Scholastic Media has announced an agreement that will see Activision Publishing distribute the company's DS games in North America.
Activision Publishing will distribute I Spy: Fun House and Animal Genius for the Nintendo DS, both with a suggested retail price of USD 29.99.
"We are pleased to have Activision represent and distribute Scholastic's video games at retail," said Alan Waldman, senior vice president and general manager of Scholastic's Interactive Products Group. "As one of the top video game publishers in the industry, Activision is in a great position to introduce I Spy: Fun House and Animal Genius to the world of handheld gamers on the Nintendo DS platform."
I Spy: Fun House is currently available, and Animal Genius will be released in September.
Scholastic Media is a division of Scholastic Corporation, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books.
The Virtual Worlds Forum, part of this year's London Games Festival, has almost completed its line-up now, with only a few more speakers yet to be confirmed.
The event will feature keynotes from Lord Puttnam of Queensgate and IBM's Dr Colin Parris, as well as over 45 other speakers in additional keynotes and panel sessions.
It will run from October 24 – 25 in the Canvas Buildings, in the Kings Cross Freight Depot in London, and GamesIndustry.biz readers can claim a 10 per cent discount on booking by registering and entering the code VIPM015.
More information on the event is available from the VWF web site.
Vivendi has reported its earnings for the first half of fiscal 2007, showing a 10.6 per cent increase in earnings compared to the same period of the prior year.
Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes were 2,596 million Euros, with adjusted net income of 1,526 million Euros representing net income per share of 1.32 Euros.
“Vivendi demonstrated significant growth in revenues, EBITA, adjusted net income and cash flow generation in the first half of 2007," said Jean-Bernard Lévy, chairman of Vivendi’s management board.
"By the end of the year, we expect to exceed the record year we had in 2006 and we confirm our outlook for an adjusted net income above 2.7 billion Euros."
Vivendi Games' earnings before interest and taxes were 119 million Euros, up 91.9 per cent fro the prior year.
The company attributed the strong increase to the "continued momentum" of Blizzard's World of Warcraft, including the Q1 2007 release of The Burning Crusade expansion pack.
WOW's subscriber base has reached more than 9 million worldwide.
Inventing the dual layer DVD-RW standard may seem like an extreme example of too little too late in the days of 15GB+ HD DVD and 25GB+ Blu-ray, but JVC has gone ahead and done it anyway. Hitting up the same 8.5GB capacity as regular double layer DVD-RWs and dual layer DVD-RWs, the JVC discs come with a specially hardened coating which is apparently "150 times" more effective than the coating on plain old DVDs. Unfortunately, the new format requires entirely new burners, is only available at 2x write speeds, and no shipping dates or details are available. Sounds like JVC's got a winner on its hands ... yeah.
To celebrate C&C's 12th anniversary, EA has decided to let you download and play the original game for free (both GDI and Nod CD's).
In order to give back to the fans for over 12 years of devotion we are putting together a 12th Anniversary celebration during the month of September. However, as any Command & Conquer fan knows, the true party starts today, August 31st, which marks 12 years since Command & Conquer Gold launched way back in 1995.
To kick the celebration off, today we have a special surprise which we are certain new and old Command & Conquer fans will enjoy. We are providing the original Command & Conquer Gold as a free download, compatible for Windows XP! This is the same version included with the collectors pack Command & Conquer: The First Decade, and is now available for you to download for free!
Following some news reports last week that claimed Games Convention would be moving from Leipzig to a bigger venue from 2009, GamesIndustry.biz has learned that such a move could only happen with the current organiser's permission.
According to a representative from Leipziger Messe, Games Convention and the GC brand is owned by the company, so any change in location or set-up would require its permission.
Yet such permission is unlikely to be granted because GC has proven such a success for the venue, and the representative went on to explain that one of the key elements to the rumour - that the existing GC contract is due to expire after the 2008 event - is less startling than it might at first seem
This is because fairground contracts of this type are only ever negotiated for periods of two or three years at a time.
However, there's nothing to prevent a rival fairground attempting to establish a separate event under a different banner, it seems.
Games Convention Asia Conference has announced Alexander Fernandez, the CEO of Streamline Studios, will be delivering a keynote at the event on the subject of outsourcing.
The talk, titled "The Rising Value of Content Capital" will focus on 'knowledge workers,' their importance to the industry, and "the necessity of recognising the value – the content capital – they create."
Streamline Studios has previously provided digital content for titles such as Gears of War, Saint's Row and Ghost Recon 2.
GCAC takes place later this week, September 6 -7, alongside Games Convention Asia, at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Center.
The London Game Career Fair will be returning this year, following a successful inaugural event last year attended by over 1000 people.
This year's event, which is free to enter and is expected to exceed last year's attendance, is presented by GamesIndustry.biz and Gamasutra.com, and will take place on October 23 – 24.
Among the companies already signed up as exhibitors are Electronic Arts, LucasArts, THQ, Rare, Evolution Studios and Team 17, with several colleges and universities expected to be announced shortly.
It will comprise both exhibition stands as well as panel discussions on a range of subjects, covering areas such as programming, audio, art, production, design and QA.
The London Game Career Fair is part of the London Games Festival, and more information is available on the web site.
Previously, we told you about a group of guys over at the Microsoft is Awesome blog who stockpiled an amazing stash of 444 cans of Mountain Dew Game Fuel. We then challenged you, fellow X3F'ers, to beat their 444 can survival hoard and we're proud to say that we have a new champion. Sent in to us by NeuralLink is the photographic proof you see above showcasing him and his three friends' new record setting Game Fuel stash. As you can see, they're rockin' a twelve pack Game Fuel pyramid consisting of 55 twelve packs which translates to 660 cans of sweet liquid sugar. Congrats NeuralLink and to your crew, that 660 can stockpile should last you through your 24 hour Halo 3 all-nighter. Drink up.
Texas-based in-game advertising solutions provider Double Fusion has released a new platform for campaigns, called fusion.runtime, which will allow advertisers more flexibility in the way that they plan campaigns.
Principally the technology will make it possible for companies to see in-game adverts in a similar way to TV spots, and make late decisions on exactly which campaigns they choose to run.
