Atari may borrow up to $10 million

But is it enough?

Atari announced that it has secured $10 million in credit.

Funds affiliated with BlueBay Asset Management plc purchased Atari's outstanding loans totalling USD 3 million under the company's credit facility with Guggenheim Corporate Funding, LLC.

Atari has now entered into a senior secured credit facility with BlueBay High Yield Investments S.A.R.L., as the successor administrative agent. BlueBay is a significant shareholder of Infogrames, Atari's majority stockholder.

The new senior secured credit facility increases the availability of credit to USD 10 million and extends the maturity of the outstanding borrowings two years, to December of 2009.

"This revised Credit Facility is a major step in addressing Atari's liquidity needs and providing financing to support its near term business plan," said Curt G. Solsvig III, Atari's chief restructuring officer.

Atari also said that the USD 10 million does not fully satisfy the company's funding requirements and it is therefore seeking additional financing.

Sony reports revenues up

But games division losses double, dragging down overall figures

Sony Corporation has announced its financial results for the second fiscal quarter of 2007, showing an overall revenue growth year-on-year of 12.3 per cent.

However, while the Corporation made an operating profit of JPY 90.5 billion (USD 787 million) during the quarter, up from a loss of JPY 20.8 billion (USD 182 million) last year, the games division's losses doubled in the same period.

Although revenues, largely down to the sales of the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable Slim and Lite, jumped 43 per cent to JPY 243 billion (USD 2.1 billion), last year's operating loss of JPT 43.5 billion (USD 381 million) more than doubled to JPY 96.7 billion (USD 841 million).

Sony attributed the loss primarily to "the strategic pricing of PS3 at points lower than its production cost and the increase in PS3-related inventory write-downs recorded during the current quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year."

That inventory value now stands at JPY 248 billion (USD 2.2 billion), up 31 per cent on last year, and the result of the "build-up of finished goods inventory following the introduction of the PS3 platform in Japan, North America and Europe."

Additionally, while sales of the PlayStation 3 have now hit 1.31 million units globally during the last quarter, with PS3 software sales reaching 10.3 million units, sales of PlayStation 2 hardware is down four per cent year-on-year, with PS2 software unit sales falling by around a quarter.

The PSP is still going strong, with over half a million units sold this quarter than in the same period last year, although software sales for the handheld dropped by around five per cent in that time.

Source: Games Industry

Community to Create Custom Band Homepages

Social Website Allows Rock Band Community to Create Custom Band Homepages and Network via "Musicians Meeting Musicians" Classified Section

Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of MTV Networks which is a division of Viacom, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, revealed today details for the ROCKBAND.com social community website. The site will launch on November 20, alongside the North American release of Rock Band for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 video game entertainment system from Microsoft. A PlayStation 2 version of the game will also ship on December 18.


The ROCKBAND.com Web site will incllude in-depth Rock Band™ leaderboards, personal and band home pages, and a “Musicians Meeting Musicians” classified section to help form bands online. The site will also give fans the opportunity to create their own Rocker Profile pages and communicate wit h other Community members, blogging about their musical tastes and meeting others with similar interests.

“ROCKBAND.com blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, ” said Melissa Macaulay, Producer of ROCKBAND.com, Harmonix. “The site allows you to hype your in-game band’s accomplishments, while providing a forum to meet other real-life people and potential band mates who share your musical tastes.”

ROCKBAND.com Features:
Personal & Band Pages: ROCKBAND.com will automatically load your in-game characters and game stats from an online database so your personal profile page will always be up to date. Choose from four genres in the game to customize your profile pages with cool background skins that reflect your rock tastes.

Band Classifieds: Find and create your own band through the ROCKBAND.com Band Classifieds page. Here you can advertise your own rocker skills or search through dozens of rocker profiles to choose band mates who share similar music tastes.
Rock Band Leaderboards: Climb to the top of the charts as a solo artist or band! From band rankings to solo scores, the ROCKBAND.com leaderboards will earn you fame and fortune as you progress on your journey to Rock Band stardom.
Rocker Blogs: Find out what’s happening behind the scenes with your favorite bands through their blogs. Use your blog to communicate with band mates about practice times, meet others with similar musical interests and keep your groupies in the loop with the website’s unique blogs.

Rock Band Forums: Interact with other rockers and music lovers about anything and everything rock!
Photo Creator: (Coming Soon!) Take the ultimate promo band or solo shot with the website’s Photo Creator. Pick a location, the right lighting, and a coordinated (or not!) pose for your band. Take it over the top cheesy or seriously intense. It’s all about your band’s total image.

