The Battlefield 2 expansion pack planned to be launched during spring 2006 is now replaced by two booster packs. The change means slightly lower project revenues during the fourth quarter 2005 than during the third, due to a lower development budget. The anticipation though is that this will be compensated by higher royalty revenues during the first six month 2006.

Valve unveiled a 64-bit version of its Source game engine technology today. The first 64-bit Valve games released will be native 64-bit versions of Half-Life 2 and Lost Coast, and have been developed to take advantage of AMD Athlon 64 FX processor-based systems - the ultimate 64-bit gaming platform for PC enthusiasts.

EA today announced that the French postal service, La Poste, has honored The Sims franchise with an official postage stamp. Published in limited edition of 3 million units, Les Sims is one of 10 stamps in the "Heroes of Videogames" collection featuring the industry's most beloved icons. The set will retail for 2.65 euros (approximately $3.09 USD) and is available now in French post offices and through La Poste's website at http://timbres.laposte.fr/eng/

Empire has released a new patch for Strangelite's FPS Starship Troopers, bringing any Euro/US retail game to v5.24 and adds 4 new deathmatch maps (Bait, Duel, Hill, Offensive), three new coop maps (Bait, Psiops, Stronghold), the usual crash and bug fixes, but also new shader option and several new features. Read more for detailed fixlist and download links ...

The Chronicles of Spellborn is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices. Developed by Dutch studio Khaeon Games, previously known for Alpha Black Zero, Spellborn uses the Unreal 2.5 Engine. The closed beta test is currently underway, more people will be allowed to join in the coming months.

KOCH Media has released a new patch for EgoSoft's space-combat exploration game X³: REUNION. This update brings your retail game to v1.3 and adds important features to the game as well as fixing a number of problems that players experienced. It also improves the game-balance in key areas such as combat and the economy. Read more for detailed fixlist and download links ...

When the paparazzi in Lionhead Studios' The Movies game shout, "Who are you wearing?" virtual stars will now respond, "John Malkovich, Uncle Kimono!" Activision, has signed a deal with the popular actor's clothing company to have clothing from his "Uncle Kimono" Collection featured as downloadable costumes for outfitting the stars in The Movies, currently available in retail stores nationwide.

Strategy First and Russian publisher 1C Company announced today that “Cuban Missile Crisis: The Aftermath” has shipped to North American retailers nationwide.

UFO: Aftershock follows directly from one of the endings of UFO: Aftermath, where the player agrees to hand over the Earth to the Alien scientists, who are trying to change the planet into a giant living organism. Cenega has released the first patch bringing your retail game to v1.2 addresses some v1.1 issues, tactical mode problems, several stats displays and Polish localization.

Frame City Killer is a next-generation action game for the Xbox 360. Featuring astoundingly detailed graphics powered by the Unreal Engine 3 and immersive, non-linear gameplay, Frame City Killer is set to deliver an intense gaming experience this holiday season in North America and Europe.