This is done, according to a report on Reuters, by separating out the advertising from the rest of the development process – something which allows new ad placements to be created in a finished game, rather than just relying on changing the content in existing placements, which is what happens now.
The point, according to Double Fusion CEO Jonathan Epstein, is to "get the code in the game, and figure out the ad-spaces later."
Additionally analysts believe that this flexibility may entice non-endemic advertisers into investing more in videogames.
As Michael Cai, Parks Associates' director of broadband and gaming put it, fusion.runtime could "open up a lot of potential inventory for advertisers who are interested in the gaming medium."
In-game advertising is generating a lot of publicity at the moment, with some generally positive research results, and high-profile publishers adopting the strategy.
The SCi Entertainment Group, better known to many nowadays as publisher Eidos, has released a statement to the London Stock Exchange confirming recent speculation that the company has been approached with a view to making an offer.
The short statements released few details, other than the confirmation, but did disclose that SCi was in talks regarding the approach, and that a further announcement would be made in "due course."
The full statement is as follows:
"Following the recent speculation in the press, the Board of SCi Entertainment
Group confirms that it has received an approach and as a result has entered into extremely preliminary discussions regarding a possible offer for the Company."
"No proposal has been received at this time, however, and there can be no certainty that any offer for the Company will be made or as to the terms of any such offer were one to be made."
Online gaming is big business everywhere, but in Asia revenues are expected to grow by around 20 per cent from last year to USD 2.5 billion by the end of next year.
According to a new report from Pearl Research, entitled "Online Game Publishers in Asia" ten publishers crossed the USD 100 million mark in 2006.
Vivendi recently posted its financial results, including large revenues which can be attributed to World of Warcraft's continuing success, with a number of other high profile franchises either recently launched, or due to market in the West in the next year.
PopCap Games has announced the results of its survey of "white collar" workers, finding that nearly a quarter of them admit to playing games at work.
The company surveyed 7,102 consumers, 40 per cent of whom were identified as "white collar" workers in management, executive management, sales, accounting, medical, technical, consulting or administrative positions. Extrapolating from this sample, the survey suggests that as many as 80 million white collar workers play casual games.
“It's not surprising that today's business professionals are casual video game users,” said Carly Drum, managing director of Drum Associates, an executive recruitment firm.
“The face of today's executive workforce is definitely changing: we’re seeing employees who are much more technologically savvy and familiar with all forms of new media from social networking to blogging and beyond," Drum said. "So, it's natural that some business executives would also look to casual videogames that they can play on their PC, mobile phone or BlackBerry during a work break, as a way to quickly relax and recharge their batteries, so to speak.”
Of all 2,842 white collar workers surveyed, 98 per cent said they played casual games at home and 24 per cent said they played during work hours. Of these gamers, 65 per cent indicated they earn USD 50,000 or more in annual income, 22 per cent said they earned USD 100,000 or more per year, and 58 per cent indicated they had a college degree.
Age-wise, 91 per cent of white collar gamers are 30 or older, 68 per cent are 40 or older, and 39 per cent are 50 or older.
The survey also found that "senior executives" such as CEOs, CFOs, presidents and other C-level executives played casual games more frequently, including playing more often at work.
Of those who admitted playing casual games at work, 84 per cent said they felt more relaxed and less stressed out, and 52 per cent said they felt more confident, more energetic, more productive, and/or more mentally focused after playing.
Among the findings, programmers made the most money with an average salary of USD 80,886 across all experience levels. The average programmer salary has now exceeded USD 80,000 for two years in a row.
Programmers, alongside businesspeople, were most likely to hold a master's degree, but that education did not necessarily correlate to an increase in salary.
Artists can expect to earn an average of USD 43,000 a year. The average salary for game designers was USD 61,538, although designers with three or fewer years of experience earned an average of USD 44,574.
Producers earned, on average, USD 77,131 across all experience levels.
Quality assurance/Testers, often seen as the "first step" into the industry, earned an average of USD 37,861. For three or fewer years of experience, however, the average salary fell to USD 26,410.
Roughly one-third of all developers in each discipline studied - visual arts, programmer, game design, audio, production, and Q/A - had three or fewer years of experience.
A sample of 3,130 respondents was taken from more than 5,600 responses from Game Developer magazine subscribers, GDC 2006 attendees, and Gamasutra.com members.
Every time we think we've had our fill of these, somebody goes and one-ups the competition with a Dell-fueled inferno of doom. Apparently this one is coming at us from Shanghai, and while we're not sure what anyone is saying on the forum to which these pictures are posted, we're guessing a chorus of "sucks to be you!" and "recalled for a reason" is a solid guess. Check after the break for a couple more pictures, including the stark beauty of the aftermath.
In his Austin Game Developers Conference keynote, Blizzard's Michael Morhaime noted that real-world financial incentives have negative implications for games.
Morhaime recommends that companies avoid financial incentives, referring to practices such as gold farming as well as account stealing and credit card fraud that has sprung up around World of Warcraft.
“What happens if there is a financial reward for doing something? You’ll find a lot of people going out and doing that thing,” said Morhaime.
This activity has negative implications to the wider group of players who just want to play the game.
Sweatshops have been set up in areas of the world where labor is cheap. Workers, often using stolen credit card information to pay for accounts, spend all of their time harvesting gold from the game so they can sell it to World of Warcraft players.
“We do whatever we can to try to minimize the financial rewards from behaving in this way and exploiting the game like this,” said Morhaime.
Although noting it is a constant battle, Morhaime emphasize that Blizzard thinks these practices cause real damage to the game for legitimate players.
“This is our game. We have to be able to protect our players.”
David Braben, founder of Frontier Developments, is to be the star guest at the opening day of this year's GameCity festival in Nottingham.
Braben, creator of the classic game Elite, will host several events at the festival on 25 October. He will offer advice to students, demonstrate some of Frontier's technology and present the first public showing of Thrillville: Off the Rails, the sequel to Frontier's LucasArts-published title.
"It's a unique opportunity to encourage students to enter the industry by discussing some of the exciting things they could be working on," said Braben.
