Friday 1 July 2011

GameSpot's News: Black Rock's last game F2P Champions Alliance - Report

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Black Rock's last game F2P Champions Alliance - Report
1 Jul 2011, 11:14 pm

Source with soon-to-be-closed studio says canned project was a free-to-play title akin to League of Legends.

Earlier today, Disney announced that it was moving to shut down Brighton, UK-based developer Black Rock. The studio was reportedly working on a "promising" title, described as "new and risky."

According to a source speaking with UK-based game site Eurogamer, Black Rock was working on a free-to-play title called Champions Alliance when Disney instituted layoffs in May.

The game was reportedly similar to Riot Games' League of Legends, and it was based in a universe inhabited by teenagers pulled into an alternate world by Norse trickster god Loki.

"The idea was that you had to do PvP and PvE to gain XP to somehow escape," explained the source.

According to the site's source, the game was scheduled to be released, at least in beta form, "in about six months or so." However, according to the report, Disney did not have faith in the studio to create anything other than racing games.

"Disney seemed unable to work out what to do with the studio and didn't trust us to do anything other than racing…despite having a range of great talent at the studio, from a wide variety of backgrounds," said the source.

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GameSpot's News: Games for Windows Marketplace folding into Xbox.com

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Games for Windows Marketplace folding into Xbox.com
1 Jul 2011, 11:02 pm

Microsoft's PC digital distribution storefront to be integrated into the Xbox 360's counterpart online service.

From the time Microsoft introduced its Games for Windows Live push, integration with Xbox Live has been a point of emphasis for the Windows maker. Now, the publisher is moving the two services even closer together, as it has announced the Games for Windows Marketplace will soon be folded into the existing online storefront at Xbox.com.

An announcement on the Games for Marketplace site informs visitors of the change but offered little in the way of specifics. According to the site, Games for Windows Marketplace "will fully transition" into Xbox.com. Microsoft has not indicated when the integration will take place or how much downtime users might face as a result. There is a Games for Windows link on Xbox.com at the moment, but it simply forwards users to the soon-to-be-integrated Marketplace.

Microsoft launched the PC-dedicated online storefront as a stand-alone operation in November. Prior to that, Microsoft's digital distribution solution was called Games on Demand. Much like Xbox.com, Games for Windows Marketplace allows users to sign in with their existing Windows Live ID and accommodates purchases in dollars and Microsoft points.

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GameSpot's News: Nintendo increasing spend on new R&D HQ - Report

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Nintendo increasing spend on new R&D HQ - Report
1 Jul 2011, 8:15 pm

Publisher now expects to pump $204 million into what will become primary product development hub by 2014.

Back in 2009 when the Wii and DS were still minting yen hand over fist, Nintendo announced plans to begin construction on a new research and development facility near its Kyoto, Japan, headquarters. Today, Nikkei provided an update on that construction, saying that Nintendo has increased the amount of resources it will be spending on the facility.

As relayed by Andria Sang, Nikkei's new report indicates Nintendo will now spend ¥16.5 billion ($204 million) on the compound, up from the ¥12 billion ($148 million) that the Japanese financial paper reported in March. Nintendo purchased the land on which the new building will be constructed in December 2008 for ¥12.8 billion ($158 million).

Construction on the project is expected to commence in January 2012, and Nintendo plans to have the facility up and running by the end of 2013. The seven-story structure is being built on a 40,000-square-meter lot in Kyoto's Minami Ward, the same district as Nintendo's headquarters building. The company's current main R&D facility is located in the more distant Higashiyama Ward.

The new building's closer proximity to its headquarters will improve efficiency because it will allow its 1,500 employees to be much closer to Nintendo's headquarters. When complete, the new building will become Nintendo's flagship R&D facility and will focus on product development.

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GameSpot's News: Gearbox considered, dismissed Blade Runner game

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Gearbox considered, dismissed Blade Runner game
1 Jul 2011, 11:11 pm

Borderlands studio said that bringing Ridley Scott's epic to consoles would have bankrupted company.

Gearbox Software hasn't been shy about picking up the rights to high-profile action films over the years, having signed on to build games based on the likes of James Cameron's Aliens and Michael Mann's Heat. Bringing these games to market has been a different story, however, as the studio officially walked away from Heat and has had an off-again, on-again relationship with Aliens.

