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June 29, 2011

Report: Limbo headed to PSN

Game Set Watch has spotted a Korean Ratings Board listing for Danish studio Playdead’s game, which was released on Xbox Live Arcade last July. The board’s website claims Sony Computer Entertainment Korea submitted the game for classification, so it appears a PSN release may be on the cards. We’ve contacted Playdead for comment.
http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2011/06/limbo_heads_to_the_playstation.php
Game Set Watch


Retailers split on Mercenaries trade-ins

Fallout from Capcom’s decision to not allow deletion of save files continues as some retailers refuse to accept pre-owned copies.

Videogame retailers in the UK and elsewhere are taking markedly different stances on whether to accept trade-ins of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, after it was revealed that save data cannot be reset on Capcom’s upcoming 3DS title.

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Vita keynote confirmed for Develop Conference

Next month’s Develop In Brighton will play host to a talk from Kish Hirani, Sony’s head of developer services, and SCEE senior engineer Neil Brown. The keynote address, De Re PlayStation Vita, will look in detail at the upcoming handheld’s feature set, and a range of available software tools that streamline the development process. Hirano expressed his delight at being invited to give the keynote, and said: “Brighton continues to be one of my favourite places for sharing information with the games developer community…this year the Develop Conference becomes the first public technical level disclosure of our exciting new portable games console.”
http://www.developconference.com/
Develop In Brighton


Invizimals developer signs Sony exclusivity deal

Barcelona-based Novarama Technology, developer of Invizimals, has signed an exclusivity deal that will see its upcoming AR fighting game Reality Fighter released only for PlayStation Vita, published by SCEE. CEO Dani Sanchez-Crespo said: “These are exciting times to be part of the Sony family. With PSVita on the horizon, the possibilities for creativity are endless.”
http://novarama.com/
Novarama


Dead Island trailer wins gold at Cannes

Axis Animation's astonishing Dead Island announcement trailer has won gold in the Internet Film category at 2011's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The trailer was one of 41 films shortlisted from a list of hundreds. "We are overwhelmed to see the Dead Island trailer pick up an award at an event as prestigious as the Cannes Lions" said Axis executive producer, Richard Scott. "It goes to prove that the dedication shown by director Stuart Aitken and all of the Axis team has really paid off. I also want to give great credit to all the Deep Silver team because without their daring strategy and belief in what we could do, this project could have been so different."
http://www.canneslions.com/
Cannes Lions


Yasumi Matsuno joins Level 5

The creator of Tactics Ogre and Vagrant Story, and director of Final Fantasy XII has left Square Enix and taken up a role at Level 5, developer of the Professor Layton and Inazuma Eleven series. Matsuno has been given free reign by Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino, and he told Famitsu magazine that his first project is based on a concept he devised ten years ago.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/06/29/yasumi_matsuno_interview/
Andriasang


Harmonix engineer releases dubstep Kinect hack

Ryan Challinor, who worked on Dance Central, has released Project Synapse, a novel, open-source Kinect hack which lets users control dubstep-style sound effects, known as dubstep theremin, as well as visuals, using Ableton Live and Quartz Composer. It’s completely open source, developed for Nevada’s Burning Man festival, and is available from http://projectsynapse.tumblr.com.
http://news.killscreendaily.com/post/6984425589/for-those-interested-in-dubstep-theremin-peek-at-harmoni
KillScreen


Browsing 3D games

Can 3D graphics in your browser ever compete with dedicated gaming hardware?

The traditional pecking order of 3D graphical fidelity in videogame hardware has been muddled in recent years. In past years, high-end PCs and arcade machines offered the highest fidelity visual experiences, with consoles, handhelds and web games each offering graphics quality an order of magnitude lower than the last. But today, there are few set rules.

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Hirai and House promoted in Sony reshuffle

Hirai to be appointed SCEI chairman as Akira Sato retires; House to take up Hirai's former role of president and CEO.

