PlaySpan Expands Closed Beta of its Gamer-FriendlyTM In-Game CommerceTM Network for US Gamers

PlaySpan announces the release of its “gamer friendly” in-game commerce platform for closed beta in the US, after receiving overwhelming response from gamers since its introduction in some Asia-Pacific markets in late 2007.

The company has chosen Global MU Online, a globally popular MMORPG published by K2 Network in the US, due to its loyal user base of millions of gamers and strong microtransaction-based model. PlaySpan’s platform provides real gamers to connect with other real gamers and reduces fraud from gold farming by providing a secure and reliable way for players to buy and sell goods without leaving the game through an in-game widget

“I was sick and tired of running into all the gold farmers in my favorite MMOs,” said accredited MMORPG journalist Brian Perry, Jr. “With PlaySpan's new platform, publishers and players can avoid and fight the rampant fraud that these people are known for. Players get a secure place to legitimately trade their in-game swag and currency, while publishers can reduce the amount of fraudulent deals that scammers and gold farmers pull and take a fair portion of the proceeds being made off their hard work.”

“We have received great response from the gamer and publisher community to use PlaySpan as a secure marketplace and help real gamers reach others. Based on field data, we are seeing players spending more time in-game and doing more secure micro-transactions with our platform,” said Karl Mehta, CEO of PlaySpan Inc. “We have over 20 titles that has licensed our platform and we expect to continue leading the in-game commerce market and provide a very compelling user experience for our game publisher partners and gamers.”

Championship Gaming Series Announces All-Star Executive Team

Championship Gaming SeriesTM (CGS), the only worldwide professional video gaming league, today formally rounded out its executive team. Drawing top talent from all corners of the sports, entertainment, new media and gaming industries, the team includes Geoff Stevens as Chief Operating Officer, Michael Burks as Executive Producer, Kieve Huffman as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Sales, Michael Widman as General Counsel. Scott Valencia as Senior Vice President of Operations and Jason Katz as Vice President of Global Marketing.

Each brings a wealth of experience to further the worldwide expansion of CGS as a revolutionary sports and entertainment property focused on the $35 billion dollar global video game market. They join CEO and Commissioner Andy Reif, who joined CGS after seven years at the helm of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

CGS is breaking new ground in video game sports and entertainment as we broadcast to more than 350 million viewers around the globe and continue to expand to multiple distribution platforms, said Reif. This group of leaders is the all-star team which will redefine sports entertainment in the digital age.

As Chief Operating Officer for CGS, Geoff Stevens oversees strategy, marketing, finance, operations, international and digital media (online and mobile). Stevens most recently served as the Vice President of product management at mobile entertainment provider Infospace, overseeing the development and management of mobile media product lines which contributed more than $100 million in annualized revenue, via direct and third party distribution (with such companies as AT&T, T-Mobile and Alltel). Prior to Infospace, Stevens was General Manager of Local & Mobile for Yahoo!, where he successfully built and managed a multimillion dollar P&L on innovative, best-in-class product offerings. Previous to Yahoo!, Stevens was an executive with The Walt Disney Company, serving in a series of business development, product management and marketing management positions across television, online, and digital media business lines.

Michael Burks serves as Executive Producer for CGS. Burks, alongside producers Melody Shafir and Neil Porter, are responsible for creating the CGS television look and for developing the first-ever live HD coverage of professional gaming. Burks is an 11-time Emmy-award winner, who has produced more than 2,300 shows worldwide. He has produced 25 NFL seasons, and has been part of eight Super Bowls for CBS and FOX. He has also produced 25 NBA seasons, including ten NBA Finals, ten All-Star Games for CBS and TNT and seventeen March Madness Tournaments for CBS. Burks' talent for producing live-action sports television also includes five Olympics, where he produced the Alpine, snowboard and basketball coverage for CBS and NBC. Burks' resume includes coverage of more than 20 different sports worldwide.

