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Industry News

Fumito Ueda, world-renowned creator of critically acclaimed PlayStation titles ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, joins the Disruptive Design session in this year’s Game Creation and Technology program to discuss creative innovation and new game niches.



Take Two has just announced that it has received no stake-holder proposals ahead of its AGM tomorrow. Bet EA is thrilled about that one. " Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., which publishes and distributes “Grand Theft Auto” and other popular video games, sai...



I'm not the only one disappointed by this news no doubt, but it seems that Take Two's major shareholders have finally buckled under the pressure of Electronic Art's constant hammering, and have finally accepted a complete company takeover by the industry giant.



After the recent siding of Take Two's shareholders with the company's board of directors, EA was denied purchase of the developer once again. Take Two utilized a "poison pill" type of manoeuvre, which basically allows for the shareholders a little more leeway to negotiate a higher purchase price.



EA's now infamous lust to acquire Grand Theft Auto developer Take Two Interactive has gone down in flames. Again. For the second time.



Despite being rejected twice before, EA is still apparently chomping at the bit to acquire Take Two. After the resounding "NO!" they received from Take Two's Executive Chairman Strauss Zelnick, EA has once again taken its case to the shareholders.



February's NPD results were released today, and things are looking good for the industry, with sales of all consoles up from January. The DS regained its top spot, followed by the impossible to find Wii, Sony's PS2, the PS3, the Xbox 360, and the PSP.



Though not specifically video game related, it would be impossible to say that the RPG industry would be anywhere near what it is today without Gary Gygax, the famed co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and the modern Role Playing Game who died this morning in his home in La...



Infogrames, owner of the once industry juggernaut Atari, has named former Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide head honcho Phil Harrison as its Directeur Général Délégué, or president.



Take Two Interactive, the developer of the famous (or infamous if you're Jack Thompson) Grand Theft Auto series, was recently offered a buyout proposal from EA worth 2 billion dollars. Initially, Take Two chairman Strauss Zelnick declined the offer, but EA took the proposal public in a bid to force the developer's executive board to at least consider the offer.



Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS), will resign from Sony Computer Entertainment Group as of February 29, 2008. Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of SCEI, will immediately assume responsibilities as president of SCE WWS, in addition to his current duties.



Now EA has its eyes set on Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar North. Electronic Arts has started the bid at a price of 2 billion dollars total which comes down to $26 per share of the company.



The MMO Eve Online is as epic as games can get; a space fairing, massively multiplayer online game supported by a consistent in-game economy and financial models supported by the players within the universe. Now, the mastermind behind Eve Online, Reynir Hardarson, is looking to take things out of the stars and down to earth.



It looks like Valve has a winner on its hand. The rather lovely first-person puzzler Portal (which was part of the developer's Orange Box) took home the prize as Game of the Year at this year's Game Developers Choice Awards.



As of yesterday, we can officially declare Sony's high definition disc format, Blu Ray, the official winner of the high def war. Toshiba, manufacturer of the HD DVD fomat, declared that they realized how handily they were being beaten by their slightly more expens...



In my last article I talked about how the format war was encroaching on the console war, well now it seems that the format war is all but over, this time Sony proves to be the victor with their format, Blu Ray.



Format wars and Console wars are neither nothing new but both play a big deal in our preferences for movies, music, and games. So with the Format war entering and becoming a part of the Console war, it begs the question; how big and should the Format war be affecting the Console war?



Figures shift around a bit this week; the Wii has shot well into first place, likely due to the release of Super Smash Brother Brawl in the region (jealous), whilst the Nintendo DS has surprisingly slipped into third place.



In the PC gaming scene, few names are as well known as Sid Meier; the recognised developer has been responsible for creating some of the most iconic strategy games on the market; namely Civilisation. In a recent interview though, Meier expressed interest in expanding out into other genres.



It lends itself to few surprises, really. The DS Lite has always had a dominant place in the Japanese sales charts, though the PSP's rising popularity in the east sees it slowly creeping up on Nintendo's diminutive handheld, with the Wii sitting comfortably in third place.



Recently, a piece aired on Fox News regarding sex in video games. The game in particular is Mass Effect. Fox News brought in a psychology expert and discussed how the game is geared towards adolescents and demeaning women. EA's have since sent out a response to this controversy.



It's a possibility according to Albert Penello, Microsoft's group marketing manager who admitted that should the Sony born, HD format win out this generation's "Beta-war" that the staunch supporter of the HD DVD format would consider a Blu-Ray add on to the Xbox 360.



Newcomer REfanchris recently brought up the subject of games creation, curious about how to process of conceiving and developing truly a game comes together. A number of anecdotes on this subject were recently posted on GameSpot, from some of the most respected names in the industry, discussing just how how difficult even simply pitching a concept for a game idea can be.



Hosted once again by a celebrity who has nothing to do with the video game industry, Samuel L. Jackson, the Spike TV Video Game Awards or 2007 mark the fifth year for the constantly embarrassing event. It has also, by nature of being backed by an entire cable network, unfortunately become the planet's most visible game-awards ceremony, and it is all the worse off for it.



The news of Bungie's split from Microsoft Games to become an independent developer, shortly after the release of Halo 3, seems like distant news at this stage. Many have been excited / fearful of what direction the developer would take following the split, but Bungie writer Frank O'Connor has confirmed that, for the forseeable future, Bungie are sticking with the Xbox 360 for it's future independent titles.



