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October 26, 2011

Metal Gear collection out in Europe in February

Konami has confirmed that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will be released in Europe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 3.

Konami has confirmed that Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will be released in Europe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 3.

The collection, which includes remastered versions of PlayStation 2's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and PSP title Peace Walker, also features non-HD versions of the first two Metal Gear games, first released for the MSX.

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Bring Me Sandwiches!! review

Another delicious slice of iOS whimsy from one of the App Store’s most delightful publishers.

Of the many surprises the App Store has spurred in its youthful history, one of the most pleasant is the rise of Adult Swim as a publisher. The cable network has shrewdly teamed up with a pair of talented iOS developers, and Bring Me Sandwiches!!, courtesy of Grumpyface Studios, follows PikPok’s splendid Monsters Ate My Condo as the second of five iOS games due out before the end of the year.

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SCEE "working hard" on Payday: The Heist

Sony says it is still working to get Payday: The Heist ready for release in Europe, a week after the game launched on the US PlayStation Store. In a post on the PlayStation Blog revealing this week's PS Store update, Sony's Andy Stewart writes: "We are close to being able to confirm the release date of Payday: The Heist and are just waiting for SOE to provide 100 per cent confirmation, which we hope will be with us later today."
http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/10/26/heads-up-game-store-update-26th-october-2011
PlayStation Blog

Sony says it is still working to get Payday: The Heist ready for release in Europe, a week after the game launched on the US PlayStation Store.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog revealing this week's PS Store update, Sony's Andy Stewart writes: "We are close to being able to confirm the release date of Payday: The Heist and are just waiting for SOE to provide 100 per cent confirmation, which we hope will be with us later today.

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Namco Bandai tops Japan revenue list

Namco Bandai was the highest-grossing publisher in Japan in the six months to September 25, according to Japanese magazine Famitsu. With companies across the game industry set to release their half-yearly fiscal results in the coming weeks, the magazine used Enterbrain sales data and found that Namco Bandai grossed ¥17.8 billion (£146 million), giving it market share of 18 per cent.
http://andriasang.com/comyre/
Andriasang

Namco Bandai was the highest-grossing publisher in Japan in the six months to September 25, according to Japanese magazine Famitsu.

With companies across the game industry set to release their half-yearly fiscal results in the coming weeks, the magazine used Enterbrain sales data and found that Namco Bandai grossed ¥17.8 billion (£146 million), giving it market share of 18 per cent.

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Facebook: games lead the way on new platforms

Company admits failure to anticipate rise of games on its network: "It should have been obvious".

Facebook has admitted that the company was caught off guard by its rapid rise as a gaming platform.

Speaking to us at yesterday’s f8 Facebook developer conference in London, Facebook director of platform marketing Ethan Beard said: “I think it’s surprised us how quickly games took off on the platform. We built something very general-purpose – we didn’t set out to build a games platform or otherwise, we just built a platform for social applications.

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Sony, EA backtrack on Battlefield 1943 promise

Sony and EA have reneged on a promise to include Battlefield 1943 with all PlayStation 3 copies of Battlefield 3. The move was announced at Sony's E3 press conference in July, where Jack Tretton said that the extra storage space on Blu-ray discs meant the PS3 release of Battlefield 3 would represent "one of the most exciting games of the year bundled free with one of the most popular PSN games."
https://twitter.com/#!/Battlefield/status/128867590423592961
Twitter

Sony and EA have reneged on a promise to include Battlefield 1943 with all PlayStation 3 copies of Battlefield 3.

The move was announced at Sony's E3 press conference in July, where Jack Tretton said that making use of the extra storage space on Blu-ray discs meant the PS3 release of Battlefield 3 would represent "one of the most exciting games of the year bundled free with one of the most popular PSN games."

