Police and investigators in Australia this morning raided the offices of Brilliant Digital Entertainment [BDE] and Sharman Networks, two peer to peer file sharing companies. Brilliant Digital Entertainment is also a major player in the game industry. In addition to their offices, the home of the Brilliant Digital CEO Kevin Burmeister was also raided. The reason for the raid, according to Music Industry Piracy Investigators was to go after the owners and operators of the Kazaa file sharing network, which is based inside Sharman Networks, the other company that was raided Friday. Sharman bought Kazaa in 2002. BDE and Sharman … Continue reading Brilliant Digital Entertainment Raided →

By: Chella Ramanan Nintendo is bringing gamers a new handheld, scheduled to launch worldwide before the end of 2004. The shock announcement reveals that the new portable game system, tentatively called Nintendo DS, will have two separate game screens. Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but all will be revealed at E3 in LA, this May. Featuring two TFT LCD screens, the mysterious new product will allow players to see their progress from two different perspectives without having to interrupt gameplay. This could be good news for RPG fans. Wave goodbye to alternating between the map screen … Continue reading Nintendo Announces Dual-Screened Portable System →

Jesper Kyd is following up his work on the award-winning soundtracks for IO Interactive’s Hitman series and Freedom Fighters (recipient of GameSpot’s 2003 Best Original Music in a Game Award) with an entirely new original score for Hitman: Contracts. Music composed and produced by Kyd is also featured in the debut movie trailer for Hitman: Contracts. "The Hitman: Contracts score follows the dark, sinister nature of the third Hitman game", said Kyd, who previously scored Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and its predecessor Hitman: Codename 47. "The soundtrack is a dark and adventurous score mixed with suspenseful electronica elements", he added. … Continue reading Jesper Kyd Gets Third Hitman Contract →

iEntertainment Network, (IENT), the award-winning developer of the World Famous WarBirds TotalSims series, announced today that WarBirds online subscription price has also been reduced by 44% to encourage access to players all over the world. “By reducing the subscription price of WarBirds so aggressively, we hope to gain more players from all over the world with our new servers, new features, and new pricing. We are now both the best online flight sim and the most aggressively priced, “says Wild Bill Stealey, IENT’s CEO. WarBirds: 2004, a major new addition to the award winning WarBirds series of products will be … Continue reading Warbirds Announces 44-Percent Price Drop →

Eidos today announced that it shipped R-TYPE FINAL, under its Fresh Games label, to stores across North America for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Developed by IREM Software, R-TYPE FINAL is the last installment of the classic R-TYPE series that originally hit arcades in 1987. "The R-TYPE franchise has a legendary reputation and an entertainment value that we expect to surpass with R-TYPE FINAL," said Tom Marx, producer at Eidos. "With the goal to create a classic shooter experience and up the ante to a new level of gameplay, R-TYPE FINAL truly lives up to being one of the … Continue reading R-Type Final Releases Today →

Sumea Set to publish Activision’s highly-anticipated action adventure title PitfallR: The Lost ExpeditionT for Java and Brew mobile gaming platforms. Sumea announced today that the company has signed an agreement to license Activision, Inc.’s upcoming multi-platform game PitfallR: The Lost ExpeditionT for mobile gaming platforms. The Pitfall mobile games will be set in jungle, glacier and cave worlds from the console game, and deliver a rich episodic gaming experience through three distinct downloadable games set in each of these environments. Activision will release Pitfall: The Lost Expedition for the PlayStationR2 computer entertainment system, the XboxR video game system from Microsoft, … Continue reading Sumea To Publish Activision’s Pitfall Mobile →

As recent industry research reveals that 65% of online teens today play online games, America Online, the world’s leading interactive services company, announced the launch of FireChild, a 3-D online action game built exclusively for RED, AOL’s new teens service. Created by Sarbakan, a leading online game developer, FireChild is a console-quality, story-driven online game that can be played using the AOLâ for Broadband service. AOL and Sarbakan joined forces to launch FireChild, AOL’s first-ever, original 3-D game which is accessed and played entirely in the online environment. Firechild is a third person action game, where players take on the … Continue reading AOL Gets Into 3D Gaming →

Codemasters, a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment, announced today a unique tactical element for Perimeter, the company¹s real-time strategy science fiction PC game scheduled for release in Spring 2004. A first for real-time strategy gaming, Perimeter offers players the ability to terraform environments by drastically altering planetary landscapes and allowing for the extraction of vital energy resources from its planet surface. A new movie detailing the terraforming feature is available at: www.codemasters.com/perimeter. In Perimeter, rather than harvesting a resource from a particular location on a game map, energy can be extracted from anywhere in the game play environment. However, … Continue reading Terraforming Added To Perimeter →

MechAssault moves beyond heavy metal and into the mind of the warrior as Microsoft Game Studios today announced that MechAssault 2 for Xbox® is currently in development and is scheduled to arrive on retail shelves in time for the 2004 holiday season. MechAssault 2 is being developed by Day 1 Studios, creators of the best-selling sci-fi action/shooter MechAssault for Xbox, and guarantees an entirely fresh and exciting gameplay experience for seasoned combat veterans and newcomers alike. No longer limited to life within a single BattleMech, gamers take on the role of a full-fledged human pilot, able to pick and choose … Continue reading Mechassault 2 Gets 2004 Release →

Publisher Evolved Games and developer Rebellion® announced today that the legendary Judge Dredd comic book character is coming to life in /Judge Dredd: Dredd Versus Death/. The first-person shooter will ship for all of the console gaming platforms as well as for PC in March, 2004. “Judge Dredd: Dredd Versus Death/ will bring this heroic character to life like never before," said Daniel Kearns, Sales Director of Evolved Games. "This fast-paced FPS will offer gamers all the action, weapons and effects they crave with a unique comic-book style element that will set it apart from the crowd." Judge Dredd: Dredd … Continue reading Jugde Dredd To Get New Game →