Approximately 1,000 of the nearly 5,000 computer and video game products to be displayed at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo) have never been seen before, according to data released today from the E3Expo 2004 Exhibitor Survey by the show’s owner, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Exhibitors also report that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of all products at the tenth anniversary show will be in stores in time for the 2004 holiday season. "The interactive entertainment industry and its products have made tremendous advances since the launch of E3Expo ten years ago whether it be technologically, economically, artistically or in … Continue reading E3 To Show Off 1000 New Titles →

Hotpot Software today announced the release of President Forever, the latest version of a highly acclaimed presidential election game/simulator for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, available immediately for $12 (USD). With its in-depth and realistic play experience, President Forever lets you master political intrigue and election struggle while taking your candidate all the way to the White House. President Forever builds on the successes of Hotpot Software’s President 2000, the undisputed leader in authentic presidential election game simulations for the 2000 election cycle. The large amount of enthusiastic feedback from players of that version inspired a complete from-the-ground-up remake of the game for … Continue reading Hotspot Makes Presidential Race Game →

Legacy Interactive, known for its expertise in developing entertaining TV branded games, announced today that ER cast members Noah Wyle (Dr. John Carter), Sherry Stringfield (Dr. Susan Lewis) and Mekhi Phifer (Dr. Gregory Pratt) will star in the first interactive game based on the Warner Bros. Television series. Shipping this fall for PC/CD-ROM, the ER game is licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc. and will be published by Legacy Interactive and distributed by Vivendi Universal Games. "The ER game combines the best of the popular strategy/role-playing genre with the top-rated television franchise ‘ER'," said Ariella Lehrer, CEO of Legacy … Continue reading ER Cast To Star In Game →

Sequel to Critically Acclaimed Role-Playing Adventure, Shadow Hearts, Scheduled For Release This Fall Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY, news), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, announced today that Shadow Hearts: Covenant, the sequel to the critically acclaimed, fantasy-style role-playing game (RPG) Shadow Hearts, is scheduled to be published this fall in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. With a mix of turn-based strategy and RPG elements, Shadow Hearts: Covenant provides players with an even greater magical quest than its predecessor. Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, known as Shadow Hearts 2 in Japan, were … Continue reading Midway Gets Shadow Hearts →

POSTAL 2: Share The Pain will be released for Linux through the Linux Game Publishing retail channel in May 2004. "My development guys wanted to finish animating Quentin Tarantino’s sequel to The Passion first," said former alter boy and RWS CEO Vince Desi, "but when I told `em this project was for the Linux community, they left Uma up there swingin’ in the breeze and grabbed hammer and nails and got right to work." Founded in 2001, Linux Game Publishing was formed to help companies bring their games to market, and is partnering with a number of other companies to … Continue reading Postal Goes Linux →

Jim Ward has been named president of LucasArts, the video game entertainment division of Lucasfilm Ltd., it was announced today by Lucasfilm Chief Operating Officer Micheline Chau. In addition to his new role at LucasArts, Ward will retain his duties as the head of marketing and distribution for Lucasfilm. "Last year, we unified our four operating units into a single company with the goal of better utilizing our diverse talents throughout our businesses," Chau said. "Jim is a perfect example of this. With the growing convergence of film and gaming, he has already been working extensively with LucasArts and now … Continue reading LucasArts Gets New President →

Consumers can experience the humor, magic and fun of DreamWorks' highly anticipated "Shrek 2" feature film with the release of the Shrek 2 video game from Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI). Gamers can now immerse themselves in the epic adventure by playing as the film's main characters Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona and Puss-in-Boots, as well as original characters created for the game. Players journey through 11 action-packed levels that include film locales and locations exclusive to the game. Shrek 2 is currently available on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube for … Continue reading Shrek 2 Ships →

Today game industry veteran Bill Gardner revealed the formation of his new publishing and distribution company, O~3 Entertainment. The company intends to bring high caliber independently developed games to a variety of gaming platforms, including PC, Playstation 2, Xbox, GameCube and WiFi/mobile through a unique game publishing model. O~3 Entertainment will seek out titles from small and mid-size developers and will provide complete publishing functions to get them to market – including sales and distribution, marketing and public relations, and more operational elements like replication, warehousing and shipping. O~3 intends to create a reputation for innovative, fun games and make … Continue reading O~3 Entertainment Founded →

Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today True Crime(tm): Streets of L.A.(tm) for the PC has gone gold and will soon be shipping to retail. The new version takes the driving, fighting and shooting action to a new level with sleek new PC graphics, new weapons, unlockable characters, and all-new multiplayer features. Building on a slammin’ soundtrack featuring original hip-hop music from Snoop Dogg, Westside Connection, and many others, the PC version adds an additional 32 tracks from rock artists such as Alice In Chains, Queensryche, and 2004 Grammy Award Nominees Spineshank and Stone Sour. True Crime: Streets of L.A. for … Continue reading True Crime PC Goes Gold →

Sony Online Entertainment Inc., a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, today announced that Beta sign-ups for EverQuest II will begin in May and the Beta testing program itself will begin in June. EverQuest II will be available at retail in North America after the Beta program is complete later in the year. "We’ve been playing EverQuest II internally for months and we’re finally ready to begin letting people in to see the world we’ve built over the last four years," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "Beta testing is incredibly important for a game like EverQuest II … Continue reading Everquest II Beta Begins In June →