The Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) today commended the Motion Picture Association of America for launching a public education campaign on the consequences and risks of illegally downloading movies from the Internet. "Piracy, or more properly theft, is the greatest threat to the home video industry," VSDA President Bo Andersen said. "Because illegal movie downloading and illegal DVD copies have the potential to seriously undermine the legitimate home video market, VSDA supports educating consumers about the impact of this theft on the creative community, the entertainment retail industry, the economy, and the public and the risks to those engaged in … Continue reading Video Dealers Support Anti-piracy Efforts →

Global interactive entertainment company Codemasters announced today new details for the co-op multiplayer mode of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II, the company's much anticipated real time strategy game. Developed exclusively for PC/CD-ROM by Ukrainian company Best Way, Soldiers will be released in the U.S. on June 29. Set to go beyond the call of duty and provide players with an intense online experience, Soldiers offers an innovative co-op multiplayer mode enabling up to four players to work through any of the campaigns together. The game allows players to handpick their troops and take on any of the tactical action … Continue reading Codemasters Reveals WWII Multiplayer Strategy →

An innovative conference addressing how games and game technologies can meet health care needs will be held in Madison, Wisconsin September 16-17. It will be co-sponsored by the Serious Games Initiative, the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Lab at the University of Wisconsin System in Madison, and the Federation of American Scientists’ Learning Federation Project. Games for Health 2004 will examine how interactive games and emerging game technologies could improve consumer health education, and professional clinical practice, including disease and injury prevention, service delivery, and professional education and training. The conference will gather more than 100 game developers, trainers, educators, … Continue reading Games For Health Conference Announced →

EA SPORTS, best known for its powerhouse football videogame, now is taking on all fantasy football comers with the announcement of EA SPORTSâ„¢ Fantasy Football. Available starting July 21st at www.easports.com/fantasy. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS), in conjunction with STATS, Inc. will offer a variety of fantasy football experiences for the 2004-2005 football season. "We're taking EA SPORTS fun, competition and quality to another level by bringing fantasy football to our online EA SPORTS fans," said Chip Lange, vice president of EA SPORTS Nation. "We're challenging all comers – you think you know football, every week, now prove it; EA SPORTS style." … Continue reading EA Tackles Fantasy Football →

Atari has shipped Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, the highly anticipated cinematic first-person action game for the XboxT video game system from Microsoft, to retail stores worldwide this week. Shadow Ops: Red Mercury offers players a gripping movie-style experience through its unprecedented Hollywood production values, intense action and ground-breaking sound and visual effects. "Gamers will feel like they are saving the world in the latest big-budget blockbuster action film from the first moment their combat boots hit the ground in Shadow Ops: Red Mercury," said Wim Stocks, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Atari. "With industry-leading sound effects that include … Continue reading Atari Ships Shadow Ops: Red Mercury →

Turbo Squid, home of the world's largest collection of royalty-free 3D assets and worldwide publisher and distributor for the Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-in program, today announced the release of Flight Studio from Bluerock Technologies as a DCP. Flight Studio is a complete set of OpenFlight importing, editing, and exporting tools for Discreet 3ds max 6 professional 3D modeling, rendering and animation software. Most tools that read and write OpenFlight files typically change the structure of the data, which forces timely reworks and limits the usefulness for visual simulation. Bluerock Technologies has addressed this key limitation to preserve the original … Continue reading OpenFlight Tools Ready For Developers →

On June 5, SOE hosted almost 70 players from around the United States in a first-ever Guild Summit. This meeting allowed for a frank exchange of views and ideas between the EverQuest Live team and leaders of some of the game's more prominent guilds. The various guild representatives came well-prepared (notes and notebooks, even CDs) with suggestions for improving the EQ experience. This event was a first for SOE and the industry. The EQ Live team came away with hundreds of ideas for changes, improvements, updates and plain old cool new stuff to throw out to the half-million strong player … Continue reading Sony Forum Helps Improve Everquest →

Today Swedish developer and publisher Paradox Entertainment announced a street date for the release of Crusader Kings in North America. This is the first title self-published by Paradox Entertainment in the territory. Crusader Kings will be in stores on September 21st, and as a step in Paradox Entertainment's long-term strategy, the company will self-publish the title in North America. "After having successfully published our games in key European markets, we are now ready for the important and challenging North American market." says Theodore Bergquist, CEO of Paradox Entertainment "Self-publishing is a way for Paradox to secure our intellectual property and … Continue reading Crusader Kings to Invade North America →

The Austin Game Initiative today announced details of the 2004 Austin Game Conference (AGC), to be held September 9-10, 2004, at the Austin Convention Center. The critically acclaimed conference will begin with a unique event special to the Austin Game Conference as Microsoft and Sony will take the stage and deliver a shared keynote: "Massively Multiplayer Console Is Coming". Scott Henson, Director, Platform Strategy, Microsoft Xbox will discuss Microsoft's approach to bringing MMOGs to the Xbox and Glen Van Datta, Director of Online Technology, Sony Computer Entertainment will discuss Sony's PlayStation 2 strategy. Separately, Professor of Economics Edward Castronova will … Continue reading Game Leaders to Speak in Austin →

Konami Digital Entertainment – America, a division of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced that it has shipped McFarlane’s Evil Prophecy for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system to retail outlets nationwide. The action-fighting game brings to life the popular McFarlane’s Monsters line of action figures from McFarlane Toys. Players will battle hundreds of monsters, including six boss enemies from the action figure series featuring Dracula, Mummy, Werewolf, Frankenstein, Sea Creature and Voodoo Queen. Set in the early 19th Century, McFarlane’s Evil Prophecy thrust players into a time when six evil forces have awakened, setting off a string of unexplained … Continue reading McFarlane's Evil Prophecy Ships →