Sony Computer Entertainment International (SCEI) has announced the promotions of senior executives including Kaz Hirai and Andrew House.

Hirai assumed the role of chairman on September 1, following the retirement of Akira Sato on August 31. Andrew House, current president and CEO of SCEE, will take up Hirai's position - president and group CEO - on September 1. House's role will be filled by Jim Ryan, currently executive VP of SCEE.

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Report: $20 billion Zynga to go public within days

IPO could be filed as early as today, sources claim; Zynga valued at more than EA and Activision combined.

Social gaming giant Zynga is to take to the stock market in the coming days, valued at $20 billion, according to reports.

Bloomberg reports that Zynga could file for an initial public offering (IPO) as early as today, as it seeks to capitalise on the recent surge in interest in web businesses which has seen the likes of LinkedIn and Groupon file IPOs of their own in recent months.

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June 28, 2011

THQ's Votypka defects to Ubisoft

Former Kaos general manager David Votypka has joined rival company Ubisoft, becoming creative director at Ubisoft Red Storm. THQ closed Homefront developer Kaos Studios two weeks ago (along with UK studio Digital Warrington). Red Storm is currently working on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, scheduled for a March 2012 release.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/38126/THQ-advocate-Votypka-joins-rival-Ubisoft
Develop


Match Panic review

It might at first seem easy but just wait until this iOS gem feeds your arrogance back to you, piece by delicious piece.

Match Panic is one of the simplest games released this year, and it squeezes every bit of juice from its solitary mechanic. A column of icons descends down the middle of the screen; you must tap left or right to match the bottom icon to the ones that sit on either side of the screen to clear the column within a time limit.

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OnLive eyeing up consoles

Cloud gaming firm company Onlive has held talks with both Sony and Microsoft regarding the possibility of providing its service on consoles in the future. "Our controller is a hybrid between a PS3 controller and an Xbox controller. It's all compatible, it would just work," OnLive's VP of engineering Joe Bentley told CVG. "There are OnLive guys chatting [Sony and MS], but we'll see where it goes. But it would absolutely work, we're ready to work with everybody."
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/309130/news/onlive-invites-sony-and-ms-to-adopt-tech-on-ps3-360/
CVG


Call Of Duty: Black Ops becomes UK biggest selling game of all time

Activision's latest Call Of Duty title, Black Ops, has become biggest selling game of all time, according to GfK ChartTrack. It's cumulative UK sales up until June 25 were 3,722,411 - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the previous biggest seller, has reached 3,702,410. Activision’s UK managing director Andrew Brown said: “This is an outstanding achievement for the development team at Treyarch and the amazing Call of Duty community.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45115/Black-Ops-breaks-UK-sales-record
MCV


Call Of Duty: Black Ops becomes UK biggest selling game of all time

Activision's latest Call Of Duty title, Black Ops, has become biggest selling game of all time, according to GfK ChartTrack. It's cumulative UK sales up until June 25 were 3,722,411 - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the previous biggest seller, has reached 3,702,410. Activision’s UK managing director Andrew Brown said: “This is an outstanding achievement for the development team at Treyarch and the amazing Call of Duty community.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45115/Black-Ops-breaks-UK-sales-record
MCV


IGDA to investigate Team Bondi working practices

The International Game Developers Association has revealed that it will investigate working practices at LA Noire developer Team Bondi, following recent reports of difficult working conditions, lack of overtime pay and excessive crunch periods. Though deliberately avoiding making an official statement until all the facts are in, IGDA board of directors chairman Brian Robbins said: "...reports of 12-hour a day, lengthy crunch time, if true, are absolutely unacceptable and harmful to the individuals involved, the final product, and the industry as a whole." The IGDA has asked Team Bondi employees to come forward by emailing qol@igda.org with "comments about the recent past and current situation - positive or negative."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-06-28-igda-to-investigate-team-bondi-allegations
Develop


Zinio offering discounted Edge subscriptions

Read our magazine on your iPad, iPhone or computer at 20 per cent off usual price.

