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Format: Amiga, ST
Release: 1993
Publisher: Virgin
Developer: Sensible Software
At this year's Montreal International Game Summit the idea of whether games should only be seen as fun was challenged in more than one session. Commentators such as industry veteran Brenda Braithwaite (designer of the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series, among others) and Edge columnist Randy Smith in particular poured over this thorny issue.
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.
Retailer GameStop has reportedly acquired a majority stake in Jolt Online Gaming, an Ireland-based publisher of free-to-play browser titles.
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 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.
The Danish Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment (DADIU) has issued a call for papers for next year’s inaugural Game Education Summit Europe.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
In the same way that firstperson shooters thrive in a military setting, alternate reality games (ARGs) are an apt home for conspiracy theories and long-lost secrets. So it’s no surprise that Smoking Gun Interactive has rolled out its mysterious new property in an ARG, before it brings it to consoles. The start-up developer, founded by a break-off team from Relic and featuring some of the talents behind Company Of Heroes, has created an ambitious new world, and players have only just seen the beginning of it.
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.
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.