While the gaming industry is still recovering from the top news of Activision and Blizzard merging in one of the biggest industry mergers, another smaller merger was taking place across the pond in the UK.



According to a new study, produced by Microsoft. At least 75% of parents are concerned with the content of video games despite great lengths of companies to stress the educational and social aspects of gaming.



Two video game giants are set to merge in a deal which could send shock waves throughout the global video games industry. Activision and Blizzard plan to form "the world's most profitable games business". The deal is thought to be worth $18.8 billion (£9.15bn).



News hit us this week that Sony has halved the price of the software development kit that designers use to make games for its PlayStation 3. If you, like the rest of the game industry thought Sony had no cards left, you were wrong! They certainly saved this one up their sleeve and a few more are a possibility considering Sony's recent nature.



It may not have the credibility and reputation of the BAFTA Video Games Awards, but Spike TV's annual event also aims to shine the light on the deserving games of the last year. Sadly, the nominations are a mixed bag, to say the least.



For those who haven't heard and aren't crazy with excitement, it has been made official that the development teams of Bioware and Lucas Arts will be teaming up for another project that so far both companies have been tight lipped about.



Tekken and Onimusha are two popular franchises with film projects that have been in production for quite a while now, but thanks to information gleamed from movie website ComingSoon.net, it looks like both movies are slowly moving forward towards completion.



This news story is likely to seem a little surreal. Why? Because in the next few moments, you will witness the unthinkable; a universally recognised industry name complimenting the competition!



The BAFTA 2007 Video Games Awards nominations have been counted! The decisions have been made, and the awards have announced, and it's turned out to be a year when the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have shown a fine appreciation for our favourite passtime, both as a form of entertainment, and an emerging art form.



A spokesman for Rockstar games has put up a statement claiming that a former employee for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was responsible for leaking what was an unrated play test version of the game.



Gerhald Florin, a senior executive at Electronic arts, has said Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo should abandon the console war and help build a common gaming platform. Mr Florin believes that incompatible consoles makes life harder for developers and consumers alike.



Only a few hours ago, a news story that sent shockwaves through the North American game industry was revealed to the public gaming community. Industry giant Electronic Arts announced that it will soon acquire VG Holding Corp., owner of gaming developer BioWare/Pandemic.



Today, the government is asking for new evidence in a study of the effect of violent video games on children. This review is due to be launched by Dr Byron at a school in East London. ELSPA said it will be co-operating, but they believe it has too often been blamed for the screw up's in society.



In just the first seven days after its release, Halo 3 has hit the 300 million dollar mark due to game sales. That's more than some Hollywood blockbusters make during their entire run. Perhaps critics who still consider video games to be a second class entertainment medium might now reconsider their stance.



As if people weren't lauding over Nintendo's revived gaming dominance, Nintendo's market shares hit a record high for the company this week on the Tokyo stock exchange, prompting analysts to compare the company to another popular innovator, Apple Computers.



Has famed Halo series developer Bungie parted ways with Microsoft? Some say yes. If this rumor is true, and an unnamed source from the Bungie camp says it is, Bungie is no longer a part of Microsoft. For an undisclosed but rather large sum of money, Bungie shareholders are said to have purchased the studio back from Microsoft.



The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has finally announced the 2007 shortlist for the 2007 BAFTA Video Game Awards. BAFTA has long viewed gaming with a credibility equal to that of the film and television industry, and this year's event will be no different, with the Video Game Awards being televised live on the popular UK terestrial TV station, Channel 4.



Saying that Halo 3 is going to be a big title is a no-brainer. The industry has seen many "big titles" in its lifetime, but few are quite as big as this though; analysts predict that Halo 3's success will no only set new industry records, but will also push Microsoft's gaming division into profit for the first time. Ever.



Games Media Properties announced that the World Series of Video Games (WSVG) is now dead and gone. The league, in which top tier contestants competed in such games as Fight Night Round 3, Guitar Hero II, and Quake 4, was forced to fold due to lack of revenue, mostly because of overly extensive television hype and the huge size of the events.



A small number of you may vaguely remember the announcement of a new Street Fighter movie almost a year ago. The project has been quiet since, until today, when Variety Magazine reported that Andrzej Bartkowiak would be taking the directors seat for the newest big screen installment of the Street Fighter franchise.



Frustration towards the ESRB for the outright banning of Manhunt 2 has angered many gamers recently, with few clear details given as to why this particular titles was singled out and denied release, but fans can at least rest easy concerning the title's future. The rest can not be said for the Californian Senator though...



With the main brunt of the Leipzig Games Convention wrapped up for another year, center stage is on now the culturally aware Penny Arcade Expo, and what a way to get started; a live interview with universally reviled games-to-film director, Uwe Boll.



Earlier this year, Ubisoft declared their plans to make a short film based around the forthcoming Assassin's Creed game. Now it appears that the company is planning to expand into film production full time, and have decided to extend their reach into book publishingas well, just for the heck of it.



Crackdown, the Xbox360 game, has won the innovation prize at the Develop Awards. This award is voted by worldwide game developers in recognition of the work needed to create a game. Crackdown has been one of the most celebrated titles of 2007.



Over the years, Microsoft have been involved in two major gaming events each year, E3, and it's own anually held X0 event. Although Microsoft were out in force at E3 this year it seems Microsoft fans will be left a little dry this years, as Microsoft has decided to cancel its X0 event for 2007.



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