EA and FIBA announced a multi-year licensing agreement that will bring 8 international teams, including 2006 World Championship winners Spain, runners up Greece and USA, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and China, to a videogame for the first time ever

After Sierra recently shut down multiplayer support, it seems EA is following suit, as it announced that as of September 1st, 2007 (and a few others on Nov. 1st) it will terminate multiplayer support for 49 of its older titles, such as FIFA 06, Madden 06, NFS Underground/Most Wanted, NBA Live 06, and several others ...

Midway's financial result reveals an upward trend of higher revenue ($31.8M, compared to last year's $25.9M) and less loss ($14.3M compared to $31M over the same period last year), with disappointing sales for Wii's Mortal Kombat, Lord of the Rings Online, and Hour of Victory. In the conference call, Midway announced it was delaying BlackSite: Area 51 (from Sept. to Nov. 5,) and Wheelman (all the way back to 2008).

In Crysis, shooter fans will face a new kind of gameplay challenge requiring adaptive tactics and customization of weapons and armor in dynamic, hostile environments as mankind struggles to survive in the face of a horrific alien invasion. Hinted at earlier today, EA officially dated Crysis for Nov. 16, 2007.

EA also revealed its latest financial results showing a lower revenue ($395 million, compared to last year's $413 mill.) and a higher loss ($132 million compared to $81 million same period a year ago). During the conference call EA executives announced Crysis is pushed back until Q3 (same as FIFA 08), expecting Crytek's FPS to be released in November. EA is giving Spore extra time for polishing and tentatively plans to release it anywhere from March to May 2008.

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is a puzzle adventure game, allowing you to explore wondrous environments and stages, solve puzzles and interact with the world in search of a legendary pirate ship and become the greatest pirate ever. The Council on American-Islamic Relations contacted Capcom after receiving a complaint that the phrase Allahu akbar (God is most Great) was being inappropriately used, which has now been removed.

THQ released its financial results for the Q1 2008, revealing lower revenue ($104 million compared to $138 mill. last year), but less net loss ($9.3 million, compared last year's $12.1 mill.). Sales were mainly driven by Ratatouille, and older titles such as WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 and Cars. In the subsequent conference call, CEO Brian Farrell confirmed it is developing Red Faction 3.

Heavy Duty is a 3rd person action shooter where the player controls a huge war robot to save his planet from enemy attacks. The game utilizes advanced technology with innovative gameplay features never before achieved in video games.

Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media announced the creation of ZeniMax Online Studios. The division will be headed by Matt Firor, a well-known expert in the field of online gaming, and will focus on the MMO market segment.

GameTap announced an expanded partnership with Codemasters that now includes multi-year exclusive North American rights for their new titles to be featured in GameTap’s subscription service, as well as for purchase online, both day and date with retail release.

In NCAA Football 08 players will look to be a leader and become a legend on the field with a new and deeper recruiting system and an all-new Campus Legend mode. EA and The Weather Channel Interactive announced that NCAA Football 08 features the ability to experience real-time weather conditions and updates.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the official prequel to its survival FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, bringing the players one year prior to the events of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in 2011.

Matrix Games, Dan Verssen Games, and Storm Cloud Creations announce Hornet Leader PC, allowing gamers to take to the skies and experience the tactical thrill of commanding some of the most elite aircraft in the world in historical/plausible missions with fantastically realistic equipment and enemies.

While rumors about a new World of Warcraft expansion have been floating around the past few weeks, Germany's ESRB counter-part, the USK, might have revealed more than it should. Unlike the ESRB, the German ratings board also handles demos, and yesterday a new listing for WoW: Wrath of the Lich King popped up, with a Addon/GC Demo tagged onto it. Could the Games Convention, late August, get a demo for the next WoW expansion? Will details be revealed at BlizzCon later this week?

The Sam & Max episodic game series will return this fall for another round of online mayhem. Feature the same quick wit and bizarre scenarios, Season Two will see some changes to the world, and general improvements born out of player feedback.

Virtual Heroes Inc. announced that it has signed a license agreement to use Epic's Unreal Engine 3 in the development of serious games and/or advanced learning technologies, giving Virtual Heroes access to a complete development framework including a vast array of core technologies, content creation tools, and support infrastructure.

2K Sports' NHL 2K8 will leverage all of the next generation capabilities, featuring innovative gameplay, revolutionary player models and stunning visuals to create an entirely new hockey experience, centered on authenticity and the NHL Signature Style.

The revival of the Dr.Who TV show seems to be going full speed ahead, as according to fansite David-Tennant.com, a video game based on the rejuvenated sci-fi series is in the works. An ad in the Dr. Who Top Trumps card pack has word that the BBC series is coming to the NDS, PS2 and PC, scheduled for Christmas 2007. The game is being developed by Eidos' Ironstone Partners studio.

SEGA's Bleach: Shattered Blade, based on the hit animated series Bleach, offers relentless action and dazzling swordplay with crisp, highly-stylized graphics that deliver an authentic anime experience.

Pirates, Merchants & Explorers takes players into a fifteenth century historical setting. Adventurers can start an online career as merchant, buccaneer, fisherman or one of many other professions. Players fight on land and water, complete enthralling quests and found guilds with other players.

Just as Sony's PS3 price cut was prematurely leaked through early ads, the rumored Xbox 360 price cut might also become a reality soon. Ads for Walmart and Toys 'R Us reveal that on Sunday, August 12, both retail chain stores will drop the price for the Xbox 360 by $50, to $349. Whether this reduction is only for the premium system was not clear, as that was the only model printed in the ad.

Rock Band allows you to perform music from the world’s biggest rock artists with your friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity. The latest GamePro issue reveals that Rock Band will have you playing at 41 replicas of real life venues in cities across the globe, such as London, Paris, Boston, NY, Amsterdam. The article also hints at a possible Nov. 6 release date.

Square Enix officially announced that Fan Festival 2007, the celebration that commemorates Final Fantasy XI fans around the world, will be taking place Nov. 15–17, at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, Calif., and will give attendees the first chance to play FFXI: Wings of Goddess.

SEGA's Football Manager 2008 will be fully updated for the new season and allow players to select their favorite club or international team and guide them to glorious success by putting them through Cup matches, Leagues, Euro Championships and even major international tournaments, with over 5,000 playable teams from over 50 countries.

At Comic-con 2007, EA announced that EA Chicago, known for the Fight Night series and the more recent Def Jam Icon, will develop a brand new Super Hero fighting game franchise using the Marvel license, scheduled for release on PS3 & X360 in 2008.