Friday, December 15, 2006
DDO expands with Evil Resurgent
The Dungeon Masters over at Turbine today have released the latest update for its massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach. Titled Evil Resurgent, the update adds six new dungeons to the PC game: Parthilcar Tower Crypt, From Beyond the Grave, Spire of Validus, Whisperdoom, Haywire's Grotto, and Gate of Nightmares. For more details on the update, which is free to all paid subscribers, head over to the DDO Web site.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Interplay planning Fallout MMO game
While Fallout fans are looking toward Bethesda Softworks' upcoming Fallout 3 as the future of the franchise, original publisher Interplay has resurfaced from a lengthy hibernation with plans for a massively multiplayer online game based on the property.
Late last month, Interplay made a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and noted that it would be spending the first half of December meeting with European investors and giving them a slide-show presentation of its current activities. In the slide show, which Interplay labeled "confidential," is a plan for a Fallout MMO game to start production as early as next month.
To get the game through its proposed July 2010 launch, Interplay is projecting that it will need a total of $75 million. Few details were given, but the publisher did note that it would be a subscription-based game and that it was expected to provide a return on investment within three years. Interplay projects that the game would be profitable in its second year with revenues of $160 million, assuming it could garner 1 million subscribers in its first year.
Late last month, Interplay made a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and noted that it would be spending the first half of December meeting with European investors and giving them a slide-show presentation of its current activities. In the slide show, which Interplay labeled "confidential," is a plan for a Fallout MMO game to start production as early as next month.
To get the game through its proposed July 2010 launch, Interplay is projecting that it will need a total of $75 million. Few details were given, but the publisher did note that it would be a subscription-based game and that it was expected to provide a return on investment within three years. Interplay projects that the game would be profitable in its second year with revenues of $160 million, assuming it could garner 1 million subscribers in its first year.
Flagship establishes Seattle satellite studio
A flagship technically isn't much of a flagship without a fleet to back it up, so it's fitting that San Francisco-based Flagship Studios today announced the formation of its first offshoot studio, Flagship Seattle.
The new studio's first project will be Mythos, a casual online role-playing game designed to try out the networking technology that will be used in Flagship's previously announced Hellgate: London. Heading up development at Flagship Seattle will be Travis Baldree, formerly of WildTangent, where he was lead designer on the PC action-RPG Fate.
Mythos creative director and Flagship Studios founding member Phil Shenk said in a statement that the Flagship team was "very impressed" with Baldree's work after seeing the Diablo-esque Fate at E3 2005. Shenk was the lead character artist on Diablo II, and Flagship Studios was formed by a number of employees from Diablo developer Blizzard North.
Mythos should be released in 2007, while Flagship has yet to specify a release window for Hellgate: London
The new studio's first project will be Mythos, a casual online role-playing game designed to try out the networking technology that will be used in Flagship's previously announced Hellgate: London. Heading up development at Flagship Seattle will be Travis Baldree, formerly of WildTangent, where he was lead designer on the PC action-RPG Fate.
Mythos creative director and Flagship Studios founding member Phil Shenk said in a statement that the Flagship team was "very impressed" with Baldree's work after seeing the Diablo-esque Fate at E3 2005. Shenk was the lead character artist on Diablo II, and Flagship Studios was formed by a number of employees from Diablo developer Blizzard North.
Mythos should be released in 2007, while Flagship has yet to specify a release window for Hellgate: London
Q&A: Microsoft's Chris Satchell on XNA Express
This week, Microsoft released XNA Game Studio Express, a free-to-use set of game-design tools for Windows, aimed at getting students and hobbyists fired up about making games.
Chris Satchell, the general manager of Microsoft's game-development group, was one of the speakers at an XNA event at the UK's University of Warwick held to publicise the toolset to academics and students. GameSpot sat down with Satchell to find out more about XNA.
GameSpot UK: You say that there's a lack of people going into computer science--why do you think that is, and what do you think can be done about it?
Chris Satchell: To a lot of people it might be that they're not sure how relevant it really is. They look at perhaps the topics and perhaps they're like, AMI, graphics, what do these things mean to me? And I think that's why gaming's really important, because it might be relevant. They get gaming--a lot of people love to play console games. So then they see why all that stuff would be useful. And I think that can help really attract people to universities, and, anecdotally, that's what we hear--as soon as universities add a heavy gaming component to a course, they will normally sell out the course, and people get really excited about it. And then when they start it, they think, "Oh! This other computer science stuff is cool, and this maths stuff, well that's pretty cool, too."
I think it's really important to get people interested because the numbers of people coming into this industry is going down and it's important to find ways to get new people in. And of course, that goal is really important long-term. If we can use gaming and XNA Express as a way of getting people excited, and help get people in to the industry, then that's a really important thing to do.
GSUK: Why do you think the passion has gone out of the industry?
CS: The big productions are cool, and they can produce things like Gears of War, which is just amazing. But--and this is almost one of my biggest peeves--the passion has been lost when it comes to one individual thinking they've got a great idea and that they can use that idea to go out and be successful, and I don't need a 200-person team and I don't need three years and $25 million to do it. If I've got a good idea, then that's enough.
And while I was growing up, me and my friends felt that passion. It's like people when they play guitar, when they first start playing they think, "Hey! I can make it big! All I've got to do is keep practising, and get good, and get a band together, and we can make it!" I think now, all that kind of enthusiasm has gone because it is just so difficult to get games out now. You do see some of it at the IGF and places like that, but how can you get more people to feel the passion?
GSUK: Do you think that programming used to be cool but now it isn't?
CS: Computer science, cool?! Well, I don't know that I'd ever have described it as cool per se, but I think what [being a hobbyist] did was get me really passionate about it--I'd already got how much fun it was to build something on a computer and have it work and be able to edit it, so it felt very natural...
And now I think because you can't build games for your console, whereas you could before for your Commodore 64, people don't do that anymore. What they do instead is go to university and they don't want to do computer science, they go and they do something else because it's more relevant to their life. So before when people were doing it at home, then they would look at courses in computer science and think it was a really kind of cool thing to do. It's like the joke--apart from the cars, the money, and the fame, we're exactly like rock stars.
GSUK: How did the idea for XNA come about?
CS: In early 2004, as we were getting ready for GDC, a lot of us had been working in professional games for a long time, and as we were talking about this theme we really started to crystallise this idea that the industry was growing and there were heaps of things happening but there were also some problems at the core of it--how hard it was to make games, how hard it was to make them for cross-platforms, and the amount of people we need in the industry to do it.
We saw that creativity was getting stifled, but that doesn't mean that there aren't brilliant people like Peter Molyneux making amazing games, but it means that it feels a bit like there are a lot of sequels. And how would we get to a point where it was easier, you could do it with less people, you could do it across platforms, and spur that creativity again.