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Lou Castle quits Zynga after just nine months

Industry veteran Louis Castle has quit his social gaming titan Zynga after just nine months. Castle, co-founder of Command & Conquer developer Westwood Studios, joined Zynga as VP of studios earlier this year, but he has now switched to casino supplier Shuffle Master and told Industry Gamers that the workload was simply too heavy for him.
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/zynga-vp-lou-castle-leaves-for-shuffle-master/
Industry Gamers

Industry veteran Louis Castle has quit his social gaming titan Zynga after just nine months.

Castle, co-founder of Command & Conquer developer Westwood Studios, joined Zynga as VP of studios earlier this year, but he has now switched to casino supplier Shuffle Master and told Industry Gamers that the workload was simply too heavy for him.

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Opinion: Rocket from the ashes

In the first of a new series, Hogrocket's Ben Ward tells the story of how he and two friends built a studio out of Bizarre Creations' ruins.

I can't believe it's been nine months already. Everybody knows that time seems to accelerate as you get older, probably due to some kind of mad physics that we haven't discovered yet. However, what isn't common knowledge is that time goes into warp speed when you start your own business. Every day flits past like it's an hour, and in what seems like no time at all your find yourself nine months down the line, having released your very first game to the world.

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Opinion: Rocket from the ashes

In the first of a new series, Hogrocket's Ben Ward tells the story of how he and two friends built a studio out of Bizarre Creations' ruins.

I can't believe it's been nine months already. Everybody knows that time seems to accelerate as you get older, probably due to some kind of mad physics that we haven't discovered yet. However, what isn't common knowledge is that time goes into warp speed when you start your own business. Every day flits past like it's an hour, and in what seems like no time at all your find yourself nine months down the line, having released your very first game to the world.

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Capcom sales slump halves profits

Capcom's profits for the six months ending September 30 fell 49.2 per cent year on year. Net income fell from last year's ¥1.78 billion (£14.64 million) to ¥906 million (£7.43 million). Net sales revenue dropped 28.1 per cent year on year, to ¥29.25 billion (£240.6 million). Its mobile business, fired by the success of Smurfs Village, brought in 89 per cent more revenue than last year.

Capcom's profits for the six months ending September 30 fell 49.2 per cent year on year.

Net income fell from last year's ¥1.78 billion (£14.64 million) to ¥906 million (£7.43 million). Net sales revenue dropped 28.1 per cent year on year, to ¥29.25 billion (£240.6 million). Once again its mobile business was the star performer: fired by the success of Smurfs Village, it brought in 89 per cent more revenue than last year.

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GTA V drives Take-Two share spike

Yesterday's announcement of Grand Theft Auto had a predictable effect on Take-Two's share price, with its US stock rising six per cent. The publisher's shares rose as high as $15.71 during the day, settling at $15.22 at the close of trading and rising again to $15.36 in afterhours trading.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38117/TakeTwo_Shares_Jump_With_Grand_Theft_Auto_V_Announcement.php
Gamasutra

Yesterday's announcement of Grand Theft Auto V had a predictable effect on Take-Two's share price, with its US stock rising six per cent.

The publisher's shares rose as high as $15.71 during the day, settling at $15.22 at the close of trading and rising again to $15.36 in afterhours trading.

All this despite a decidedly barebones announcement - just a logo was released, with a trailer promised next week.


Battlefield 3 Xbox 360 beset by server problems

Servers have been up and down all night on the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 3. The game launched in North America yesterday, but despite a beta test which publisher EA says was downloaded 9.5 million times on all platforms, it appears players have been struggling to get into multiplayer games.
http://twitter.com/#!/Battlefield
Twitter

Servers have been up and down all night on the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 3.

The game launched in North America yesterday, but despite a beta test which publisher EA says was downloaded 9.5 million times on all platforms, it appears players have been struggling to get into multiplayer games.

