News and informations about video-games

Immersion and Microsoft End Six-Year Court Battle (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - After more than six years of disputes and battles between Immersion and Microsoft, the companies are waving white flags. After suing Microsoft for patent infringement on Xbox controller technology and winning, and then suing again for breach of a confidentiality agreement, Immersion will now pay Microsoft $20.75 million of the $26 million it received in a previous settlement.
Source : us.rd.yahoo.com | 27-août-2008 18:44

India's FXLabs Opens New Outsourcing Division

India development studio FXLabs says it's moving into outsourcing services, adding a new division to support publishers and developers who want to use their development and art teams. Hyderabad-based FXLabs will provide outsourcing services for PC and Flash games, and also offer 3D modeling, characters, props and environment models, rigging, texturing and animation. The studio staffs over 100 artists and game programmers, and claims to be the only team in India to develop a complete ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 15:04

Upcoming Competition To Benefit ESA Foundation Scholarships

The upcoming Level Up charity games competition in Austin will benefit the ESA Foundation's Scholarship Program, which provides tuition grants to women and minority students studying video games. GameRecruiter hosts the competition, set to take place alongside the Austin Game Developers Conference at the Four Seasons hotel. Gamers of all ages will compete on Rock Band 2, Madden 08, I-Play Bowling and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Their $20 competition entry fee per person will go ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 13:23

Wii Has Most Original IP, But Also Most 'Congestion'

Not only does Nintendo's Wii have a bigger slate of packaged releases than either Xbox 360 or PS3 -- a gap it stands to widen in the second half of the year -- but it has more original IP, too. According to a new Screen Digest report, some 40 titles based on new IP will release in the third quarter, and more than half of those will be Wii games. Part of this, the report ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 13:12

Rare's Bhalerao Co-Organizing Women In Games Conference

Rare senior software engineer Nicola Bhalerao is co-organizing this year's Women In Games Conference. Jane Sinclair and Sara Kalvala, both associate professors in Computer Science at Warwick University, are also co-organizing the event. The Women in Games Conference aims to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of issues relating to women's involvement in games, including game development, game playing, and women as portrayed within games. Held at the UK's Warwick University, the three-day event ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 13:12

PSP Sells 10+ Million In Japan

Sony has sold over 10 million PlayStation Portables in Japan since the handheld launched in the country in December 2004, according to an Enterbrain report described by newspaper The Economic Times. Enterbrain, a Japanese game industry research unit, confirms Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s (SCEI) previous announcement that its year-to-date PSP sales in Japan reached 10 million units, as of July 15th, 2008. Sony's portable has seen two major hardware redesigns, including the PSP Slim and ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 12:48

Feature: 'Defining Boundaries: Creating Credible Obstacles In Games, Part 2'

Sidhe designer Gareth Griffiths (Gripshift) sparked much debate with his previous article on invisible barriers in games -- and he returns with an in-depth design article, examining practical solutions for the problem. Sidhe notes that despite the point that we're playing "games," we still struggle with the issue of reality versus fantasy. If a game goes beyond the bounds of reality too much, we often hear players complaining that the action wouldn't be possible in ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 12:45

Nintendo Denies New DS Rumors

Nintendo denies rumors that it is developing a new "dual-touch" Nintendo DS with a larger display and two touch screens, after speculation by consumer sites suggested such a redesign might be in the works. Redesign rumors have abounded since sales of the DS Lite began to fall in Japan last year, despite continued strong sales in the West. Speculation increased following analyst comments, including those from Enterbrain president Hirokazu Hamamura and Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter, ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 12:13

Destineer To Publish Gammick Titles In U.S.

