NetDevil's Lego Universe is to shut down on January 31 due to a lack of subscribers, just over a year after it launched.
A post from the team on the game's forums reads: "Today we are very sad to announce that Lego Universe will be closing. This was a very difficult decision to make, but unfortunately Lego Universe has not been able to attract the number of members needed to keep the game open.
"We want to thank the fantastic community of players who made Lego Universe such a vibrant, fun and creative experience."
Digital distribution of PC games is an increasingly crowded space, but Good Old Games has grown apace since its launch in September 2008, users drawn by its ever-growing catalogue of games that are at least three years old and charmed by its aversion to DRM.
Sony has announced a change to its usage policy, which will reduce the number of systems on which a downloaded game can be played.
All PSN games purchased after November 18 will only be playable on a maximum of two systems. The rule applies to PS3 and PSP games alike, but does not apply to games bought before the new rule comes into effect.
If it seems like only a few weeks ago that I was talking about a game designed by Spry Fox, and that’s because it was only a few weeks ago. According to Daniel Cook, the company’s chief creative officer, they’ve had three releases this month. It’s been “a wee bit hectic”.
RedLynx, the Finnish developer of Trials HD which was acquired by Ubisoft this week, has revealed that other publishers expressed an interest buying the studio.
In an interview, co-founder and creative director Antti Ilvessuo told us that the acquisition meant RedLynx would be able to release bigger, better games, and that the resulting loss of its independence was of little concern.
Gamers have many ways to help inform their potential purchasing decisions. Reviews, word of mouth, advertising via TV, web and magazines all have influence, but a demo is the only way in which they can experience the game itself.
Here's a first look at Capcom's latest HD remix, which includes the first three games in Hideki Kamiya's PlayStation 2 series, and it's the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3, rather than the vanilla release, which is included. That adds Dante's twin brother Vergil - one of the new additions in the upcoming Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 - as a playable character, as well as gameplay tweaks and the Bloody Palace mode.
The Japanese release of 3DS platformer Super Mario 3D Land contains a firmware update that improves the system's friends list, according to reports.
Tiny Cartridge claims that as well as adding anti-piracy features to block flashcarts, the update enables players to join online games with a single button press. Friends list sorting is also greatly improved, with online players now appearing at the top of the list.
Battlefield 3 is the new number one in the Nordic chart, knocking last week's surprise number one, The Sims 3: Pets into second place.
It's been a good sales week for EA across Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark, with the publisher taking the top three spots and half of the top ten overall. Battlefield aside, the highest new entry is Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn at number 16.
US channel Spike TV will unveil a a new game from BioWare and the return of Alan Wake during its Video Game Awards (VGAs) next month.
Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6 Patriots for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Patriots, due in 2013, is in development at Ubisoft Montreal with support from the publisher's Toronto and Red Storm studios, and is the first instalment in the 25 million-selling franchise since 2006's Rainbow Six: Vegas.
Commemorating its star’s 20th birthday, Sonic Generations is a reminder of both what you adore and abhor in a series that’s had its simple joys diluted by flash-in-the-plan iterations and ideas.
Guildford studio Hello Games' 2010 PlayStation Network title Joe Danger is headed to XBLA.
The game, a PSN exclusive that was one of the first games to receive backing from Sony's Pub Fund, will be released under the name Joe Danger Special Edition, as a Korean ratings board listing recently revealed.
Hello Games MD Sean Murray told us: "It's kind of the ultimate version of the original, with lots of extras. It’s been really nice to go back to, and tinker, and hopefully make it perfect.
Independent developer Jason Rohrer has said that Project LMNO, the cancelled collaboration between Electronic Arts and Steven Spielberg, suffered from a lack of leadership, with the revered Hollywood director taking a limited role in the game's development.
Founded 2001
Employees 44
Key staff Dylan Cuthbert (founder and president), Tominaga Shouichi (PixelJunk director), Kentaro Yoshida (studio director), Maeta Kazushi (chief planner), Paul Leonard (chief artist), Yutaka Kurahashi (chief artist), Jerome Liard (chief tech programmer), Ryuji Nishikawa (chief game programmer)
URL www.q-games.com
Sony's social revamp for its PS3 social network, PlayStation Home, launches today.
The first thing you learn is that you should keep moving. You can’t kill them all, and bullying hordes of weaker, dumber enemies is a tempting indulgence that only slows you down. Next you learn to avoid becoming surrounded by upright, alert ones, lest they claw you to the floor in a vicious pigpile. These observations quickly lead to the most recurring conundrum: what to do about the milling crowd blocking your way? Personally, I try to end-run them, giving myself a mobility advantage by smashing through store windows or climbing on to separators.
Brian Farrell, CEO of publisher THQ, said last night he was not concerned that yesterday's Grand Theft Auto V unveiling would hurt sales of its own upcoming open-world gangster title, Saints Row: The Third.
Publisher Ubisoft intends to make use of RedLynx's development tools following the publisher's acquisition of the Finnish studio, on which we reported yesterday.
Speaking to us yesterday at the Montreal Games Summit, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot hinted the publisher would seek to use RedLynx tech like the in-house engine used in development of Trials HD.
Publisher THQ has reported a net loss of $92.4 million (£57.9m) for its second financial quarter ended September 30, an increase of 96.6 per cent on the $47 million (£29.4m) it sustained this time last year.
Publisher THQ has reported a net loss of $92.4 million (£57.9m) for its second financial quarter ended September 30, an increase of 96.6 per cent on the $47 million (£29.4m) it sustained this time last year.
PSP exclusive Final Fantasy Type-0 sold close to 500,000 copies in its debut week to comfortably top the Japanese software chart.
Square Enix’s title shifted 472,253 units in just four days, a figure comparable to other high profile PSP releases from the publisher. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII sold around 470,000 units during its launch week and the original Dissidia Final Fantasy sold 500,000, Andriasang reports.
Angry Birds developer Rovio said today the massively popular franchise has surpassed half a billion downloads in less than two years.
Launched in December 2009, the franchise consists of Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio, all of which are available on a variety of platforms including iOS, Android, PC and Mac.
Square Enix has upwardly revised its profit forecast for the six months ended September 30, 2011 from ¥1.5 billion (£12 million) to ¥3.7 billion (£29.7 million).
It also now expects to report first half revenue of ¥57 billion ($457.3 million), up from the ¥56 billion ($449.3 million) estimated in August.