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Zynga launches Mafia Wars 2

Zynga has launched Mafia Wars 2, a sequel to its 2008 social game, on Facebook and Google+. The launch is Zynga's latest effort to reverse a slide in profits, which reportedly fell 90 per cent last quarter, and value to investors ahead of its IPO, which is expected to go through this year.
http://www.zynga.com/games/mafia-wars-2
Zynga

Zynga has launched Mafia Wars 2, a sequel to its 2008 social game, on Facebook and Google+.

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Court backs Garriott in $32 million NCSoft case

A US appeals court has upheld last year's verdict which awarded Ultima creator Richard Garriott $28 million following his acrimonious departure from MMOG developer NCSoft. The decision, reported by Gamasutra, was reached by a three-judge panel from the Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals, and adds interest and legal fees to take Garriott's total award to $32 million (£20 million).
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38105/Appeals_Court_Upholds_Garriotts_32_Million_Case_Against_NCSoft.php
Gamasutra

A United States appeals court has upheld last year's verdict which awarded Ultima creator Richard Garriott $28 million following his acrimonious departure from MMOG developer NCSoft.

The decision, reported by Gamasutra, was reached by a three-judge panel from the Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals, and adds interest and legal fees to take Garriott's total award to $32 million (£20 million).

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Nikkei: Nintendo to post ¥100 billion loss

According to Japan's Nikkei, Nintendo is to reveal a pre-tax loss of ¥100 billion (£821 million) when it reports its half-yearly financial results tomorrow. The newspaper claims that the loss - which will almost double the ¥55 billion (£451 million) loss predicted by Nintendo - will be largely due to exchange rates.
http://andriasang.com/comyr8/
Andriasang

According to Japan's Nikkei, Nintendo is to reveal a pre-tax loss of ¥100 billion (£821 million) when it reports its half-yearly financial results tomorrow.

The newspaper claims that the loss - which will almost double the ¥55 billion (£451 million) loss predicted by Nintendo - will be largely due to exchange rates. The strength of the Yen against the Euro is expected to account for a loss of ¥40 billion (£328 million).

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October 25, 2011

Ubisoft to open Abu Dhabi studio

Publisher Ubisoft has announced plans to open a development studio in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first major publisher to expand to the United Arab Emirates. The studio, which will open in December, will be led by a team of experienced Ubisoft staff. Yannick Theler, who has been with Ubisoft for ten years, will head a team of local recruits in partnership with twofour54, the Abu Dhabi government's Media Zone Authority initiative, to create "an Arabic media and entertainment hub for the Middle East and North Africa."

Publisher Ubisoft has announced plans to open a development studio in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first major publisher to expand to the United Arab Emirates.

The studio, which will open in December, will be led by a team of experienced Ubisoft staff. Yannick Theler, who has been with Ubisoft for ten years, will head a team of local recruits in partnership with twofour54, the Abu Dhabi government's Media Zone Authority initiative, to create "an Arabic media and entertainment hub for the Middle East and North Africa."

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Record submissions for IGF Main Competition

A total of 568 games have been submitted for consideration in the Independent Games Festival (IGF) Main Competition, setting a new record with a 45 per cent increase on last year's figure. As Gamasutra notes, mobile game submissions - which have their own category for the first time this year - have almost doubled year on year.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38104/2012_Independent_Games_Festival_Announces_Record_Main_Competition_Entrants.php
Gamasutra

A total of 568 games have been submitted for consideration in the Independent Games Festival (IGF) Main Competition, setting a new record with a 45 per cent increase on last year's figure.

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DICE details the evolution of Battlefield's graphics

Nvidia has released the full keynote from its recent GeForce LAN 6 event in San Francisco. Johan Andersson, visual architect at Swedish developer DICE, explains how the graphics in the Battlefield series have evolved from the release of Battlefield 1942 in 2002 to Battlefield 3, which has launched in North America today and makes its European debut on Friday.

Nvidia has released the full keynote from its recent GeForce LAN 6 event in San Francisco.