That was really the impetus that started us and then, as we moved on, we realised that there's a lot of creativity out there and sort of developer segments that we don't really deal with a lot. We'd always dealt with the professional developers and tried to give them the very best technologies, but then we hadn't really done a lot to enable hobbyists, independent developers, emerging markets, students, and academia. Why don't we do something for them, because there's a ton of creativity there and a ton of drive to do it, how do we enable them?
And that's really where we started on this track of making Game Studio Express--to make it easier, to open up the console and let people develop. And that really started about a year ago, when we'd already been working on these technologies and we realised that we could really do something different here.
GSUK: Tell us about your personal hobbyist days.
CS: Before I owned my own computer we had Commodore PETs at my school computer club, as well as BBC Micros, and then my first computer was an Atari 800, and I just started to try and do really simple games like you know, a classic apple-catcher game, you know, a guy moving across the bottom of the screen catching falling apples, I saw one in a magazine and got really inspired by it, so I'd just try different games like that.
Then I moved up to the Commodore 64, and the ZX Spectrum, and I think it's really like music, you tend to build games that you're influenced by, so I started trying to do a scrolling shoot-'em-up game, puzzle games, and then on to the Amiga--by then I was getting into more complex games, some 3D shooter-type games, and lots of strategy and tactics games for some reason. I was always trying to make computer versions of the tactical board games. Then it was on from there to university and then I started working for professional developer studios.
GSUK: Sony has gone the opposite way to Microsoft on homebrew. It seems to actively try to block people from doing it. Why do you think it does that?
CS: With Net Yaroze, I think it was a great idea, and I think the problem with it was that people already had the game console, and then they had to go buy another, more expensive one, and it was a difficult environment. With Linux on PS2, again, you've sort of opened it up, but now it's way too difficult to do anything. You have to give people great tools to make it easy for them.
GSUK: What's your opinion on that kind of mentality?
CS: The [PlayStation Portable] homebrew is interesting, because the most excitement I ever see about the PSP is with the homebrew, and for some unknown reason Sony keep[s] trying to stop it. It's this sort of fear of the community and really what we think is you have to embrace the community, give them a way to be creative, instead of always trying to fight them.
GSUK: What are the limitations of XNA? What can't you do with it?
CS: In the initial version one of the things you can't do is networking on the 360. On the Xbox 360 we haven't got the network infrastructure done yet, but it's definitely coming. We just didn't manage to get it in version one. One limitation at the moment is that it's all managed code, not native code. Personally, I actually think that's an improvement to the development environment. You can do high-end games and you can do simple, easy games.
GSUK: What do you think's the best way to jump in with XNA?
CS: Take a starter kit and modify it. That's a really great way of getting your first thing done. That way, you'll very quickly get your first experience: It's a great way to just get started.
GSUK: What kind of stuff are you expecting to see from XNA?
CS: I think what people will do this year and early on in 2007, is very much focus more on the smaller, more casual games. The kind of things you can get on XBL arcade. But I think over time we will see people doing bigger projects with it.
GSUK: Can you make a game with XNA and sell it? Or is it all about exposure?
CS: With the Windows games, absolutely. If you wanted to sell [something you've made with XNA], go for your life.
GSUK: Finally, can you tell us what the letters "XNA" stand for?
CS: It started off standing for Cross Platform Next Generation Architecture. But really it's taken on a life of its own. Cross Platform Next Generation Architecture actually does a reasonable job, but actually we never use an expanded name, it's just XNA now, it's not an acronym.
Chris Satchell, the general manager of Microsoft's game-development group, was one of the speakers at an XNA event at the UK's University of Warwick held to publicise the toolset to academics and students. GameSpot sat down with Satchell to find out more about XNA.
GameSpot UK: You say that there's a lack of people going into computer science--why do you think that is, and what do you think can be done about it?
Chris Satchell: To a lot of people it might be that they're not sure how relevant it really is. They look at perhaps the topics and perhaps they're like, AMI, graphics, what do these things mean to me? And I think that's why gaming's really important, because it might be relevant. They get gaming--a lot of people love to play console games. So then they see why all that stuff would be useful. And I think that can help really attract people to universities, and, anecdotally, that's what we hear--as soon as universities add a heavy gaming component to a course, they will normally sell out the course, and people get really excited about it. And then when they start it, they think, "Oh! This other computer science stuff is cool, and this maths stuff, well that's pretty cool, too."
I think it's really important to get people interested because the numbers of people coming into this industry is going down and it's important to find ways to get new people in. And of course, that goal is really important long-term. If we can use gaming and XNA Express as a way of getting people excited, and help get people in to the industry, then that's a really important thing to do.
GSUK: Why do you think the passion has gone out of the industry?
CS: The big productions are cool, and they can produce things like Gears of War, which is just amazing. But--and this is almost one of my biggest peeves--the passion has been lost when it comes to one individual thinking they've got a great idea and that they can use that idea to go out and be successful, and I don't need a 200-person team and I don't need three years and $25 million to do it. If I've got a good idea, then that's enough.
And while I was growing up, me and my friends felt that passion. It's like people when they play guitar, when they first start playing they think, "Hey! I can make it big! All I've got to do is keep practising, and get good, and get a band together, and we can make it!" I think now, all that kind of enthusiasm has gone because it is just so difficult to get games out now. You do see some of it at the IGF and places like that, but how can you get more people to feel the passion?
GSUK: Do you think that programming used to be cool but now it isn't?
CS: Computer science, cool?! Well, I don't know that I'd ever have described it as cool per se, but I think what [being a hobbyist] did was get me really passionate about it--I'd already got how much fun it was to build something on a computer and have it work and be able to edit it, so it felt very natural...
And now I think because you can't build games for your console, whereas you could before for your Commodore 64, people don't do that anymore. What they do instead is go to university and they don't want to do computer science, they go and they do something else because it's more relevant to their life. So before when people were doing it at home, then they would look at courses in computer science and think it was a really kind of cool thing to do. It's like the joke--apart from the cars, the money, and the fame, we're exactly like rock stars.
GSUK: How did the idea for XNA come about?
CS: In early 2004, as we were getting ready for GDC, a lot of us had been working in professional games for a long time, and as we were talking about this theme we really started to crystallise this idea that the industry was growing and there were heaps of things happening but there were also some problems at the core of it--how hard it was to make games, how hard it was to make them for cross-platforms, and the amount of people we need in the industry to do it.