As Senior Vice President, Business Development and Sales, Kieve Huffman oversees all business development and sales initiatives, including sponsorships, strategic partnerships, licensing and distribution. Huffman has over 17 years of entertainment licensing, digital business development, and online/mobile/strategic marketing experience. He most recently served as the Vice President of Media for Infospace, the #1 mobile content provider in North America, responsible for their media strategy, licensing, and development worldwide. Prior to that, he served as the VP and GM for Sony BMG's Global Digital Business Group, the second-largest global record company where he managed the digital sales and licensing negotiations for all new technology deals. Huffman was also responsible for managing all existing US online and mobile business relationships. Previously, he was the VP of Digital Marketing and Licensing for BMG Strategic Marketing Group, overseeing their partnerships for all online and mobile content offerings.

Michael J. Widman joins CGS as General Counsel following executive positions with The Walt Disney Company, where he served as Vice President of Business Development for Disney's Corporate Alliances Department, and Simon Marketing, the global consumer products and marketing services company, specializing in entertainment and sports-related marketing, licensing and promotional programs. Mr. Widman has negotiated transactions worth over $5 billion including portfolio film financings, licensing arrangements and global sponsorship and marketing partnerships with companies such as FedEx, Kodak, GM, Nestle, AT&T and Coca-Cola. Mr. Widman also completed and implemented Disney's ground-breaking marketing partnership with McDonald's and MasterCard’s partnership with NBC-Universal. Most recently, Widman was a partner with Cabana Group, an entertainment and sponsorship consultancy where he represented companies such as MasterCard International on transactions involving, film, television and location-based entertainment properties.

Scott Valencia, one the of pioneers in pro gaming, serves as Senior Vice President Global Operations for CGS, supervising global league operations for CGS events and tournaments. Prior to joining the CGS, Valencia was Executive Vice President of Games Media Properties, where he helped develop the World Series of Video Games. Valencia was previously Vice President of worldwide operations for The Cyberathlete Professional League, where he was the principal creator of the CPL World Gaming Tour. He began his career in gaming as the founder of CyberArena in 1997, an online/LAN tournament league purchased by CompUSA in 2000. Valencia was then named Executive Director of CompUSA’s new gaming division, GameFixx, established to increase CompUSA's visibility within the gaming community.

Jason Katz serves as Vice President Global Marketing, overseeing the league's worldwide marketing efforts, including brand development, advertising, promotion, public relations, and event marketing. Most recently, he served as Director of Gaming at the world's top interactive marketing agency, Tribal DDB, on Madison Avenue in New York, where he was responsible for creating and executing gaming strategy for clients such as Mountain Dew and McDonald's. After beginning his career as an entertainment lawyer in Chicago, Katz later made the transition from attorney to marketing strategist at DraftWorldwide in Chicago, representing such clients as M&M/Mars, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, and RJ Reynolds.

Sunny's little games: Retro flair and instant wins feature in the So Blonde mini-games

It squeaks, squawks and screeches out of the speakers in finest low-bit sound quality! So Blonde, the latest comic adventure starring stunning blonde Sunny, is brought to you with the latest sound technology and audio output in the usual high dtp quality, but the game is also reminiscent of the TV console games of the ‘80s and ‘90s:

So Blonde is, and remains, a classic point’n’click adventure through and through, but the gameplay is cool and entertaining with ingenious, quick and fun mini-games that will bring back happy memories of those gaming days of yesteryear! And: All of these minigames are story-bound! Today, publisher dtp/ANACONDA is allowing us a preview of Sunny’s mini-games:

Note: Although the emphasis is on skill in the mini-games, adventure fans have no fear! Each mini-game comes with an Instant Win Button; pressing a button allows the payer to win each mini-game instantly to progress in the main adventure.

The genuine TV console game feel is evident in Coconut Adventure, the first mini-game in So Blonde: Sunny has to collect water droplets in a coconut shell and the charm of this game shines through in just a few still LCD graphics.

The skill in Maria’s Training features the “hot wire” principle; Sunny must complete the training course in record time.

