EA has revealed that sales of The Sims 3 have reached 3.7 million units.
The company said that the title was the bestselling game at retail in Europe and North America combined during its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2009.
Zoo Tycoon and World Of Zoo developer Blue Fang Games has cuts 15 staff members.
"While we are saddened beyond words that we cannot continue to employ these talented individuals, we are also confident and excited about our studio’s future," said president Hank Howie.
Apple is reportedly prepping a new touch-screen tablet computer for launch later this year.
Having allegedly seen the multimedia device first hand, an unnamed analyst told financial publication Barron's that the system will likely feature a ten inch touch-screen and be similar in appearance and feel to a large iPod touch.
Nintendo has sold three million DSi consoles in Japan.
According to new Enterbrain figures, domestic sales stood at 3,062,920 units as of August 2, 2009.
The DSi launched in Japan on November 1 last year, meaning the system hit the sales milestone in nine months, reports Famitsu (via Andriasang).
Former Take-Two CEO Paul Eibeler has joined SouthPeak Interactive’s board of directors.
Having taken Take-Two from $250 million in revenues to over $1.3 billion before shareholders ousted him from the CEO position in 2007, Eibeler has been appointed to help drive growth at SouthPeak.
Sony has reportedly placed enough component orders to double quarterly PS3 manufacturing rates.
The company is said to have ordered enough parts to manufacture one million PS3 units during the third quarter of this year, twice as many as in the last three months.
Sony has pulled a new in-game video advert from Wipeout HD after its introduction led to an increase in game loading times.
Speaking to investors after Nintendo reported a 60.6 per cent decline in quarterly operating profit, company president Satoru Iwata cited a lack of major new games as the primary reason for a recent decline in Wii sales.
During the first quarter ended June 30, Wii hardware sales totaled 2.23 million units, down from 5.17 million during the same period last year, while software sales declined by almost ten million units to 31.07 million.
A hoard of barbarians, catapults, and horses bears down on my castle walls. With one finger I fling them high, high into the air so they plummet to their deaths. Awash in the glory of my brutal power, not to mention the graphical splendour of these stick figure nemeses, I sow devastation with a simple, repetitive motion of my hand – stroking up, up, up, up on the right side of the screen, as fast as my burning wrist can manage. Stick figures and horse drawings rain down upon a botchy painting that appears to have been whipped up by a third grader.
Namco Bandai has reported increased losses and falling sales for the first quarter of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
The company posted a net loss of 2.85 billion yen ($29.9m/£17.7m), down from a one billion yen profit in the same quarter last year, while sales declined 15.8 per cent to 75.73 billion yen ($796m/£470m).
Over 43,000 people attended the first Games Convention Online event, according to organiser Leipziger Messe.
The three-day Leipzig, Germany-based browser, client and mobile games fair featured 74 exhibitors showcasing 150 games, and much of its content was made available online, attracting 500,000 visits to the event's website.
“90 per cent of the visitors were online gamers, which means that we reached just the target group the sector was expecting,” said Wolfgang Marzin, chairman of the board at the Leipzig Trade Fair.
Disney Interactive Media recorded a fall in sales and reduced operating losses during the third fiscal quarter ended June 27, 2009.
Sales dropped 20 per cent to $113 million (£66.65m/€78.39m), while operating loss narrowed from $91 million to $75 million (£44.2m/€52m), largely due to decreased marketing and product development costs at Disney Online and at Disney Interactive Studios.
Nintendo DSi users will be able upload pictures taken with the handheld’s cameras directly to Facebook from today.
The new functionality will be available through a downloadable update which will allow interaction with the social networking site through wireless connections. While reviewing pictures taken through either of the handheld’s cameras, users can upload their pictures via the Facebook icon on the system’s touch screen.
IPhone developer Freeverse has entered into a deal with Ngmoco to make use of its connectivity platform Plus+.
Plus+, already in use in a number of Ngomoco titles, allows players to create profiles and friends lists, challenge other users and take part in game events. “Freeverse fans are always eager to engage meaningfully with their social groups and share the games they love, so integrating Plus+ into our games was a natural choice for us," said Freeverse president Ian Lynch Smith.
Format: Wii
Release: Out now
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: In-house
Nintendo’s Wii Sport Resort held onto the top spot of the UK software sales chart for the week ended August 1, according to data provided by Chart-Track.
The Wii MotionPlus title held onto the top spot with an increase in sales of six per cent. Nintendo also claimed second place with Wii Fit, up from number four the previous week.
Sega Sammy has released its financial report for the first quarter ended July 31, revealing mixed results with a decline in sales but also a decline in losses.
The company’s net sales hit 60.4 billion yen for the quarter, down by 19 per cent from 74.6 billion year-on-year. However, operating losses improved from 10.2 billion yen in 2008’s comparable quarter to a loss of only 7.8 billion yen in 2009. Net losses decreased to 10.2 billion yen during the quarter, down from 10.5 billion yen year-on-year.
Shigeru Miyamoto has said that Nintendo plans to ride out the recession by creating family focused products that will continue to be in demand as household entertainment budgets decline.
“Obviously, the recession is bad for everybody and it does have impact in certain areas,” Miyamoto told Mercury News, adding: “but one of the things we look at when we look at entertainment is, if you want something bad enough, you're going to save your money for it, right?”
Sony claims to have nearly doubled the installed base for the PlayStation 3 as of June 30, following the company’s quarterly financial results.
Cumulative sales of the platform have hit 22.7 million units since its launch in 2006. The company also announced lifetime PlayStation Portable sales of 51.6 million units and a total PlayStation Network membership of 24 million accounts.
Discount passes are now available for next month’s Edinburgh Interactive Festival, the annual industry conference and public videogame showcase.
Lens flare. Water effects. Bloom lighting and high dynamic range imaging. Breast physics. Over the decade or so that I’ve been attending E3, these have been some of the features that have taken their turn in the great-minds-think-alike spotlight. What trend would bring home the 2009 E3 Breast Physics Award For Shared Inspiration? Would it be hi-def kart racing games, like Joy Ride for Xbox 360 or Mod Nation Racers for PlayStation 3? What about Facebook integration, as promised at this year’s show by both Microsoft and Nintendo?
A number of senior staff have departed Sony Online Entertainment’s Seattle studio, the developer making The Agency for PC and PS3.
Studio director and executive producer Matt Wilson, art director Corey Dangel, and producer John Smith left in early July to form a new development studio called Detonator Games.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan has said that he is not inclined to delay the release of EA and Double Fine’s Brutal Legend, as requested by Activision, but delayed a formal ruling until next week.
Karlan told attorneys for Activision that he was leaning in Double Fine’s favour, but also noted that the decision is “going to be a close call," according to an Associated Press report.
Format: ZX Spectrum 48K
Release: 1983
Publisher: Quicksilva
Developer: Sandy White