“We see ROCKBAND.com as a true extension of the Rock Band world. It will be an awesome way to meet new people who have similar musical tastes,” said Josh Randall, Creative Director for Harmonix. “With ROCKBAND.com players will be able to come together and express themselves in a collaborative manner, which is what playing music is all about.”

Harmonix has partnered with the San Francisco creative powerhouse Mekanism to build the social networking site.

“We are designing ROCKBAND.com as an online home for your band, and as a creative platform for living out your rock and roll fantasy”, said Pete Caban, partner at SF-based di gital studio Mekanism. “The bands and rockers that you can create in Rock Band are insanely unique, and it’s going to be fascinating to watch this community come to life.”

Rock Band is slated is also slated for release in Europe in Q1 2008. The game is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.ROCKBAND.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

King of Clubs fact sheet

With Big Bubba King and co. on the shelves from tomorrow, Oxygen Games would like to make available the following fact sheet:

• Wacky and engaging trick-based mini golf, with the emphasis on alternative routes to the holes

• 1-4 players

• Hundreds of special items to collect, each designed to help gain the advantage over opponents

• Hole in one possible for every hole

• Hole in none possible for every hole!

• 10 x 9-hole courses (1 available at the start, and 9 unlockable), set across 5 environments, each with their own resident course pro

• 1 bonus hole per environment, plus Big Bubba’s ‘shrine’

• Myriad ball and club combinations allow for different play strategies and added longevity

• Five single player and four multiplayer modes to choose from

• Various course elements and hazards include the usual wall sliders, gates, risers, bumpers, trapdoors, water traps, etc. Other hazards include accelerators, decelerators and teleport chutes… all designed to alter the dynamics of the shot

• Distractions and taunts feature during multiplayer modes

• Multiplayer handicap system

• 10 characters to choose from; 4 basic characters available at the start, 6 unlockable playable course pros

• Buy Goofy Gadgets, Wonder Balls and Special Clubs from the Pro Shop

• Other items available in the Pro Shop include Mulligan Tokens, customisations i.e. Ball (colour/pattern) and Trail Tints (change ball trail colour), plus Racket Packets to personalise the sounds made by the player’s club and balls

• Collectable virtual course pro action figures give discounts on equipment; buy them all and the AI becomes unlocked, making for more challenging single player games

The PS2 version also features an exclusive single player mode, Gopher Hunt. The object is to eliminate the gophers by driving the ball through them.**

Each hole features a number of randomly placed gophers, which the player has to eliminate before they get to the flag.

King of Clubs, for PlayStation 2 and PC , is available from all of the usual retailers from tomorrow.

**No gophers were harmed during the making of this game, although the Course Pros will never work again!

The Lord of the Rings Online

Today, Codemasters Online and Turbine, Inc. announce the details of the first annual Harvest Festival in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, the hit MMO that has taken Europe and North America by storm. The Harvest Festival, the second of many planned seasonal celebrations in Middle-earth, will offer players a variety of quests, vendors and events to highlight this special time of year.

“The Harvest Festival is the second of many seasonal events that we have planned for The Lord of the Rings Online,” said Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online. “These festivals coupled with content updates demonstrate our commitment to delivering the best online experience for our subscribers through a fun, compelling and evolving game.”

Players can celebrate throughout Middle-earth from October 26th to November 12th by interacting with special vendors, earn unique items and participate in quests designed just for the Harvest Festival including:
Horse Racing – Players can compete against each other in a horse race! Winners will receive a horse race token that can be used to purchase the Harvest Festival Horse.

Games of Chance – The Harvest Festival will host four games of chance. Players can bob for apples in the Shire or try geode picking with the Dwarves to earn Harvest Festival tokens that can be used to buy special festival items.
Harvesting the Crop – This new collection of quests enables players to harvest the crops they planted during the Summer Solstice Festival in June and earn a special item for their house.

Dancing – There will be dancing quests with new race-specific dance emotes as a reward.
The Lord of the Rings Online delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. The Lord of the Rings Online is now available for purchase at major retailers across Europe. For more information or to download a free trial, please visit www.trylotro.com

SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!