Alongside Thrillville, Frontier is currently working on an ambitious next-generation thriller, The Outsider.
Braben joins Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi on the roster for the video game culture and careers event. Takahashi will give GameCity's keynote address, and show his new game Nobi Nobi Boy, on 27 October.
Other developers involved in GameCity 2007 include Freestyle Games, Traveller's Tales, Free Radical Design, Rare and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
GameCity takes place in a variety of venues across Nottingham from 24-28 October this year. The festival has strong local support from the City of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.
The full programme for GameCity 2007 will be announced later this month.
As we reported back in July, and then in August, a large number of taxi drivers in New York City have been planning a strike over GPS systems which the city wants installed in yellow cabs. Well, the strike is officially on, with the New York Times reporting that nearly 90-percent of cabs are off the road today (at least according to a cabbie representative). If you'll recall, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a quasi-union, has been threatening the strike over GPS / entertainment units the city demands be put into taxis. The new units have a number of functions -- not the least of which is tracking the cab's pickup and drop-off points -- and the drivers aren't having it. Currently, reports have come in concerning extended waits on airport pickups, and a new pricing scheme for cabs that are working, though from what we can tell, the strike hasn't put the hurt on commuters too badly. Of course, the litmus-test of a New York evening rush hour has yet to happen, so don't get too excited.
Game Cabinets makes some excellent retro gaming systems, but their newest Stinger is not just intended for classic MAME fun. Instead, it wants to be an integral part of your home theater. Essentially a PC with TV-out and joystick controls, the Stinger can do anything a PC can do—including running Windows Media Center Edition and becoming a DVR.
At a hefty 28.5x13.75x5 inches, the Stinger won't exactly fit into the palm of your hand. But neither did the arcade games of yesteryear. We think it's ironic that a a company looking to reinvent the classic experience of gaming is doing the same thing Sony and Microsoft are attempting with their latest consoles: to become an integral part of your all around entertainment experience.
We'll get Charlie to try the product out when it debuts at CEDIA, hopefully along with some more specs. And then we'll make fun of it while secretly wishing we had one of our own.
Apperently it's $500 or £248 converted. Leave feedback via comments.
ELSPA will hold a forum addressing the hostile media reaction to violent games at this year's London Games Festival.
The panel discussion, titled "Ban These Evil Games", will take place on October 22 at the Royal Society of Medicine. It will examine the reasons why the games industry comes under so much pressure from the media for adult content.
Through contributions from experts and the audience, the free event aims to establish whether the games industry gets a raw deal - and identify solutions to its troubled relationship with the media.
The discussion follows Prime Minister Gordon Brown's call this week for a public review of violent and sexual imagery in games.
The London Games Festival takes place from October 22-26 in various locations around the capital.
In the opening ceremony for Games Convention Asia, guest of honour Vivian Balakrishnan, minister for community development, youth and sports, and second minister for information, communication and the arts, detailed the extent that Singapore is prepared to go to in order to become a games industry centre of excellence.
"Singapore intends to be part of the action," he said, after pointing out that the Asia-Pacific region is estimated to contribute 40 per cent to the industry's global revenues of USD 39.8 billion by the end of 2008.
Balakrishnan revealed that the Singapore government is spending SD 500 million to stimulate research and development in the digital interactive sector, and went on to outline the GAMBIT initiative, a student exchange between Singapore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The opening ceremony also played host to the signing of a Memorandum of Intent between ten Asian game developers associations from countries including Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Memorandum states the understanding that "signifies the recognition of each other as ideal counterparts for future collaboration and co-operation in this region for the benefit of the games industry," and the signing event was the first time that representatives from all ten associations has met in one place.
Games Convention Asia is the inaugural trade and public games show from the organisers of Games Convention in Leipzig, and runs until Sunday September 9 at the Suntec City Convention Center in Singapore.
DVDActive.com and ComingSoon.net, both reliable movie sources, are now reporting that the fifth film will be released on DVD December 11th. From DVDActive:
Extras on the two-disc release will include 10 minutes of additional scenes, a A&E documentary, a Trailing Tonks feature with Actress Nat Tena, various making of featurettes, and a Fun and Games feature in which director David Yates and editor Mark Day show us what a difference a good edit makes and allows you to edit a scene.
It looks like some fun new features that have not been on Potter DVDs before will appear with OOTP! In addition, the film is slated for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD release. We'll update with more when we hear it! Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip.
Motorists who use a hand-held mobile phone or fiddle with a satellite-navigation system while driving could be jailed for up to two years.
Prosecutors have said they could be charged with dangerous driving in a dramatically tougher approach to such offences.
Those caught fiddling with an MP3 music player or texting on a mobile at the wheel could also face the charge.
Prosecutions will be brought whenever it is judged that using the equipment posed a danger, such as forcing a car to swerve or causing a distracted motorist to jump a red light.
Those who kill while using a mobile phone will face 14 years behind bars under the charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald said: "There is widespread public concern about the use of mobile phones and other hand-held electronic equipment while driving.
"We accept that in cases where there is clear evidence that danger has been caused by their use - such as texting while driving - then our policy should spell out that the starting point for charging will be dangerous driving."
Victim: Trinity Taylor died when a lorry driver hit her car on the M3 as he was using his phone. He was jailed for four years
Motoring groups said the move was a "dramatic" heightening of the seriousness of the offence.
The current offence of careless driving, which applies to those who drive unsafely by using a mobile or equipment such as a satellite-navigation system, carries only a £2,500 fine or community order.
More commonly, drivers are punished for the simple offence of using a mobile while driving which, since February, carries a fine of £60 and three penalty points.
The changes follow a Crown Prosecution Service review of the penalties for "bad driving", which also suggests a charge of manslaughter could be brought in some cases against drivers who kill.
Supporters say that despite fines and penalty points for using a mobile, many drivers still flout the law, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Trinity Taylor, 23, from Aldershot, Hampshire, died in 2005 after lorry driver John Payne ran into her car on the M3 in Basingstoke while using his mobile.
Payne, 31, of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, was jailed for four years.
