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Brad Enters The Void

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B Entertainment, under its Creative Partnership with Reliance BIG Entertainment, and Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, have come to terms on the film rights relating to Dark Void™, a new property from Capcom. The theatrical version of the Dark Void game is being developed as a sci-fi action franchise and potential starring vehicle for Pitt. Capcom will release Dark Void on the Xbox ...

Social Aquisition

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE       Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced it has acquired Playfish™, a leading creator of social network games. The acquisition accelerates EA’s position in social entertainment and strengthens its focus on the transition to digital and social gaming. Playfish will operate within EA Interactive, a division of EA focused on the web and on wireless. EA has acquired Playfish for approximately US$275 million in cash and approximately $US25 million in equity retention arrangements. ...

Unreal Development

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE       Epic Games, Inc. announces the launch of the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free edition of Unreal Engine 3 that provides community access to the award-winning toolset like never before. This software release is available to anyone interested in using 3D game engine technology, including game developers, students, hobbyists, researchers, creators of 3D visualizations and simulations, and digital filmmakers. Anyone can start working with the industry-leading Unreal Engine 3 toolset by downloading ...

Buyout

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE     Disney Interactive Studios announced today it has agreed to acquire Wideload Games Inc., a Chicago-based producer and developer of original interactive entertainment. As part of the agreement, industry veteran and creative visionary Alexander Seropian, Wideload Games founder and CEO, will join Disney Interactive Studios in the newly created role of vice president of creative, leading the company's global creative efforts. Seropian, who is relocating to Glendale, Calif., is renowned as the founder ...

Video History

Netgear has produced a video that is rather humorous, and gives one perspective on the history of videogames. It is supposed to be "viral" but it clearly is "commercial" in quality. It is still worth watching at least once.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEFIyurkmFc

Micro Acquisition

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the global leader of total commerce solutions for micro-transaction-based businesses spanning online games, virtual worlds, and social networks, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Twofish (www.twofish.com), the premier provider of virtual economy data solutions for casual gaming and social application developers.  The Twofish acquisition accelerates Live Gamer's recent strategic initiatives over recent months. In conjunction with the recent acquisition of N-Cash, the combination of Live Gamer and Twofish ...

Trade & Switch

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE SwitchGames.com, The Gamers Marketplace, today launched SafeTrade, a new service guaranteeing peer-to-peer safety to its members when they trade video games and consoles. SafeTrade brings the security of in-store purchasing to video game trading online. In a SafeTrade transaction, SwitchGames guarantees the full replacement value of a member's game in the event it's lost in the mail or stolen by a fraudulent trader. SafeTrade is a no-risk service that costs nothing up front. SafeTraders only ...

PAX 09 Details

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE The organizers of the sixth annual PAX gaming festival today announced key details of the upcoming show to be held Sept. 4-6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. This year's exhibition hall will offer PAX attendees hands-on time with highly anticipated games and products from nearly 100 exhibitors, including top publishers Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Blizzard and Wizards of the Coast (see below for a complete exhibitor list).   In addition to ...

2010 GDC Speakers Sought

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE The call for submissions to present lectures, roundtables, panels and poster sessions at the 2010 Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is now open through Friday, August 14th. GDC, the annual conference dedicated to the art, science and business of games returns to San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center March 9 - 13, 2009.  Session proposals can be submitted via the official GDC website at http://www.gdconf.com.    The GDC submission process is divided into a three-phase system, ...

Peggle Art Winners

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today announced the winners of the first-ever PeggleTM Art Contest, which began in March as part of Peggle Fever. The three-month long contest drew hundreds of submissions from throughout the U.S. and Great Britain, from feverish fans ranging in age from 13 to 51. The grand prize winners, Michael and Stephanie Liu, a brother and sister team (ages 13 and 11, respectively) ...

This Year’s PAX 10

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE After sifting through over 150 submissions from a gaggle of gameplay types and a plethora of platforms, a panel of game industry experts have selected the ten best submissions to be recognized as The PAX 10.   Penny Arcade was pleased to announce today that The PAX 10 for 2009 are (in alphabetical order): CarneyVale: Showtime by the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Games Lab (Xbox 360) Closure by Tyler Glaiel and Jon Schubbe (PC) Fieldrunners by Subatomic Studios ...

Work On The Island

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE What's your opinion of that scoundrel, Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate? Telltale is announcing the unique chance to put your words into the mouths of pirates in an upcoming episode with the Tales of Monkey Island dialogue contest that begins today.   To enter, flex your funny bone and send Telltale a one-liner that explains how Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, wronged you in some way. The funniest and most imaginative entries will be submitted for ...

Next Year’s Submissions

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Think Services, organizer of the industry-leading Game Developers Conference (GDC) events, is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the 2010 Independent Games Festival (IGF). Entries to the 12th annual festival are due in both Main and Student Showcase categories by November 2009, with Main Competition finalists to be announced January 4, 2010.   Games selected as finalists will be available in playable form on the GDC show floor and will compete ...

