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Posts Tagged ‘United States’
38 Studios fails to pay employees and loan
Posted by Ben Maxwell on May 18th, 2012
Posted in Articles 
Tags: 38 Studios, Finance, Government, Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning, United States 
Comments OffActivision and EA settle Infinity Ward suit
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 17th, 2012
Fight with West and Zampella still headed to trial as Activision is accused of trying to "dig up dirt" on former studio heads. Activision and EA have settled a lawsuit over the latter's alleged courting of former Infinity War…
Posted in Articles Tags: activision, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, electronic arts, Infinity Ward, Jason West, Lawsuits, Robert Kotick, United States, Vince Zampella Comments OffTHQ drops Devil’s Third as losses worsen
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 16th, 2012
Publisher in talks to offload Tomonobu Itagaki's project after losses rise 76 per cent. THQ is in discussions with thirdparties in a bid to offload Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third after the troubled publisher posted increased…
Posted in Articles Tags: Brian Farrell, Devils Third, Fiscal results, thq, Tomonobu Itagaki, United States, Valhalla Game Studios Comments OffKingdoms Of Amalur in financial trouble
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 15th, 2012
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Posted in Articles Tags: 38 Studios, Finance, Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning, United States Comments OffCapcom ditches on-disc DLC and promises change
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 15th, 2012
Publisher admits sales of Street Fighter X Tekken have "fallen short" and indicates marked shift in approach to digital content. Capcom appears to have heard the growing clamour over its controversial approach to digital distribu…
Posted in Articles Tags: Capcom, Chris Svensson, design, DLC, Dragon's Dogma, Fighting, japan, Software sales, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tomoaki Ayano, United States Comments OffActivision pays $42m to Infinity Ward staff
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 15th, 2012
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Posted in Articles Tags: activision, Infinity Ward, Lawsuits, Robert Kotick, United States Comments OffRevenue and profits fall at Activision
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 10th, 2012
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Posted in Articles Tags: activision, Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Entertainment, Call of Duty Elite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Fiscal results, Robert Kotick, United States, World of Warcraft Comments OffMicrosoft confirms $99 Xbox 360 deal
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 8th, 2012
The deal, first reported last week, comes with a two-year Xbox Live membership and will cost consumers a total of $458.76. A 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect and two years of Xbox Live currently costs $380.18 on Amazon US. http://www.gamesindustry.biz…
Posted in Articles Tags: Announcements, Kinect, microsoft, Subscription, United States, xbox 360 Comments OffEA’s digital push pays off
Posted by Nathan Brown on May 8th, 2012
"We've changed from Tower Records to iTunes," says CEO Riccitiello after publisher returns to profit. Electronic Arts declared its digital push a success last night after its annual financial results showed revenue rising 15…
Posted in Articles Tags: Battlefield 3, Download, EA Origin, electronic arts, FIFA 12, Fiscal results, FREE TO PLAY, John Riccitiello, Microtransactions, United States Comments OffReport: Microsoft launching $99 Xbox 360 Kinect bundle
Posted by Tom Ivan on May 2nd, 2012
Microsoft will reportedly release a $99 Xbox 360 Kinect bundle as early as next week, with the low price offset by a two-year Xbox Live subscription fee of $15 per month. http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993600/99-xbox-360-kinect-subsidized-b…
EA shares spike following takeover rumours
Posted by Tom Ivan on April 26th, 2012
Electronic Arts shares rose the most in over four months today following a report claiming that South Korean free-to-play specialist Nexon had expressed an interest in acquiring the FIFA publisher. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-26/elec…
Posted in Articles Tags: Acquisitions, electronic arts, Nexon, South Korea, United States Comments OffReport: Nexon in EA bid
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 26th, 2012
Nexon, which runs the popular Asian MMOG MapleStory and recently announced deals to launch Eve Online and Counter-Strike Online 2 in Asia, hinted last week that it was keen on the acquisition of more game developers, but CFO Owen Mahoney told Bloomb…
Zynga brings in 15 per cent of Facebook revenue
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 24th, 2012
Facebook's updated S-1 filing with the US Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC) reveals that Zynga, through Facebook Payments revenue, direct advertising and thirdparty ads on its game pages, accounted for 15 per cent of Facebook's reve…
Report: Prey 2 dev downs tools in contract dispute
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 20th, 2012