But Edmund King, of the RAC Foundation, said existing punishments should be properly enforced.
He said: "The message to motorists is clearly that, if you are using a hand-held mobile or satnav, beware because the law is going to clamp down on you."
He added: "If it really is interpreted that using a handheld mobile phone is dangerous driving, that is a dramatic change to what is currently happening.
"Despite the threat of three penalty points, which could be a threat to a person's livelihood, we all see thousands of motorists driving dangerously using mobile phones.
"It is not just about sentencing, it is about enforcement. We ought to look at what is alreadly in law first."
Paul Smith, of campaign group Safe Speed, said careless driving - the current charge - is not an offence that most drivers commit deliberately.
Shifting it to a new category of dangerous driving will therefore have no deterrent effect, he claimed.
Mr Smith said extreme care should be taken when deciding to prosecute a driver.
"You cannot say because someone had a mobile phone they were driving dangerously. There must be evidence they were actually posing a danger to other people."
Under the changes, motorists who cause death on the roads face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Current guidelines say manslaughter is "very rarely appropriate" in road death cases.
But, under reforms being introduced on September 24 this year, a driver who has killed on the roads could be charged with manslaughter as well as causing death by dangerous driving, leaving a jury open to return the lower charge if they find manslaughter has not been proved.
Full guidance due later this year will contain more details of which offences are to be prosecuted more harshly.
Finally you'll be able to get your new website -- BodaciousVoyeur.com -- off the ground thanks to this new, totally mind-blowing device: a personal video recorder with sunglasses acting as the camera. That's right, you can take the streets and record minutes upon minutes of video to the onboard 32MB of RAM (okay, you can throw an SD or MMC card in there for a little bit more time on the clock), in NTSC or PAL at 510 x 482 or 500 x 582 (depending on the format). The glasses, mistakenly described by the seller's site as "very stylish," contain a small camera with a 1/4-inch interline CCD sensor, and apparently they will also capture "exceptionally clear audio," though there's no specific mention of the kind of mic used. The whole hideous package can be yours for £695.00 (or around $1,400).
The inaugural Game Convention Asia held last week in Singapore has been hailed as a success, with organisers Leipziger Messe confirming the event will return in October 2008.
More than 300 international development professionals attended the event – an extension of the popular Game Convention Developers Conference held in Germany – where 65 speakers addressed subjects such as online and casual games and outsourcing issues.
"With GCAC, we have created a platform which clearly fills a market niche in the Asia-Pacific region," commented Wolfgang Marzin, CEO of Leipziger Messe.
"The industry uses the exhibition and conference for cross-national business contacts. Feedback was positive throughout."
Speakers at the event included EA's Steve Schnur, Streamline Studio's Alexander Fernandez and Microsoft's James Miller.
"The concept of creating a conference 'by developers for developers' was well established in Leipzig and is now in Singapore. Together with the industry, we will further enhance the conference for 2008," added Frank Sliwka, GCAC project director.
GC Asia 2008 will take place in Singapore October 9 and 10.
On the 11th December 2007 the Harry Potter Limited Edition Giftset which includes Harry Potters Years 1-5, a Harry Potter DVD game Hogwarts Challenge, along with a bonus disc containing over 2 hours of enhanced content, an exclusive "Harry Potter's Bookmark Collection", and collectible trading cards is to be released. Retail is $119.97 SRP.
More than 70,000 consumers attended the first Game Convention Asia last week, getting hands-on with games from over 80 exhibitors including Sony, EA, Nintendo, Konami and Nokia.
The expo featured consumer access to new and unreleased games, as well as dedicated business sessions attended by over 300 industry professionals.
"The expo proved that a show integrating both consumer access and business services was not only wanted, but necessary in the Asia-Pacific region," commented Edward Liu, MD of Conference and Exhibition Management.
Over 190 games were on show at the exhibition, which took place at the Suntec Exposition Centre in Singapore.
GC Asia 2008 is scheduled to take place October 9 – 12 next year.
Take-Two has announced the formation of 2K Play, a new publishing label dedicated to casual gaming.
As part of the 2K Play initiative, Take-Two has also announced a new handheld and console video game licensing agreement with Nickelodeon involving properties including Nick Jr. preschool television hits Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!
"We welcome our new partnership with 2K Play," said Shaul Olmert, vice president of digital media products for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "This is the first time Go, Diego, Go! is coming to handheld and console systems and will mark Dora the Explorer's debut on the popular Nintendo DS system."
"We are excited to welcome 2K Play into our growing family of innovative digital products."
Games based upon Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! will be released this fall in North America.
The new 2K Play label will absorb Take-Two's Global Star Software label, including the Carnival Games brand, the Cat Daddy Games studio and PC games based on the popular Deal or No Deal franchise.
"The 2K Play label targets the growing market of casual gamers interested in accessible, high-quality products," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "It will be home to games that are fun and engaging for players of varied skill types and ages. Our exciting initiative with Nick Jr. will offer a host of games featuring world-famous brands that appeal to the family-friendly gamer."
Fireglow Games has announced an agreement with 1C UK to digitally distribute seven of 1C's full-scale PC games.
“We are happy to announce our global digital distribution agreement with 1C. It’s a great start,” says Ludmila Ludvig, managing director of Fireglow Games. “In the near future, we aim to expand on our publishing business.”
“We are delighted to be working with Fireglow. Like us, they have recognised the huge opportunity offered by the digital distribution medium and we are looking forwards to some very positive results from this deal,” adds Peter King, Managing Director of 1C UK.
The specific 1C titles covered by the agreement were not specified. Fireglow Games is best known for its Sudden Strike franchise.
Capcom's stock has risen to a five-year high on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, largely on expectations that sales of its games for the Nintendo Wii will boost earnings.
According to a Bloomberg report, Capcom's stock has climbed 6.3 per cent to 2,855 yen, its highest close since Sept. 26, 2002, compared with a 0.5 per cent gain in the benchmark Topix index.
The company's shares have risen a total of 14 per cent in the past two days.