New SpongeBob Game Will Mark THQ and Nickelodeon's Debut on Xbox LIVE Arcade

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!™ will be one of the first titles in the company’s portfolio of games developed specifically for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and is expected to release in November. SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!, based on Nickelodeon’s hit animated series, will mark the network’s debut on the Xbox LIVE Arcade. In November, THQ also expects to launch Screwjumper™, a new original title, in the company’s portfolio of Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 games. These titles will be followed by new original titles Elements of Destruction™ and Rocket Riot™. The games will all be available for download via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

“We view Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 as a natural fit for many of our established casual brands, as well as an opportunity to serve up new gaming content,” said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. “With more than 20 million units of SpongeBob video games shipped worldwide to-date, we’re so excited to bring casual gamers SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam! on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360, and we look forward to rolling out more titles with a slate of games that offer a variety of options via the popular Arcade network.”

“We’re excited to add one of our hottest properties to the Xbox LIVE Arcade line up of games,” said Steve Youngwood, executive vice president of digital media, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “SpongeBob has been a top kids’ video game franchise worldwide, making it the perfect property for Nickelodeon and THQ to bring to this downloadable platform.”

For more information about SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam! and the rest of THQ’s Xbox LIVE Arcade portfolio, please visit www.thq.com.

About SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!
In SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!, players will collect Lord of the Sea Neptune’s underpants that have been spread across the sea bottom by a powerful storm current. The game features key locations from the series such as the Krusty Krab, the Flying Dutchman’s ship and the depths of the new Treasure Room of Atlantis, where players will search for the bronze, silver and gold medallions. Game modes include single-player Quest and Time Trial Modes, as well as multiplayer Slam and Tag Modes. Players will gain special powers from pick-ups that allow movement at super speed, invincibility or the ability to steal pants from other players. SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam! also features slapstick moves that knock down and slow opponents.

Spiderman signing his game in London

World Famous Super Hero To Appear and Sign Copies of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe on Friday, 26 October, 2007

In support of his newest video game adventure, Marvel’s legendary web-slinger will appear to meet fans and sign copies of Activision Inc.’s Spider-Man: Friend or Foe on Friday, 26 October, 2007 at the HMV London store, located at Oxford Street.

An all-new adventure where a defeated arch-enemy can become an invaluable ally, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe challenges players to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie foes from the Marvel Universe including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, as well as others from the classic Spider-Man family of characters. In the game, players will embark on a global quest to overcome an evil threat, by controlling Spider-Man and one of many Super Hero or Super Villain sidekicks, as they master unique fighting moves and styles while switching between characters to execute team combos and defeat foes.

For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe features a unique co-op mode in which a friend can join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick as they battle through the game side-by-side and replay favorite levels. As the gaming experience unravels, Spider-Man and his sidekicks unlock a variety of arenas and secret areas containing special tokens which allow players to revisit previously explored levels at any time as well as fortify their cache of collectables, power upgrades and mini-games. Gamers can also replay levels as Spider-Man’s darker, more mysterious persona, Black-Suited Spider-Man, and experience a robust Versus mode, with multiple arenas, where players match up any two characters and battle it out to see who wins.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, the Nintendo DS and Games for Windows PC. The game is rated “7+” (Everyone 7 and older) by the PEGI.

For more information on Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, please visit www.friendorfoegame.com.

My Horse And Me - Website launched

Atari Launches Feature-Packed New Website for the Ultimate Equestrian Sports and Lifestyle Game

Atari today announced the launch of the official website for My Horse and Me at www.atari.com/myhorseandme. Published worldwide by Atari, My Horse and Me captures the essence and excitement of equestrian sport in a unique video game experience for PC, Wii and Nintendo DS. The only game with the exclusive worldwide license from the FEI (International Equestrian Federation), My Horse and Me is scheduled for European release in autumn 2007.

Visitors to the site can learn everything about what makes My Horse and Me the most realistic and immersive video game representation of the world of equestrian sports, with detailed game information, videos and screenshots showing the rich variety of gameplay modes, competitive environments and fun mini-games. Fans of the game can customize their own PC with a selection of downloadable screensavers and wallpapers exclusive to the site.

My Horse and Me is a highly authentic and involving video game representation of the world of equestrian sports. Published by Atari and developed by W!Games for Wii and PC and by Mistic for NDS, My Horse and Me, is scheduled for release this autumn 2007. For more information about the FEI please visit www.horsesport.org. Visit the official My Horse and Me website at www.atari.com/myhorseandme.

