Swashbucklers: Blue & Grey is a naval Action/RPG game set in time of the American Civil War - the time of last pirate renaissance on the Caribbean. Previously known as Swashbuckler's: Legacy of the Drake, Akella has not only renamed its naval combat title, but also changed the setting from the War of 1812 to the American Civil War (thanks Blues). Read more for details ...

Omni Interactive Audio today revealed they have signed an ongoing, long-term deal to create and integrate all the sound effects for future chapters of Guild Wars, the new online role playing game developed by ArenaNet and published by NCSoft.

JoWood announced today that it has signed an agreement with Capcom to distribute its action adventure Legend of Kay in North America and Japan. No release date has been announced yet, but Legend of Kay has been available in Europe for a few months already.

Video game sales rose 32 percent in the United States in March, analysts said on Friday, noting Sony's top-selling "Gran Turismo 4" racing game as well as an improved supply of console hardware.

Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience will offer the original ground game An Empire Divided, the Jump to Lightspeed expansion that brought players into space in their own Millennium Falcon and the all new Episode III Rage of the Wookiees expansion offering exclusive content directly from the final Star Wars movie all in one box, as well as an exclusive vehicle only available to bundle owners. Read more for details..

TT Superbikes will feature on the channel around the launch along with a strong presence at this year's TT event in June. There will be several promotions including prize give-away copies of the game to Men and Motors viewers. The game will also feature the Men and Motors Suzuki superbike, which will race at this year's event. Read more for details and screens ...

Risk Your Life is a persistent universe or role-playing game (RPG). In the game, players assume the role of a Warrior, Cleric, Wizard, or Thief (over 20 classes) and explore the many beautiful and exotic locations within the game where they meet other players, complete quests, fight monsters and other players. Massively multiplayer online games are computer games in which thousands of players can play simultaneously through the Internet.

World Tour Soccer 2006, developed exclusively for the PS2 by 989 Sports, features an unprecedented line-up of teams and players from around the globe in order to bring the excitement of the world's most popular sport to the forefront for gamers and soccer fans alike.

Ridge Racer features an all-new nitrous boosting system that allows players to race faster than ever and smoke their competition. Through new modes such as Wireless Battle, players can battle it out head-to-head in eight-player races. Ridge Racer also delivers advanced 3D graphics, smooth analog steering and robust vehicle and course selections – comprised of classic courses from previous Ridge Racer titles.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory tells the conspiracy-ridden story of black ops agent Sam Fisher as he explores the world of international espionage. The game will offer a high adrenaline experience thanks to never seen before close range attacks, a totally open level design, a completely immersive and interactive environment, and challenging advanced AI. In addition, it will offer the best graphics in this generation of games and a unique, coop multiplayer mode.

As a follow-up to our SAG vs. publishers article from earlier this week, representatives of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and a group of video game publishers have agreed to extend the current interactive agreements to May 13, 2005. Discussions on successor interactive agreements are continuing. A press blackout remains in effect (thanks Blues). By extending the previous agreement, which expired last Friday, an immediate strike was avoided.

3000AD front man Derek Smart announced that the UCAWA has gone gold and will be available in two versions, retail and downloadable. Universal Combat: A World Apart gives hardcore fans an enhanced "Battlecruiser" experience, keeping the flavour of combat, but utilizing newer technologies. Universal Combat: A World Apart, the second title in the Universal Combat series will be published by Dreamcatcher and released globally for PC in May 2005.

Crave Entertainment announced today the release the first handheld version of the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series with Tokyo Xtreme Racer Advance for GBA. For fans of Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero and Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3, Tokyo Xtreme Racer Advance will take players beyond the open roads of Tokyo and onto the motorways of London and the freeways of Los Angeles.

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 :

• Trackmania Sunrise - Trailer #5
• Fantastic Four - Trailer
• Empire Earth 2 - Trailer

WBIE & Monolith have announced that they will be releasing new content every month, starting next week, for their virtual, persistent The Matrix Online universe. Regularly scheduled live events, expanded gameplay, new missions and the constant presence of the MxO Live Events Team will bring the compelling, continuing story of The Matrix Online to life. Matrix Online picks up where The Matrix Revolutions, the third chapter in The Matrix film trilogy, leaves off.

Pariah focuses on a robust immersive storyline that weaves survival elements into the traditional run-and-gun style of first-person action games. Digital Extremes has released a multiplayer demo for its FPS Pariah. This demo features 3 maps (CTF, TDM and Front Line Assault), all multi-player weapons, and 3 vehicles (Dart, Wasp, Bogie). Read more for download links ...

Digital Jesters is set to further expand its portfolio of titles for 2005 as the firm announces a fresh partnership with French publisher Nobilis. The deal provides Digital Jesters with exclusive UK distribution rights for a range of new titles, with eight confirmed releases both on PC and PS2 over the coming year.

While Codemasters may not have a booth or lineup of titles at E3 , that does not mean it won't be present. Codemasters announced today that its Chairman and CEO David Darling has assigned a new multi-million dollar war chest, mainly due to a recently secured investment, to acquire and fund new gaming properties from development studios.

The FBI has arrested four Chinese nationals in New York for allegedly distributing video game consoles that contain Nintendo's famous game software. With approximately 40 FBI agents, they seized more than 60,000 illegal products during five raids on April 13. The illegal products, marketed under the brand name "Power Player," contain dozens of pirated versions of popular Nintendo games like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt.

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 :

• Pariah - Trailer (2)
• Metal Combat - Trailer

A contract between video game developers and unionized actors lending their voices to video games is set to expire on Friday, and no new contract has been agreed upon, leaving open the possibility of actors on strike. The Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA are in negotiations with a group of major videogame publishers, all of which have come to rely on union talent for increasingly cinematic videogames. Since videogame revenue rivals that of the box office, SAG wants a piece of the pie, and a strike could affect actors such as Clint Eastwood, Vin Diesel, or even Marlon Brando in EA's The Godfather. Read the full article over at Variety...

Gearbox Software is pleased to announce a beta test program for the eagerly awaited Brothers in Arms Software Development Kit (BiA:SDK). In preparation for the global release of the BiA:SDK, Gearbox is looking for a dedicated group of testers to put the development tools and tutorials through their paces. Slots in the beta test are limited to the first 100 qualified applicants. To sign up for the beta test please read this post in the Brothers in Arms Editing forum at Gearbox Software.

A designer of Microsoft's Xbox game console is teaming up with two of China's biggest electronics makers to develop a system to deliver movies and video games on demand to millions of homes worldwide by broadband Internet. Phantom anybody ?

'Conker: Live and Reloaded' features intense deathmatch and campaign storyline modes via Xbox Live and system link, players can compete as one of six combat specialists across multi-mission campaigns covering Old War and Future War. Also included is the critically acclaimed single-player game, "Conker's Bad Fur Day," completely recreated for the Xbox with stunning graphics and unparalleled attitude.