Barcelona-based Gammick Entertainment is partnering with Destineer to publish and distribute several Gammick titles in the U.S. Headquartered in Minneapolis, publisher Destineer intends to ship its first two titles from the Spanish producer -- Animal Boxing and Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ, both for the Nintendo DS -- in the U.S. in Q4 2008. Shoot 'em-up Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ, which is being developed by Enjoy Up (Chronos Twin), stars the eponymous ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 12:12

Red Mile Replaces Sin City Developer

Developer Transmission Games is no longer involved in the video game adaption of Sin City, according to comments made by publisher Red Mile Entertainment. Red Mile acquired the rights to Frank Miller's popular series of comic books in May 2007, with Transmission Games (Heroes of the Pacific) developing. Others involved in the production include the producer of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and Union Entertainment - who worked on The Red Star ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 11:55

Event Commentary: Nvision & The Ship In The Bottle

[Gamasutra publisher Simon Carless had a chance to visit Nvidia's Nvision 'visual computing' festival in San Jose, and brings this report on the show, real-time graphics creation, and the sometimes forgotten demo-scene.] Since it's - well - about 300 yards from my house, I had no excuse not to wander down to NVision 2008 in San Jose today to check out the graphics card maker's first ever 'visual computing' festival, encompassing everything from auto manufacturers ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 09:40

Critical Reception: Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia

This week's edition of the regular Critical Reception column examines online reaction to Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia, an Xbox 360 RPG that features "a wide-ranging story, compelling characters and an intense real-time battle system," according to reviews. Spanning multiple console generations and platforms including the Super NES, Gameboy Color, and the PlayStation and PS2, Namco's Tales RPG series has spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs in its 13-year history. Though the franchise remains popular in ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 08:51

UK Charts: Mario Kart Leads Nintendo Traffic Jam

There has been no movement at all in the whole UK top five this week, with few new releases of note. Now that it's freely available in stores, Mario Kart Wii was still the top-selling game after weeks of relatively limited stock. Its sales, and those of second-placer Wii Fit, were up by 12 percent this week. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (aka Brain Age) at number five also became a record-breaker this week, with a ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 27-août-2008 07:24

Microsoft, Immersion Settle 'Force Feedback' Lawsuit

Microsoft and Immersion Corporation have settled their long dispute over force feedback technology, with Immersion making a one-time payment of $20.75 million to the console manufacturer. The settlement regarding conflict over rumble in Xbox and PC game controllers, which also sees Immersion become a part of Microsoft's Certified Partner Program, concludes a corporate conflict that began in 2002 -- and actually returns much of the money that Microsoft paid to Immersion in the first place. ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 21:25

'Ratchet & Clank' leads wave of fresh PSN games (AP)
AP - Of the three video-game console manufacturers, Microsoft was the first to embrace online gaming, and its Xbox Live has become essential to anyone who wants to play against faraway competitors. Sony and Nintendo are trying to catch up with, respectively, the PlayStation Network and the Virtual Console.
Source : us.rd.yahoo.com | 26-août-2008 19:53

Disney/Pixar President to Accept First Randy Pausch Prize

Ed Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, will accept the first Randy Pausch Prize from Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center. The prize is in remembrance of computer scientist and game veteran Dr. Pausch, who passed away in July 2008 of pancreatic cancer, and who was co-founder of the ETC. Pausch may be best remembered in the game community for co-founding the Entertainment Technology Center at CMU and for creating Alice, a ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 18:50

Ubisoft's HAWX Using Commercial Satellite Imagery

Ubisoft's upcoming multiplatform Tom Clancy's HAWX will integrate high-res images taken from GeoEye's commercial Earth-imaging IKONOS satellite, the two companies announced today. Ubisoft says the aerial dogfighting game's development team is working closely with GeoEye to incorporate satellite images for places like Rio De Janeiro, Cape Canaveral and the Middle East that appear among the game's 16 international locations. Ubisoft also says it's using data from the U.S. Geological Survey to create a topographical "underpinning" ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 18:19

Cologne's BIU-Backed GamesCom Guns For Leipzig

September's GamesCom event in Cologne will take over as Europe's lead industry trade show, says organizer Koelnmesse. GamesCom is also backed by German trade organization Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware, which represents software publishers. Leipziger Messe, organizers of the Games Convention and GC Developers Conference in Leipzig, recently reported record attendance for 2008's event and promised to return in August 2009 despite coincidence with GamesCom and similar statements by Koelnmesse earlier this year that Leipzig would be ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 15:37