Now, it appears as if one more property Gearbox grabbed and tossed was Ridley Scott's acclaimed sci-fi epic Blade Runner. Speaking to the Official PlayStation Magazine, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said that Blade Runner was among a number of IPs that his studio had acquired the rights to. However, due to financial concerns, Pitchford said that Gearbox had abandoned the project.

"Blade Runner was on [the list]," he said. "We had it too and we were like, 'No, we can't.' That game would've cost like $40 million to make and sold about 600,000 units--and that would have been the end of us. There's no rational business model that would have allowed that to make sense. If we'd made it with a business model that did work, it would not have been the Blade Runner game we all would have wanted."

Pitchford went on to note that Gearbox had progressed so far as to consult with Scott on a direction for the game. Based on Philip K. Dick's classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner starred Harrison Ford and arrived in theaters in 1982.

As for where Gearbox is finding success with film-to-game adaptations, the studio is prepping Aliens: Colonial Marines for release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in early 2012. Gearbox is also investigating whether it wants to bring Colonial Marines to Nintendo's upcoming Wii U.

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GameSpot's News: Minecraft passes 10 million registered users

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Minecraft passes 10 million registered users
1 Jul 2011, 10:04 pm

Last month, hacking group LulzSec brought down Marcus "Notch" Persson's indie hit Minecraft as part of its TitanicTakeoverTuesday. Today, the indie developer has shaken off that hit and announced that the game has amassed a whopping 10 million registered users.

The news stems from Notch's personal Twitter feed, and it is further elaborated upon on the game's website. According to the statistics tab on Minecraft.net, Minecraft currently boasts 10,003,717 registered users. Of that figure, 2,673,940--or 26.72 percent--have gone on to purchase the game.

Additionally, the site claims that 42,031 users have registered and 10,141 have purchased the game in the span of the past 24 hours.

Minecraft--still in beta--has been in development since 2009. Most recently, the game struck gold at the 2011 Game Developers Conference Indie Fest, where it claimed the top trophy, the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.

Currently available only on the PC and Mac, Minecraft is headed to the Xbox 360 this winter with Kinect support via 4J Studios. That company was responsible for Xbox Live Arcade games Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie. Minecraft is also scheduled to arrive on mobile devices.

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GameSpot's News: Media Molecule 'stepping away' from Little Big Planet - Report

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Media Molecule 'stepping away' from Little Big Planet - Report
1 Jul 2011, 6:46 pm

By Eddie Makuch, GameSpotPosted Jul 1, 2011 10:46 am PT

UK developer moving from make-your-own series to "focus on some new ideas"; studio's job posting indicates portable or PS3 project.

2009's original Little Big Planet and its 2011 sequel both scored a string of strong critical plaudits for being highly customizable, whimsical platforming games. Despite that success, however, franchise developer Media Molecule won't be making a new Little Big Planet game any time soon.

According to Media Molecule's studio director Siobhan Reddy (via Edge), the UK-based developer is "stepping away from Little Big Planet to focus on some new ideas." Unfortunately, further specifics as to what Media Molecule will be working on were not offered.

Media Molecule is staffing up for its new project, proclaiming on the jobs portal of its website that "new things [are] forming" at the developer. The studio's new job postings indicate that the game will be for portable devices or the PlayStation 3.

The next Little Big Planet game scheduled to arrive is for the PlayStation Vita, and is currently in development at Double 11 and Tarsier Studios. For more on the portable title, check out GameSpot's most recent preview of Little Big Planet for the Vita.

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GameSpot's News: Zynga files for IPO

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Zynga files for IPO
1 Jul 2011, 5:32 pm

After months of anticipation, Zynga is going public. The social game giant today filed its Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, proposing an initial public offering of stock in the company. There are still details yet to be determined, like how many shares will be sold and for how much.

Zynga is the creator of the wildly popular casual games FarmVille, CityVille, and Mafia Wars, which are played on the Facebook social network. CNBC expects the game company's public offering to be huge, in the range of $15 billion to $20 billion. Previously, the privately held company was valued at $10 billion--more than megapublisher Electronic Arts' market capitalization.

