Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced a deal with Infinite Interactive to publish Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria, the next installment in the extremely popular series of fantasy turn-based strategy games. Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria is expected to ship in Q4 of 2003.

3DO today announced that its baseball game High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 for PC is now available. "With a completely rebuilt graphics engine, 27 different pitches and new motion captured player animations, High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 is sure to impress even the most seasoned player". Microsoft announced that Freelancer is landing on US store shelves today. Developed by Digital Anvil and Microsoft Game Studios, Freelancer enables gamers to "experience the adrenaline rush of fast-action combat with the engrossing story of a dynamic living universe". Infogrames, Inc. announced today that its fishing game, Pro Bass Fishing 2003, is shipping today for Windows PCs. The game is "a challenging and highly accurate bass-fishing simulation complete with real bass-fishing locations, authentic bass behavior and changing weather and water conditions, and complete personal customization for the ultimate virtual fishing experience". Rayman, the only gaming hero with no arms, no legs, helicopter hair, and brand new powers, is headed for store shelves! Ubi Soft today announced that Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for the GameCube and Rayman 3 for the GBA have both shipped for retail.

ATI Technologies, Inc. a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions, announced today that it has entered into a technology development agreement with Nintendo Co., Ltd. Under the agreement, ATI and Nintendo are developing technologies for use in Nintendo products. No other details regarding the nature of this agreement are being made available at this time.

YouPlayGames today announced that it has signed an exclusive deal with id Software and Even Balance, Inc. to offer Return to Castle Wolfenstein as the premiere title available through the company's new skill-based online gaming service. YouPlayGames is pioneering the world of professional online gaming by bringing massively popular multi-player licensed titles into homes and providing everyone with the chance to make money while playing their favorite computer games.

TDK Mediactive Europe announced today the release of its latest action-adventure game for the Nintendo GameCube system. "Darkened Skye" is a third-person action game set in a timeless fantasy world combining magic, evil, fantasy and humour with combat and fast-paced gameplay. "Darkened Skye" for the Nintendo GameCube will be available at a suggested retail price of £39.99 on March 28th 2003.

Buka Entertainment, one of the leading game publishers in Russia, is pleased to announce that today we signed a contract with Moving Imagem Editora Ltd, one of the biggest distributors of software products in Brazil. According to the contract Moving Editora will distribute Buka's Midnight Nowhere and Hard Truck Tycoon, localized in Portuguese.

Activision, Inc. announced today that the company has signed an agreement with legendary U.K.-based game designer Peter Molyneux. Under the terms of the agreement, the company has secured the exclusive worldwide rights to Molyneux's new project tentatively titled The Movies for the PC and all video game console platforms. The agreement also grants Activision the option to publish sequels and add-on products to the title.

'Warrior Kings: Battles' maintains the excitement that made Warrior Kings a leading RTS, but now introduces the player to a proficiency of computer Artificial Intelligence (AI) not yet seen in an RTS product. Not only can AI Generals build a functioning economy, deploy offensive and defensive armies, and control potent formations, but they can intelligently probe your defenses to determine your weak points. AI Diplomacy, a major new feature, makes you think you are playing human opponents, giving new depth to single and multiplayer Internet gaming. After you are done reading the extensive interview, check these screens (or vice versa)...

Set in a fantastical medieval world where small Kingdoms struggle for supremacy in a chaotic land of knights, and demons, you are the ruler of a new kingdom, born from the ashes of a once mighty realm. To resurrect this realm to its former glory you must forge order out of chaos by uniting the fragmented lands into a single, mighty empire under the rule of one warrior king - you. We sat down with Black Cactus' Lead Designer Charlie Bewsher and talked about gameplay, game AI and tons more ...

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb features The Collective's proprietary 3D engine that supports completely immersive, highly interactive environments. The game will offer 10 levels, all set in unique locales such as a 15th century castle that looms over Prague, an underwater palace in Istanbul, and a mountaintop fortress in China. A sophisticated camera tracking system makes sure that the player always has an optimal view of the third-person action.

Rainbow Six: Raven Shield features a brand new Tom Clancy storyline in which Team RAINBOW is led all over the world in a string of dramatic operations. The game will utilize graphics technology provided by the next-generation Unreal engine to power 15 new single-player missions that include the discovery of a cache of biological weapons and stopping an armed gang from terrorizing a London bank. We got our hands on a final build of the eagerly anticipated 3rd chapter of the Rainbow6 series, and while we await the Raven Shield Single Player demo expected later today, you can check our how much we enjoyed playing the final build ...

Funcom has today unlocked Anarchy Online accounts for a 30 day free trial of the The Notum Wars. The motivation behind the initiative is to allow people to try out the award-winning booster pack with their old characters.

THQ Inc. is a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Nintendo and Microsoft... In their latest Line-Up we can find three new WWE wrestling games that will be coming out for XB/PS2/NGC this fall (WWE Smackdown 5 - WWE Raw 2: Ruthless - WWE Wrestlemania XIX).. Read more for details!

