Xbox.IGN is reporting that, due to lower than expected sales, European developer Southend Interactive will not be working on any sequel to the 2002 Xbox exclusive sci-fi action/sports game Deathrow. Southend Interactive is still in business though as they are working on a yet unannounced project which will be made public later this year.

Warlords Battlecry III builds upon the unique features that have made this series renowned throughout the RTS genre. Further expanding on the Battlecry traditions, this next title will feature a new hero development system, 3 new spheres of magic that entails over 30 new spells, a new lair system, as well as 5 new races. Enlight is releasing a demo this coming Friday gving you a chance to try out part of the campaign and some skirmish maps. Of course we will have it on our fileservers as soon as its available ...

In Battle Mages you control the main hero, a graduate of the Imperial Battle Mage School, and his troops to restore peace in a beautiful fantasy world, inhabited with various creatures. Buka has released an updated demo for Targem's 3D RPG/Strategy game Battle Mages. This v1.1.2 demo addresses a startup menu bug, improve stability, close memory leaks, and increase loading speeds. If you have downloaded the demo before, a smaller update patch is also available. Read more for download links ...

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today that World Tour Soccer 2005 from 989 Sports is now available in stores. Now in its third year, the World Tour Soccer franchise, developed exclusively for the PlayStation2, has set the tone for unmatched play options and realism for the core soccer enthusiast.

Today Buka announced 'Operation: Matriarchy' an upcoming first-person shooter under development at MADia, due 1st quarter 2005. You are a trooper of the government army sent with the expeditionary force to attack Velian. As you accomplish missions given to you at the headquarters, you get new opportunities in selection of weapons and military equipment. Each mission will also get you closer to the secret of the origin of the Velian anomaly of the human race. Read more for details & screens ...

Currently in development (scheduled for a Q4, 2004 release), the new grand strategy masterpiece from award winning game designer Hubert Cater! Combining the ease of play and accessibility of the original "Strategic Command", "Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg" adds tons of new features including many player submitted suggestions. Bigger, better and expandable, Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg is an evolutionary as well as revolutionary new grand strategy game.

The Adventure Company, and Chorion PLC, the owner, developer and manager of branded entertainment content, have announced a strategic partnership to develop interactive PC games based on the works of the world’s most popular writer of detective fiction, Agatha Christie.

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for :

• Hitman: Contracts - Trailer
• Men Of Valor - Trailer (2)
• Van Helsing - Trailer
• The Egyptian Prophecy - Trailer
• Tales of Symphonia - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Wargaming.net has released a new demo version for Massive Assault Network, an online 3D strategy game based on original Secret Allies political concept, where two commanders fight for global domination in sci-fi environment. This demo lets you practice in Single Player mode against challenging AI: 8 Training Missions, 3 Scenarios and unlimited World Wars (i.e. Deathmatches), play online games on Emerald planet against other live players (no time limited), built in chat and online assistance. Read more for download links ...

What is the most anticipated release from Bungie Studios this year? Yep! You guessed it, the launch of the new Bungie.net. (There's also that little game they are working on...) Bungie, the development studio that brought gamers the award-winning Halo and is currently developing the highly anticipated Halo 2 for Xbox, today announced the relaunch of the popular Bungie.net site. Read more for details and a brand new Halo 2 screen...

1C and G5 Software companies will develop a new 3D RTS on motives of the Caribbean crisis. Game engine will be a modified Blitzkrieg engine. But game will not carry a historical reliability, in this Caribbean crisis the USSR and the USA will exchange nuclear attacks. In game there will be 4 campaigns: for the USSR, France, Germany, China, the USA and Great Britain. Read more for a few screens ...

Hell Forces is a classical FPS. Stephen Geist – the main hero of HF is trying to find out, what has happened to his missing friend. During this search he is mired in a satanic conspiracy, and is trying to stop dread forces of Baphometh, the servant of Satan. Infernal legions are uncountable, but Stephen is not. Only with Your help he can find out the truth and stop the invasion...

Eidos today announced that its highly-anticipated, action-stealth game Hitman: Contracts, developed by IO Interactive, has gone gold for the PlayStation2, the Xbox and the PC and will be available at retail beginning April 21, 2004 in North America. The release of Hitman: Contracts will be supported by a massive multi-million dollar marketing campaign ­ one of the largest to-date by Eidos North America.

Dragon Empires promises to be a groundbreaking MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). The world will be filled with embattled clans, each striving to prove their superiority in head-to-head group combat, as they aim to take political and economic control of the game's 50 magnificent cities and, ultimately, 5 empires. Head on over to the newly revamped website, or read more for some new screens...

