The ELSPA announced that the UK interactive entertainment software market hit a new all time high last year, as 2006 recorded a 7% increase on units sold from the previous year taking the total to a whopping 65.1 million units sold.

Not wanting to be left out, Microsoft announced it was awarded the Emmy for Pioneering Work in Near and Real-Time Fully Programmable Shading Via Modern Graphics Processors for its DirectX technology, at the 58th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards, on Monday, January 8th at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

Yesterday Sony sent out a media blast to the press touting that it had just won an Emmy for its SIXAXIS wireless controller in the Peripheral Development and Technogical Impact of Video Game Controllers category. Apparently Sony deceived the press en masse as it not only did NOT win an Emmy for the PS3 controller, but rather for its old Dual Shock analog controller, it is also sharing the Emmy with Nintendo for its D-Pad.

Independent design, development and production facility Sniper Studios has hit the floor running with an all star ensemble of industry talent and strategic global partnerships. The first deal the company is announcing is with SEGA of America on a yet to be announced title scheduled for 2007.

Wii owners are in for a retro treat at the start of 2007, with 36 new Virtual Console titles spanning Nintendo’s twenty-year history available to download in Q1. Gamers will be able to turn back the clock and enjoy titles which made their debut on the NES, SNES, N64, SEGA MEGA DRIVE and Turbografx.

Reminiscent of the Gears of War debacle, Germany's ESRB equivalent USK (Unterhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle) has refused to give Microsoft's GTA-like Crackdown game an age rating (same goes for Eidos' Reservoir Dogs). This results in Real Time Worlds' open ended action to not be publicly sold or advertised, not sold to minors and can only happen in person, no online ordering. Germany's USK has strict rules on violence in games, especially in light of the recent fatal high school shooting.

IDG World Expo announced the official name of its newest event: Entertainment for All Expo (E for All Expo), scheduled for Oct. 18-20, 2007, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. A naming contest to replace the original GamePro Expo attracted 3000 submissions with the winning entry proposed by California resident Dante Padre.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Game Developers Choice Awards until January 12, 2007. The awards ceremony, to take place Wednesday, March 7, 2007 during Game Developers Conference (GDC), will be hosted in the Esplanade Room in the South Hall of San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center.

Left Behind: Eternal Forces, a real-time-strategy game, is set in an apocalyptic rendition of New York City. Players can command the Tribulation Forces as they attempt to save people from the Global Community Peacekeepers, commanded by the antichrist.

Farlan Entertainment announced that in order to allow even more players to experience the uniquely immersive world of Dark and Light gaming, all Dark and Light forum members can now access the game for free.

SCEA announced the North American release of Gran Turismo HD Concept, available for free download on the PS3's PlayStation Store. Polyphony Digital Inc's driving game features an all-new course for players to be the first to drive a Ferrari on a PS3, as well as the option to select a car from nine other manufacturers including Infiniti, Lotus, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki.

Late November Saga of Ryzom developer Nevrax announced it had gone into receivership, a.k.a bankruptcy protection, and discussions with an interested party to take over are ongoing. It has now been announced that German pulisher GameForge has taken over Nevrax and its portfolio, including Saga of Ryzom featuring an immersive player-driven storyline, a dynamic ecosystem, mass combat mechanics, and lush graphics.

With LFS S2 important features have been added, dynamic camber (improved simulation of suspension and different suspension types), highly detailed tyre physics and a damage model have been introduced. The LFS team has released a new update for the LfS S2 alpha demo adding stability, several fixes, and an in-game autoupdate function.

For Liberty! is a turn based computer strategy game for the PC, covering two wars of independence - the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the Rakoczi War of Independence in Europe 1703-1711. This v1.75 patch brings a number of tactical and strategic AI improvements, improved game realism, new realistic ruleset feature where the readiness recovery rate is halved, etc...

Today a free trial version of the Opera browser is available for download on Nintendo's Wii. The Wiimote has made it possible to surf the Web in a new way with the Opera browser on your TV. Simply point and click to go to a Web page, select a link or input text. Click and move the Wii Remote up, down, left or right to navigate a page.

Bethesda announced that it has worked with the good folks at Xbox Live to give away one of our most popular downloads for Oblivion: Mehrunes Razor for a limited period of time. Starting this Friday, Dec. 22, Xbox 360 gamers will be able to download Mehrunes Razor for free from Xbox Live. This offer is only for a limited time...from Dec. 22 to Dec. 31. On Monday, Jan. 1 it will go back to its standard price.

The US Army has released a new updated version for America's Army: Special Forces (Coalition). This upgrade brings their team-based multiplayer game to v2.8 and includes the map creation tools to modify existing levels and/or create your own, ability to submit user-created content, map updates, the usual slew of bug / crash fixes, and game tweaks.

SpaceForce 2, developed by Provoxgames, is a space simulation game with a heavy focus on ship development, an immersive Universe and freedom of choice.

SEGA's PS2 exclusive RPG Shining Force EXA plunges gamers into stunning interactive worlds of swords and sorcery, fill with anime cut-scenes that the classic series is best known for.

D3Publisher of America officially announced its arcade-style 3rd-person shooter Earth Defense Force 2017, previously known as EDF X, equiping players with an extensive arsenal of diverse weapons, pilotable vehicles and loyal teammates in order to defeat a wide variety of attackers ranging from gigantic ants and spiders to robots and monsters standing more than 20 stories tall.

Magical fairies Musa, Layla, Tecna, Flora, Bloom and Stella are back with new adventures, an updated wardrobe, familiar friends and foes, in The Winx Club: Quest for the Codex, the latest installment based on the 4Kids Entertainment's animated children’s television series The Winx Club.

Fasten your seatbelt and be prepared for the race of your life as Formula One 06 brings players a brand new gaming experience, allowing you to get closer to the sport than ever before, and take part in the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship and truly interact with the sport.

Much earlier than the 2006 edition, QuakeCon 2007 has already been scheduled for August 2-5, 2007 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, TX, with more gaming, events, exhibits and fun than ever before. This year’s BYOC Area has been expanded with almost twice as many spots, while the exhibit area grew 5 times for more exhibitors. Registration starts 9:00pm EST May 2, 2007, so get in line ...

As an aspiring Underworld figure, spread corruption throughout the galaxy using new strategic gameplay elements to influence other factions, steal their funds, slow their production, spy on them and more. LucasArts has released a map editor, giving you the ability to create land and space skirmish maps.

As an aspiring Underworld figure, spread corruption throughout the galaxy using new strategic gameplay elements to influence other factions, steal their funds, slow their production, spy on them and more. As promised, the v1.1 patch adds a slew of balance tweaks, AI improvements, map changes and plenty more ..