An anonymous source told Shacknews that the Wisconsin-based studio was not happy with the terms of its original contract with ZeniMax, parent company of publisher Bethesda, and ceased development late last year to strengthen its position in negotiat…
Posted in Articles Tags: bethesda, Delays, Developers, Human Head, PC, Playstation 3, Prey 2, Shooter, United States, xbox 360 Comments OffMicrosoft’s Xbox division loses $229 million
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 20th, 2012
The division's revenue was down 16.5 per cent, to $1.6 billion (£1bn). Xbox 360 sales during the quarter totalled 1.4 million – a drop of more than 48 per cent year on year. http://www.microsoft.com/investor/EarningsAndFinancials/Earning…
Posted in Articles Tags: Fiscal results, microsoft, Steve Ballmer, United States, xbox 360 Comments OffUbisoft sued for copyright infringement
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 19th, 2012
A science-fiction author alleges that Assassins' Creed steals ideas from his 2003 book, but do his claims stack up? Ubisoft is being sued by a science-fiction author who claims the publisher has breached his copyright by using ideas f…
Posted in Articles Tags: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed III, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Assassins Creed II, Greg Boyd, Lawsuits, Ubisoft, United States Comments OffGod Of War: Ascension announced
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 19th, 2012
Currently in development at Sony Santa Monica under new director Todd Papy, Ascension is a prequel, telling Kratos' origin story. Little Sony has announced God Of War: Ascension, which it says is "the most ambitious" game in the se…
Posted in Articles Tags: Action, Announcements, God Of War: Ascension, Playstation 3, Sony, Sony Santa Monica, United States Comments OffTHQ raises forecasts after stock slump
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 18th, 2012
The chief contributor to this modest improvement is Saints Row: The Third. More than four million copies have been shipped since its release in November, and developer Volition's steady flow of DLC has resulted in digital sales exceeding expect…
Dark Souls PC may not use GFWL
Posted by Keith Stuart on April 17th, 2012
Publisher hints at a different online service for upcoming PC port, but stays tight-lipped on whether extra content is coming to consoles. The forthcoming PC version of Dark Souls may not use the controversial Games for Windows Live servic…
Posted in Articles Tags: Action, Dark Souls, DRM, From Software, Hidetaka Miyazaki, Namco Bandai, PC, RPG, United States Comments OffFind your future working with Peter Molyneux
Posted by Ben Maxwell on April 17th, 2012
Building AMD's next generation or expanding charity the Wellcome Trust's reach. 22Cans, the new studio founded by Peter Molyneux, is looking for a number of interns and graduates from mathematics and computer science backgrounds …
Posted in Articles Tags: 22 Cans, AMD, design, Guildford, London, Programming, Recruitment, Scandinavia, UK, United States, Wellcome Trust Comments OffValve job listing confirms hardware development
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 13th, 2012
The position, advertised on Valve's job site, explains: "For years, Valve has been all about writing software that provides great gameplay experiences. Now we're developing hardware to enhance those experiences, and you can be a key p…
NPD: More declines at US retail
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 13th, 2012
Total spend on new hardware, software and accessories at US retail came to $1.1 billion, a decline of $370 million from the previous year. The biggest decline was in hardware sales, which fell 35 per cent; software sales fell by a quarter and access…
Posted in Articles Tags: Anita Frazier, Hardware sales, Mass Effect 3, NPD, Retail, Software sales, United States, xbox 360 Comments OffZeniMax trademarks "Fus Ro Dah"
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 12th, 2012
ZeniMax has submitted six different trademark filings, covering everything from games and strategy guides to glasses cases, bags, clothing, bobble-head dolls and trading cards. http://fusible.com/2012/04/zenimax-media-files-several-trademarks-…
Posted in Articles Tags: bethesda, RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Trademarks, United States, ZeniMax Comments OffNi No Kuni English trailer
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 12th, 2012
Sadly, it comes with news that the US release of Level 5's collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli has been delayed to 2013, meaning it's now due at the same time as the European localisation. Here's our first look at…
Posted in Articles Tags: Delays, Namco Bandai, Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch, Playstation 3, RPG, United States, Videos Comments OffGaikai launches Facebook app
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 11th, 2012
The app, available now at the source link below, contains an initial seven games: Saints Row The Third, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, Magicka, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings, Orcs Must Die, and Farming Simulator 2011. …
Posted in Articles Tags: Announcements, David Perry, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Facebook, Gaikai, Saints Row: The Third, The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings, United States, Western Europe Comments OffFind your future building AMD’s next generation