We saw that creativity was getting stifled, but that doesn't mean that there aren't brilliant people like Peter Molyneux making amazing games, but it means that it feels a bit like there are a lot of sequels. And how would we get to a point where it was easier, you could do it with less people, you could do it across platforms, and spur that creativity again.
That was really the impetus that started us and then, as we moved on, we realised that there's a lot of creativity out there and sort of developer segments that we don't really deal with a lot. We'd always dealt with the professional developers and tried to give them the very best technologies, but then we hadn't really done a lot to enable hobbyists, independent developers, emerging markets, students, and academia. Why don't we do something for them, because there's a ton of creativity there and a ton of drive to do it, how do we enable them?
And that's really where we started on this track of making Game Studio Express--to make it easier, to open up the console and let people develop. And that really started about a year ago, when we'd already been working on these technologies and we realised that we could really do something different here.
GSUK: Tell us about your personal hobbyist days.
CS: Before I owned my own computer we had Commodore PETs at my school computer club, as well as BBC Micros, and then my first computer was an Atari 800, and I just started to try and do really simple games like you know, a classic apple-catcher game, you know, a guy moving across the bottom of the screen catching falling apples, I saw one in a magazine and got really inspired by it, so I'd just try different games like that.
Then I moved up to the Commodore 64, and the ZX Spectrum, and I think it's really like music, you tend to build games that you're influenced by, so I started trying to do a scrolling shoot-'em-up game, puzzle games, and then on to the Amiga--by then I was getting into more complex games, some 3D shooter-type games, and lots of strategy and tactics games for some reason. I was always trying to make computer versions of the tactical board games. Then it was on from there to university and then I started working for professional developer studios.
GSUK: Sony has gone the opposite way to Microsoft on homebrew. It seems to actively try to block people from doing it. Why do you think it does that?
CS: With Net Yaroze, I think it was a great idea, and I think the problem with it was that people already had the game console, and then they had to go buy another, more expensive one, and it was a difficult environment. With Linux on PS2, again, you've sort of opened it up, but now it's way too difficult to do anything. You have to give people great tools to make it easy for them.
GSUK: What's your opinion on that kind of mentality?
CS: The [PlayStation Portable] homebrew is interesting, because the most excitement I ever see about the PSP is with the homebrew, and for some unknown reason Sony keep[s] trying to stop it. It's this sort of fear of the community and really what we think is you have to embrace the community, give them a way to be creative, instead of always trying to fight them.
GSUK: What are the limitations of XNA? What can't you do with it?
CS: In the initial version one of the things you can't do is networking on the 360. On the Xbox 360 we haven't got the network infrastructure done yet, but it's definitely coming. We just didn't manage to get it in version one. One limitation at the moment is that it's all managed code, not native code. Personally, I actually think that's an improvement to the development environment. You can do high-end games and you can do simple, easy games.
GSUK: What do you think's the best way to jump in with XNA?
CS: Take a starter kit and modify it. That's a really great way of getting your first thing done. That way, you'll very quickly get your first experience: It's a great way to just get started.
GSUK: What kind of stuff are you expecting to see from XNA?
CS: I think what people will do this year and early on in 2007, is very much focus more on the smaller, more casual games. The kind of things you can get on XBL arcade. But I think over time we will see people doing bigger projects with it.
GSUK: Can you make a game with XNA and sell it? Or is it all about exposure?
CS: With the Windows games, absolutely. If you wanted to sell [something you've made with XNA], go for your life.
GSUK: Finally, can you tell us what the letters "XNA" stand for?
CS: It started off standing for Cross Platform Next Generation Architecture. But really it's taken on a life of its own. Cross Platform Next Generation Architecture actually does a reasonable job, but actually we never use an expanded name, it's just XNA now, it's not an acronym.
Denmark faces dev skills shortage
COPENHAGEN--The future of games development in Denmark, and the national IT industry as a whole, could be under threat within five years because not enough high school students are opting for an appropriate level of high-level mathematics courses. This year only 10,000 students will study the subject at a sufficiently high enough level to allow them to pursue IT-related degrees at the university level. It is estimated that the figure required to maintain current levels of growth in the game industry should be nearer 35,000.
These concerns were raised by Soren Hebsgaard, manager of developer and platform strategy at Microsoft Denmark who spoke at a conference organised by CCP Games, the creators of EVE Online. The event, attended by journalists from around Europe, looked at the subject of narrative worlds and how different types of massively multiplayer online games approach the topic.
Hebsgaard went on to describe his notion of "gaming 2.0," which aligns the game industry with current ideas around "Web 2.0" and the trend that sees more user-generated content springing up not just across the Internet, but also within multiplayer online worlds. Linking the possibility of the "democratisation" of games development with the recent launch of Microsoft's XNA platform, Hebsgaard is hopeful that where the industry is failing to attract high school students, XNA might enthuse a new generation of bedroom programmers to spring up.
Also speaking at the event was Mark Wallace, journalist and 3pointD.com blogger. He compared how gamers relate to avatars in MMOGs as opposed to the way they do in more linear games, and listed four ingredients in a "primordial soup that gives way to these beings."
These were: complexity and the resulting breadth of choice for a player, agency and a significance to a player's actions, a sense of conflict, and critical mass of population. He went on to compare the social dynamics of small and large virtual worlds to those found in villages and cities in real life, and made the point that different-size worlds will tend to operate in significantly different ways.
Finally, the conference heard from EVE Online's senior producer, Nathan Richardsson, who explained some of the reasoning behind the game's development choices. He pointed out the differences between two approaches--the theme park approach, which is easy to access and has mass appeal, and the playground approach, which is nonlinear and has realism and depth.
His belief was that EVE Online contained around 80 percent playground and 20 percent theme park environments, and stated that while the game's player-versus-player content probably lost the game subscribers, it was crucial to the concept of risk in the game. In EVE Online there are high penalties for player "death," ranging from the loss of ships and equipment to the loss of skill points that have built up over time, although there are ways to insure yourself against such a loss.
The event ended with a new trailer showing more details from the Revelations expansion, and some indication of the graphical upgrades that players might expect from it.
These concerns were raised by Soren Hebsgaard, manager of developer and platform strategy at Microsoft Denmark who spoke at a conference organised by CCP Games, the creators of EVE Online. The event, attended by journalists from around Europe, looked at the subject of narrative worlds and how different types of massively multiplayer online games approach the topic.
Hebsgaard went on to describe his notion of "gaming 2.0," which aligns the game industry with current ideas around "Web 2.0" and the trend that sees more user-generated content springing up not just across the Internet, but also within multiplayer online worlds. Linking the possibility of the "democratisation" of games development with the recent launch of Microsoft's XNA platform, Hebsgaard is hopeful that where the industry is failing to attract high school students, XNA might enthuse a new generation of bedroom programmers to spring up.