Digital magazine provider Zinio is running a promotion offering 20 per cent off a selection of Future Publishing magazines, including Edge. A Zinio subscription allows you to read our magazine on you iPad, iPhone and on your computer.   

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1000 Heroz review

A platformer that provides a new level every day - does it have the legs to match its three-year lifespan?

Despite the faddy title, 1000 Heroz wants to be a keeper: it offers no less than three years of play, featuring a new level every day alongside daily and custom leaderboards, all from the design talent of the studio behind Trials HD. What could go wrong?

This is a precision platformer, built around learning how to slide, hop and leap each day's course in order to shave fractions of seconds off your time. All past levels are available to play if you've missed them, though global leaderboards are frozen after a single day's play. 

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Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting review

Slimmed down and sharpened up for iOS, this beast's ripe for the chase.

Capcom's record with its major franchises on iPhone is spotty: Street Fighter IV makes a remarkably good miniature, while Resident Evil 4 just looks a lot smaller. Monster Hunter makes the transition in style, its core elements streamlined and focused – almost to a fault. 

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Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting review

Slimmed down and sharpened up for iOS, this beast's ripe for the chase.

Capcom's record with its major franchises on iPhone is spotty: Street Fighter IV makes a remarkably good miniature, while Resident Evil 4 just looks a lot smaller. Monster Hunter makes the transition in style, its core elements streamlined and focused – almost to a fault. 

read more


CCP responds to Eve rebellion with emergency meeting

Developer invites player-elected Council of Stellar Management to Iceland for talks on microtransactions introduced in latest game update.

CCP, the developer behind MMOG Eve Online, has invited the members of the game's Council of Stellar Management to convene in Iceland for an extraordinary meeting, between June 30 and July 1 in response to a threatened mass exodus from the game's servers.

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CCP responds to Eve rebellion with emergency meeting

Developer invites player-elected Council of Stellar Management to Iceland for talks on microtransactions introduced in latest game update.

CCP, the developer behind MMOG Eve Online, has invited the members of the game's Council of Stellar Management to convene in Iceland for an extraordinary meeting, between June 30 and July 1, in response to a threatened mass exodus from the game's servers.

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Taiwanese App Store gets seven-day return policy

Taiwan App Store customers can now benefit from a seven-day return policy. Apple changed its rules in response to pressure from the Taiwanese government, which claimed the Cupertino company was in violation of the consumer protection law. The government accused Google of the same violation and ordered it to change its Android Market rules, too. Google has so far refused to comply. There is no word as to whether Apple will expand this policy to other territories, but it is unlikely that the option would be explored.
http://9to5mac.com/2011/06/27/apple-changes-its-rules-in-taiwan-to-allow-users-7-days-to-test-an-app/
9 To 5 Mac

http://9to5mac.com/2011/06/27/apple-changes-its-rules-in-taiwan-to-allow...


UTV Ignition no longer developing games in-house

The El Shaddai developer sacks console teams to focus on publishing.

UTV Ignition is dropping development to focus on partner-publishing. Speaking to Siliconera, director of business development Shane Bettenhausen revealed that the company's London studio - which was working on Project Kane, formerly known as War Devil - will cease to develop games.

Anonymous sources at Ignition revealed that the company has laid off its London-based console team. The sources claim that the project has now been cancelled.

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Capcom assures consumers that Resi save system won't affect resale value

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries features a save system that prevents players from resetting their game progress. While the design may well have been to increase tension, or even just an oversight, some parties have speculated that it may be a deliberate attempt to prevent second hand sales. This has led to the bizarre situation of a publisher stressing that the resale value of its game will not be dented, Capcom telling MCV that: "The game’s value at second hand in the UK is not affected by whether or not the game can have its data reset. Customers in the UK will not experience a reduced second-hand value should they wish to trade in their purchase."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/45093/Resi-Evil-clear-for-pre-owned-market
MCV


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