Ubisoft today reinforces its strategy to dominate the war games market by announcing a long-term deal with award-winning developer Gearbox Software to publish a new military franchise: Brothers in Arms. With its breakthrough squad-based combat mechanism and unprecedented realism, the first game in the series is poised to revolutionize the WWII genre when it ships on consoles and PC starting Holiday 2004. Read more for details and the first screens!

Legacy Interactive, the games publisher who is quickly making a name for itself by bringing television’s greatest dramas to life on the PC, announced today two new additions to its “Law & Order” PC game portfolio, Law & Order: Justice is Served and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Vivendi Universal Games will distribute both titles in North America. Law & Order: Justice is Served will ship this fall, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent will be available in Q1 2005. Both titles will be showcased in Legacy Interactive’s meeting room at the 2004 E3 Expo in Los Angeles, May 12-14. Read more for details and screens ...

Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that the company is developing the second installment in its Smash Court series. Scheduled for release exclusively on the PlayStation2, Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 will ship in the summer of 2004. Read more for details & screens ...

Nevrax announced today that the Saga of Ryzom, its highly anticipated multi-genre massively multiplayer RPG, enters Open Beta beginning today, April 13th 2004. Community relations and customer support for the beta will be provided by the Themis Group in the United States, and hosting will be provided by Jolt Online Gaming. Read more for details ...

Codemasters announced today that its most comprehensive motor sport racing game ever, ToCA Race Driver 2: Ultimate Racing Simulator, has shipped to North American retail outlets for the Xbox. The PC DVD-ROM version will ship later this week. The title is available at a suggested retail price of $29.99.

The Blue Vault of the title refers to an organisation which spends its time hunting down pesky aliens and doing its best not to let other humans even know the extraterrestrial sons-of-bitches even exist. There are plans for six different alien species, with around thirty missions in the finished game. The Blue Vault is a strategy title, so expect such delightful elements as resource gathering, unit recruitment and skill advancement to make a decent fist of things, though we're promised a detail level on a par with RPGs. For more details, head on over to PCZone's coverage.

Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. today announced that fans of the award-winning 3D massively multiplayer online role playing game Asheron’s Call (AC) will receive a new expansion pack in early 2005. Available for the PC, the latest AC installment will offer fresh challenges to experienced players while welcoming new gamers to the colorful and exciting fantasy world of Dereth.

Hitman: Contracts delivers more action-packed and suspense-filled missions, with a greater variety of ways to make the perfect kill and an increased arsenal of firearms and close-combat weapons. A new graphics engine showcases your 'work' in brutal detail and brings the new locations to life. An improved control system and more gradual learning curve will ensure that the game is accessible to all aspiring hitmen.

Exctinction is a tactical multiplayer shooter set in a future where mankind has been all but wiped out by alien invaders. After years of rebuilding their armies in secret, the remaining forces of man make one final, desperate attempt to rid the Earth of its unwelcome visitors. Expect multiple character classes with unique abilities, amazing firepower, and a fair share of pulse pounding, bone crunching vehicles as human and alien forces battle on derelict wastelands, hidden jungles and polar icecaps in the ultimate fight for survival! Blow the hell out of everything as up to 32 players battle on expansive interactive environments with surprises of their own. Exctinction is under development at Cinematic Games.

A real-time tactical game boasting single and multiplayer modes, Desert Rats vs. Afrika Korps immerses you into the explosive campaigns that took place in North Africa during World War II. Set across two campaigns and twenty missions, you take the role of either friend or foe as you follow the fascinating destinies of an English and a German hero who were once friends and who are now constrained to fight each other in this “war without hate”.

Drakengard tells the tale of love, lore, sacrifice and obligation focusing on the main character Kyme, his sister Friae, and her fiance and Kyme's childhood friend, Yuvalt. Players will be in for a thrilling ride as they battle on land and in the skies. Not only will the player's attributes evolve throughout the game, his contracted dragon will also mature as the game progresses, changing in appearance and abilities.

Thrones and Patriots adds a multitude of new features to Rise of Nations, introducing six new nations, a wide variety of new single player campaigns, more than 20 new units, new wonders and an innovative new Government feature. With the new Government feature, any nation, old or new, can choose exactly how to be governed, which has far-reaching effects on how units perform in various situations. All-new single player campaigns will allow gamers to control the course of history during historical events that changed the world. Read more for a batch of new screens ...