NEWS

PlayStation Platforms Dominate In Japan

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:10:45 +0000

Sony platforms dominated hardware sales in Japan during the week ended November 15.

PSP-3000 sales rose by 5,000 units week-on-week to head the rankings, although sales of the company’s latest handheld, PSPgo, more than halved to an underwhelming 6,427 units.

Despite a 10,000 units sales drop PS3 only narrowly missed out on the top spot, while DS and Wii, in third and fourth, saw weekly sales fall by around 3,500 and 5,000 units respectively.

DS Lite, Xbox 360 and PS2 sales saw marginal sales declines.

GameStop Acquires Jolt Online Gaming

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:58:28 +0000

Retailer GameStop has reportedly acquired a majority stake in Jolt Online Gaming, an Ireland-based publisher of free-to-play browser titles.

Class Action Lawsuit Over Xbox Live Bans

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:51:38 +0000

Boutique law firm Abington IP says it could launch a class action lawsuit against Microsoft over the platform holder’s recent wave of Xbox Live bans.

Sony Launching Online Distribution Service In 2010

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:44:50 +0000

Sony is to launch an online content distribution service for its network-connected devices in 2010.

Executive VP and PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai told reporters that the service will offer movies, music, books and other content to the company’s TVs, Blu-ray players, ebooks and other devices.

Game Education Summit Europe Issues Call For Papers

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:41:12 +0000

The Danish Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment (DADIU) has issued a call for papers for next year’s inaugural Game Education Summit Europe.

PS2 Releasing In Brazil

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Sony Computer Entertainment America is expanding its Latin American business by officially launching the PS2 in the emerging Brazilian market this month.

The console will retail for R$799 ($445), while software prices will range from R$99 ($55) - R$119 ($66). Over 14 games will be available at launch, including Gran Turismo 4 and God Of War II.

PS2 has sold over 140 million units globally since debuting in 2000, making it the most popular console to date.

Marvelous Loses Money On Wii

Tom Ivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:46:17 +0000

Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment saw contrasting results from its Wii and PSP releases during the first half of its business year.

Three out four Wii titles launched during the period made a loss, while four of the firm’s five PSP games were profitable, the company said in a financial presentation.

GameStop Reports Jump In Third Quarter Sales, Profit

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:33:25 +0000

Leading specialist US games retailer GameStop has reported a boost in sales and profits during the third quarter of its financial year.

During the three months ended October 31, 2009, the company saw sales rise 8.2 per cent year on year to $1.83 billion, and net earnings up 11.8 per cent to $52.2 million.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii “Off To A Good Start”

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:56:12 +0000

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian has been informed by Nintendo of America that New Super Mario Bros. Wii has made “a good start” at retail during its first three days of availability.

“We expect the strong sell-through to continue in the coming weeks,” he said in an investor note. “However, it is unclear whether the new title has driven incremental hardware sales, which remains a concern for the overall videogame industry.”

Sony May Introduce PSN Subscription Model

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:43:16 +0000

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai has confirmed that the company is exploring the possibility of introducing a PlayStation Network subscription model.

While online gaming on PS3 is expected to remain free, unspecified premium PSN services could be charged for.

Sony Targets PlayStation Profitability By 2011

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:47:56 +0000

Sony has targeted a return to profitability for its PlayStation business in the fiscal year ending March 2011.

The platform holder hopes to increase PlayStation revenues by expanding hardware and software sales and enriching PlayStation Network services. Improved profitability can be achieved through “cost reduction and other measures”, the firm said in a statement released following a media and investor conference today.

Out Soon: E209

Edge Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:32 +0000

Subscribers are about to receive their shiny copies of the latest issue of Edge, featuring the debut of Eve Online maker CCP's FPS Dust 514. In shops on November 24.

Though Eve itself is firmly based in Iceland, Dust 514, which is set in Eve's universe, is developed by CCP's new Shanghai studio. A MMOG shooter, Dust's battlefields are absolutely tied to Eve, with Eve players' corporations hiring Dust players to fight for control of planets for them.

MMOS Account For 15 Per Cent Of Playing Time

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:49 +0000

A new international study claims that MMO play accounts for 15 per cent of all game playing time in the US and Europe.

The data comes from a survey of 13,000 respondents aged eight years and older conducted by Gamesindustry.com. The study found that 14 per cent of all time spent on games in the US is dedicated to MMOs, compared to eight per cent in the UK, 16 per cent in Belgium, 13 per cent in Germany and 15 per cent in both France and the Netherlands.

Department For Transport Launches MMO

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:54:41 +0000

The UK government's Department for Transport (DfT) has launched Code Of Everand, a free browser based MMO designed to give children the skills they need to stay safe on the roads.

The DfT developed the project with Area/Code, the studio behind Discovery Channel’s Sharkrunners and Drop7 for iPhone.

Sony Reports Record PlayStation Store Sales

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:26:51 +0000

October marked the highest month of revenue on record for the PlayStation Store, with downloads up 60 per cent year over year, according to Sony Computer Entertainment America.

With the PlayStation Network entering its fourth year this week, the company said that 650 million pieces of content have been downloaded worldwide from the digital marketplace and that there are now over 31 million registered PSN accounts globally.

Third Studio Working On Call Of Duty Series – Report

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:52:30 +0000

Activision is said to have aggressive expansion plans for its record breaking Call Of Duty franchise, with a new report suggesting that the publisher is exploring the idea of releasing a COD MMO.

PSN Video Delivery Service Launches In Europe

Tom Ivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:27:09 +0000

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has launched its PlayStation Network video delivery service (VDS) in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, enabling users to download thousands of films to PS3 and PSP.

MIGS: Publishers "Cheat" Age Ratings

Mathew Kumar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:11:33 +0000

UPDATE: Added statement from ESRB spokesman Eliot Mizrachi on its ratings process.

Some publishers deceive the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to get lower age ratings on their games, claims A2M CEO.

As part of a panel at the Montreal International Game Summit, the Quebec development scene’s key players discussed the importance of social responsibility across the entire industry, from publishers and developers, through retailers, and ultimately for the consumers.

Facebook On PS3 Today

Tom Ivan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:48:04 +0000

Sony will release PS3 firmware version 3.1 today, introducing Facebook functionality alongside a few other minor tweaks.

Users will be able to showcase their game accomplishments and post information about the PS3 games they purchase to Facebook.

Sony said that “this is just the beginning of our integration with Facebook and we are looking forward to adding new features enhancing the experience in future updates.”

Modern Warfare 2 Breaks More Records

Tom Ivan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:03:59 +0000

Sales of Modern Warfare 2 have generated $550 million worldwide in just five days, shattering theatrical box office and game sales records, according to estimates from publisher Activision.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince holds the record for the largest opening five day worldwide box office gross at $394 million, while Grand Theft Auto IV was the previous videogame record holder, netting $500 million in five days post launch.