Also speaking at the event was Mark Wallace, journalist and 3pointD.com blogger. He compared how gamers relate to avatars in MMOGs as opposed to the way they do in more linear games, and listed four ingredients in a "primordial soup that gives way to these beings."
These were: complexity and the resulting breadth of choice for a player, agency and a significance to a player's actions, a sense of conflict, and critical mass of population. He went on to compare the social dynamics of small and large virtual worlds to those found in villages and cities in real life, and made the point that different-size worlds will tend to operate in significantly different ways.
Finally, the conference heard from EVE Online's senior producer, Nathan Richardsson, who explained some of the reasoning behind the game's development choices. He pointed out the differences between two approaches--the theme park approach, which is easy to access and has mass appeal, and the playground approach, which is nonlinear and has realism and depth.
His belief was that EVE Online contained around 80 percent playground and 20 percent theme park environments, and stated that while the game's player-versus-player content probably lost the game subscribers, it was crucial to the concept of risk in the game. In EVE Online there are high penalties for player "death," ranging from the loss of ships and equipment to the loss of skill points that have built up over time, although there are ways to insure yourself against such a loss.
The event ended with a new trailer showing more details from the Revelations expansion, and some indication of the graphical upgrades that players might expect from it.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
PC game charts: November 26-December 2
There's big money to be had in fake lives. Electronic Arts claimed a full half of the top 10 PC games charts for the week of November 26 to December 2--including the top spot--thanks primarily to its lighthearted life-simulating franchise, The Sims.
According to the industry-tracking NPD Group, EA's The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack sold more copies than any other PC game for the week and led a quartet of Sims 2 products into the top 10 chart. The original Sims 2 came in seventh, while the Glamour Life Stuff and Happy Holiday Stuff add-ons landed in fifth and eighth, respectively. EA's fifth and final game in the top 10, the futuristic first-person shooter Battlefield 2142, was the ninth best-selling title for the week.
With Black Friday behind the industry, game retailers saw the average selling prices for a number of its titles return to their previous ranges. Microsoft's deluxe package for Flight Simulator X flew off shelves enough to warrant a fourth place standing in the charts, but the game sold for an average of $66 a pop, compared to the $29 it garnered the week before. Consumers also found Desperate Housewives not as cheap as last week, as the Buena Vista Games offering slid six spots to 10th place as its average selling price jumped from $9 to $16.
According to the industry-tracking NPD Group, EA's The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack sold more copies than any other PC game for the week and led a quartet of Sims 2 products into the top 10 chart. The original Sims 2 came in seventh, while the Glamour Life Stuff and Happy Holiday Stuff add-ons landed in fifth and eighth, respectively. EA's fifth and final game in the top 10, the futuristic first-person shooter Battlefield 2142, was the ninth best-selling title for the week.
With Black Friday behind the industry, game retailers saw the average selling prices for a number of its titles return to their previous ranges. Microsoft's deluxe package for Flight Simulator X flew off shelves enough to warrant a fourth place standing in the charts, but the game sold for an average of $66 a pop, compared to the $29 it garnered the week before. Consumers also found Desperate Housewives not as cheap as last week, as the Buena Vista Games offering slid six spots to 10th place as its average selling price jumped from $9 to $16.
Obsidian developing Sega's Alien RPG
Some acclaimed creative minds have been involved in the Alien franchise, including directors Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher, who crafted the sterile, spooky sci-fi movies, and Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger, who created the looks for the titular creatures.
Gamers can add one more name to that list, as Sega today announced that role-playing game specialist Obsidian Entertainment is developing the upcoming RPG set in the Alien universe.
The game, which as of now remains untitled, is coming to PCs and "next-generation systems." Sega has not dated the project but on Monday said that the first Alien-licensed game wouldn't arrive before 2009. No further details of the game were mentioned.
With Monday's announcement, Sega also revealed that a first-person shooter based on the movies was also in development but did not reveal the game's developer. However, Internet reports, including one from Gaming Target, noticed a few company names in the copyrights on Sega's Alien teaser page.
Along with mention of Obsidian, which was confirmed today, was Gearbox Software, the team behind the Brothers in Arms franchise. The two names were quickly removed, according to Gaming Target, and as of press time and following today's news, Obsidian's name was back on the page.
Sega did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.
Gamers can add one more name to that list, as Sega today announced that role-playing game specialist Obsidian Entertainment is developing the upcoming RPG set in the Alien universe.
The game, which as of now remains untitled, is coming to PCs and "next-generation systems." Sega has not dated the project but on Monday said that the first Alien-licensed game wouldn't arrive before 2009. No further details of the game were mentioned.
With Monday's announcement, Sega also revealed that a first-person shooter based on the movies was also in development but did not reveal the game's developer. However, Internet reports, including one from Gaming Target, noticed a few company names in the copyrights on Sega's Alien teaser page.
Along with mention of Obsidian, which was confirmed today, was Gearbox Software, the team behind the Brothers in Arms franchise. The two names were quickly removed, according to Gaming Target, and as of press time and following today's news, Obsidian's name was back on the page.
Sega did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
MLB: The Show gets extra innings on PS3
Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings have just wrapped up, with several baseball players signing deals for outrageous amounts of money to play with new teams or stay with their previous squads.
Sony made its own baseball deal recently, announcing that it was bringing the MLB: The Show series back for extra innings. MLB 07: The Show was announced today for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
MLB 07: The Show adds online league play, lets gamers compete in online leagues of up to 30 teams (Sony did not specify which platforms this feature would be available for). Baseball fans can also tinker with the game's sliders and upload them to servers for others to try out.
The series' pitching has been given the most changes in the upcoming edition of the franchise. Catchers will recommend pitches based on hitters' tendencies, or players can shake off the backstop and simply throw what they want. Like the sport it emulates, MLB 07 will also feature finicky umpires, with their own strike zones and tendencies.
The atmosphere of baseball is being focused on in the PS3 version, with the addition of crowd animations, including tussles for foul balls, the seventh inning stretch, and the wave. Sony is also adding correct grips and arm angles for different pitch types for true students of the game.
MLB 07: The Show has not yet been rated or priced and will be available in spring 2007.
Sony made its own baseball deal recently, announcing that it was bringing the MLB: The Show series back for extra innings. MLB 07: The Show was announced today for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
MLB 07: The Show adds online league play, lets gamers compete in online leagues of up to 30 teams (Sony did not specify which platforms this feature would be available for). Baseball fans can also tinker with the game's sliders and upload them to servers for others to try out.