"Resident Evil's Wii edition has continued to sell well," said Jay Defibaugh, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo who rates Capcom shares "outperform." Sales of the game, known as Biohazard in Japan, will probably exceed Capcom's shipment target of 620,000 units by March 31, he said.
Resident Evil was among the top 10 titles sold in Japan and the U.S. in June.
CFO Kazuhiko Abe gave presentations to investors in New York and Boston last week focusing on new Wii offerings, according to spokesman Ryosuke Tanaka. Capcom is expecting annual sales to rise 11 per cent as it doubles the number of its Wii titles from three to six.
Capcom's stock has risen 33 per cent this year, compared with an 8.8 per cent decline in the Topix index.
An Emmy award has been presented to the Make Love, Not Warcraft episode of South Park.
The awards were held last Saturday, where people who know about telly judged the potty-mouthed cartoon to be the most Oustanding Animated Program of last year.
Make Love, Not Warcraft shows Cartman and pals get sucked into the virtual land of WoW, eventually shunning sunlight and toilet breaks to defeat a menace to the whole world... of Warcraft.
South Park beat competition from The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar: The Last Airbender to win the award.
Interestingly, South Park's other Emmy award came in 2004 for an episode called Best Friends Forever, which centred around the PlayStation Portable launch.
World of Warcraft is now played by more than nine million people around the world... of Warcraft. Sorry
While it may not boast quite the same capabilities of the AICookingrobot that came out of China last year, this robot chef designed by retired professor Liu Changfa looks like it should be more at home in your kitchen, if you're brave enough to let it into your house, that is.
According to InventorSpot, the apparently unnamed "food robot" stands nearly five feet tall, and packs a pot and induction cooker inside its torso, along with a robotic arm to aid in the cooking process. Apparently, hungry humans simply need to pick a (presumably simple) recipe and wait while the robot works its magic.
While there's no word on a commercialized version just yet, the bot has reportedly served dinner for some 200 taste testers already, and its inventor is now hoping it has what it takes to take home the top prize in China's upcoming national invention contest.
A gentleman from Erie named John Kanzius made a somewhat "shocking" discovery while he was working on a radio-wave generator he had developed for the treatment of cancer. While attempting to desalinate sea water using radio frequencies, he noticed flashes, and within a few days, had saltwater burning in a test-tube as if it were a candle. The discovery spawned interest from the scientific community, mostly concerned with whether or not the water could be used as a fuel, and of course, healthy doses of disbelief.
Last week, a Penn State University chemist named Rustum Roy held a demonstration proving that the science is sound, noting that the water doesn't burn, though the radio frequencies weaken the bonds holding together the salt, releasing hydrogen which is ignited when exposed to the RF field. Mr. Kanzius and Dr. Roy say the question now is the efficiency of the energy, and are presenting the technology to the US Department of Defense and Department of Energy to investigate how useful the technology will be.
Of the plentiful maybe-fuel (which apparently burns so hot it can melt test-tubes) Dr. Roy says, "This is the most abundant element in the world. It is everywhere," and (without recognition of the poetic irony, as far as we can tell), "Seeing it burn gives me chills."
features
Compatible with Windows 2000, XP
A unit designed as the ultimate stress relief or panic button
Count down clock on the interface
3 different screen effects to choose from
To be used as a stress relief or a instant blackout to block important data on your screen from others viewing range
Connect to your computer via USB
Powered by USB with 4 feet of cable
Warner Brothers has announced this evening that the Harry Potter series is the largest-grossing film franchise to date globally, surpassing Star Wars and and James Bond. Totaling $4.47 billion in ticket sales (with two films left to go, WB points out), several high-ups at Warner Brothers are quoted in the press release:
In making the announcement, Alan Horn [President & Chief Operating Officer] said, “It would be an understatement to say we are proud of the success of the Harry Potter films. We also want to congratulate all of the extraordinary actors, filmmakers and artists who have shared this remarkable cinematic journey with us.”
Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, said, “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark, and, with two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade.
Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros. Pictures President of International Distribution, added, “This worldwide box office record once again proves that the appeal of the Harry Potter movies knows no border, no age limit, and no language barrier. Each of the five films has captured the hearts and sparked the imagination of audiences everywhere.”
Of note, Variety has published an article comparing the Potter film franchise to the other big ones:
Bond, which dates back to 1962, has generated $4.44 billion worldwide and the "Star Wars" pics have pulled down $4.23 billion since the first release in 1977. None of the tallies account for inflation or rising ticket prices.
And domestically the "Star Wars" franchise still far outpaces the boy wizard. All told, the "Star Wars" pics have grossed $2.18 billion, while the "Harry Potter" franchise has grossed $1.41 billion. But then there are still two more "Potters" to go.
And all three have generated millions upon millions in downstream ancillary coin for their studios, once homevideo and TV revenue are added into the tallies.
The organisers of the Austin Game Developers Conference have told GamesIndustry.biz that they are trying to keep the intimate nature of the show intact and currently have no plans to consolidate.
Speaking in an exclusive interview published today, event manager Izora Garcia de Lillard said "We wanted to keep the flavour of Austin as Austin. It is not meant to be the next GDC."
"We're looking at things less in terms of national boundaries and more in terms of where developers are in the world,"said CMP's Jamil Moledina. "GDC has been, and we intend for it to continue to be, the world's game developers conference. That is the one show where you get everything for everyone."
"Now, with Austin, with China, with our European events...all of those cater to that specific region. What developers are specializing in, in that area. And sometimes that gives a particular show like Austin the chance to 'drill down' to a greater extent that you might find at GDC."
Moledina and Lillard did not seem concerned that additional GDC-run shows in the US would dilute the audience for the main show in San Francisco, pointing out that many people attend all of the shows or multiple shows. They also did not foresee the show entirely filling the gap left by a downsized E3.
With E3 undergoing changes, some of the business components have migrated to GDC, but the conference is not physically able to become a trade or consumer show. "The trade show element is something that can be very complimentary to GDC," said Moledina.
The full interview with Jamil Moledina and Izora Garcia de Lillard can be read here.
The European Union has announced a funding mechanism aimed at game developers, offering grants worth a total EUR 1.5 million for prototypes of videogame projects.
