by Rainier on Jan. 6, 2004 @ 4:41 p.m. PST | Filed under
News
Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. today announced that total sales for the nine- week holiday period ended January 3, 2004 grew 24.4 percent to $544.4 million, up from $437.6 million for the same period a year ago. Comparable store sales increased by 2.5 percent for the nine-week period, outpacing the company's forecast. Read more for details ...
by Rainier on Dec. 3, 2003 @ 10:10 a.m. PST | Filed under
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The first annual Spike TV "Video Game Awards" (VGAs), hosted by David Spade, were held last night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and revealed winners in sixteen wide-ranging video game categories. The two-hour fete will telecast on Spike TV this Thursday, December 4 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).
by Thomas on Oct. 25, 2003 @ 12:48 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
The ATI/AMD Cyber X Gaming Championships is coming to CES. The festival has lined up some major sponsors and there will be $600,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs over the course of the qualification tournaments and the championships. Highlights of the event include the $100,000 prize for the first place Counter-Strike team.
by Thomas on Oct. 12, 2003 @ 1:31 a.m. PDT | Filed under
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Mad Catz Interactive announced today that the new, yet classically designed, fully featured RetroCON video game controller for the PlayStation2 will be available in stores the week of October 13, 2003 for suggested retail price of $24.99 U.S.
by Rainier on Oct. 7, 2003 @ 1:02 p.m. PDT | Filed under
News
ESPN Videogames today announced details of the ESPN Videogames Online Leagues for PlayStation 2 gamers who eagerly await the company's sports game lineup for the 2003-04 season. ESPN Videogames Online Leagues invite ESPN NFL Football, ESPN NBA Basketball, and ESPN College Hoops players to create and manage their own leagues with other sports gamers across the country. The leagues are now accessible at
the ESPN Videgames' website by clicking on the 'PS2 Online Gaming' link. This feature can be accessed through any PC with an Internet connection.
by Thomas on Sept. 25, 2003 @ 4:15 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Electronic Arts is inviting Harry Potter fans to live out their dream of a Quidditch victory and compete in the first-ever Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup videogame tournament event. Videogame enthusiasts in the U.S. can enter the U.S. Tournament Sweepstakes at the official
Quidditch World Cup website, or at any Toys R Us location. Eight lucky winners will be flown to compete in the U.S. finals, taking place at an undisclosed location in mid-November. There players will go head-to-head on the Nintendo GameCube playing the soon-to-be-released Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup videogame from Electronic Arts, which will ship under the EA GAMES brand.
by Thomas on Sept. 17, 2003 @ 7:04 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that it has expanded its relationship with Hip Interactive Corp to license several of Namco's key video-game properties for the PC. Hip Interactive will develop and distribute PC versions of "kill.switch," "Extreme Force: Grant City Anti-Crime" (working title) and "PAC-MAN WORLD 2" in North America and Europe in 2004. As previously announced, Hip Interactive will be releasing another top Namco franchise, "Dead to Rights" for PC in North America and Europe in fall 2003.
by Rainier on Sept. 12, 2003 @ 10:06 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Game Live Events today announced their “2003 Fall College Tour.” Building on the overwhelming success of their 13-campus Spring Tour, attended by over 20,000 college gamers, the 17-stop Fall College tour begins on Friday, September 12th in New York, NY at Cornell University and runs through Monday, October 20th at the University of Southern California.
by Thomas on Aug. 18, 2003 @ 4:02 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Video games are no longer simply about getting the highest score or disgracing an opponent. They're also about immersing yourself in make-believe worlds you help fashion... No one understands that better than Electronic Arts Inc., the video game publisher that has evolved over two decades into an entertainment powerhouse as muscled as some of its game characters.
by Thomas on Aug. 7, 2003 @ 5:51 a.m. PDT | Filed under
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Nurve Networks LLC unveils what is undoubtedly the most unexpected kind of new video game system: one that users will build and program themselves.
Video games generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and game programming books occupy rows of bookstore shelf space. Video game development has made its way into college curriculums and entire game programming universities have emerged. But, video games run on advanced hardware, the design of which is a black art that few understand. For over 10 years, books by Computer Scientist and best-selling game development author Andre' LaMothe have taught generations of game developers to create today's cutting-edge video games. Now, his focus is changing from video game software to video game hardware with the unveiling of the XGameStation, a revolutionary new video game system that offers users what no PlayStation or XBOX can - knowledge.
by Rainier on July 30, 2003 @ 3:17 a.m. PDT | Filed under
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The character made famous by Kurt Russell in "Escape From New York" is set to become a franchise in all media under the brand "The Snake Plissken Chronicles." Plissken has already been the pivotal presence in two films: the 1981 favorite and its 1996 sequel, "Escape From L.A." A series of deals by Russell, director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill, -- who, as the company Snake World, jointly own the character rights -- has added video games, an anime movie, comic books, action figures and novelization tie-ins to the ways Plissken's story is being told (
thanks HomeLan).
by Thomas on July 28, 2003 @ 7:20 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Retired World Championship Wrestling professional Maxx Payne filed a $10 million lawsuit against a group of video software developers for allegedly stealing his personal to create the game "Max Payne." The lawsuit was filed last week in U.S. District Court against Rockstar Games Inc., 3D Realms Entertainment, Gathering of Developers and Remedy Entertainment Ltd... More about it below!