The series' pitching has been given the most changes in the upcoming edition of the franchise. Catchers will recommend pitches based on hitters' tendencies, or players can shake off the backstop and simply throw what they want. Like the sport it emulates, MLB 07 will also feature finicky umpires, with their own strike zones and tendencies.
The atmosphere of baseball is being focused on in the PS3 version, with the addition of crowd animations, including tussles for foul balls, the seventh inning stretch, and the wave. Sony is also adding correct grips and arm angles for different pitch types for true students of the game.
MLB 07: The Show has not yet been rated or priced and will be available in spring 2007.
UK Game Charts: December 3-9
Electronic Arts' FIFA 07 scooped the top slot in the UK all-formats games chart for the third consecutive week, with Need for Speed Carbon again spinning its wheels at number two. Pro Evolution Soccer 6 moved up one place to three, swapping places with Activision's Call of Duty 3, which fell one slot to fourth position.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess debuted at the number five slot, making it the highest new entry this week. In total, six of the 14 Wii launch games made it into the all-formats top 40, including Wii Play (which can be bought only as a bundle with the Wii Remote) at nine, Red Steel at 19, and Rayman Raving Rabbids at 30.
There are also a total of 14 Nintendo DS games in the top 40, including Yoshi's Island DS at 36--which almost doubled sales in its second week of release--and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Brain Age in the US) still hanging on in the charts at 13.
Those figures mean that Nintendo has a total of 20 games for its formats in the top 40 this week.
The biggest climber of the week was Project Gotham Racing 3, up 14 spots to 22, whereas the dubious honour of the biggest freefall goes to Bratz: Forever Diamondz, down nine ticks to 20.
This Friday's releases include five for the Wii: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Super Fruit Fall, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab, and Gottlieb Pinball Classics. Other titles due include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the GameCube, Sniper Assault for the PlayStation 2, and The Sims 2: Pets for the PSP.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess debuted at the number five slot, making it the highest new entry this week. In total, six of the 14 Wii launch games made it into the all-formats top 40, including Wii Play (which can be bought only as a bundle with the Wii Remote) at nine, Red Steel at 19, and Rayman Raving Rabbids at 30.
There are also a total of 14 Nintendo DS games in the top 40, including Yoshi's Island DS at 36--which almost doubled sales in its second week of release--and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Brain Age in the US) still hanging on in the charts at 13.
Those figures mean that Nintendo has a total of 20 games for its formats in the top 40 this week.
The biggest climber of the week was Project Gotham Racing 3, up 14 spots to 22, whereas the dubious honour of the biggest freefall goes to Bratz: Forever Diamondz, down nine ticks to 20.
This Friday's releases include five for the Wii: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Super Fruit Fall, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab, and Gottlieb Pinball Classics. Other titles due include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the GameCube, Sniper Assault for the PlayStation 2, and The Sims 2: Pets for the PSP.
Retail Radar: GameStop offering imports
Importing games has traditionally been a niche activity in the US, with few consumers willing to deal with language barriers, bypassing regional lockouts, and finding a good source to buy games from just to play games from other countries.
But things are changing. Language barriers can still be a concern, but regional lockouts are becoming less common, with the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo DS all being region-free systems as far as games go. (Regional locks on the Xbox 360 are determined by the publisher.) The availability looks to be getting better as well, if GameStop's product listings are any indication.
GameStop is currently accepting preorders for a pair of Japanese DS games that it expects to ship this month. The more prominent of the two is Jump Superstars, Nintendo's crossover fighting game featuring more than 150 characters from 27 manga and anime series that have appeared in Shonen Jump magazine. Among the properties included are Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. In the past, games specific to those franchises have been released in the US by Atari, Capcom, Namco Bandai Games, and Konami.
GameStop is charging $49.99 for Jump Superstars, and expects it to ship December 27. The game was originally released in Japan last year, and has already spawned a sequel there, Jump Ultimate Stars.
Also on offer is Naruto: Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 4, the latest DS fighting game based on the anime and manga series. The game costs $39.99, and according to GameStop's product page, it was expected to ship today.
As of press time, a GameStop representative had not returned GameSpot's request for comment on the company's importing plans.
Please note, while retailer listings frequently give gamers a heads up on unannounced news, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's release date, platform, or even its existence.
But things are changing. Language barriers can still be a concern, but regional lockouts are becoming less common, with the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo DS all being region-free systems as far as games go. (Regional locks on the Xbox 360 are determined by the publisher.) The availability looks to be getting better as well, if GameStop's product listings are any indication.
GameStop is currently accepting preorders for a pair of Japanese DS games that it expects to ship this month. The more prominent of the two is Jump Superstars, Nintendo's crossover fighting game featuring more than 150 characters from 27 manga and anime series that have appeared in Shonen Jump magazine. Among the properties included are Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. In the past, games specific to those franchises have been released in the US by Atari, Capcom, Namco Bandai Games, and Konami.
GameStop is charging $49.99 for Jump Superstars, and expects it to ship December 27. The game was originally released in Japan last year, and has already spawned a sequel there, Jump Ultimate Stars.
Also on offer is Naruto: Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 4, the latest DS fighting game based on the anime and manga series. The game costs $39.99, and according to GameStop's product page, it was expected to ship today.
As of press time, a GameStop representative had not returned GameSpot's request for comment on the company's importing plans.
Please note, while retailer listings frequently give gamers a heads up on unannounced news, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's release date, platform, or even its existence.
Cop not charged in PS3 shooting
A series of crimes has dogged the US launch of Sony's PlayStation 3. So far in the life of the console, which sells for an average of just under $1,200 on eBay, there have been shootings, muggings, and thefts.
In one instance, a student who had waited in line for three days to get his hands on two of the consoles was battered with a blunt object while unloading the PS3s from his car. The consoles were stolen during the assault. Some two weeks later, police served warrants on two other students suspected of being involved in the assault. During the raid on one of the residences, in which the Emergency Response Team (ERT) was called in to support the campus police, suspect Peyton Strickland was fatally shot.
Christopher Long, who had been a deputy since 1996 and had participated in the raid, was fired from his post on December 8 by Sheriff Sid Causey. Yesterday Long was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder by a New Hanover County grand jury, according to the local paper, The Wilmington Star News.
During the raid, the officers could see into the residence through three glass window panes on the front door. According to an official report, the officers watched Strickland approach the door, look through the window, and then walk away. Previously, Strickland's roommate Michael Rhoton had said that the youth might have been holding a PS3 controller as he approached the door, leading some to speculate that the officers mistook the black object in his hand for a weapon, but no mention was made of the controller in grand jury testimony. It was stated, however, that the student was unarmed.