For 2010, Zynga reported revenues of more than $597 million, up dramatically from 2009's $121 million and $19 million in 2008. Last year was also the first profitable campaign for the company, which declared a net income of nearly $91 million after losses of $53 million and $22 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The company's games also boast a cumulative user base of 232 million active players a month.

As part of the filing, Zynga also reported a wealth of risk factors to its business. Chief among those is that if the company fails to remain on good terms with Facebook, its business could suffer. Among the other concerns cited are the company's still-evolving business, dependence on "a small percentage of players for nearly all our revenue," and relatively low barriers to entry for those who would seek to compete in the social gaming space.

In April, Zynga hired away EA's COO John Pleasants. The company is also negotiating with the city of San Francisco for an exemption to a payroll tax that affects payments gleaned from IPOs.

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GameSpot's News: Crysis rated for 360, PS3

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Crysis rated for 360, PS3
1 Jul 2011, 7:47 pm

In March, dedicated Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers were able to get their first taste of Crytek's signature first-person shooter franchise with Crysis 2. Now it appears they'll soon be able to get a second helping of the nano-suit-enabled franchise with console editions of the first Crysis.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board and the Korean equivalent Game Rating Board have both posted age guidelines for an Xbox 360 edition of the original Crysis. Though Sony's console is absent from the GRB site, the ESRB's database also mentions a PS3 version of the game.

Rumors of a console version of Crysis started almost as soon as the game had a name, but have yet to be officially confirmed. Inquiries to Crytek and Crysis publisher Electronic Arts were not returned as of press time.

The sophomore effort from Frankfurt, Germany-based Crytek, Crysis was a first-person shooter and a technological showpiece for the studio's PC-only CryEngine 2. Since that time, Crytek has introduced CryEngine 3, which was incorporated into Crysis 2 and designed to run on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

For more on Crysis, check out GameSpot's review.

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GameSpot's News: Splinter Cell Trilogy HD gets new release date

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Splinter Cell Trilogy HD gets new release date
1 Jul 2011, 6:30 pm

By Eddie Makuch, Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Jul 1, 2011 10:30 am PT

Ubisoft pushes Euro release of PS3-exclusive Sam Fisher three-pack to September 23; North American retailers now expecting an August 2 launch.

Gamers who tried to buy the PlayStation 3 Splinter Cell Trilogy HD bundle last week on its announced June 21 release date were no doubt disappointed, as super spy Sam Fisher evaded yet another release date. Ubisoft this week provided yet another release window for the compilation, which was originally planned for release in March.

An updated release schedule from Ubisoft this week nailed down a new date for Splinter Cell Trilogy HD, at least in one region. European gamers should be able to pick up the compilation starting September 23. Ubisoft's North American arm has not responded to GameSpot's requests for comment on a new release window for the game, but US retailers GameStopand Amazon are taking preorders with an expected August 2 launch date attached.

The Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD includes the 2002 original stealth shooter, as well as Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. All three games have also been updated with high-definition graphics and a stereoscopic 3D view. Ubisoft had also said that it was planning on releasing the Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD through the PlayStation Network.

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GameSpot's News: Zoo Tycoon shop cuts entire dev staff - Report

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Zoo Tycoon shop cuts entire dev staff - Report
1 Jul 2011, 8:04 pm

In the past two days alone, Red Fly has laid off 30 employees and Disney revealed plans to shutter Split/Second shop Black Rock. The layoff news continues today, with Zoo Tycoon developer Blue Fang reportedly the latest studio making cuts.