Futuremark Using PhysX For Shattered Horizon's 'Real Space' Setting

Nvidia says that Futuremark Games Studio, with offices in Saratoga and Helsinki, will use its PhysX hardware-accelerated physics technology for upcoming first-person shooter Shattered Horizon. The multiplayer FPS, which saw its debut at Leipzig's Games Convention last week, has players fight in zero gravity surrounded by rocky debris from a moon explosion. The developer says it uses lighting effects and zero gravity in the aim of creating "the look and feel of real space." PhysX ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 14:37

Report: Payton Leaves Kojima Productions, Hints At MGS5

Assistant Producer Ryan Payton resigned from Konami subsidiary Kojima Productions, where he worked on the Metal Gear series since 2005, citing family reasons. According to a new interview with game weblog Kotaku, Payton spent a recent vacation in the States following the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 to visit his family. After hearing distressing news about his mother, he made the decision to leave the Tokyo-based studio and work closer to his family in ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 13:30

Best Of Gamerbytes: Crashing Castles, Booty Questing, Riviera Driving

[Every week, Gamasutra sister weblog GamerBytes' editor Ryan Langley will be summing up the top console digital download news tidbits from the past 7 days, including brand new game announcements and scoops through the world of Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and WiiWare.] While there has been plenty of news this week for the Xbox Live Arcade, including the release of Castle Crashers this Wednesday, there has been significant new information on PlayStation Network games ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 12:54

Feature: 'Games Demystified: Portal'

In this neat technical article, Jeremy Alessi deconstructs Valve's Portal -- including a demo and example source code -- to give a clear understanding of the physics principles behind the game's compellingly-executed teleportation mechanics. Though teleport mechanics in video games might seem like nothing new, Portal's deceptively simple implementation of simulated wormholes are still very much worth noting: "Puzzles from the original Gauntlet were memorable -- and more than likely, that wasn't the first game ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 12:42

Reminder: Early Registration For Austin GDC Ends Tomorrow

The organizers of 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference (Austin GDC) are reminding possible attendees that the final early registration deadline for the September 15th-17th event - which includes keynotes from Bruce Sterling and Club Penguin co-creator Lane Merrifield - ends tomorrow, August 27th - full rundown inside. Austin GDC 2008 is presented by Think Services, organizers of the industry-leading Game Developers Conference (GDC) and the parent of Gamasutra.com. The event is a three-day, multi-track game ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 12:12

EA, Activision Responsible For 75 Percent Of Q3 Console Releases

Ramping up now instead of just planning for Christmas, Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts will collectively publish 40 percent of second-half and an eye-opening 75 percent of July-September console game releases in the West, according to a new Screen Digest-authored report. For Q3 - the period from July to September - Electronic Arts is the busiest publisher in the quarter, according to Screen Digest's Ed Barton, "as it releases its extensive range of annual sports ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 12:09

Turbine Selects Havok 6.0 For Upcoming MMO Titles

Developer Turbine (Dungeons & Dragons Online, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar) has announced that it has officially licensed Havok Physics, Havok Animation, and Havok Behavior 6 for use in the creation of its upcoming MMO titles for PC and console. The Havok 6.0 suite is a collection of cross-platform software tools available to programmers and artists working with multiple gaming platforms, including the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PC. ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 11:44

Wii Hits 1 Million Sales In Canada

Nintendo's Wii has become the first next gen console to pass the 1 million sales mark in Canada, outpacing both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. According to data from The NPD Group the Wii has an installed userbase in Canada of just under 1.06 million, as of July 2008. This compares to 870,000 for the Xbox 360, which launched a year earlier, and 520,000 for the PlayStation 3 - which launched just two days ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 11:39

Canadian Report Calls For Tax Credit Reform

Developers in the Canadian province of Ontario should receive an increase in tax credits, according to the findings of a new report. Although Canada in general has some of the most generous tax credit arrangements in the world, the government-funded report says studios in Ontario need a better system that provides more reliable funding. The current tax credit system offers up to 30 percent for developers who own their intellectual property rights (25 percent for ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 11:16

