Social games giant challenged over allegedly sharing Facebook user details with advertisers and data brokers.
In a statement issued by US-based law firm Edelson McGuire, which specialises in internet, technology, privacy, banking, and consumer issues, it was revealed that a class action lawsuit has been filed against FarmVille creator Zynga.
Production company behind The X-Factor buys majority share in Canada-based casual games developer.
FremantleMedia, a worldwide content production arm of TV and radio group RTL, announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement to increase its share of Montreal-based games developer Ludia from 51 per cent to 80 per cent.
Number of game developers applying for government grants breaks previous records.
An unprecedented 136 projects are applying for funding in the latest round of this year’s Nordic game development pool, it was revealed yesterday by the Nordic Game Program.
Format: Xbox 360, PS3 (version tested)
Release: Out now (US), October 22 (UK)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Platinum Games
Screenshot gallery
At the Consolarium, we are always eager to look for new games to add to our Game Based Learning projects. In mid November 2010, Electronic Arts will release EA Create.
Create Game Info
In Create, use your creativity and imagination to unlock a world of play!
Create tracks your creativity and rewards you for it. The more you create, the more you unlock rewards and exciting challenges to play, opening a world of fun as you go.
Let your imagination run wild, as you create cool environments with easy-to-use tools, including animating objects, textures, and designs that bring your scene to life!
It’s a limitless experience of creative expression paired with exciting and even wacky challenges that have you thinking on your feet to come up with creative solutions.
EA Create seems to have more than a couple of similarities to Little Big Planet for the PS3, but with one big difference – Create will be available for Wii, Xbox, PS3, Mac and PC. With an internet connection, users on any platform will be able to upload their creations and download any other creation and remix it – regardless of what platform they are using, with the exception of the Wii.
This particular game seems to offer a number of opportunities for Game Based Learning projects and indeed may be a great tool to close the gap between game players, game based learners and game creators. A few reasons we are hopeful for this particular game include:
I was thinking that schools could use this game to engage with probelm solving and creativity. Then, set groups of pupils a challange to build a crazy contrapation like a Rube Goldberg machine, just like they can do in create – solve a simple problem by creating a complex solution. Have a look at OK Go’s video for their song ‘This To Shall Pass’ to see such a machine in operation.
A project like this could be a great way to build teamwork, cooperation, environment/recycling, not to mention inter disciplinary links. Look out for an update in the new year once we’ve had a chance to get creating ourselves!
Assassin’s Creed creator is slated to join THQ’s Canada studio to develop an “all new franchise”.
US-based publisher and developer THQ has today announced its plans for ex-Ubisoft designer Patrice Désilets to head up a new development team at its Montreal studio next year.
Professor Layton/Phoenix Wright crossover one of many games previewed at the developer’s annual event in Japan.
Developer Level-5 held its yearly preview event, Vision, in Tokyo today, where new titles for Nintendo's 3DS were revealed. The event was translated by Andriasang.
Ex-Disney CEO ventures into Facebook social games with six-figure investment.
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner is backing LA-based social and mobile games developer Diversion’s first title, FameTown.
TechCrunch reported yesterday that Eisner’s firm Tornante invested $300,000 seed money in the developer, which was set up earlier this year.
On paper, it sounds like business suicide. Offer up the core of your gameworld and a wealth of its content for free, to anyone willing to give it a taste test. Its roots are in the ’90s, an extension of the razor blades business model, emerging in gaming from the need to combat piracy in certain territories. It found its way into the west most memorably in Jagex’s RuneScape, an MMORPG that launched, completely free for registrants, in 2001. Free-to-play is a draw for one big reason: the numbers add up.
We're presenting our take on each studio on the shortlist until the voting deadline on October 25.
See the rest of the nominees and put your vote in right here >>
Quarterly revenue driven by surge of iPhone sales.
Yesterday Apple announced the results for its fourth fiscal quarter this year, ending the week of September 25.