Any developer based in the EU can apply for grants of between EUR 10,000 and EUR 60,000, so long as they have developed at least one product to market since 2005.
A bigger emphasis is placed on console, PC and handheld projects, with developers able to receive up to EUR 100,000 provided it makes up half the budget, and concepts focusing on the cultural heritage and diversity of Europe can claim up to 60 per cent of their budget.
"This is the first visible sign of the success of our political work with the European Commission," commented the European Games Developer Federation, which has lobbied the EU for such a programme.
"We hope now, as the European Union has acknowledged the importance of our industry, that the developer community will harvest the fruits of our work and make their submissions for prototype funding," said Malte Behrmann, general secretary of the EGDF.
The first application period for submissions to the EU ends November 15, 2007. More details can be found on the EGDF website.
Majesco has announced its Q3 financial results, with sales down to USD 10 million from USD 12.4 million during the same period of the prior year.
"During the third quarter, we accomplished important operational milestones, positioning us for future growth," said interim CEO Jesse Sutton. "We continued to reduce expenses, prepared our line-up for the holiday season, and shipped six titles internationally."
"While our nine-month GAAP operating loss was USD 2.3 million, our nine-month non-GAAP operating results were almost breakeven and improved more than USD 5.0 million compared to last year," Sutton added.
To date, sales for the first three quarters of fiscal 2007 were USD 39.1 million, down USD 6 million from 2006. The company attributed the decrease to a "shift away from publishing higher-priced games in 2006 and a light release schedule in the third quarter of 2007."
Majesco lowered its fiscal 2007 guidance, expecting net revenues in the USD 50-53 million range, down from USD 56-59 million.
The majority of Majesco's sales came from its new titles rather than its back catalog, and primarily from handhelds. Titles for the Nintendo DS accounted for 66 per cent of the company's handheld sales.
During Q4, Majesco plans to ship The Wild West, Turn It Around, Operation: Vietnam, Zoo Hospital, Nancy Drew and the Deadly Secret of Olde World Park, Holly Hobbie & Friends and Fish Tycoon for the DS, as well as Kengo: Legend of the 9 for the Xbox 360. It will also release The New York Times Crosswords, Cake Mania DS, Operation: Vietnam, Toon-Doku and Kengo: Zero internationally. Tukumi Fighters for the Wii, originally announced for Q1 2008, has apparently been delayed.
As previously announced, Majseco has exceeded sales of 500,000 units of Cooking Mama for the DS since the game’s launch almost a year ago. The company has secured the rights to a sequel for for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms and expect them to be a cornerstone of its 2008 portfolio.
Majesco will release Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, Mega Brain Boost, and Eco Creatures: Save the Forest for the DS, as well as Furu Furu Park for the Wii, in Q1 2008.
SCE honorary chairman Ken Kuturagi will be awarded further recognition by being presented with the 2008 Champion Honoree title at the Nite to Unite for Kids charity event in October.
The bash, hosted by the ESA Foundation, has raised over USD 7.8 million in the past eight years, and while previous events have noted contributions by George Lucas and Bing Gordon among others, Kuturagi's influence through the PlayStation brand has changed the industry significantly.
The event is chaired this year by representatives from all three hardware manufacturers, including Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo president and COO, and Robbie Bach, president of entertainment and devices for Microsoft.
ESA president Michael D Gallagher noted that "Ken's contributions to our community and the entertainment lives of ordinary consumers are extraordinary. His insight and vision revolutionized in-home entertainment, enabling advancements in creativity, technology, and innovation."
The bash will take place at the Westin St Francis Hotel in San Francisco on October 17.
Details on a move announced by the EU earlier today to provide funding for games development through its Media Plus programme have been welcomed by Tiga CEO and chairman Fred Hasson.
"This is a definite step in the right direction [although] there is still a lot of misinformation and negative perceptions circulating Brussels."
Tiga is part of the European Games Developer Federation that has been lobbying Brussels in order to obtain more support for the industry, and Hasson now feels that this decision puts the onus back on to the UK government.
"It seems ironic that the EU should take positive measures for games before the UK government does, who have been telling us that it is because of Brussels that they cannot do anything for the games sector".
The Media Plus initiative will award grants totalling EUR 1.5 billion (USD 2.08 billion), with individual amounts of up to EUR 60,000 (USD 83,300) per interactive project and up to EUR 100,000 (USD 139,000) for prototype development on PC or consoles.
More details on the opportunities available can be found on the EU web site.
Not long after hearing about England's newfangled auto-ticketing system comes word that San Franciscans could soon be facing something similar. If signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, "forward-facing digital video cameras would be installed on city buses," which would then be used to automatically ticket the owners of vehicles that are caught "blocking buses." The cameras would presumably be used to photograph vehicles that are in bus-only lanes, and interestingly enough, the proposed law also authorizes Municipal Transportation Agency "employees to access sensitive personal data" from the DMV for ticketing purposes.
Karl Jacob, an ex-Microsoft employee, has the world's fastest ethanol-based car. He took his run-of-the-mill Dodge Viper and had it converted from a regular gas guzzling monster to an ethanol chugger. While Jacob didn't drive the car himself, a driver from Super Viper hit 218 mph in July, a top speed record for an ethanol-based car during a standing mile. How much did this conversion end up costing Jacob? A paltry $200,000.
This here is the world's first Ferrari 360 Modena conversted to a gullwing stretch limo. It's 23 feet long, but with 400HP, goes zero to 60 MPH in about 6 seconds. These mods, and the extra 6 recaro seats, cost £200k. Sounds like a deal to me. We've got one more photo of the gullwings in full splendor, but Gizmag, who broke the story, has a few more photos.
See the images of the car here at Gizmag's web site.
The World Series of Video Games has been abolished by organiser Games Media Properties, according to a statement on its web site.
The Series was due to contest events in Los Angeles, London and Sweden before the end of the year, but they have all now been cancelled - although anybody who has won prize money to date will still be paid.
According to the statement, the main reason for the Series' cancellation was due to high costs and low income.