The officers ordered him to open the door and another sheriff's deputy began using a battering ram to enter the premises. Officer Long confused the sound of the battering ram striking the door with gunfire, and fired shots, the autopsy later reported. Strickland was shot in the shoulder and in the head--the fatal shot had ricocheted off another object into his skull.
Two other deputies, currently on paid leave, have been cleared of any wrongdoing.
[UPDATE] In a dramatic turn of events, murder charges against Long have been dismissed, after the grand jury foreman admitted to incorrectly checking the wrong box that would decide Long's fate.
Upon hearing the news, Strickland's parents released the following statement: "Yesterday, our son's murderer was going to have to answer for what he did. Today, we just don't know what is going on in Wilmington. We are upset, confused and searching for answers."
In one instance, a student who had waited in line for three days to get his hands on two of the consoles was battered with a blunt object while unloading the PS3s from his car. The consoles were stolen during the assault. Some two weeks later, police served warrants on two other students suspected of being involved in the assault. During the raid on one of the residences, in which the Emergency Response Team (ERT) was called in to support the campus police, suspect Peyton Strickland was fatally shot.
Christopher Long, who had been a deputy since 1996 and had participated in the raid, was fired from his post on December 8 by Sheriff Sid Causey. Yesterday Long was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder by a New Hanover County grand jury, according to the local paper, The Wilmington Star News.
During the raid, the officers could see into the residence through three glass window panes on the front door. According to an official report, the officers watched Strickland approach the door, look through the window, and then walk away. Previously, Strickland's roommate Michael Rhoton had said that the youth might have been holding a PS3 controller as he approached the door, leading some to speculate that the officers mistook the black object in his hand for a weapon, but no mention was made of the controller in grand jury testimony. It was stated, however, that the student was unarmed.
The officers ordered him to open the door and another sheriff's deputy began using a battering ram to enter the premises. Officer Long confused the sound of the battering ram striking the door with gunfire, and fired shots, the autopsy later reported. Strickland was shot in the shoulder and in the head--the fatal shot had ricocheted off another object into his skull.
Two other deputies, currently on paid leave, have been cleared of any wrongdoing.
[UPDATE] In a dramatic turn of events, murder charges against Long have been dismissed, after the grand jury foreman admitted to incorrectly checking the wrong box that would decide Long's fate.
Upon hearing the news, Strickland's parents released the following statement: "Yesterday, our son's murderer was going to have to answer for what he did. Today, we just don't know what is going on in Wilmington. We are upset, confused and searching for answers."
Dragon Quest IX exclusive to DS
Though not exactly a household name for gamers here in the United States, the Dragon Quest series is one of the most popular gaming franchises in Japan. The release of Dragon Quest VIII in Japan was met with the same frenzy that typically accompanies the release of the latest edition of another Square Enix franchise, Final Fantasy.
Square Enix released Dragon Quest VIII on the PlayStation 2, which was a great boon for Sony. However, it appears as though the benefactor of Dragon Quest IX will be one of Sony's rivals. Forbes reports that Dragon Quest IX has been announced as an exclusive for the Nintendo DS.
Some analysts think this could be a big blow against Sony, as the Dragon Quest franchise is considered a top-tier franchise and has sold more than 41 million copies worldwide. Hiroshi Kamide, analyst at KBC Securities, said the decision to put Dragon Quest IX exclusively on the DS "was rather unexpected, so it's not a huge vote of confidence for the PlayStation 3," reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Square is also preparing a Dragon Quest game for the Wii, due early next year, and recently released Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, a series spin-off, for the DS.
Square Enix released Dragon Quest VIII on the PlayStation 2, which was a great boon for Sony. However, it appears as though the benefactor of Dragon Quest IX will be one of Sony's rivals. Forbes reports that Dragon Quest IX has been announced as an exclusive for the Nintendo DS.
Some analysts think this could be a big blow against Sony, as the Dragon Quest franchise is considered a top-tier franchise and has sold more than 41 million copies worldwide. Hiroshi Kamide, analyst at KBC Securities, said the decision to put Dragon Quest IX exclusively on the DS "was rather unexpected, so it's not a huge vote of confidence for the PlayStation 3," reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Square is also preparing a Dragon Quest game for the Wii, due early next year, and recently released Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, a series spin-off, for the DS.
Age of Conan dawning on 360
The world of Conan the Cimmerian, the fantasy barbarian of legend created by Robert E. Howard, portrayed in films by Arnold Schwarzenegger and re-created in several games, is returning to consoles. Funcom today announced that the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been approved for the Xbox 360 by Microsoft.
While this is good news for 360 fans who yearn to crush their enemies, see them driven before them, and hear the lamentations of their women, it isn't especially surprising. In April, rumors first began circulating that the developers had been working on a version of the game for Microsoft's next-gen console. Those rumors were further fueled in July, when Funcom announced a publishing deal for the PC version of the game with Eidos that also noted that the companies wanted to bring the game to the console market.
No release date was named for the Xbox 360 edition of the game, but a Funcom representative said it will definitely be after the PC version launches (currently expected between March and May of next year). And while the representative said Funcom has been pleased with its partnership with Eidos so far, the publisher has not been signed yet to handle Age of Conan for the Xbox 360. Funcom said it would have more information about the game, including "potential console-specific features," at a later date.
Combining action RPG elements with the MMORPG genre, Age of Conan was named GameSpot's Best Massively Multiplayer Game of E3 2006, beating out competition including EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
While this is good news for 360 fans who yearn to crush their enemies, see them driven before them, and hear the lamentations of their women, it isn't especially surprising. In April, rumors first began circulating that the developers had been working on a version of the game for Microsoft's next-gen console. Those rumors were further fueled in July, when Funcom announced a publishing deal for the PC version of the game with Eidos that also noted that the companies wanted to bring the game to the console market.
No release date was named for the Xbox 360 edition of the game, but a Funcom representative said it will definitely be after the PC version launches (currently expected between March and May of next year). And while the representative said Funcom has been pleased with its partnership with Eidos so far, the publisher has not been signed yet to handle Age of Conan for the Xbox 360. Funcom said it would have more information about the game, including "potential console-specific features," at a later date.
Combining action RPG elements with the MMORPG genre, Age of Conan was named GameSpot's Best Massively Multiplayer Game of E3 2006, beating out competition including EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
The Sims are in Season
Electronic Arts today announced a fifth add-on pack for the popular PC game series The Sims 2. The new addition, named The Sims 2 Seasons, will add the four seasons of the year to the game. The additions won't merely be cosmetic, as each will impact the sims' relationships, moods, skills, and careers in a unique way.
New activities such as building snowmen, ice skating, and playing games like Marco Polo in the pool have been added, and a fresh new wardrobe including summer dresses and ear muffs will keep sims looking sharp.