According to a source speaking with industry site Gamasutra, Waltham, Mass.-based Blue Fang is cutting its entire development staff, which amounts to 15 employees. In addition to Zoo Tycoon and its sequel for the PC, Blue Fang also created Facebook games Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

As for the future of Blue Fang, according to the source, the shop is actively looking for new work, but that is seen as "unlikely," as "all laid off developers have been told it is more prudent to find new positions." As of press time, Blue Fang has not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

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DreamStation.cc: Club Nintendo Reveals Exclusive Gifts for Gold and Platinum Status Members

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Club Nintendo Reveals Exclusive Gifts for Gold and Platinum Status Members
1 Jul 2011, 4:41 pm

Some of the world's most dedicated Nintendo fans now have the opportunity to receive special gifts from Nintendo of America. Starting today, members of the Club Nintendo customer loyalty program who reached Gold or Platinum status in the most recent program year (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011) can visit http://club.nintendo.com and log into their accounts to claim an exclusive gift free of charge.

elite-landing-en

Platinum-level Club Nintendo members are eligible to receive an eye-popping set of 25 commemorative pins that pay tribute to the Mario franchise. Featuring classic characters and power-ups from the Mushroom Kingdom, the pins come packaged in unique puzzle-like boxes that can be arranged to form an image of Mario, a Goomba or a Mushroom. Gold-level members, meanwhile, are eligible to receive a special 2012 desk calendar illustrated with colorful artwork from a variety of beloved Nintendo franchises and games.

platinum_2011_big_1

Club Nintendo offers special promotions and awards Coins to consumers who register and provide feedback about eligible Nintendo products. Coins can then be redeemed for exclusive Nintendo merchandise. Members who earn 300 Coins within each program year are awarded Gold status. Members who earn 600 Coins within each program year are awarded Platinum status. For more information about how to join Club Nintendo and earn rewards, visit http://club.nintendo.com.

platinum_2011_big_2platinum_2011_big_4

Editors note: Screens grabbed from Club Nintendo website.

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GameSpot's News: Disney looking to close Black Rock

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Disney looking to close Black Rock
1 Jul 2011, 11:18 am

Black Rock Studio's future looks bleack as Disney informs staff of its proposal to close the Split/Second development house.

Two months ago it became clear that Black Rock studios was in trouble when Disney Interactive, the outfit's parent company, said it was letting 100 of the staff there go due to lack of work for them. While a number of those who left have set up their own handheld studio, Shortround Games, the future is looking somewhat bleaker for those left behind.

Disney Interactive today confirmed to GameSpot UK that it was entering "a consultation process on the proposal to close the studios." When news of the layoffs broke in May, it was indicated that sequels to the studios two racing games--which both launched to generally positive reviews--had been shelved and many of the studios other ideas had been rejected by Disney.

Black Rock was reportedly working on a "promising" game described as "new and risky." However, it seems that that risk may have been too great for Disney, which said that the studio's current project "has not been greenlit for further development." The decision to end that project has led directly to the decision to start the process of shutting the studio down.

The racing studio, based in Brighton, was founded in 1998 as Pixel Planet. It has produced 13 different racing games across PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox and GameCube. It had also been known as Climax Brighton and Climax Racing before its acquisition by Buena Vista Games--itself later rebranded as Disney Interactive--in 2006.

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Thursday 30 June 2011

DreamStation.cc: Age of Conan: Unchained Now Free to Play

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Age of Conan: Unchained Now Free to Play
1 Jul 2011, 7:48 am

The best-selling and critically acclaimed MMO based on the world of Conan the Barbarian is now FREE-TO-PLAY around the world.

Durham, USA – July 1st, 2011 – "No man should live in chains," proclaims Conan the Barbarian in the new, upcoming Hollywood production set to release later this year. With the words of the most legendary fantasy hero of all time in mind, Funcom today released an all-new, free-to-play version of its critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online game titled 'Age of Conan: Unchained'. The new version replaces the existing version of the game, and players everywhere will now be able to freely explore the sexy, savage, and brutal world of Hyboria with their friends – and enemies.

"After 1.4 million copies sold, having experienced fantastic critical acclaim, and still to this day going strong with a large active player base embarking on thousands of daily adventures, there is no doubt that 'Age of Conan' has made a significant impact on the online gaming genre," says Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Morten Larssen. "The great potential provided by the hybrid business model, and with the ever growing interest for free-to-play games, bringing 'Age of Conan' into this market is undoubtedly the logical next step for the title."

Players now get to choose whether they want to experience the free offering, or become a Premium member with access to even more game content. An in-game store also allows both free players and Premium members to purchase in-game goods such as weaponry and mounts. For more detail about the differences between the free and Premium offering, visit the new 'Age of Conan: Unchained' website.

