Leading video games publisher and developer Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that the highly addictive and innovative action game, Katamari Damacy, will be coming to the U.S. market in September. The ever expanding, article accumulating, swiftly swelling sphere game that is fun for the whole family is set to ship exclusively on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. "Eccentric, quirky, weird, goofy, wild, outrageous, addictive, intriguing, charismatic and captivating — they all apply," said Rod Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Research and Development for Namco Hometek Inc. "There are many words to describe Katamari Damacy — and the most important … Continue reading Namco Hometek To Publish Katamari Damacy →

Fair Strike, one of the line-up 2003, and Hellforces, Buka's technologically advanced upcoming shooter scheduled for August/September 2004. "We are happy to make at last clear the situation with Fair Strike, this helicopter action/simulation by G5 Software, which is highly anticipated in the UK", commented Maxim Mikhalev, Buka's VP International. "GMX Media showed good cooperation distributing Battle Mages and The Entente: World War I Battlefields, so we are pleased to keep on our partnership." "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to get Fair Strike to the market, fans have been eagerly awaiting it." commented COO for GMX Media … Continue reading Buka Bringing Fair Strike to Britain →

Paraglyph Press is pleased to announce the very first book on a leading-edge filmmaking technology, "3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima" (U.S. $39.99, 496 pages with CD-ROM, ISBN 1-932111-85-9). Machinima, defined as animated filmmaking in a real-time virtual 3D world, is an emerging technology that is revolutionizing how animated films are made. This new art form and technology involves using powerful game engines, such as the ones provided with games like Quake and Unreal Tournament 2004, to create animation films on the desktop. Machinima is quickly being adopted by animators, designers, filmmakers, and technology enthusiasts who can now create … Continue reading Art of Machinima Book Released →

id Software(tm) and Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) confirmed today that id Software’s highly anticipated DOOM 3(tm) for the PC has entered manufacturing and will begin shipping to retail stores worldwide the week of August 2. A sci-fi horror masterpiece, DOOM 3’s dramatic storyline, pulse-pounding action, incredible graphics, and ground-breaking technology combine to draw you into the most frightening and gripping first-person gaming experience ever created. "DOOM 3 is done! And you’re going to have it in your hands in a matter of days," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. "DOOM 3 is a videogame experience unlike any before it. From … Continue reading Doom 3 Goes Gold →

Video game veterans, Morten Brodersen, Johnni Christensen and Phillip Tavel, announced today that they have pooled their many years of experience in creating multimillion unit-selling franchises, and have formed the new video game development house, Third Wave Games. The company's first game introduction will be War World, a mech-on-mech online combat game for the PC that will be available this fall. "Third Wave Games' mission is to create high quality downloadable video games, that provide players a console game-like experience on their PC, at an affordable price," said Phillip Tavel, creative director at Third Wave Games. "The founders of Third … Continue reading Industry Veterans Form Third Wave Games →

Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) today announced the promotion of Hubert Larenaudie to President of Asia Pacific effective immediately. In his new role, Mr. Larenaudie will be responsible for leading the company’s operations throughout Asia Pacific reporting to VU Games CEO Bruce Hack. Most recently, Mr. Larenaudie served as Senior Vice President and Director of Asia Pacific for VU Games, where he played a key role in forming the company’s operations in the region. Mr. Larenaudie helped establish the company’s Singapore-based headquarters, as well as subsidiaries and branch offices in Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan and Australia. "Hubert and his team … Continue reading VU Gets New Asia Pacific President →

By: William Jackson GiN legal affairs editor A federal judge on Thursday ruled that a Washington state law restricting sale of some violent video games to minors is unconstitutional, saying it violated First Amendment rights of free speech. Judge Robert S. Lasnik of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington found that the games were entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment and that state failed to prove that law would effectively serve any legitimate state interests. Lasnik granted a motion for summary judgment sought by a number of software and video game retailers associations, … Continue reading Violent Game Law Overturned →

Bethesda Softworks announced today that it will develop and publish Fallout 3 — a sequel to the highly popular Fallout role-playing game franchise. Bethesda licensed the rights to the Fallout franchise from Interplay Entertainment Corp. (IPLY) in a deal that awards Bethesda exclusive worldwide rights to the Fallout franchise on the PC, home consoles, handhelds, and other media, with the rights to develop and publish additional sequels. "We’re extremely excited about this opportunity and what it means both for Bethesda and for Fallout fans around the world," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "Fallout is one of the great … Continue reading Bethesda To Develop, Publish Fallout 3 →

Ancientsoft the creators of the award winning puzzle game Pharaohs’ Curse Gold released Pharaohs’ Treasure, a fast and addictive puzzle game for Windows. The goal of the game is to line up ancient Egyptian treasure pieces of the same type into rows or columns to remove them from the grid and get more pieces to appear. Each level contains a number of lines which you must remove before the time runs out in order to move on to the next level. The game designed to be fun and addictive for all ages, very easy to play yet challenging to master. … Continue reading Ancientsoft Makes Pharaohs Treasure →

O~3 Entertainment, an interactive entertainment publishing and distribution company, today announced a deal with Monte Cristo Games to publish two PC games: D-Day, a real-time tactical game, and Medieval Lords: Build, Defend, Expand, a city building game, in North and South America. "Monte Cristo has made a name for itself in pushing the envelope for strategy and management games," said Bill Gardner, CEO and president of O~3 Entertainment. "We're very excited to be bringing two such highly anticipated games to the Americas and to be adding new genres to our lineup." "We're looking forward to commencing our relationship with O~3 … Continue reading O~3 To Publish Monte Cristo Games →