Road to the Austin IGF: Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball

Our new series of 'Road to the IGF' interviews profiles the nine recently announced winners of the IGF Showcase, local Southern U.S. indie developers whose work will be showcased at the Texas game development show next month. In this installment of 'Road To The Austin IGF', we talk to IGF Showcase winner Chris Stockman of Blazing Lizard about upcoming Xbox Live Arcade release Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball and his independent developer's projects. The title "transforms ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 11:13

Crytek's Yerli To Keynote GC Asia

Crytek CEO and president Cevat Yerli is to give a keynote address at the GC Asia Conference (GCAC) in Singapore next month on the future of gaming graphics. The often-outspoken Yerli, whose company created Far Cry and Crysis, will discuss the technical and artistic implications of increased graphical realism and its likely effect on the future of the industry. The topic will be a familiar one for Yerli, who also hosted a session at the ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 26-août-2008 10:51

EA, Take-Two in confidential talks (CNET)
CNET - Rival game makers Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive Software signed a confidentiality agreement after agreeing to hold private talks about a potential transaction, EA announced Monday in a regulatory filing.
Source : us.rd.yahoo.com | 26-août-2008 01:35

Electronic Arts, Take-Two in confidential talks (Reuters)

Reuters - Video game makers Electronic Arts Inc and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc signed a confidentiality agreement after agreeing to hold private talks about a potential transaction, EA said on Monday.

Source : us.rd.yahoo.com | 25-août-2008 23:24

EA, Take-Two Sign Confidentiality Agreement

Electronic Arts and Take-Two signed a confidentiality agreement today, prohibiting the two parties from disclosing the status of any discussions or agreements between them. According to an SEC filing, the two parties are bound by the agreement unless the talks terminate. Electronic Arts recently allowed its $2 billion dollar tender offer to acquire Take-Two to expire. At the same time, Riccitiello and Zelnick exchanged letters, through which EA agreed to review Take-Two's management presentation and ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 20:51

Video-game news: Europe's big show (AP)
AP - Real news from the virtual world:
Source : us.rd.yahoo.com | 25-août-2008 14:34

Sonic's Yasuhara: 'Freedom From Fear' Motivates Game Players

Sonic co-creator and Jak/Uncharted contributor Hirokazu Yasuhara has been discussing the fascinating philosophies behind his game design as part of a detailed Gamasutra interview, suggesting that "freedom from fear" is a key motivation for game players, even in games like Othello/Reversi or Pac-Man. Talking about his design philosophies, the creator, who was the chief level designer on the original Sonic the Hedgehog, as the third person to join that team after Yuji Naka and Naoto ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 13:07

Call for Votes: Game Developer's Top 20 Publishers

The editors of Game Developer magazine are asking all game professionals to complete a brief anonymous survey which will help decide the rankings of this year's renowned 'Top 20 Publishers' feature. For this year's sixth annual Top 20 Publishers countdown, following last year's Nintendo-topping chart, the magazine is looking for two sets of feedback. The first part is a reputational section, where all participants can rank and, optionally, comment on all major publishers. The second ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:44

Capcom On 130,000 Rearmed Units Sold: 'The Bar Has Been Raised'

Bionic Commando: Rearmed has sold over 130,000 units in its first seven days. That's according to producer Ben Judd, who also says the downloadable franchise reboot, available on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC, has earned the highest aggregate metacritic ranking of any of Capcom's digital titles to date. On the game's official blog, Judd says his original estimation for how Rearmed might perform was 100,000 units, and that the estimate felt "overzealous" to ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:41

Analyst: European Game Biz Now Matches North America

The recent Games Connection Developer Conference in Leipzig showed that Europe's importance as an industry hub is increasing, says Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian. The analyst says Europe's game market is now about equal in size to North America's at around $10 billion -- over $15 billion when hardware's included. Based on this, Sebastian is betting publishers will continue looking to Europe, and he cites THQ and Activision Blizzard as two most likely to ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:40

