forbidden from poaching Ubisoft staff after Patrice Désilets lures former colleagues to THQ Montreal.
Ubisoft has obtained an injunction preventing rival publisher THQ from poaching its staff.

Three studios closed and one third of staff laid off days after launch of PSN MMOG Free Realms.
Sony Online Entertainment has closed three studios and is to lay off almost a third of its workforce, according to reports.
Rumours began to spread last night when George Broussard, co-creator of the Duke Nukem series, tweeted to say: “Word [is] that Sony Online Entertainment Seattle is having layoffs and that studio closure is possible.”

Sega to publish cooperative multiplayer title, Just Cause developer’s first downloadable game, this year.
Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios has announced Renegade Ops, a downloadable title for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC, to be published by Sega.

Status downgraded from Neutral to Sell amid concerns retailer is falling behind in online and digital markets.
Financial firm Goldman Sachs has issued a stark assessment of Game Group’s finances, downgrading the UK retailer’s status from Neutral to Sell.

Facing closure amid spending cuts, Yorkshire industry network saved by its own members at 11th hour.
Yorkshire game industry network Game Republic is to continue beyond the close of the financial year tomorrow, after securing funding from the companies and learning providers it represents.

Publisher issues takedown notices to sites hosting downloads of 1985 classic, fuelling speculation of a return.
EA is issuing Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices on to websites hosting downloads of classic PC title Ultima IV.
Game Politics reports that the publisher, which owns the IP to Richard Garriott’s 1985 game which first appeared on the Apple II computer, is demanding that various websites desist from offering the game for download.

12 billion yen project brings research centre closer to Kyoto HQ; set for completion in 2013.
Nintendo is to invest over 12 billion yen in the construction of a new research and development facility near its Kyoto headquarters.
Andriasang reports that the site, in the Higashikujo Matsudacho area of Minami Ward in Kyoto, is a stone’s throw from Nintendo’s main office, and much closer than its current Kyoto Research Centre, which is in Higashiyama Ward.

Executive producer Rod Fergusson discusses the importance of open betas and the tech behind the Samaritan demo.
At a recent Gears Of War 3 hands-on event, we caught up with executive producer, Rod Fergusson, to talk about the game's upcoming multiplayer beta, the stunning 'Samaritan' Unreal Engine tech demo shown at GDC this year and what the future of gaming technology looks like from Epic's perspective.

Firm looking into allegations that games were given low ratings to boost College Lacrosse’s chart position.
Microsoft has said it has begun investigations into an alleged abuse of the Xbox Live Indie Games service’s ratings system.
“We are investigating a possible misuse of ratings on Xbox Live Indie Games titles,” the firm announced on the XNA Community Twitter account. “We’ll announce more information here as it develops.”

DICE promising above average campaign length to “introduce more people to our franchise.”
Upcoming shooter Battlefield 3 is set to buck the trend for short FPS campaigns with a 12-hour singleplayer tale, according to reports.
In an interview with developer DICE’s general manager Karl Troedsson, a reporter from Games.on.net references a 12-hour campaign.

Leaked memo reveals staff told to buy hardware from Tesco, and sell as pre-owned stock.
Staff at UK retailer Game were told to take advantage of the low prices of 3DS at the nation’s supermarkets, with hardware purchased elsewhere to be sold as pre-owned stock – for the same price as new systems.

Microsoft has issued an open call for beta testers to try out a new Xbox 360 disc format.
In a post on his blog, Xbox Live mouthpiece Major Nelson explains that Microsoft is embarking on its latest Xbox 360 system update preview programme, seeking US participants “to help us prepare for an updated Xbox 360 disc format.”