"The continuing challenges of securing adequate revenues to sustain the production of the WSVG's large scale events and television programming, in a very crowded field of competitive gaming leagues, has prompted us to re-evaluate our direction as an organization."
GMP will now refocus its efforts on developing its "online advertising network of websites, which currently reach seven million users each month."
The news removes one of the key players in the e-sports arena, although others such as the Championship Gaming Series will no doubt be keen to take advantage.
UK developer Blitz Games has won GBP 10,000 (EUR 14,600) as a regional winner of the Edge Awards 2007, to continue its investment in the training and development of young people.
The Edge Awards rewards companies and individuals that provide outstanding learning opportuntites for 14 – 25 year-olds.
"It's fantastic to see that Blitz Games' industry-leading commitment to education and training is being recognised by such a high-profile organisation," commented Geraldine Randle, head of HR at Blitz.
"Giving our staff easy access to high-quality training ensures that staff retention and morale remains high.
"This in turn has led to improved skills and productivity, which help our business to become even more successful. This virtuous circle means that we can offer a level of job security to staff, in stark comparison to many other video game developers," she added.
Blitz will now go through to the finals of the Edge Awards, to be held November 22.
"Blitz has shown that it is creating some valuable experiences for young people in the West Midlands and has shown that hands-on learning is good for employers and employees alike," said Andy Powell, CEO of Edge.
"This is a great example of the good work we want to praise and reward."
Finally you can get your coffee served up just the way you like it... via the internet. Thanks to some caffeine-loving DIY'ers, you can now whip up (or at least serve) a cup of steaming-hot espresso from across the room, or across the Atlantic (though, why would you make a cup of coffee if you won't be able to drink it while it's hot?). Regardless, inspired by Larry Masinter's circa-1998 Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol, and utilizing the O2M8 WebBrick (a controller designed for automation in houses), the gang was able to put together a solution for coffee making that has been heretofore unseen, though (we suspect) desperately needed.
Microsoft kicked up a bit of a stir recently, when it began what appeared to be a practice of updating files on individuals' computers even when they had turned off the automatic update feature in Windows XP and Vista. That first came to light courtesy of the folks at the "Windows Secrets" newsletter, which found that nine files in XP and Vista were changed on or after August 24th, with no notification of the changes in Windows whatsoever. That was later confirmed by ZDNET's Hardware 2.0 blog, which tracked down the affected files and also pinpointed the update date as August 24th. Now, Microsoft has come out and explained itself, saying that the updates weren't really updates for Windows, but rather updates for Windows Update itself, which apparently didn't merit a notification. The company does admit that it could have been more "transparent" about the matter, however, and says it's now "looking at the best way to clarify" the behavior of Windows Update.
Via the ever-enjoyable GameSetWatch, a post on a blog for the development house Surreal Game Design. Surreal is a Midway division, and it's interesting to see a company blog actually ponying up opinions on the work of other designers as they do in this discussion of the unlikeability of Bully's setting. They discuss the problems with setting the game in a boarding school, the protagonist's sniveling classmates, and the unfavorable comparisons between Bullworth Academy and the halls of Sunnydale High or Hogwarts. From the post:
"A while ago I was talking to Director of Design Richard Rouse along with some of the other Midway studio creative directors about our experiences with Bully. In both our cases, we really, really wanted to like it, but only played a few hours before giving up. Since it was blessed with many high reviews, we were left wondering 'What were we missing?' ... Harvey Smith of Midway Austin (and Creative Director of Area 51: Blacksite) rightfully pointed out that high school has been a successful setting of great things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Ultimate Spiderman comics. Richard noted that the high school of Buffy was populated by attractive, always-witty teenagers that killed freakin' vampires. Those California high schools you see in TV and movies are probably some of the most idealized environments you'll ever see."
Game Connection has announced a new program to help developers and service providers get to the next level in the game business.
The program, entitled Level Up, will provide five selected companies with free access (valued at 3,000 Euro) to the Game Connection Europe, where they will have the opportunity to present their game or service to buyers.
Some of the participating companies include Activision, Capcom, Foundation 9, Lucas Arts, Microsoft, Namco, Nintendo, Rebellion, Sega, THQ, Ubisoft, and Vivendi Games.
To be eligible for the Level Up program, participants must be an independent company, less than two years old, which has never previously attended Game Connection.
The Game Connection Advisory Board, composed of experienced professionals from the videogame industry, will select the five companies based on one main criterion: innovation. Participants will be asked to explain what makes their game or service original and innovative and how it can help the entire industry evolve.
Participants can fill the application online on the Game Connection website. The deadline to enter is October 1st.
The 2007 Game Connection will take place in Lyon from December 4-6.
EA's outspoken CEO John Riccitiello has clashed with ITV's chairman Michael Grade over videogame violence, at the Royal Television Society's Cambridge Convention.
Grade attacked videogame content for existing in a "moral vacuum" reports Broadcast magazine, while Riccitiello defended the games industry, arguing the violence portrayed in games is no worse than in popular TV shows.
Riccitiello compared violent footage from hit shows 24 and CSI, films including Kill Bill and 300 and Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto game.
He argued that the games industry is acting responsibly, citing parental controls on home consoles as evidence, but admitted that videogames' ability to present a moral framework was still being explored due to the medium's infancy.
"With videogames, I can be on the edge of my seat immersed in them, but TV is storytelling – I'm lying back and it comes to me," said Riccitiello.
Grade argued that TV can use narrative and storytelling to better contextualise violence.
Did you know Halo 3 is coming out soon? If you didn't, Microsoft are expecting these strange-looking cans of Mountain Dew to keep you in the loop. Yes, they're cans. I think they look like bottles, but Kotakuite Jonathan promises me they're just strange-looking cans. And he should know, these appear to be taking pride of place in his own private Halo 3-themed drink container collection.
It's been a long time coming, but the Meridian aircraft that Kansas researchers set out to build late last year is nearly complete.
Reportedly, the unmanned polar plane is part of "a larger effort at the University of Kansas's Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets," and it will head to locales such as Greenland and areas of the Antarctic in order to "provide a detailed picture of ice layers and, in particular, the boundary between ice and ground."