World Domination, Hordes of Aliens, Ray Guns, Mind Control & Three Teenage Zombies

The invasion begins soon on Nintendo DS

Ignition Entertainment is pleased to announce Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! is coming to North America and Europe exclusively for the Nintendo DS.

The Earth is under attack by a horde of Alien Brain… uh…Thingys! Humans, succumbing to ray-guns, mind-control, and shiny flying saucers, have failed to defend their planet and let it fall easily into the clutches of the Big Brain and his army of Brain Thingys. The only hope left for mankind is three Teenage Zombies that have arisen from a graveyard disturbed in the invasion. The undead trio ignores their normal human victims in favour of the pulsing pink brains they see EVERYWHERE - all the while being lured to the ultimate lunch: THE BIG BRAIN! The Big Brain soon realizes he’s overlooked this “Super Race” as they inexplicably resist mind control, are unaffected by ray-gun wounds, and devour his Brain Thingy Armies like sweets! He refocuses his efforts and resources to battle the Earth’s greatest champions: The Teenage Zombies!

“The characters in Teenage Zombies have instant appeal,” said Ajay Chadha, President, Ignition USA. “InLight’s team has come up with a uniquely humorous and satirical take on comics and retro sci-fi. You throw in a solid platformer and some truly entertaining mini-games, and you have a game that is accessible to all and downright fun to play.”

Teenage Zombies uses a whimsical style that focuses on, and parodies the Zombie genre, as well as 1950s style Science Fiction. This is presented in a comic book look featuring comic book panels, dialogue boxes and story telling. Gameplay involves side-scrolling adventures opening up to stylus mini-games, double-screen boss battles, and brain busting puzzle challenges.

“InLight Entertainment is looking forward to the opportunity to work with such a dynamic publisher,” said Devin Young, President & CEO of InLight Entertainment. “Ignition Entertainment brings a wealth of publishing knowledge and I'm looking forward to great synergy between the two companies.”

Key features:

• Unique Comic Mode which drives the story with an interactive comic book style presentation

• Platforming gameplay that requires the player to swap between characters to solve levels

• Each character has their own unique abilities to aid them through their adventure

• Mini Games featuring the zombies (or their body parts) using all the Nintendo DS™ features

• The Big Brain Challenge – a series of quick micro mini games that happen at anytime during gameplay to win or lose against the Big Brain

• ZAPS! (Zombie Assembly Pop-up Screen) – a mini-game where you use collected body parts to quickly create a zombie to regain your “unhealth points”

Developed by Inlight Entertainment, Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! for the Nintendo DS™ is scheduled for a worldwide release Spring ‘08.

For further information please visit: www.teenagezombiesgame.com

Jesper Kyd Scores Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

British Academy award-winning composer delivers visceralsoundtrack for new video game from the creators of Hitman

Jesper Kyd has composed and produced a dark and distorted soundtrack for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men , a gritty, character-driven third person action shooter from the creators of Hitman, IO Interactive. Kyd’s intense cinematic score is a cohesive and hard-hitting combo of scar-edged melodic soundscapes and subversive action-driven grooves that portray the twisted and emotionally driven story of the two lead characters, Kane and Lynch, a flawed mercenary and a medicated psychopath – forced together but hating each other every step of the way. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC Games for Windows in November, 2007.

To achieve the right kind of musical tonality for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Kyd’s foreboding and graphic score is as relentlessly intense and unforgiving in its attitude as the violent rage of Kane and Lynch on their destructive path of redemption and revenge. Delivering a masterful mix of melodic and sublime atmospherics, explosive electronic beats intoxicated with musical distortion and strewn with hardcore industrial guitar sounds, Kyd pushes the immersion factor and displays the main characters’ flaws, anger and pain in his echoing themes embedded with haunting vocals, heavily processed synth ambience, ethnic instrumentation and other multi-layered sounds.

Best known for his epic choral/orchestral and edgy electronic scores for the multi-million selling Hitman series, Jesper Kyd’s unique fusion of cinematic scoring techniques and minimalist electronic music for Hitman: Contracts won Best Original Music at the BAFTA Games Awards and his stylish symphonic hybrid score for Hitman: Blood Money was awarded Best Original Score by IGN and nominated for Best Original Video Game Score at the MTV Video Music Awards. His other collaborations with IO Interactive include Hitman: Codename 47, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Freedom Fighters, which received GameSpot’s Special Achievement Award for Best Original Music. For more information, visit www.jesperkyd.com and www.myspace.com/jesperkyd.