Other new content includes six new career paths to follow (gaming, adventure, music, law, journalism, and education) as well as new weather effects (snowstorms, thunderstorms, lightning bolts, and hailstones). The sims can also now harvest fruits and vegetables to make into energy drinks and love potions and can master new talents including gardening and catching fresh fish.
The Sims series, which has the player create virtual people and then furnish their houses, get them jobs, and try to advance their careers and personal relationships, has become one of the most successful games of all time and has been translated into 17 languages.
The Sims 2 Seasons will be released in Europe on February 23 and in the US on February 27. The expansion requires a full copy of The Sims 2 to play.
New activities such as building snowmen, ice skating, and playing games like Marco Polo in the pool have been added, and a fresh new wardrobe including summer dresses and ear muffs will keep sims looking sharp.
Other new content includes six new career paths to follow (gaming, adventure, music, law, journalism, and education) as well as new weather effects (snowstorms, thunderstorms, lightning bolts, and hailstones). The sims can also now harvest fruits and vegetables to make into energy drinks and love potions and can master new talents including gardening and catching fresh fish.
The Sims series, which has the player create virtual people and then furnish their houses, get them jobs, and try to advance their careers and personal relationships, has become one of the most successful games of all time and has been translated into 17 languages.
The Sims 2 Seasons will be released in Europe on February 23 and in the US on February 27. The expansion requires a full copy of The Sims 2 to play.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Brits buy 50,000 Wiis in 12 hours
With each region the Wii is released in, impressive sales numbers have followed. American gamers bought 600,000 Wiis in the system's first eight days in North America. In Japan, 372,000 Wiis were sold in just two days. Late last week the Wii went on sale in Europe, and the first sales figures are in.
Nintendo says 50,000 Wiis were sold in the UK in the console's first 12 hours on the market. That translates to more than one console sold every second.
The Mario factory has yet to announce how many units were shipped to Europe, and as in other regions, the Wii remains a hard find for gamers.
"We are doing everything we can to meet demand throughout Christmas and the new year," said Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton.
Nintendo says 50,000 Wiis were sold in the UK in the console's first 12 hours on the market. That translates to more than one console sold every second.
The Mario factory has yet to announce how many units were shipped to Europe, and as in other regions, the Wii remains a hard find for gamers.
"We are doing everything we can to meet demand throughout Christmas and the new year," said Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton.
Aliens to spawn on next-gen systems
Hot on the heels of Scarface: The World Is Yours, The Godfather, and Reservoir Dogs, another old movie license has been dusted off to be turned into a game. The latest dormant property to see a gaming revival is the Alien series of sci-fi horror films. Sega and 20th Century Fox today announced that they would be bringing the acid-blooded extraterrestrials back to the world of console gaming.
Fans of the series can expect to see it adapted a number of ways, as the companies have confirmed that several Alien games--including a first-person shooter and a role-playing game--are currently in preproduction, with the first game scheduled to be released in 2009. The games will be for currently undisclosed "next-generation gaming systems."
The first Alien film came out in 1979, starring Sigourney Weaver as Lieutenant Ripley of the commercial spaceship Nostromo, which intercepts a distress call from a nearby planet. While investigating the planet, one of the crew becomes impregnated by an alien. Three sequels were made from the original, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection. The franchise has also yielded a crossover spin-off in Alien Vs. Predator.
This is not the first time either company has adapted the sci-fi series for gaming. In 1993, Sega released the arcade game Alien 3: The Gun, while the Fox Interactive brand scored a hit with the PC first-person shooting series Alien Versus Predator. Other publishers to tackle the franchise in interactive form include Electronic Arts (Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction for PlayStation 2), Konami (Aliens for the arcade), Capcom (Alien Vs. Predator for the arcade), and the former incarnation of Acclaim (Alien Trilogy and Alien 3 for multiple platforms).
This is the second announcement of a Sega-made movie adaptation in as many months. In November, the publisher confirmed it had signed a deal for next-gen games based on Marvel's upcoming Iron Man film. The company is also making a next-gen game based on another, still unannounced, Marvel superhero license.
Fans of the series can expect to see it adapted a number of ways, as the companies have confirmed that several Alien games--including a first-person shooter and a role-playing game--are currently in preproduction, with the first game scheduled to be released in 2009. The games will be for currently undisclosed "next-generation gaming systems."
The first Alien film came out in 1979, starring Sigourney Weaver as Lieutenant Ripley of the commercial spaceship Nostromo, which intercepts a distress call from a nearby planet. While investigating the planet, one of the crew becomes impregnated by an alien. Three sequels were made from the original, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection. The franchise has also yielded a crossover spin-off in Alien Vs. Predator.
This is not the first time either company has adapted the sci-fi series for gaming. In 1993, Sega released the arcade game Alien 3: The Gun, while the Fox Interactive brand scored a hit with the PC first-person shooting series Alien Versus Predator. Other publishers to tackle the franchise in interactive form include Electronic Arts (Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction for PlayStation 2), Konami (Aliens for the arcade), Capcom (Alien Vs. Predator for the arcade), and the former incarnation of Acclaim (Alien Trilogy and Alien 3 for multiple platforms).
This is the second announcement of a Sega-made movie adaptation in as many months. In November, the publisher confirmed it had signed a deal for next-gen games based on Marvel's upcoming Iron Man film. The company is also making a next-gen game based on another, still unannounced, Marvel superhero license.
Assault Heroes to assault XBL
Microsoft continues its Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program this week with Sierra Online's Assault Heroes. The game, developed by Wanako Studios, will be available at 1 a.m. on Wednesday for 800 points ($10).
Assault Heroes is an arcade-style, top-down-perspective shooter in which gamers steer heavily armed 4x4s, drive souped-up motorboats, or go at it on foot against wave after wave of enemies. Armed with weapons such as flamethrowers, grenades, and flak cannons, players can take on the challenge alone or play cooperatively with a friend online or offline.
Assault Heroes is rated T for Teen. For more information, read GameSpot's
Assault Heroes is an arcade-style, top-down-perspective shooter in which gamers steer heavily armed 4x4s, drive souped-up motorboats, or go at it on foot against wave after wave of enemies. Armed with weapons such as flamethrowers, grenades, and flak cannons, players can take on the challenge alone or play cooperatively with a friend online or offline.
Assault Heroes is rated T for Teen. For more information, read GameSpot's
Microsoft releases XNA Studio Express
Most of the community aspect of the Xbox 360 has been made famous by Xbox Live. But when Microsoft says they want gamers to be involved with the Xbox 360, most didn't realize they mean actually making games.
Today, Microsoft released XNA Game Studio Express, a suite of applications and tools designed to facilitate game design by eliminating the need to write repetitive code.