Posted by Ben Maxwell on April 11th, 2012
Expanding charity the Wellcome Trust's reach or designing games based on Magic: The Gathering. AMD is looking for developer relations engineers to join its teams in the UK, Scandinavia, USA and Japan. In the role, you'll work with…
Posted in Articles Tags: AMD, design, Education, japan, London, Programming, Recruitment, Scandinavia, Stainless Games, United States, Wellcome Trust Comments OffCommodore founder Jack Tramiel dies
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 10th, 2012
Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore International, manufacturer of the Commodore 64 and Amiga, has died aged 83. Forbes reports that Tramiel, a Polish-born Auschwitz survivor who founded Commodore after emigrating to the US, passed away surrounded by…
Square Enix teams up with Bigpoint
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 5th, 2012
Little has been revealed about the game, but Bigpoint says the project "[focuses] heavily on social gameplay and encouraging user-generated content." German browser game company Bigpoint is to publish the western release of a mystery Sq…
Posted in Articles Tags: Announcements, Bigpoint, FREE TO PLAY, Partnerships, Social, Square Enix, United States, Web, Western Europe Comments OffPopCap co-founder shrugs off EA worst company award
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 5th, 2012
John Vechey, co-founder of PopCap, has dismissed the naming of parent company Electronic Arts as the worst company in America. In a blog post, Vechey gives his thoughts on why EA beat the likes of Comcast, AT&T and Bank Of America to claim the t…
Posted in Articles Tags: Awards, electronic arts, John Vechey, Mass Effect 3, PopCap, United States Comments OffSonic designer joins Nintendo Of America
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 5th, 2012
Hirozaku Yasuhara, director and designer of the early Sonic The Hedgehog titles, has joined Nintendo Of America. Gamasutra reports that Yasuhara, who joined Sega in 1988 and worked alongside Yuji Naka as director, game planner and designer of Sonic …
Posted in Articles Tags: Appointments, Developers, Hirozaku Yasuhara, nintendo, Sega, United States Comments OffEA named worst company in America
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 5th, 2012
Electronic Arts has been named the worst company in America by users of consumer action website The Consumerist. EA 'won' the annual competition, styled on the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, with EA beating the likes of Sony, Co…
Report: Wii U released November 18
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 3rd, 2012
Wii U will be released in the United States on November 18, and one week later in Japan, according to reports. The claim comes from Wii U Daily, which cites an internal email circulated to staff of Media Land, a videogame retailer in Tokyo's Ak…
Capcom defends on-disc DLC
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 3rd, 2012
Capcom has defended the storage of planned DLC on Street Fighter X Tekken discs to the Better Business Bureau, arguing that there is "no distinction" between content stored on a disc or offered as a download. http://www.cinemablend.c…
Posted in Articles Tags: Capcom, Community management, DLC, Fighting, Playstation 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, United States, xbox 360 Comments OffSega warns of layoffs in the west
Posted by Nathan Brown on April 2nd, 2012
Sega Of America has admitted that redundancies are likely across the company's western publishing operations as it restructures in a bid to return to profit. Last week parent company Sega Sammy said it was restructuring its loss-making games bu…
Posted in Articles Tags: Business development, Layoffs, Sega, Sega Sammy, United States, Western Europe Comments OffEMI sues over Def Jam Rapstar rights
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 30th, 2012
Music label EMI is suing 4mm Games and Terminal Reality, accusing the two studios of failing to pay royalties owed from 2010 music game Def Jam Rapstar. According to the Hollywood Reporter, EMI says that the game's developers failed to secure t…
Posted in Articles Tags: Lawsuits, licensing, Music, Playstation 3, Terminal Reality, United States, wii, xbox 360 Comments OffJourney shatters PSN records
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 29th, 2012
Thatgamecompany's PS3 adventure Journey has been named the fastest-selling game of all time on the US PlayStation Store. The news was revealed by studio co-founder Jenova Chen in a post on the PlayStation Blog, in which he pays tribute to the p…
Posted in Articles Tags: Adventure, Jenova Chen, Journey, PSN, PSN Store, Software sales, Thatgamecompany, United States Comments OffUnreal Engine to power US government training
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 28th, 2012
Epic Games and Virtual Heroes have announced a licensing agreement that will enable the US government and its allies to use Epic's Unreal Engine. Announced in a press release, the deal will see Virtual Heroes supply Unreal technology to US gove…
Posted in Articles Tags: Epic Games, Government, licensing, Serious games, United States Comments OffZynga CEO to sell 15 per cent of shares
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 23rd, 2012
