Vivendi Universal Games today announced another step in its turnaround plan to improve operating effectiveness, reduce costs and position for growth. The changes include a significant staff reduction in its North American based operations (Papyrus & Impressions, as well as some PR people) resulting in the elimination of 350 staff positions. The Company's Blizzard Entertainment studio was not part of the staff reduction.

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 :

• Spellforce: Breath Of Winter - Trailer
• City Of Heroes - Content Update Trailer (2)

Obscure is Hydravision Entertainment's upcoming survival horror game where all the action centres around a group of three students, trapped in an eerie school, where the teachers have been performing obscene experiments on their classmates.

The perilous quest for survival will soon be a reality. Leading video games developer and publisher Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that its popular quest-driven role-playing game, Tales of Symphonia, has gone gold. Exclusively for Nintendo GameCube, Tales of Symphonia will lead players on an epic adventure filled with intrigue, sacrifice and surprises as it makes its way to retail outlets on July 13, 2004.

TimeGate Studios delivers a breathtaking world of magical splendour, heroic deeds, and fearsome enemies with Kohan II: Kings of War, a fantasy-based real-time strategy game. Presented in beautifully rendered 3D, Kohan II: Kings of War allows gamers to lay siege to enemy cities, explore fantastic realms, fight strange creatures, and build a world-spanning empire.

SRS features the hottest rides on asphalt including real licensed vehicles ripped from the authentic world of street racing. The performance of these tricked-out street machines has been modeled realistically with lifelike physics and authentic damage effects that will thrust players into this high-speed world. From hot cars to beautiful girls, with booming bass, big bets and both sanctioned and illegal events, SRS is the only game that offers the rush of living in the world of true street racing. If it’s on the streets, it’s in the game!

Games Workshop Group announces that its board has resolved to terminate its online gaming development project. This decision was taken following a full review of the progress, costs to date and future costs of the project. As a result both the Company and Climax Development Limited, the computer games developer, have agreed to terminate the development project. The official Warhammer Online website seems to confirm the cancellation.

Atari has forged links with Microsoft to publish the Windows PC version of Top Spin, the critically renowned tennis simulation releasing this September. Atari and Microsoft are confident of repeating the success of last year's Xbox version in 2004. Developed by French games studio Power and Magic Development (PAM) - the creators of the original Xbox version - Top Spin is the complete virtual tennis experience.

Henry Townshend finds himself trapped in his apartment that has been cursed by a deeply rooted evil. Only by exploring mysterious portals leading to disturbing alternate worlds will Henry begin to uncover the truth. However, in true Silent Hill fashion, mysterious new characters, horrendous creatures, and the undead will use any means necessary to impede his progress. Some new screens ...

Matrix Games is pleased to announce that it has secured the rights to publish Koios Works' innovative new wargame, Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great. Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great is a turn-based, simultaneous-play wargame with a classic feel and a reaction system to allow mid-turn adjustments to strategy. Aside from covering the most famous conqueror in all of history, Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great also presents the wargamer with a unique miniatures-oriented feel with graphics of hand-drawn, individually adorned soldiers.

Electronic Arts today announced that Ultima Online 7th Anniversary Edition, the latest version in the longest running online game, is now available. The package includes the original Ultima Online (UO) game and all five UO expansion packs as well as a collector's edition of the Ultima Online Fan Guide and a copy of the classic Ultima IX: Ascension, the last game in the Ultima series.

Digital Jesters has launched the UK website for the forthcoming Medieval Lords: Build, Defend, Expand. Gamers can head to the official Medieval Lords website to access all the latest information - from screenshots and video footage, through to news pieces and a forum. Medieval Lords is a refreshingly unique take on the city building concept. Shifting the perspective from the usual forced snap-to-grid structure that characterises the genre, developer Monte Cristo has bestowed upon its offspring a gloriously free-form 3D engine.

GoldenLand is a role playing game with a global gameworld, developed role system, divaricated storyline allowing multiply passes of every quest, and turn-based battle system. The multiplayer mode allows players to join their energies on struggles against the enemies, to fight against each other and even to establish economical relations with other players.

Horizons, an online epic adventure, is based in the massively multiplayer fantasy world, Istaria. A world of legend and lore filled with humans, fiends, dragons and many other traditional fantasy roles, Horizons allows thousands of players to adventure together in the civilized and untamed regions of the world.

Phantom Brave improves upon the tactical gameplay found in Disgaea and La Pucelle in every way. Its redone, open-ended battle system is limited only by the user’s imagination. If you fell in love with Disgaea, you definitely won’t want to miss out on what’s sure to be this year’s best Strategy RPG. Read more for 50 or so new screens...

Several weeks ago Strategy First and Game Factory Interactive announced that that they have entered into a contract that will see MiST Land South (Game Factory’s development studio) develop Jagged Alliance 3D and Jagged Alliance 3. While there are still no details available on either title, Strategy First has released the first screens for JA 3D. Read more to check them out ...

PlanetCNC seems to put their hands on a screenshot showing a monitor at an unspecified EA location, showing off an image indicating that C&C 3 might very wellbe in the works. Of course there is no official word from Electronic Arts, nor whether this is a fabrication or legit. Coincidence or not, the date and time shown on the screenshots (June 17th) was the same day a select few members of the press were invited to see a preview showing of Need For Speed Underground 2. Maybe somebody got lost in the huge EA complex and stumbled upon previously mentoined monitor, by accident of course (thanks HomeLAN).

Developed by Point of View, Trigger Man is a third person, mission-based action/adventure game that immerses the player in the role of an underworld hit man. Read more for a big batch of new screens...

Shocking and evil, Mortal Kombat: Deception pushes martial arts-style fighting and the Mortal Kombat franchise to new heights with an innovative fighting system, unparalleled depth and brutally intense action that will appeal to long-time Mortal Kombat fans as well as next-generation gamers. The game features lightning-fast hand-to-hand and special weapons combat, secret and returning characters, moves and combinations with new death-dealing battles and fatalities.

Viewed from a third person perspective players must take turns using the available time, energy and weapons to defeat the enemy. With unique line of sight AI and fully destructible environments no two games are ever the same. Add to this a team of characters each with different skills and you get a game of infinite possibilities and compulsive playablity.

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 :

• Worms Forts: Under Siege - Trailer
• Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - Trailer
• Fate Of Ages - Trailer

Tabula Rasa is the latest massively multiplayer entertainment experience to come from the legendary creative mind of Richard Garriott and the all-star team of industry professionals at Destination Games. Developed from the ground up to be stable, fast and fun, Tabula Rasa represents a refreshing new approach to the design of multiplayer online games.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves is a comic crime caper, action-adventure game designed exclusively for the PS2. Sly 2: Band of Thieves incorporates many of Sucker Punch's signature talents including award winning toon-shaded animation and art direction, visual style, immersive storylines, strong characters, and highly interactive worlds.

The Incredibles tells the story of a family of undercover superheroes that are trying to live a quiet, suburban life, but are forced back into action in order to save the world. The game is expected to launch simultaneously with the film, which will hit theaters on November 5, 2004. The Incredibles videogame will bring action and adventure to the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC/Mac, and GBA this fall.

Star Wars Battlefront is an intense open-ended multiplayer action game set in the Star Wars universe due out this fall for the PS2, Xbox and the PC. Star Wars Battlefront will put fans and gamers in the heat of the action as they re-live all of the epic battles from the classic and prequel eras of the Star Wars universe. Read more for some new screens ...