The download is free from Microsoft's XNA Web site, and requires a Windows XP-based PC. The kit itself is based on the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition and Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework.
Also debuting today is the XNA Creators Club through Xbox Live Marketplace. Those who join the group will have access to various resources, including assets, samples, and white papers from game vets. The XNA Creators Club costs $49 for four months or $99 for a full-year membership.
"The XNA Creators Club is really the first of its kind--an opportunity to join a community of other developers who are empowered to bring their game ideas to life on a next-generation console system," said Microsoft's general manager of the Game Developer Group Chris Satchell. "What users will see today is just the beginning of the plans we have to revolutionize game development one creative game idea at a time."
Today, Microsoft released XNA Game Studio Express, a suite of applications and tools designed to facilitate game design by eliminating the need to write repetitive code.
The download is free from Microsoft's XNA Web site, and requires a Windows XP-based PC. The kit itself is based on the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition and Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework.
Also debuting today is the XNA Creators Club through Xbox Live Marketplace. Those who join the group will have access to various resources, including assets, samples, and white papers from game vets. The XNA Creators Club costs $49 for four months or $99 for a full-year membership.
"The XNA Creators Club is really the first of its kind--an opportunity to join a community of other developers who are empowered to bring their game ideas to life on a next-generation console system," said Microsoft's general manager of the Game Developer Group Chris Satchell. "What users will see today is just the beginning of the plans we have to revolutionize game development one creative game idea at a time."
Take-Two feels heat in $$ scandal
The execs at Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive, Inc. suffered yet another public humiliation. In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today and in a statement released to the public, investors, and the press, the Grand Theft Auo and Bully publisher outlined the conclusion of an internal investigation designed to ferret out wrongdoing related to the granting of stock options.
The ferret has spoken, and it has smelled a rat.
In a statement, the company said that an independent committee found "there were improprieties in the process of granting and documenting stock options and that incorrect measurement dates for certain stock option grants were used for financial accounting purposes."
The company said it will need to "restate historical financial statements to record non-cash charges for compensation expense relating to past stock option grants," and that "all consolidated financial statements, earnings releases and similar communications issued by the Company containing financial information for periods beginning 1997 through April 30, 2006 should no longer be relied upon."
According to the statement, the internal investigation--which could negate the financial reporting of Take-Two for the past 10 years--found no misconduct by either CEO and president Paul Eibeler or CFO Karl Winters.
Along with more than a hundred other publicly traded companies (including CNET Networks, the owner of GameSpot), Take-Two is under investigation by the SEC for practices related to the granting of stock options, specifically the back-dating of options, a practice which is designed to circumvent SEC rules and invariably puts more money into the pockets of a select group of company officials. Today's statement has no impact on that still-ongoing investigation announced in July.
The publisher is no stranger to the SEC, recently paying $7.5 million to settle an SEC lawsuit brought in 2005. The SEC alleged the company had overstated financial results from 2000 to 2001.
Today's news, released before the markets opened, erased Friday's uptick. On Friday, shares in the company rose 2.9 percent to $20.10 for the day; today, Take-Two shares shed 2.4 percent, closing at $19.66.
Financial writer Herb Greenberg stated in his MarketWatch blog today, "when you see such blatant wrongdoing, you can't help but wonder (with any company) where else the company might have been acting too aggressively for its own good...[and yet] investors continue to flock to Take-Two (and other stocks) as if all is well in its (their) world. Remarkable."
The ferret has spoken, and it has smelled a rat.
In a statement, the company said that an independent committee found "there were improprieties in the process of granting and documenting stock options and that incorrect measurement dates for certain stock option grants were used for financial accounting purposes."
The company said it will need to "restate historical financial statements to record non-cash charges for compensation expense relating to past stock option grants," and that "all consolidated financial statements, earnings releases and similar communications issued by the Company containing financial information for periods beginning 1997 through April 30, 2006 should no longer be relied upon."
According to the statement, the internal investigation--which could negate the financial reporting of Take-Two for the past 10 years--found no misconduct by either CEO and president Paul Eibeler or CFO Karl Winters.
Along with more than a hundred other publicly traded companies (including CNET Networks, the owner of GameSpot), Take-Two is under investigation by the SEC for practices related to the granting of stock options, specifically the back-dating of options, a practice which is designed to circumvent SEC rules and invariably puts more money into the pockets of a select group of company officials. Today's statement has no impact on that still-ongoing investigation announced in July.
The publisher is no stranger to the SEC, recently paying $7.5 million to settle an SEC lawsuit brought in 2005. The SEC alleged the company had overstated financial results from 2000 to 2001.
Today's news, released before the markets opened, erased Friday's uptick. On Friday, shares in the company rose 2.9 percent to $20.10 for the day; today, Take-Two shares shed 2.4 percent, closing at $19.66.
Financial writer Herb Greenberg stated in his MarketWatch blog today, "when you see such blatant wrongdoing, you can't help but wonder (with any company) where else the company might have been acting too aggressively for its own good...[and yet] investors continue to flock to Take-Two (and other stocks) as if all is well in its (their) world. Remarkable."
Red 5 taps some green
Red 5, a game developer composed primarily of former World of Warcraft designers, today said it secured $18.5 million in venture capital funding.
The investment comes from two well-respected VC firms: Benchmark Capital and Sierra Ventures. As reported earlier in GameSpot, Red 5 Studios was formed in September 2004 by a team of former World of Warcraft developers, including team lead Mark Kern. In addition to the team's work on WOW, its credentials include Diablo II, Warcraft III, and the Starcraft series. Red 5 staffers are currently working on a title to be published by Korean online game giant Webzen.
Of the investment, Benchmark general partner Bill Gurley told Reuters that "massive online games like World of Warcraft will become a dominant form of entertainment."
Coincidently, another Western developer with an upcoming title slated to be published by Webzen recently tapped its own funding. Last Friday, Real Time Worlds announced it had secured $31 million in funding.
The investment comes from two well-respected VC firms: Benchmark Capital and Sierra Ventures. As reported earlier in GameSpot, Red 5 Studios was formed in September 2004 by a team of former World of Warcraft developers, including team lead Mark Kern. In addition to the team's work on WOW, its credentials include Diablo II, Warcraft III, and the Starcraft series. Red 5 staffers are currently working on a title to be published by Korean online game giant Webzen.
Of the investment, Benchmark general partner Bill Gurley told Reuters that "massive online games like World of Warcraft will become a dominant form of entertainment."
Coincidently, another Western developer with an upcoming title slated to be published by Webzen recently tapped its own funding. Last Friday, Real Time Worlds announced it had secured $31 million in funding.
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