Zynga has confirmed that it is to hold a secondary offering of its shares on the stock market, with CEO Mark Pincus to offload 15 per cent of his own holding. TechCrunch reports that Zynga is looking to sell up to 43 million shares in the secondary …
GameStop: new Xbox won’t block used games
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 23rd, 2012
US retail chain GameStop has poured cold water on claims that Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will somehow prevent used games from being played. In January, a Kotaku report claimed that Microsoft's next console would use Blu-Ray discs and f…
Posted in Articles Tags: gamestop, Hardware, microsoft, Paul Raines, Pre-owned, Retail, United States Comments OffGameStop reveals 2011 results
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 22nd, 2012
GameStop has announced its financial results for the year ending January 28, which reveal the US retailer has enough cash in the bank to buy ailing UK chain Game Group almost 50 times over. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamestop-reports-sales-…
Posted in Articles Tags: Fiscal results, gamestop, Hardware sales, Pre-owned, Retail, Software sales, United States Comments OffNPD: non-traditional sales fill revenue gap
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 22nd, 2012
Recent declines in sales of new games at US retail have portrayed a market in decline, but new figures released by NPD Group today go some way to disproving that theory. The market research firm estimates total US spend on second-hand games, rentals…
Posted in Articles Tags: DLC, Microtransactions, NPD, Pre-owned, Retail, Software sales, Subscription, United States Comments OffUS bill proposes cigarette-style warning labels for games
Posted by Ben Maxwell on March 21st, 2012
The labels would be applied to any game rated 'E' for everyone and above, and read: "Warning: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behaviour." Labels would have to be appear on all games rated as such, re…
Report: Zynga planning new wave of share sales
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 14th, 2012
Zynga is planning on a second public offering of its shares, according to reports, in a bid to prevent its share price tanking in three months' time. Multiple sources have told Bloomberg about the socal gaming titan's intent, which would a…
EA "not weakened" by departing execs
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 12th, 2012
Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello insists the publisher has not been weakened by the recent departures of several senior executives. Speaking at the Wedbush Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference last week, as reported by Gamasutra, …
Posted in Articles Tags: electronic arts, Eric Brown, Exits, John Riccitiello, John Schappert, United States Comments OffJudge dismisses fraud claim in West and Zampella lawsuit
Posted by Tom Ivan on March 11th, 2012
A Los Angeles State Superior Court Judge has dismissed one of two fraud charges brought against Activision by former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vincent Zampella. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-05/activision-wins-dismissal-of-one…
Posted in Articles Tags: Activision. Infinity Ward, Jason West, Lawsuits, United States, Vince Zampella Comments OffMass Effect 3 sells 890,000 in 24 hours
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 9th, 2012
Mass Effect 3 sold an estimated 890,000 units in its first 24 hours on sale in North America, EA has confirmed. Speaking at the Wedbush Technology, Media and Telecommunications Summit in New York City, EA CEO John Riccitiello said he was feeling &qu…
Posted in Articles Tags: Canada, electronic arts, John Riccitiello, Mass Effect 3, PC, Playstation 3, RPG, Shooter, Software sales, The Old Republic, United States, xbox 360 Comments OffNPD: US declines continue
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 9th, 2012
The US videogame market brought in 20 per cent less revenue in February than it did last year, according to the NPD Group. Total physical videogame sales at US retail came to $1.06 billion (£671m), down from $1.33 billion in February 2011. There we…
Posted in Articles Tags: Anita Frazier, Hardware sales, NPD, Retail, Software sales, United States, vita, xbox 360 Comments OffGaikai takes Warner MMOGs to the cloud
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 8th, 2012
Gaikai has announced a deal with Warner Bros that will make two of the publisher's MMOGs playable from the cloud in web browsers. The Lord Of The Rings Online is available to North American players now, with Turbine's Dungeons & Dragon…
Posted in Articles Tags: Cloud, Gaikai, Lord of the Rings online, MMOG, Partnerships, PC, United States, Warner Bros Comments Off3DS sells 4.5 million in the US
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 6th, 2012
Nintendo's 3DS handheld has passed 4.5 million sales in the United States since its launch last March, the company has announced. It means that, despite its slow start, 3DS sold almost twice as many units in its first year on shelves as its pre…
Posted in Articles Tags: 3DS, Hardware sales, nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime, United States Comments OffTHQ sued by Adidas
Posted by Nathan Brown on March 6th, 2012
THQ has been sued by sportswear company Adidas for breach of contract. Oregon Live reports that THQ failed to follow through on an agreement to publish a game based on Adidas' MiCoach device. The deal was struck in December 2010 and the game, p…
