Toby Gard, the designer of Lara Croft and the original Tomb Raider game in 1995, has left California, US-based Crystal Dynamics, the most recent developer of the series.
VidZone has apologised to users of its PS3 music on demand service after a bug led to “an increasingly frequent and increasingly annoying” amount of adverts being shown in between videos.
“This was due to a bug and was certainly not intentional and we have been working like dogs to fix it,” said Ben Creasey, VidZone’s head of production. “We would never overload you with adverts like this and we apologise for any annoyance and also ask you to keep using the service as this has now been fixed.”
Microsoft has confirmed that its new Zune HD handheld will feature gaming functionality.
The company said in a press release that the touch-screen media player, which released in the US today, will support “fun 3D games” such as Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service and Audiosurf Tilt.
Games can be added to Zune HD via Zune Marketplace over the Wi-Fi connection or when connected to Zune PC software.
Japanese PS3 sales fell by over 90,000 units during the PS3 Slim's second week of availability, according to data from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain.
While Sony’s console recorded its biggest weekly sales total in Japan following the September 3 launch of the PS3 Slim, with the new console moving 150,252 units, there was a sharp drop in demand for the system during the week ended September 13, with advance figures from Enterbrain showing PS3 sales of 57,056 units.
Activision will look to grow its business by making “many” of its products playable on televisions independent of consoles.
Company CEO Bobby Kotick made the revelation at the Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference in San Francisco, where he was delivering a speech about the future outlook and potential growth of the games industry.
How ought we to respond to fulminations against videogames by people who don’t play them?
A purported scan of an upcoming Toys R Us catalogue indicates that Nintendo is planning to drop the price of the Wii by $50 in the US at the end of September.
According to the advert, the Wii’s new manufacturer’s suggested retail price will be set at $199, down from $249.
Bundled with Wii Sports, the console will be available at the new price point during the week beginning Sunday September 27, reports Kotaku.
Shane Kim, corporate vice president for strategy and business development at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, is to retire at the end of 2009 following 19 years with the company.
Phil Spencer, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios, will be promoted to vice president, while current chief financial officer Dennis Durkin will assume a new chief operating officer position within the Xbox group.
It seems impossible to keep secrets any more. Even Square Enix bowed before the weight of international expectation for Final Fantasy XIII, with fans discovering its Japanese release date before the September 8 ‘Premiere Party’ at which the company had intended to reveal it.
No matter. The giant succeeded with its first intention, with president Yoichi Wada confirming that the game, four years in the making so far, would indeed see release in Japan before the end of the year. December 17, to be exact.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have found that the processing capacity of the Xbox 360’s GPU can aid in studies, saving thousands of pounds that would otherwise be spent on specialist PCs.
Microsoft has begun touting the gaming functionality of the Zune HD, according to a supposed leaked promotional video.
Guitar Hero 5 has taken the top spot of the UK software sales chart for the week ended September 12, beating out The Beatles: Rock Band at number four, according to data provided by Chart Track.
While Guitar Hero 5 became the first in the series to debut atop the all formats chart, Codemaster’s Colin McRae: Dirt 2 made its debut at number two and Batman: Arkham Asylum saw sales slump by 60% to come in at three.
Everyone who knows Midwinter knows it’s about scale. 160,000 square miles of explorable terrain. 32 playable characters who, in their fight for survival against a would-be dictator, can work solo or in coordination to create billions of possible strategic combinations. Snowmobiles, skis, hang-gliders and more at your disposal. A fleet of enemy craft that can be destroyed with missiles, grenades and well-placed sniper bullets. Or, equally devastatingly, can be picked at with cruel precision, gunning down generals and supply vehicles until the rest desert in desperation.
Bethesda Softworks has sued Interplay over perceived misuses of the rights to the Fallout franchise, claiming the studio has suffered “immediate, substantial, and irreparable harm”.
UPDATE: comment from GOG.com.
Courtney Love, the widow of former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, has threatened to sue publisher Activision for breach of contract over her late husband’s appearance in Guitar Hero 5.
[Update: Playdom says it will defend itself "vigorously against this distraction”]
Social game developer Zynga has filed a lawsuit against rival online game maker Playdom and four of its employees for misappropriation of trade secrets, among other serious allegations.
Format: PC
Release: 2000
Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Ion Storm
Very rarely do great games spark into life, perfectly realised at conception. Most struggle for existence, mutating ceaselessly as they gestate. But Deus Ex may well be one of videogaming’s most complicated pregnancies.
Sony’s PS3 comfortably outsold all rival systems in Japan during the week ended September 6.
Retailers shifted over 150,000 PS3s - up from 1,040 the prior week - thanks to the release of the new slimline model and recently introduced price cut. The console’s launch week success in Japan was also mirrored in the US and the UK.
Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, MP Ed Vaizey and Edge are all part of a new conference to be staged October 27 at BAFTA’s headquarters in London. The London Games Conference will focus on digital distribution and the new challenge for publishers and developers to create closer links with their customers.
In an internal email sent to Electronic Arts staff, company CEO John Riccitiello has revealed his disappointment over early Madden NFL 10 sales, but he still believes that EA is on track to achieve success this fall and holiday season.
