Origin Systems, an Electronic Arts development studio, today announced that it has begun shipping Ultima Online: Age of Shadows, an exciting new expansion in the award-winning Ultima Online (UO) series. Ultima Online: Age of Shadows delivers just what fans requested including a new house building tool, more professions, a new land to explore and settle and a new magic items system.

Midlands developer Blitz Games has made a new appointment this month, promoting Project Manager Darren Wood to the newly created role of Development Manager. This new role will be to assist and support the Chief Technical Officer and to oversee the development of all the company's projects, working closely with each of the development teams. He will report directly to the company's four directors. This will leave CTO Andrew Oliver to focus on the strategic progression of the company's development tools and services, including its out-sourcing policy.

Independent developer Blitz Games has just signed a development deal with publisher Empire Interactive under a license with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to develop games based on the upcoming film Bad Boys II. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are back - and oh, so bad - on the streets of Miami in Bad Boys II, reuniting them with producer Jerry Brukheimer and director Michael Bay for a Summer 2003 release. The multi-million dollar marketing support has already kicked off with an action packed teaser spot in this year's Super Bowl - which is one of the most important advertising events of the year.

ITE Media is proud to announce another release from the Hugo range, Hugo - Black Diamond Fever which will be available on PC from 11th February and PS One from 14th April.

As the world prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight, Microsoft Corp. today announced that "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight" is in development and cleared for takeoff this July. With "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight," the next milestone in the award-winning "Flight Simulator" franchise, Microsoft celebrates 20 years of developing and perfecting computer flight simulation.

THQ Inc. today announced the release of PRIDE FC for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Created exclusively for PlayStation 2 by Anchor of Japan, PRIDE FC is now available at major retail outlets nationwide... Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today that World Tour Soccer 2003 from the 989 Sports group is now available in stores, marking the latest release of the critically acclaimed videogame franchise, developed exclusively for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

Vivendi and Interplay today announced the development of Hunter: The Reckoning Redeemer, developed by High Voltage Software exclusively for the Xbox. Based on the gothic world of White Wolf's pen and paper role-playing games, Hunter: The Reckoning is returning to Xbox fueled with more intense action than the original. An all-new character joins the original team of four to destroy hordes of new supernatural enemies in never before seen areas. Single or multi-player battles will be waged with the addition of new weapons, power ups, edges (spells) and Hunter-specific combat moves.

UPDATE: 11 screens are added!

Unleashing an exciting new action hero within the popular platform gaming genre, Acclaim today announced that it has shipped its eagerly anticipated title, VEXX, for the PS2, Xbox and GameCube. Developed by Acclaim's internal development studio in Austin, Texas, VEXX is an original game that allows players to assume the role of the title character as he embarks on a heroic, combat-laden quest to seek vengeance on those that enslaved his people.

Electronic Arts today announced that The Sims turns three this month. The Sims, the wildly popular computer game, now available on the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and online, skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping to stores in February 2000 and remains a top seller in virtually every major game market worldwide.

Eutechnyx have announced that their redneck racing simulator, Big Mutha Truckers is thundering its way toward release on PC and Nintendo GameCube. The downside is that PC and GameCube owners will have to wait until April to get their hands on the unique driving game that's received rave reviews following its release on PlayStation2 and Xbox in December 2002. The good news is that developers Eutechnyx are adding additional features not present in the previous releases.