Market research firm the NPD Group has released its report on the US retail videogame market for last month, and once again it makes for depressing reading: declines in every sector saw overall spending fall 10 per cent year on year to $995 million.
Canadian developer Silicon Knights has revealed a string of expansion plans alongside the announcement that it has received CDN$3 million in provincial funding from the Ontario government.
The grant, which comes on top of roughly CDN$35 million invested in the Too Human maker over the last five years, will help the studio grow its workforce from 97 to 177 employees, the St. Catherine's Standard reports.
Canadian developer Silicon Knights has revealed a string of expansion plans alongside the announcement that it has received CDN$3 million in provincial funding from the Ontario government.
The grant, which comes on top of roughly CDN$35 million invested in the Too Human maker over the last five years, will help the studio grow its workforce from 97 to 177 employees, the St. Catherine's Standard reports.
Ubisoft is reportedly planning to debut its own online pass system when it releases Driver: San Francisco this autumn.
According to a GamerZines, the 'Uplay Passport' will work similarly to online passes introduced by other publishers, restricting online multiplayer access to those who buy a new copy of Driver: San Francisco or purchase a one-time access code from Xbox Live Marketplace or the PlayStation Store.
If true, we’d expect the system to be rolled out across Ubisoft’s catalogue of multiplayer-enabled titles.
You can read about all of our visits to the world's key development scenes by visiting our Region Specific topic page.
Overview
From origins in the vibrant 1990s demoscene has emerged one of Europe’s most creative centres for game development.
You can read about all of our visits to the world's key development scenes by visiting our Region Specific topic page.
Overview
From origins in the vibrant 1990s demoscene has emerged one of Europe’s most creative centres for game development.
EA's ageing football title FIFA 11 is number one in the Nordic all-formats software chat - which collates sales data from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland - for the second week in a row.
FIFA's chart placing nine months after its release is surprising at first, with the main European leagues long since finished and this year's iteration, FIFA 12, only months away.
What we saw in our playthrough of Hitman: Absolution demo level was pretty choreographed, designed to show off 47’s new moves. There are plenty of alternative approaches in this sandbox, of course. He could have easily shot his way out of the library, or snatched a downed cop’s outfit for a convenient disguise. But sandbox or not, this closed-off and self-contained library segment is simply one part of a greater whole.
This is the second of our three-part series of previews of Hitman: Absolution. You can read our demo impressions here and an examination of the challenges of building AI for stealth games here.
As with any popular genre, the cry will occasionally rise: is the JRPG dead? In the presence of White Knight Chronicles II, it’s easy to see why. This is the kind of game that feels stillborn.
The opening is witless: after several long cutscenes that explain nothing, you’re plonked into what looks like a standard character creation menu. But hold, varlet! To access certain hairstyles and accoutrements for your character, you must spend money – real money, that is, not in-game gold. This is your first interaction in a full-price console RPG.