Johan Andersson, visual architect at Swedish developer DICE, explains how the graphics in the Battlefield series have evolved from the release of Battlefield 1942 in 2002 to Battlefield 3, which has launched in North America today and makes its European debut on Friday.


Whale Trail review

The kind of winningly simple concept from which App Store phenomena are made.

London interface design studio ustwo has been making apps for some time now, but Whale Trail marks a purposeful stride forward from its previous casual iOS experiments. If there's something a little too calculatedly twee about the developer's cetacean creation – it does come from a man who refers to himself as Chief Wonka, after all – it's no less successful for that.

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Tate Liverpool uses games to bridge art and science

Tate Liverpool is using videogames alongside its Alice In Wonderland exhibition to help teach children aged 8-12 about developmental neuroscience. The project, dubbed Wondermind, consists of online games and interactive films which will be playable within the exhibition itself as well as through the Tate Kids website.
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/exhibitions/aliceinwonderland/default.shtm
Tate Liverpool

Tate Liverpool is using videogames alongside its Alice In Wonderland exhibition to help teach children aged 8-12 about developmental neuroscience.

The project, dubbed Wondermind, consists of online games and interactive films which will be playable within the exhibition itself as well as through the Tate Kids website.

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ARM profits almost double

Cambridge-based chip designer ARM Holdings saw profits rise 44 per cent to £55.8 million during its last fiscal quarter.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/25/chip-designer-arm-revenues
The Guardian

Cambridge-based chip designer ARM Holdings saw profits rise 44 per cent to £55.8 million during its last fiscal quarter.

The company, whose chips are used in tablets, smartphones and gaming devices including 3DS and the upcoming PlayStation Vita, outperformed analyst predictions, with revenue climbing 20 per cent to $192.3 million.


Half a million sign up for The Secret World beta

Over 500,000 people have signed up for the beta phase of Funcom's upcoming MMOG The Secret World, the developer has announced. The game, which casts players as one of three secret societies - Illuminati, Dragon or Templar - is currently in beta ahead of its release in April.
http://www.thesecretworld.com/
The Secret World

Over 500,000 people have signed up for the beta phase of Funcom's upcoming MMOG The Secret World, the developer has announced.

The game, which casts players as one of three secret societies - Illuminati, Dragon or Templar - is currently in beta ahead of its release in April.

Trond Arne Aas, CEO, said: "We are thrilled to see the amount of interest The Secret World is generating, and exceeding half a million beta registrations six months before release is definitely something we are proud of.

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Facebook poll hints at Syndicate remake

A poll on the Facebook page of Starbreeze Studios' Syndicate reboot appears to be guaging interest for an HD remake of Bullfrog's 1993 original.
https://www.facebook.com/Syndicate#!/Syndicate?sk=wall
Facebook

A poll on the Facebook page of Starbreeze Studios' Syndicate reboot appears to be gauging interest for an HD remake of Bullfrog's 1993 original.

As you can see below, the poll asks whether fans have played, or intend to play, the original game before the FPS reboot which has so upset fans of the original launches in February.

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Batman: Arkham City sells 2 million copies

Two million copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum were sold in its first week on sale, according to publisher Warner Bros.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/10/batman-arkham-city-sells-2-million-copies-in-first-week.html
LA Times

Two million copies of Batman: Arkham City were sold in its first week on sale, according to publisher Warner Bros.

The LA Times reports that the publisher shipped 4.6 million copies to retailers. Arkham City tops the UK chart this week, after doubling predecessor Arkham Asylum's launch sales.


Batman: Arkham City sells 2 million copies

Two million copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum were sold in its first week on sale, according to publisher Warner Bros.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/10/batman-arkham-city-sells-2-million-copies-in-first-week.html
LA Times

Two million copies of Batman: Arkham City were sold in its first week on sale, according to publisher Warner Bros.

The LA Times reports that the publisher shipped 4.6 million copies to retailers. Arkham City tops the UK chart this week, after doubling predecessor Arkham Asylum's launch sales.


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