Already rumored earlier this week, it is now slowly becoming fact.Franco-American video game publisher Infogrames Inc., in an effort to increase its profile with consumers by reaching back into gaming history, on Wednesday said it would change its name to Atari. To mark the new Atari Inc. and the new ticker symbol 'ATAR', Chief Executive Bruno Bonnell is set to open the Nasdaq on Wednesday. On top of that i have noticed that one of my PR contact changed the Infogrames account to Atari.

Already revealed yesterday, but today the official announcement rolled in. Activision, Inc. will plunge players into the dark and gritty vampire underworld of modern Los Angeles with the announcement of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines for the PC. Seamlessly combining role playing with intense first-person action combat, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines allows players to become a dangerous creature of the night as they assume the role of a recently embraced fledgling vampire in the service of the city's dark prince. Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines is being developed by Troika Games, whose founding members' credits include the award-winning Fallout, and is based on White Wolf's renowned pen-and-paper Vampire: The Masquerade RPG series. Built using Valve's Source Technology - the same game technology used to power Half-Life 2, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has not yet received an age rating and is expected to ship in 2004.

Not really a major secret since it was already mentioned in their E3 lineup but Strategy First Inc. announced today that they have signed War Times for the North American market. Developed by Spain’s Legend Studios, War Times is a Real-Time Strategy game that lets players follow the tumultuous era of the Second World War through the actions of Germany, Great Britain, the USA or the USSR; each nation is totally different and uses unique strategies in their attack and defense and all the campaigns are based on real historical events, bringing an unparalleled realism to the fight.

Rockstar Games today tossed up the official site for their upcoming PC version of, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The site includes screenshots, details and features. GTA: Vice City will be released May 2003. Check it out!

Mad Catz Interactive today announced the anticipated release of SharkByte featuring the official cheat codes for the critically acclaimed spy thriller, Splinter Cell, a Ubi Soft Entertainment game for the PlayStation2. The first SharkByte release from Mad Catz, since acquiring GameShark earlier in the year, will launch the week commencing April 7, 2003 and will retail for $9.99 US

Nintendo is celebrating the anniversary of the European launch of the NINTENDO GAMECUBE with the release of a very special Limited Edition Pak on May 3rd 2003. The celebratory pak will feature an exclusive platinum NINTENDO GAMECUBE and controller coupled with one of the most anticipated video games in history, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, also launched on this date. The Limited Edition Pak also contains a bonus disc featuring the original NINTENDO 64 title, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: The Master Quest, updated exclusively for NINTENDO GAMECUBE.

JoWooD Productions is proud to announce that their subsidiary, Massive Development, has today launched an official website and trailer to show off their upcoming PC tool AquaMark3. New details on AquaMark3 and the official trailer can now be seen at aquamark3.com.

Asylumsoft, the Austin, Texas-based game development company, is pleased to announce that its eagerly anticipated Multiplayer Online Game (MPOG) DRANSIK is available globally via download. DRANSIK combines the best in classic role-playing with innovative and fresh game play to deliver the most fun and deep MPOG experience. Asylumsoft welcomes all online game players to download the highly acclaimed game for FREE, as well as 10 days to play for free. The client is available here.

The official forum for Master Of Orion III is updated with information regarding a upcoming patch. Here is a clip:

Yes, work is in progress on a patch. We have no delivery date at this time.

We are concentrating on the Military AI (offensive, defensive and build queue) and point defense problems, along with some UI glitches and any crash or easy to fix bugs. Changes which require any artwork are extremely unlikely for this patch.

The plan is to release a data-only patch fairly quickly which should help with some of the Military AI problems (and other things) and may also contain some additional documentation on use of the spreadsheets to help the modders.

This will be followed by a code patch. Code changes will be listed here as they are verified internally, so that you know what is coming.

The actual release of the patches will be controlled by the QA departments at Infogrames (for Windows) and Destineer (for Macintosh).

Gotham Games has officially opened its doors on the Web. The new site was launched today. Gotham’s Web site offers surfers a one-stop source for news, previews, screen shots, exclusive content, Q&As and all information on Gotham Games’ exciting lineup of products. In addition, the site includes a Flash animation game based on the current Gotham title Conflict: Desert Storm, and will soon feature additional Flash games based on the Gotham’s releases.

GRIN and CDV today announced that Vultures official website is online.. The official homepage has a nice set of screens and also a developer diary from the Swedish developer GRIN. The screens already convey a nice, gothic mood, which is especially unique for the beat 'em up genre! Loads of arenas filled with traps and in complete 3D featuring the latest technology await you, so don’t be square and visit the official homepage! The game features motion capture animation and real-time shadows which will make your Xbox melt!

Videogame publisher Capcom has launched a special telephone helpline for consumers scared from playing its latest title Resident Evil Zero. Available now on 08700 46 55 20 (calls charged at national rates), the line has been designed explicitly to offer comfort and reassurance to terrified gamers. Players simply ring up and listen to the two-minute recorded message scripted by a top psychologist. Once the call is completed, they should feel much more calm.