Interview With A Spaceman

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Strategy First and Out Of The Park Baseball 10 invites Baseball Fans and Gamers everywhere to take advantage of this limited time give away. For the first time ever Strategy First will release a five hour interview featuring Red Sox Hall Of Fame Pitcher Bill 'The Spaceman' Lee.   In four separate sit down interviews with Strategy First's Emanuel Wall and the Red Sox Hall Of Fame pitcher covers the highs and lows of ...

Razer Goes Handheld

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Razer™, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, announced the release of the Razer Moray+ ™, an in-ear noise isolating earphone equipped with an inline omnidirectional microphone that provides a smart, portable solution for gamers on the go. “After the release of the original Razer Moray, we received feedback from gamers who needed something more,” says Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, President of Razer. “They wanted a compact headset that provides ...

Moving Into New Territory

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Continuing its global expansion, Kalypso Media USA Inc., today announced that it has appointed industry veteran, Deborah Tillett, as president of its newly established U.S. headquarters in Baltimore, MD.  Tillett will be responsible for developing and implementing Kalypso’s strategic and creative vision for North America. R20;Deb has a proven track record of success in establishing and growing technology companies, and a fluent understanding of the video game business,” said Simon Hellwig, Managing ...

PAX 09 Keynote Announced

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE PAX 2009 organizers humbly announced today that industry legend Ron Gilbert will grace the stage as keynote speaker at the sixth annual gaming festival to be held Sept. 4-6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.   Legendary storyteller, game designer, programmer and producer Ron Gilbert has created countless classic video games, including the seminal LucasArts works Maniac Mansion and first two installments in the Monkey Island adventure series. His more than 20-year ...

Major Buyout

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, today announced it has completed the acquisition of legendary game studio, id Software, creators of world-renowned games such as DOOM, QUAKE, Wolfenstein, and its upcoming title, RAGE. The acquisition by ZeniMax Media joins together two of the finest, most respected videogame developers in the world, combining the first person shooter (FPS) expertise of id Software with acclaimed role playing game (RPG) ...

Square Enix Executive Hire

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America, announced that it has strengthened its executive team with the addition of Ami Blaire as vice president of marketing.   Blaire now leads brand and marketing strategy for Square Enix and will also be responsible for the Square Enix Members site and online commerce. She will work to increase the presence of Square Enix in North America and emphasize community ...

John Who?

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that John Schappert has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, responsible for Worldwide Publishing, the Online Platform Group, EATM Interactive, Central Development Services and other divisions of the company. Schappert, who joined the industry in 1991 as a software engineer on several EA titles and went on to lead many of the company's biggest franchises, left EA in 2007 to become Corporate Vice President of the Microsoft ...

Sega’s Corporate Shuffle

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE     SEGA® of America, Inc., and SEGA® Europe Ltd., today announced a series of management promotions that will further unite SEGA's global markets to drive growth. Effective today, the longstanding leader of SEGA's videogame business, Mr. Naoya Tsurumi, will assume worldwide responsibility for SEGA's Consumer Business, incorporating SEGA of Japan, SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe. Mike Hayes is promoted to the newly created position of President & COO of both SEGA of America ...

Live MP3s

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE VIDEO GAMES LIVE, a complete celebration and multimedia concert experience featuring music from the most popular video games of all time, has partnered with VIVO PRODUCTS, to create an exclusive MP3 Player pre-loaded with 10 exclusive never before released tracks from the Video Games Live show.  The Video Games Live - branded player will be available at all concerts on tour, and on the Video Games Live website, and coming soon to ...

New From Nyko

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE Leading gaming peripherals manufacturer, Nyko Technologies®, today announced the upcoming product line-up to be showcased this week at E3, taking place June 2–4. The line-up includes innovative accessories for Wii™, Nintendo DSi™, Xbox 360®, and PSP®. “Nyko has been a participant of E3 for 10 straight years and we’re excited to be using the show as the launching pad for our 2009 products,” said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. “We ...

Developer Buyout

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE 38 Studios (www.38studios.com), an entertainment and original IP creation company, today announced the acquisition of Big Huge Games (BHG) from publisher THQ Inc. The acquisition is a critical step in 38 Studios’ strategy to deliver a broad range of entertainment products centered on its original fantasy IP, codenamed Copernicus. The purchase of Big Huge Games includes all of the company’s proprietary IP, tools, technology, assets, and works-in-progress. Specific financial terms of the ...

New Studio

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE 4mm Games, LLC (“4mm”) today officially announced its formation. The company was founded by Rockstar Games co-founders Jamie King and Gary Foreman and former Image Metrics exec Nicholas Perrett, joined by Paul Coyne, a respected twenty year veteran of the technology and entertainment industries.   “I was hugely honored to be approached by talent of Jamie and Gary’s caliber to co-found 4mm Games,” said Nicholas Perrett, Chief Executive Officer of 4mm Games. “It is ...

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