The US-based company says it achieved record revenue of $20.34 billion for the quarter, with net profit of $4.31 billion. This is an improvement on the same quarter last year, in which Apple achieved $12.21 billion revenue and $2.53 billion net profit.
Research firm predicts that international tablet sales will reach 19.5 million this year.
A study by US-based IT research company Gartner suggests that sales of media tablets – such as Apple’s iPad – will reach 19.5 million this year, with North America accounting for 61 per cent of those sales.
Highlights from our community-written blogs, including praise for Halo and a plea for more games that feature local multiplayer.
Having missed the first two games, Savagehenry cut his teeth on Halo 3 and was surprised to find so much depth waiting beneath its FPS exterior. Now that the dust has settled post-Reach, the dyed-in-the-wool PC gamer talks us through exactly how Bungie's series won him over.
Launch-day games and extent of marketing blitz revealed.
Microsoft has allegedly invested around $500 million to market Kinect, due to launch in the US on November 4 and the UK and Europe on November 10, according to the New York Post.
Developer Rovio’s free model proves a success with Android users.
The Finland-based developer of smartphone game Angry Birds has announced via Twitter that it has been downloaded more than 2 million times since it was launched for Google’s mobile operating system, Android, on October 15.
To date Angry Birds is believed to have sold around 7 million copies for Apple’s iOS, where the title sells for $0.99/£0.59.
President of Valve Gabe Newell says its games download service is on track for its biggest year.
US developer Valve has announced that its worldwide digital distribution network for PC and Mac, Steam, now has over 30 million active accounts.
In a statement issued today, the developer and publisher says, “During the past 12 months the platform had year-over-year new user growth of 178 per cent”.
The company also says that sales during the past 12 months have increased by 200 per cent on the previous year.
Troubled Australian developer believed to have laid-off remaining staff.
Krome Studios let go of its remaining employees on October 15, according to IGN. It is believed temporary staff may be brought in to complete any existing projects.
The closure comes after a turbulent couple of years for the developer behind Xbox Live’s classic arcade game hub Game Room and the recently released downloadable title Blade Kitten.
Developer accuses programmers of multiple acts of copyright infringement causing “immediate, massive and irreparable" harm.
StarCraft II developer Blizzard filed a lawsuit last week in the Los Angeles US District Court against three individuals accused of engineering and selling hacks for the real-time strategy game. The hacks are believed to affect the online multiplayer portion of the title.
We're presenting our take on each studio on the shortlist until the voting deadline on October 25.
See the rest of the nominees and put your vote in right here >>
Capcom’s first mobile game in the series crosses milestone in Japan with “unprecedented speed”.
Today Capcom has announced that Monhan Diary Mobile Felyne Village – a Monster Hunter spin-off exclusive to DeNA’s Mobage Town service – has passed one million active users.
FarmVille believed to be transmitting information to third parties along with Critter Island, which was temporarily suspended.
The Wall Street Journal has revealed that some of the leading apps on Facebook have been leaking user information, including names and friends’ names, to advertising and internet tracking companies.
Firstperson shooter knocks fellow EA game, FIFA 11, off the top spot.
Medal Of Honor has made its debut at the top of the UK multi-platform software chart.
The week ending October 16 also saw a strong showing for Ubisoft’s Wii title Just Dance 2. Nintendo’s Wii Party climbed six places to number four.
Halo: Reach fell three places while Konami’s Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow dropped four.
01. Medal Of Honor (EA)
Format: PS3, Wii, iPhone, Xbox 360 (version tested)
Release: Out now
Publisher: Sega
Developer: DIMPS
Screenshot gallery
Format: PS3, Wii, iPhone, Xbox 360 (version tested)
Release: Out now
Publisher: Sega
Developer: DIMPS
Screenshot gallery
Developer Spry Fox sees Amazon’s device as a platform on the verge of “early glory”.
Independent game studio Spry Fox has released Triple Town for Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader in the US. It is the first game released by an independent studio on the platform.