New York, New York, January 27, 2004 – Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment, today announced that it has elected to move the ship date of DRIV3R, the latest installment of the Company’s Driver franchise, from the end of March to June 1, 2004. "The Driver franchise set the benchmark for the driving adventure genre, as the incredible legacy of Driver and Driver 2 has combined to sell more than 12 million units worldwide," said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman and CEO of Atari, Inc. "We believe that this additional time will give our marketing … Continue reading June Picked For Driv3r Launch →

This week, the hottest real estate market in the world isn't in New York, London or San Francisco. It's in Ultima Online, one of the first and most successful online fantasy games. Where else would thousands of prospective land owners camp all night waiting for prized lots to open up? And where else would swords and spells and the occasional duel to the death be used to settle property disputes? The Ultima Online land rush is happening now because of a recent change to the "house decay" policy, where houses unattended to for more than 90 days begin to crumble. … Continue reading UltimaOnline Demolishing Old Houses →

After 18 years working on games for Microsoft, Ed Fries is calling it quits. The 39-year-old vice president of game publishing for Microsoft has become a well-known figure in both the PC and console gaming arenas. He led Microsoft Game Studios, which has 1,200 employees. His career began as an intern, working on Microsoft Flight Simulator for the PC. Fries cited personal commitments including the travel requirements of the job and the fact that he has a young child at home as reasons for leaving. He told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter that if he stayed at his current job, he … Continue reading Microsoft Game Chief Calls It Quits →

Sammy Studios, Inc., a developer, publisher and global distributor of interactive entertainment content, today announced "Darkwatch: Curse of the West," an all-new 1st person shooter (FPS) with an original premise blending Vampire-Horror and Western genres. The game is a cinematic FPS, with explosive action and great gameplay variety framed by a story and visual design that delivers a frightening re-imagination of the Wild West. "Darkwatch: Curse of the West" is the first title developed internally at Sammy Studios, created by the team who launched Sammy’s US-based game development studio and publishing headquarters in 2002. The game is slated for release … Continue reading Sammy To Bring Vamps To Old West →

NDL, a leading developer of 3D graphics technology for the computer and video game industry, announced today that Gamebryo is being used in Irrational Games’ award-winning Freedom Force sequel titled Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich. Scheduled to ship in spring 2004, the comic book-inspired tactical role-playing game features a new league of heroes and villains, streamlined combat system and spectacular graphic enhancements using NDL’s Gamebryo engine and tools. "NDL continues to stay at the forefront of technology and provide us with the most flexible tools available so we can spend more time creating great gameplay and compelling content," said … Continue reading NDL Tapped For Freedom Force →

If you are shopping at Staples, you better not ask about which flight simulation games are the best on the market. That is what Julie Olearcek, of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts found out the hard way. Olearcek is a member of the Air Force Reserves and was looking for a flight simulation game to give to her son so he could learn to fly like his mom. She roamed the isles at Staples for a while but could not find anything suitable, since most of the games apparently revolved around some type of fighting, and she was just looking for a … Continue reading Police Investigate Flight Sim Players →

Amongst strong competition, New Zealand developed videogame "Rugby League" has been the top selling game title in Australasia for the past 4 weeks since its release on December 12, 2003. "We are very pleased with the success of the game", said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive, the game development studio behind the title. "Very strong competing products were introduced onto the market during the Christmas season, but we took the number 1 slot and keep it through one of the busiest videogame sales periods of the year." Before launch "Rugby League" broke the EB Games worldwide single store … Continue reading Rugby League Conquers Australia Market →

Interplay Entertainment Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: IPLY) announced today that the company has inked deals to include numerous metal bands for the upcoming Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel videogame, including the tremendously popular Slipknot. The much anticipated, gritty and darkly humorous third person action-adventure game is due in stores on January 13 for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Slipknot, a Roadrunner Records artist, is a nine-member sonic wrecking crew from Des Moines, IA which has made uncompromising, unadulterated music that has moved the body and twisted the mind for the past five years. … Continue reading Interplay Courting Metal Bands →

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, announced today new appointments to its North American marketing and sales teams. Leading these new appointments is Steve Allison, who was named chief marketing officer, a new position at the Company. Mr. Allison will report directly to Midway’s president and CEO, David F. Zucker. Midway also announced the marketing appointments of Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing; Greg Mucha, director of channel marketing; and Reilly Brennan, director of media relations. Additionally, further bolstering the leadership of its North American sales team, Midway named Brad Wildes director of … Continue reading Midway Expands Marketing And Sales Force →

Dolby Laboratories continues to demonstrate its commitment to provide innovative, high-quality audio solutions in key growth areas of the audio market at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held January 8-12 in Las Vegas. This year, Dolby identifies four exciting industry market trends that will underscore the growth and adoption for Dolby’s premier technologies. “Leveraging our expertise and heritage in providing superior surround sound for the motion picture industry, Dolby is committed to providing highly compelling industry-leading audio technologies targeted at the home theater, gaming, personal computing, automotive, and broadcast markets,” said Ron Vitale, Director of Marketing, Consumer Division, … Continue reading Dolby Showing Off Sound At CES Computer Show →