"For the team working on the game, going free-to-play is great because it opens up this great fantasy world to an even larger audience," says Creative Director and Executive Producer Craig Morrison. "Not only can players now enjoy the content for free, we will continue to add new gameplay features and new content and make improvements to the game. 'Age of Conan: Unchained' will offer a fantastic experience for both new customers and players who have already roamed the online world of Hyboria. An engrossing story, brutal combat and savage world is waiting for those who dare explore the lands of Hyboria."

Since the game launched three years ago, 'Age of Conan' has undergone several changes and a huge amount of new content has been added. Funcom is already in the process of developing new locations, monsters, equipment and storylines for 'Age of Conan: Unchained'. This includes the movie tie-in adventure that will introduce content and characters from the upcoming 'Conan the Barbarian' movie.

To download the client and play the game for free, please visit the new official Age of Conan website.

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GameSpot's News: WWE All Stars summer DLC detailed

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WWE All Stars summer DLC detailed
1 Jul 2011, 12:14 am

In April, the well-received WWE All Stars welcomed its first batch of add-on content in the form of the American Dreams Pack, which bundled WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and his son, "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. Now, THQ is planning to grow the game further, today announcing new playable characters for the wrestling game.

Available today for on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network is the WWE All Stars Million Dollar Man Pack, which includes Ted DiBiase and his son, also named Ted DiBiase. The pack costs gamers 160 MS points, or $1.99.

Next up is R-Truth, who will be available as a free download for WWE All Stars on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network next Tuesday, July 5. Also due out on that date will be the All-Time Greats Pack (320 MS points, or $4). The pack bundles famous fighters Hawk, Animal, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Chris Jericho.

Lastly, gamers looking to go south of the Mason-Dixon line can pick up the Southern Charisma Pack (240 MS points, or $3) for WWE All Stars on August 2. The bundle packs in Big Boss Man, Michael Hayes, and Mark Henry.

For more on WWE All Stars, check out GameSpot's review.

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GameSpot's News: Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi strikes Oct. 25

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Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi strikes Oct. 25
1 Jul 2011, 1:22 am

Namco Bandai has been uncharacteristically noncommittal about the title of its next Dragon Ball game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, heretofore referring to the game as simply "Dragon Ball Game Project AGE 2011." However, that opaque stance cleared up today, as the publisher officially attached the moniker of Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi to the game and dated it for October 25.

Like the Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast games, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi will be developed by Spike Co. Ltd. The new game will cover the Dragon Ball Z series and boast "a massive character selection." Namco Bandai is touting the title as "a new landmark game" in the franchise, with a revamped story mode and destructible environments.

Fans of martial arts-themed anime will also be pleased to know that Namco Bandai is prepping a new installment in its Naruto series. Titled Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, the game will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2012.

In development at CyberConnect2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is the latest installment in Namco Bandai's long-running fighting series, and as with the new DBZ title, it will feature a large swath of characters that span every generation of its manga inspiration. This latest installment in the series has a particular emphasis for online play, and it also marks the arrival of fan-favorite ninjas Zabuza and Haku.

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GameSpot's News: Red Fly lays off 30

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Red Fly lays off 30
30 Jun 2011, 9:38 pm

Last month, Austin-based Red Fly Studio celebrated the launch of the Wii version of Sega's Thor: God of Thunder. This week, the developer is marking a more somber milestone, as the company today confirmed it has laid off dozens of employees.

"Red Fly was in the unfortunate position of laying off around 30 people on Wednesday June 22," studio CEO Dan Borth told GameSpot. "The reduction of staff was a response to a large high-profile project that was, to our surprise, reevaluated and then canceled.

"Red Fly has been an agile, passionate company from day one, and while this news was very difficult, we've made a concentrated effort to reinvest in ourselves and the way we want to make games. Currently, we are all very excited about our new opportunities and working diligently to make them a reality."

Red Fly may be best known for 2008's original Mushroom Men games on the Wii and DS, but the studio has produced a string of licensed titles for the Wii since then. Its highest-profile games have been the Nintendo console versions of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, and Thor: God of Thunder, all of which received higher review scores from GameSpot than their Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 counterparts.

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