To withstand the chilly temperatures it's bound to face, designers have even equipped the wings with de-icing capabilities and heaters to keep the internal electronics from freezing up.
If all goes as planned, Meridian will head out on its "maiden flight next summer," with another trip slated for later in 2008.
The games industry in the UK is in danger of losing its international competitive edge if the government doesn't act to help software developers, according to Tiga CEO and chairman Fred Hasson, who spoke to GamesIndustry.biz in an exclusive interview.
Following the EU announcement that games developers would be able to apply for funding from a EUR 1.5 million pot, Hasson and the other members of the European Game Developers Federation welcomed the move, although a high level of interest already indicates that competition will be fierce.
"One of my colleagues in Germany just told me he's had over 20 enquiries from his members - well, it doesn't take a lot to work out that if everybody is hoping for the maximum amount [of EUR 100,000 each], there are already going to be people disappointed in Germany, let alone if you add the other 26 countries of the EU…"
Hasson cited a number of issues, including work-for-hire contracts and the strong Pound, as well as the support available from governments in countries such as Singapore and Canada, as reasons why UK firms are beginning to struggle.
But he's confident that talks with ministers scheduled next month will allow Tiga to persuade the UK government to its three-pronged solution, which deals with skills, IP creation and technology.
Intel is to acquire videogame and movie software specialist Havok.
Havok's software and services are used in some of the biggest franchises in videogames, in titles such as Half-Life 2, BioShock, Crackdown and MotorStorm, as well as Hollywood blockbusters The Matrix, Kingdom of Heaven and Charlie and the Chocolate factory.
"Intel's scale of technology investment and customer reach enable Havok with opportunities to grow more quickly into new market segments with new products than we could have done organically," commented David O'Meara, CEO of Havok.
"We believe the winning combination is Havok's technology and customer know-how with Intel's scale. This is a great fit for Havok prod
ucts, customers and employees," he added.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Havok will now become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel and will continue to be run as an independent business.
"Havok will operate its business as usual, which will allow them to continue developing products that are offered across all platforms in the industry," commented Renee J. James, VP and general manager of Intel's Software and Solutions Group.
"Havok is a proven leader in physics technology for gaming and digital content, and will become a key element of Intel's visual computing and graphics efforts," said James.
The Virgin Megastore retail chain has been sold for an undisclosed sum by Sir Richard Branson to the Zavvi Entertainment Group.
The stores will be rebranded as 'zavvi' across the UK by the end of November, with the online presence and stores in Ireland receiving similar treatment by January next year, according to details in a report on FT.com.
The Zavvi Entertainment Group, led by managing director Simon Douglas and finance director Steve Peckham, was set up to enable a management buy-out of the high street chain.
The move completes Branson's change of direction from wholly-owned subsidiaries to franchises, with the property that kicked off the Virgin empire in 1970, although he stated that the name will still live on in part: "The Virgin brand will continue to be represented in-store through the Virgin Mobile and Virgin Media in-store concessions."
According to the report, a potential deal with HMV had fallen through because of a mismatch in valuation and structure ideas.
Codemasters has issued a statement responding to the tragic death this weekend of Colin McRae, expert adviser to and inspiration for the famous rally game series that bore his name.
We are reprinting that statement here in full.
"Everyone at Codemasters, especially those who worked directly with Colin McRae, is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events of this weekend.
"The loss of Colin McRae is deeply distressing. That it involved his son and another so young makes it even more tragic. Our thoughts are with his family and those closest to him and we share in their pain.
"For over ten years, Colin was part of the Codemasters family and it was a privilege to have a man recognised as a true legend on the team. He always took a keen interest in the game experience, wanting to make sure it was without equal in its portrayal of the sport.
"His contribution was inspirational and brought his technical expertise and passion for rally driving to each and every McRae game. Through the popularity of those games, he brought a whole new audience to the sport itself.
"Codemasters' relationship with Colin began through Jim, David and Richard Darling and their condolences, along with ours, are passed to Colin's family. We are heavy of heart at his passing but we are also brimming with pride at knowing him and to have played a small role in his life.
"He will never be forgotten by all at Codemasters."
Ubisoft has opened its second development studio in China, initially focusing on internal outsourcing with a view to taking on online development for PC, consoles and handhelds.
The new studio in Chengdu will open with 10 team members and a goal of expanding to 200 over the year. Richard Tsao, senior producer at Ubisoft's Shanghai studio will take on the role of managing director.
"The success of our studio in Shanghai has encouraged us to extend our growth in China," said Christine Burgess-Quémard, executive director, Worldwide Studios at Ubisoft.
"We are convinced that Chengdu offers the perfect environment for our expansion, offering a great number of highly educated and talented people."
Chengdu is said to be one of the most technologically developed cities in Western China, with some 35,000 software graduates per year.
Well, it didn't take long for Microsoft's Surface to trickle down into the fast-paced world of card gaming (ala Magic). Feast your eyes on the next device your children will be shoveling money into like it's going out of style, a new Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) and Taito collaboration called The Wheel of Eternity.
The card-based RPG appears to function much in the same way that Bill Gates described Surface's object recognition properties as working, "sensing" cards which are placed on the game area, and reacting to their status, movement and arrangement. There's no word on when or if this game is coming to the states, but with kids' unnatural obsession with card games (particularly those of a Japanese ilk), it seems likely this will be popping up on these shores before long.
Sounding like a child who's just been caught with a hand in the proverbial cookie jar, Microsoft issued a decidedly contrite, non-confrontational response this afternoon to the decision handed down earlier today by a European Grand Chamber of the Court of First Instance, thanking the court for its time and promising to take whatever steps are necessary to comply with the ruling.
While playing up its commitment to Europe, aspirations for increased transparency, and continuing changes to its business practices, Redmond Senior Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith also admitted that "we all have to acknowledge that there are some issues that do remain open" and even welcomed "continued discussion to adhere to our duties with the European Commission."
Notably absent from Microsoft's response was any mention of an appeal, and while the topic does seem to have been broached in post-statement Q&A, the company's press release conveniently lists all questions as being asked "off mike" -- therefore, the only clue we have re