Study: Gold Farming Likely A $500 Million Industry

A recent Manchester University study on gold farming pegs it as a $500 million global market, where some 400,000 workers -- 80 percent of which are based in China -- earn an average of $145 per month. Speaking with the BBC News, Manchester University's Richard Heeks compared the gold farming industry's size to India's outsourcing industry. "The Indian software employment figure probably crossed the 400,000 mark in 2004 and is now closer to 900,000," he ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:30

IGDA's MacLean: Missing Warhammer Credits 'Disrespectful'

The International Game Developers Association says it's "disrespectful" for Mythic Entertainment to credit only current staff members for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. In a new memo to its constituency, the IGDA, a trade association representing game developers, also says Electronic Arts studio Mythic's decision "misleads both consumers and game industry peers," and cited a survey by its Writers Special Interest Group that found 35 percent of respondents "don't ever" or "only sometimes" receive official ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:21

Paramount Exec: Retailers 'Looking For Licenses, Not Original IP'

"If you don't think you can do a good job on a [licensed] project, walk away," says Jos Ruffell of independent developer Sidhe Interactive, which recently shipped the game adaptation of the Wachowskis' Speed Racer film. "You don't want to be known as the developer that screwed up Star Wars. ...As a developer, you're only as good as your last project." "I think we're entering into an interesting time when it is possible for a ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:21

Technology Review Honors Thatgamecompany's Chen In TR35

Technology Review magazine recognized Thatgamecompany's (fl0w) creative director and founder Jenova Chen as one of the world's top innovators under the age of 35 for "his revolutionary approach to video gaming." Chen was selected from over 300 nominees by a panel of judges and the publication's editorial staff. Technology Review's TR35 list has featured 35 innovators under the age of 35 every year since 2005. Prior to that, the magazine ran an annual TR100 list ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:19

At GC's Conclusion, Event Promises Return, U.S. Expansion

The Games Convention will return to Leipzig, Germany in 2009 (August 19 - 23) despite coincidence with Cologne's new GAMESCom event slated for September, according to Leipzig Trade Fair CEO Wolfgang Marzin. German trade association Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware and Cologne's trade fair business Koelnmesse announced in February that the Leipzig Games Convention will be replaced with GAMESCom, set to take place in Cologne, Germany in September of 2009. The Games Convention announcement comes as organizers ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 12:17

Release This: Mario Sluggers, Tales of Vesperia Make U.S. Debut

Gamasutra's regular round-up of worldwide video game releases, "Release This!", takes a look at every game title we know to be shipping to stores this week, in an exclusively compiled list. An expansive multiplatform lineup awaits gamers this week in the United States, where titles like Mario Super Sluggers, Infinite Undiscovery, and Tales of Vesperia are set to hit store shelves in the coming days. UK retailers will soon receive Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 25-août-2008 10:19

Creator Of Space Invaders-Based 9/11 Art Piece Pulls Exhibit

The creator of Invaders!, an art game that represents the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001 by way of Taito's classic arcade game Space Invaders, has requested his piece be pulled from the GH ART exhibit held at the Games Convention in Germany. "After three days of a steady downward spiral in public discussion of the piece, I have just given my agreement to the organizers of the Leipzig Games Convention to simply ...

Source : www.gamasutra.com | 22-août-2008 21:51

Bow Wow And The Game To Settle $100,000 'Madden 09' Bet
Football fan rappers Bow Wow and The Game are set to go head-to-head on videogame Madden NFL 09 - for a $100,000 prize. Bow Wow has thrown down the challenge after The Game - real name Jayceon Taylor - claimed he was the world's best player.[...] Read more!
Source : www.starpulse.com | 22-août-2008 21:22

Register to Vote via Your Xbox 360 (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Rock the Vote has partnered with Microsoft in a move to help achieve its goal of registering two million under-30 voters in time for this fall's election.
Source : us.rd.yahoo.com | 22-août-2008 18:13