Opening a major new front in the entertainment software industry's battle against piracy, leading video game companies today filed a lawsuit to block the trafficking and sale of software that cracks the copy protection systems used by game makers to protect their titles from illegal copying, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today. Three ESA members, Atari, Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., and Vivendi Universal Games, Inc., filed the lawsuit against 321 Studios in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, contending that 321 Studios' "Games X Copy" software is illegal because it violates the Digital Millennium Copyright … Continue reading Companies Sue Game Copier →

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, announced today that Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy has just shipped to retail outlets nationwide for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Melding the extensive use of psi (mind) powers and traditional weapons, players take on the role of Nick Scryer, an elite psi-operative soldier capable of wielding six incredible powers; Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis, Mind Control, Mind Drain, Remote View and Aura View. "Psi-Ops’ intense, fast-paced action blended with strategic decision making and challenging puzzle elements, offers gamers a fresh take on … Continue reading Midway Ships Psi-Ops →

On May 28, thirty or so people gathered for a charity auction to raise funds for the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF). They bid on a variety of items, including one of a kind couture from the world’s top designers and a set of sculptures from an up and coming artist, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. What makes this event so unique is they gathered in the online world of Second Life and the hundreds of thousands they raised were in the game’s currency – Linden dollars – that were then converted to US$900 on the currency exchange site Gaming … Continue reading Second Life Helps Charity →

Gamers across the country are gathering their fresh lemons, ice and sugar and getting ready to hit the busy corners of New York City to play "Lemonade Tycoon 2 New York Edition." The much-anticipated sequel to "Lemonade Tycoon" is available online exclusively for the next three months on Yahoo! Games (http://games.yahoo.com). The original "Lemonade Tycoon" was the most downloaded title on Yahoo! Games in 2003, and is still being downloaded and played by consumers more than a year after it first launched. Consumers can download the full version of "Lemonade Tycoon 2 New York Edition" for a free one hour … Continue reading Lemonade Stand Takes Over New York →

Video Game publisher Mastiff today announced Technic Beat, an innovative and addictive music game for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system that allows players to actually create, alter and dance on screen to their own music. Developed by Arika and featuring tunes from some of Namco's most popular games, Technic Beat is expected to release in late summer 2004. In Technic Beat, players listen to music represented in the game by radiating concentric rings of sound. Picking up the beat, they dance into the middle of the rings and try to "catch" the music. If successful, they achieve the power … Continue reading Technic Beat Ships →

Infinite Ventures, Inc., handheld game developer and publisher, today announced plans to produce its award-winning series of graphic adventure games including “Shadowgate Classic,” for QUALCOMM’s BREW solution. The series also includes the detective mysteries “Deja Vu.”

Nearly a quarter century after creating Defender, one of the top arcade games of all time, Eugene Jarvis is returning to his roots, setting up his own studio and launching Target: Terror, a combat first-person action game where the player takes on terrorists on U.S. soil. At stake are San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Denver International Airport and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, operated for the National Nuclear Security Administration. If the player fails in the final mission, terrorists will crash a 747 into a major Washington D.C. landmark with life-like realism. Target: Terror, soon to be a … Continue reading Defender Creator Makes Target: Terror Arcade Game →

Ubisoft, one of the world’s leading videogame publishers, today announced that they have signed a deal with Stardock Entertainment to publish The Political Machine, a strategy game where players take on the role of campaign manager for a presidential candidate. Players must raise money, take out advertisements, win endorsements and appear on popular TV news shows to answer tough questions about today’s most pressing issues. The Political Machine is scheduled to launch late summer 2004 for the PC. In development by Stardock Entertainment, The Political Machine gives players a taste of the challenges real candidates face and uses actual demographic … Continue reading UBI To Publish Political Machine →

The IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association), the trade organization representing the video and computer game industry’s category-leading retail companies, today announced that Yair Landau, the vice-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment and President of Sony Pictures Digital, will deliver the keynote address at the 2004 IEMA Executive Summit – the association’s annual conference. "Many of the six hundred attendees are leaders in the broader entertainment category, which includes games, music and movies," said Hal Halpin, president of the IEMA. "We’re very excited to have Yair provide our members and exhibitors with his insights for the future of packaged goods entertainment and … Continue reading Sony Chair to Speak at IEMA →

DreamCatcher Games and the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) today announced NVIDIA Corporation as the title sponsor for the $25,000 NVIDIA "Painkiller" 1-on-1 Deathmatch Tournament at the upcoming Cyberathlete Extreme World Championships in Dallas, Texas. Overwhelming demand prompted an increase in number of competitors, bringing the final number to 64 and 5 additional waiting list spots. The world's top competitive solo game players have signed up for the tournament, including the #1 player in the world, Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. Fatal1ty will be challenged by other top-ranked players such as Sander Kaasjager (VoO), Christian Dotzki (Deatz), Daniel Sturdivant (carnage), Roman Tarasenko (Polosatiy) … Continue reading Nvidia to Sponsor CPL Event →