Praetorians is an epic 3D troop based strategy game set amidst the political machinations of an emerging Roman Empire. Gamers will be transported back to the dusty battlefields of Egypt, the combat theatres of Gaul and finally to the heart of the Empire itself, Italy in the crusade to become Emperor. Your quest will be no easy task as the Empire is heavily defended by thousands of different troop types and war machines, all with special skills and individual strengths. The road to becoming Emperor depends on strategy! You must learn to combine your units and exploit the weakness of the enemy, but as you get closer to the Emperor things become even more difficult as you must face his personal guard, the most powerful and deadly fighting force in the Empire... The Praetorian Guard!

Microsoft has signed up more than 350,000 subscribers worldwide for its Xbox Live online video gaming service, as it prepares to bring the platform to Europe. The company had claimed sales of 150,000 subscription kits one week after its November launch and 250,000 kits as of the first week of January for its initial roll-out in the United States and Canada. Microsoft launched the $49 subscription kit enabling online play for its Xbox game console last November in the United States and in mid-January in Japan. It will be released in Europe on March 14. The first set of downloads was recently launched for the game "Mech Assault," and Microsoft registered more than 172,000 downloads for the new content in its first week. The next major game to have downloads will be "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" from Ubi Soft Entertainment; a new level for the game, called "Kola Cell," will be available simultaneously with the Xbox Live launch in Europe.

Icculus has issued another updated dedicated Linux server for MoH: Allied Assault Spearhead, allowing Linux PCs to host multiplayer games for v2.11 of the World War II FPS expansion by EA. This is still in beta stage (v3) so not the final product and the developers encourage email support! Read more for details & download links ..

Ubi Soft today announced that the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation PC game will have the same look and feel as the show by featuring the likenesses and voice talents of the CSI cast, and a script by written by Max Allan Collins, author of three CSI novels. Ubi Soft also consulted with Las Vegas Senior Crime Scene Analyst Daniel Holstein to validate the accuracy of the CSI forensics referenced in the game. Scheduled to hit store shelves March 25, the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will challenge players to solve a series of crimes, acting as members of the Las Vegas CSI team.

Gameloft today announces the release of its wireless game: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. Adapted from the console stealth action game of the same name (best-selling XBox title for the 2002 holiday season soon available for PC, PlayStation2 and Nintendo GameCube), the wireless version is an explosive mix of platform action game and infiltration game. Hours of fun guaranteed, with a truly great game title on your cell phone!

World of Warcraft is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of Warcraft heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," World of Warcraft allows thousands of players to interact within the same world. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory. Blizzard released a trailer for their 3D massively multiplayer online RPG, illustrating the game's environment, the characters inhabiting it, and their activities (thanks 3DGamers).

From the creator of award-winning Capitalism series and Seven Kingdoms series, Trevor Chan, here comes a break through in business simulation genre. The game that takes the art of cooking and running a restaurant to new heights, Restaurant Tycoon is a gastronome's dreams come true. Buy, build, outsell and undermine your competition in the world's culinary capitals, all faithfully recreated in stunning 3D environments. Enlight Software today also announced that Restaurant Empire has gone gold and will hit US store shelves in late March. Read more for links where to grab the demo ...

Hit the jackpot with Casino Inc., the complete sim that drops you right in the glitzy, and sometimes gritty, world of casino management. Casino Inc features all the detail expected from a simulation. But combined with the appeal of Casino life, and the added spice of the "adult" side of the business, Casino Inc. has more to offer than any other casino management game. After a false start last Friday, here is the working version ...

Strategy First has let us know that their space strategy game Galactic Civilizations (developed by Stardock) has gone gold and is expected to appear on store shalves March 25. Eidos also sent over a press release announcing that the US version of Pyro Studios' Roman Empire themed 3D RTS game Praetorians has gone gold. No release date is mentioned but online retailers have the game shipping to stores in mid-March. Praetorians is already available in Europe.

In a time before time, in a world you’ve only imagined, a shadow has been cast, six heroes have been chosen and the greatest of all challenges has been laid down. With the awesome elemental powers of the Toa at your fingertips, it has fallen to you to defeat Makuta and return the island of Mata Nui to light. Be the Toa – Live out the Legend… See the most successful toy-range in LEGO Company history come to life in 2003 on PS2, Gamecube, PC & Xbox. Live out the "Bionicle" legend in an action adventure epic of good versus evil, with combat, collection, puzzle-solving and exploration. Read more for details and some of the first screens ...

SEGA of America, Inc. today announced that Yu Suzuki was awarded the coveted Interactive Achievement Hall of Fame Award from the Academy of Arts and Sciences (AIAS), a non-profit member organization dedicated to recognizing the art and science inherent in videogames. The Interactive Achievement Awards were presented in conjunction with the D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) on Thursday, February 27, 2003 in Las Vegas.