Want the scoop on the only gaming hero with helicopter hair and no arms and legs to hold him back? Ubi Soft Rayman 3 site, available today, is the place to go! The site delivers the goods on Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, the next installment in the 11-million-plus best-selling Rayman series, including the official trailer, which shows Rayman vanquishing enemies to the beat of GRAMMY-nominated Groove Armada's infectious tune 'Madder.'

Michael Rowland Community Liaison Officer @ Codemasters posted up following information in our forum:

Just though I'd let you know that IGI 2 - Covert Strike is officially released in Europe tomorrow, Friday 21st February and on March 4th in the US. Of course we still have the many demos on the Codemasters site so if you are still in doubt, have a bash at them.

Happy gaming

Mike

Entertainment software developer and publisher NovaLogic, Inc. is pleased to announce the arrival of the ultimate covert operations compilation – The Special Forces Pack. This exciting three game pack contains two of the best selling titles in the history of the tactical first person genre: Delta Force and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. Combined, these ground breaking franchises have sold more than 10,000,000 units. In addition, the pack also includes the acclaimed title Shadow Force: Razor Unit. The Special Forces Pack is in stores now, SRP $19.99

Nintendo today announce the eagerly anticipated news that a limited edition bonus disk will be included with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker at launch on 3rd May. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, will include a bonus disk containing two additional Gamecube games: The N64 Classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and previously unreleased title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, which was originally designed for the N64DD. Also on the bonus disk will be additional gameplay footage including the all-new F-Zero, 1080° Avalanche, Time Splitters 2, Phantasy Star Online, Rayman 3 & Super Monkey Ball 2, all for Gamecube

Everybody knew it. But today, Microïds wanted to make it official. Syberia II, the sequel of the 2002 Adventure Game of The year, is currently in development at the developer/publisher Montreal-based studios. Microïds is also excited to release today the first images, screenshots and artworks, of Syberia II. The game will be released in the Fall of 2003.

Sierra has just launched the official website for their dinosaur theme park sim Jurassic Park Operation Genesis (developed by Blue Tongue Software). The new web site features a bunch of new but lo-res screenshots, links to the previously released demo (which we have mirror'd here), as well as a new trailer (also mirror'd here). Go check it out!

This patch turns the censored graphics of the US version of Neocron into the uncensored European version of the game. This basically means that after installing the patch, you will be confronted with tons of explicit nudity (e.g. no more bikinis or neglegees on strip dancers that were originally meant to be nude) in the red-light district of Neocron (Pepper Park).. Head over to the official Neocron site for more info and download links!

Microids has now launched the official English web site for their upcoming RTS title War and Peace.The web site sports gameplay details, demo link (which is also mirror'd on our file servers), artwork and a batch of new screenshots. Players in War and Peace lead a nation and influence the course of 19th Century history. You'll be in charge of your country's entire governing strategy - from politics and economics to science and war. Go check it out!

The world’s most insane off-road rally race returns to the consoles bigger and badder than ever before with Dakar 2: Special Stages Racing for the GameCube and Xbox. Choose from a vast assortment of fully licensed trucks, cars and motorcycles in which you’ll compete against the elements that mother-nature has placed in your path to victory. This is a no holds barred quest for world rally supremacy! Check out these new screens as well as an in-game trailer ...

Soul Calibur 2 will feature 13 fighters, platform specific characters such as Link (GameCube), Heinachi (PlayStation 2) and Spawn (Xbox), 7 gameplay modes including: Arcade, Vs, Time Attack, Survival, Team Battle, Practice, and Weapon Master, and 200 weapons when released. The newly launched site has official forums, screenshots, e-mail and news updates. In addition to all that, small, medium and large versions of the Soul Calibur 2 trailer are available at the site, which we have mirror'd here. Read more for download links ...

Not that it was a secret anymore but Activision today finally announced the development of Rome: Total War for the PC, the next game to be released in the Total War series and the follow-up title to The Creative Assembly's multi-award winning Medieval: Total War. In the game players return to the golden age of antiquity to take command of the most fearsome armies in a bid to rewrite the annals of history and be proclaimed Imperator.

The official Panzers website is online, and it’s packed with information about CDV’s latest tactical combat title. You’ll find a first look at the features, latest screens, a work in progress section and much more, collected for you by the Hungarian developer Stormregion Ltd.

The new Praetorians website is now live features already seen before trailer showcasing some of the action players will experience when they fight alongside the armies of Julius Caesar in developer Pyro Studios and publisher Eidos Interactive's new real time strategy game. Take a moment to check out the historical background on the game's three races as well as the terrain descriptions. Goodies including wallpapers and screensavers as well as a batch of, mostly familiar looking, screenshots.