Persona developer’s current-gen debut goes straight in at number one.
Team Persona’s first game for the current generation of consoles, Catherine, is the new number one game in Japan.
The PlayStation 3 version of the game sold over 140,000 units, enough to secure top slot even without the Xbox 360 release, which sold a shade under 22,000 copies.
Undisclosed settlement brings down the curtain on dispute over Zynga’s 2009 Facebook title.
Social gaming firms Zynga and Digital Chocolate have reached a settlement to their dispute over the Mafia Wars name.
Legal website The Recorder reveals the two firms have settled out of court, though the terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Developer promises pro-active stance in weeding out the cheats in new shooter’s online mode.
Killzone 3 developer Guerrilla Games has said it is working with Sony to ensure hackers do not ruin the new shooter’s online mode for legitimate players.
Final part of the thirdperson shooter trilogy coming in September.
Gears Of War 3 will be released on September 20, Microsoft has announced.
In a brief statement the publisher described the final instalment of Epic Games’ trilogy as “the glorious conclusion to one of the most memorable sagas in videogames’ history.”
The game includes five-on-five competitive multiplayer, four-player campaign co-op and a new multiplayer gametype, Beast Mode, in which players control the Locust horde.
UK retailer effectively offers two-week rental of this week’s new releases for £4.99.
Specialist UK retailer Game is to guarantee a trade-in price of £35 for Bulletstorm and Killzone 3 until March 10 – essentially offering customers two weeks with the game for less than five pounds.
Firm now taking cut once sales pass $50,000; enhanced Unreal Engine 3 to be shown off at GDC.
Epic Games has announced that it has increased the threshold at which it starts charging royalties for games developed using its Unreal Development Kit (UDK).
Previously, the firm would take a 25 per cent cut of revenue once a product passed $5,000 in net sales. That has now been greatly increased to $50,000.
Scent-emitting USB device on the way for PC and consoles this year.
A new accessory will let players smell videogames such as World Of Warcraft when it releases worldwide later this year.
The ScentScape USB device contains 20 scent wells built into a cartridge that emits a specific smell – such as pine forest, smoke and ocean - when prompted by a game.
Developer gives premium DLC away as thanks for community’s support for bug-ridden racer.
Eden Games, developer of Test Drive Unlimited 2, has announced that the title’s upcoming DLC will be given away for free by way of apology for the technical issues that have dogged the game since its release two weeks ago.
John Romero’s social game passes milestone in four months; series of expansions planned.
Ravenwood Fair, a Facebook title from social game publisher LOLapps, has passed 10 million monthly active users, and is soon to receive an expansion, Ravenstone Mine.
Publisher confirms that, after an initial login, Brotherhood can be enjoyed offline.
Ubisoft has confirmed that its controversial always-on DRM will not be included in the upcoming PC release of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.
The publisher told VG247: “The PC version of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, after an initial login, will be playable in offline mode.”
Multiple sources say Apple to pull back the curtain on new tablet in San Francisco on March 2.
Apple is to officially announce its successor to the iPad at an event in San Francisco next month, according to reports.
All Things Digital cites “multiple sources” in its report, saying Apple will finally lift the lid on the new iPad on March 2. All eyes will be on San Francisco that week anyway – the Game Developers Conference 2011 runs from February 28 to March 4 at the city’s Moscone Center.
Gabe Newell admits current Source development tools are “painful”.
Valve founder Gabe Newell has admitted that the firm’s Source development kit is “painful” in its current state, and has promised his team is working hard to “simplify” the process.
A highlight from our community-written blogs, regarding the nature of fear in videogames.
With Dead Space 2 doing its best to terrify gamers everywhere, Christopher_Anthony considers the increased level of terror that interactive horror can engender over more passive experiences.
Sixteen games to be on shelves alongside new handheld on March 27.
Nintendo has confirmed the 16 games that will launch alongside its new 3DS handheld when the system makes its North American debut on March 27.
Only three of the 16 – or five of the 18, if you see the three different versions of Nintendogs + Cats as separate games – are firstparty, a reflection of the increased focus Nintendo wants placed on thirdparty support.
Design lead on PGR and Blur joins OutRun Online Arcade developer as chief game designer.
Gareth Wilson, former design manager at Bizarre Creations, has joined Sheffield studio Sumo Digital.
PC Gaming Alliance president expects effect of founding members’ departure to be minimal.
Microsoft and Nvidia, two of the highest-profile members of the PC Gaming Alliance, have quit the organisation, according to PCGA president Matt Ployhar.
Ployhar declined to give reasons for the firms departing, telling Big Download he would prefer to let Microsoft and Nvidia explain, which neither has done thusfar. Both firms were instrumental in the alliance’s creation in 2008.
The Indie Fund co-founder on the successes and failures of the programme's first year.
Officials decry present-day setting in Juarez, which has seen 6,000 drug-related deaths in two years.
Legislators in the Mexican city of Juarez have called on federal authorities to ban the release of Ubisoft’s recently announced Call Of Juarez: The Cartel.
While the previous two games in the series were set in the Old West, the latest is set in the present day, described by Ubisoft as bringing “the best elements of the Wild West into modern times with a very gritty and relevant plot.”
New PS3s to be manufactured with new, properly secured encryption keys, source says.
Sony is to block out would-be PlayStation 3 pirates at the manufacturing stage, with the release of a new, hack-proof SKU, according to reports.
Everything HQ cites an anonymous source who claims Sony is already “deep into plans” for an unhackable version of the PlayStation 3, caused mainly by the premature leak of Killzone 3 which has prompted concerns of PS3 piracy going truly mainstream.
Dan Pinchbeck says reaction from mod community has been “really positive”, criticism is “not fair”.
The developer of Half-Life 2 mod Dear Esther has said that the reaction from elements of the mod community to his game’s upcoming commercial release is “not accurate or fair”.
Monthly magazine tie-in with educational social game that boasts over 30 million users worldwide.
Mind Candy, developer and operator of the children’s online social game Moshi Monsters, has launched a UK magazine based on its rapidly-growing brand.
The first issue of the monthly Moshi Monsters Magazine, published by Skyjack Publishing, hits shelves today, as Mind Candy seeks to further leverage the success of its virtual pet MMOG.
After 16 years of development, the Liverpool studio closes today. Ex-staff member creates tribute video.
To mark the closure of Bizarre Creations today, studio video editor, Eamon Urtone, has created a tribute to the developer's output over the past 16 years entitled 'Farewell Bizarre...it's been an absolute pleasure!'
Format: Flash
Developer: Charlie Hoey and Pete Smith
If you’re a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald and you’re in need of something to pass the time while you wait to see how badly Baz Luhrmann has mangled The Great Gatsby, you could do worse than check the book out in playable form thanks to Charlie Hoey and Pete Smith.
Game Closure development platform and SDK to enable cross-platform multiplayer in HTML5 games.
A group of Stanford University students have developed a mobile SDK that will enable cross-platform multiplayer games.
Game Closure, unveiled yesterday at Stanford startup SSE Labs’ Demo Day, is a development platform and SDK enabling the creation of HTML5 games that support multiplayer across different platforms, starting with iOS, Android and Facebook.
Valve and Red Lynx on what Intel’s new processor architecture means for gamers.
“It's a real game changer for us. This allows for a console-like experience on the PC." Valve head Gabe Newell’s proclamation at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year was bold, demonstrating the developer’s confidence in Intel’s new processor architecture, Sandy Bridge.