by Thomas on June 18, 2003 @ 9:33 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Global interactive entertainment publisher Atari, Inc. claimed an 18.4% share of video games software sales during May 2003, earning the Company the #1 rank among all video game publishers during the month, according to The NPD Group, Inc. The May 2003 sales performance compared with a 5.4% market share and sixth position among publishers in May 2002.
by Thomas on June 12, 2003 @ 6:48 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Activision Value Publishing, a division of Activision announced today that the company has extended its successful partnership with world-renowned outdoors hunting outfitter, Cabela's, Inc. through an exclusive multi-year video game licensing agreement that expires in 2014.
by Thomas on June 10, 2003 @ 4:10 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Expanding its diverse portfolio of licensed entertainment properties, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Archangel Studios to develop video games based upon its award-winning, computer-generated comic series, The Red Star. Currently under development with Acclaim Studios Austin for the next-generation gaming systems, The Red Star takes place in a parallel fantasy universe, in which a mythic empire based on the Soviet Union sets the landscape for an epic battle of militarized sorcery and monolithic technology.
by Rainier on June 3, 2003 @ 1:02 p.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Last April, Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh ruled that computer and video games had "no conveyance of ideas, expression or anything else that could possibly amount to free speech" in a St. Louis County case that sought to limit children's access to mature video games. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying a "particularized message" is not required when it comes to the First Amendment. Read more for details ...
by Rainier on May 30, 2003 @ 12:52 p.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Bethesda Softworks announced today that actress Keira Knightley will narrate the thrilling role playing video game, Pirates of the Caribbean. Knightley stars in Disney's upcoming feature film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" which opens in theaters nationwide on July 9th. Slated for a June 2003 release for the Xbox and PC, the Pirates of the Caribbean game offers players the most realistic pirating action to date.
by Thomas on April 28, 2003 @ 2:08 p.m. PDT | Filed under
News
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. is mulling a bid for the videogames business of Vivendi Universal SA, which the French media conglomerate has put up for sale to reduce its borrowings. Take-Two Interactive, based in New York, would make a bid for VU Games with financial partners, according to a person familiar with the situation.
by Thomas on April 24, 2003 @ 9:47 a.m. PDT | Filed under
News
The stereotype of video games as a children's-only pursuit is as outdated as a classic Pong console. Sure, teens still play them, but the first wave of gamers that grew up playing video games in the 1970s and 80s has now reached adulthood -- and many of these avid gamers have children of their own. As a result, millions of people today are playing, buying and even learning to create new games and other interactive entertainment products.
by Thomas on March 11, 2003 @ 4:43 a.m. PST | Filed under
News
The world market for video games is growing at a faster rate than ever before, according to a new report by analysts Screen Digest on behalf of ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. The popular games console systems, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox have sold 30 per cent more than the previous generation of gaming technology at the equivalent point in time.
by Thomas on Feb. 18, 2003 @ 10:52 a.m. PST | Filed under
News
Here is a news story on a growing gaming culture seen growing mostly in the bigger cities... As the editorial deadline draws nearer for the forthcoming edition of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, more and more champions are surfacing to represent the many distinct genres of gaming. And, most interesting among the new genre are the dancing games... More about it below!
by Rainier on Feb. 13, 2003 @ 11:46 a.m. PST | Filed under
News
The last studio linked to the iconic video game company is winding down its operations this month. More than a hundred employees are losing their jobs. Some of these staffers date back to Atari's heyday in the 1970s. One employee worked on Atari's second game, Tank. Parent company Midway Games, which bought Atari's arcade division in 1996, said the downsizing is necessary to cut costs.
by Rainier on Jan. 28, 2003 @ 10:32 a.m. PST | Filed under
News
Donald Hayes, a well known competitor in the world of classic arcade gaming has beaten a 20-year-old record on the legendary arcade game Super Zaxxon. Considered among the the top ten "hardest games of all time," the world record on Super Zaxxon had not budged an inch since Greg McLeod of Halifax, Nova Scotia, set the benchmark standard of 339,750 points on July 25, 1983 during a Twin Galaxies event. Not only will Donald Hayes be recognized as the Super Zaxxon champion in the forthcoming edition of the Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, but he also holds the world records on TRON and Centipede, two of the most highly contested titles of all time. The entire story can be found at
TwinGalaxiesby Thomas on Jan. 28, 2003 @ 7:54 a.m. PST | Filed under
News
The U.S. entertainment software industry grew 8% to a record-breaking $6.9 billion in 2002, according to data released today by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), the U.S. association representing computer and video game software publishers. The IDSA today also released results of a new poll that shows that consumers plan to keep spending on computer and video games in 2003, with 41% of all Americans, and almost two-thirds (63%) of parents, saying that they plan to purchase at least one game this year. In addition, a majority of Americans (56%) under the age of 45 plan to buy at least one computer or video game this year; while 37% of 45 to 54 year olds, and 26% of adults ages 55 to 64, also plan to buy at least one game this year. The poll was conducted in mid-January for the IDSA by KRC Research, and dramatically illustrates the industry's popularity among adult consumers.
by Rainier on Jan. 24, 2003 @ 10:31 a.m. PST | Filed under
News
Noticed on
Shacknews that
Yahoo.biz reports Investment bank Investec believes Microsoft Corp. was in talks with French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal about buying Vivendi's video game business for as much as $2 billion. A spokeswoman for Vivendi Universal's game unit declined to comment. A Microsoft spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment. This can only amount to the recent rumours and speculations ..