Blonde Blonde Revolution is a musical game: In this simple game principle, as featured in various console music games, Sunny has to drum different rhythms to cure Chief Bajari’s terrible headaches, brought on by his court musician. In fact, the wretched drummer only knows one tune which he plays over and over again. Blonde Blonde Revolution is really easy to master: a series of symbols are displayed with the rhythm which the player plays by pressing four cursor buttons.

In classic push-puzzle mode, Bucket Well challenges Sunny to obtain a bucket of water by pushing the correct icons in the right order.

Fireflies Catcher is a technically more advanced game, where nasty snakes want to stop Sunny collecting fireflies.

The retro feel returns with the Log Chopper, which is again reminiscent of the old TV console games.

Sunny Blonde didn’t exactly want to land in the Bermudas; in fact the gorgeous 17 year-old was on a luxury cruise with her parents to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. But a raging storm plunged the ship into distress at sea, Sunny went overboard and she regained consciousness washed up on the beach like driftwood!

Much more problematic than her unintended stay on a totally unknown island, which she has no idea how she can ever leave, the horrible realisation dawns on Sunny that she will suddenly have to do without out all the luxuries of life: her mobile has no signal, her make-up is a mess and it looks like the nearest shopping mall is miles away… on foot! And if that wasn’t enough, unfortunate circumstances have thrown Sunny back some one hundred years in time and she has ended up in a golden era of pirates and buccaneers!

Sunny Blonde is also in a really tricky situation and we are calling upon the PC gaming community to solve it in So Blonde! The person responsible for the novel plot is none other than the famous adventure author, Steve Ince (“Baphomets Curse”).

So Blonde, developed by the French developers Wizarbox, promises a wacky story line, an (anti-)heroine as pretty as a picture, deeply black humour, which far outstrips all the blonde joke clichés, fabulous comic-strip graphics and a quite few gameplay surprises!

dtp will publish the So Blonde game worldwide under the ANACONDA label, and the release is starting at March 14th, 2008, in the German-speaking territories.

Empire Interactive Brings The Classic Graphic Adventure, Myst, The The Nintendo DS

Empire Interactive today announced that MYST, the popular adventure-based video game, will immerse North American fans in a new experience created specially for the Nintendo DSTM. Adventure-seekers will be captivated by the mesmerizing worlds and environments that have been enhanced and recreated with an original soundtrack, re-mastered video and an all-new age - the Rime Age - that was never included in the original MYST. Taking full advantage of the system's technology, the game uses the stylus as the key method of interaction and the dual screen as a vehicle to provide additional information for a greater challenge. MYST for the Nintendo DS is scheduled to ship in North America in March 2008.

The new interface for MYST enhances the gameplay in all-new ways. The upper screen of the system provides information and allows players to view magnified images, while the bottom screen is used to access mini-tools and navigate throughout the realistic worlds of MYST. Additionally, to aid in their expedition to uncover clues and solve the mysteries of MYST, players have a new arsenal of mini-tools at their disposal, including a magnifying glass, camera, notebook, and map. Now, players can closely inspect and interact with clues and items, take snapshots for future use, keep notes in a diary, and pinpoint key locations within the game.

"As one of the strongest video game franchises in history, with more than 12 million games sold, we felt it was only natural to partner with Hoplite Research and Cyan Worlds to bring MYST to an innovative system like the DS," said Karim Farghaly, vice president of sales, Empire Interactive. "The DS addition to the MYST game library allows players to take advantage of the new features created exclusively for the DS, while still maintaining the integrity of this classic game, creating a refreshed, on-the-go adventure experience for players of all ages."

"It was important for us to work with a partner that understood family adventure titles to support the North American launch of MYST for the Nintendo DS," said Manny Granillo, president, Hoplite Research, LLC.

Under obscure circumstances, a mysterious person known as the Stranger (the player) finds a bizarre book titled MYST. Upon opening the book, the Stranger discovers the first page is occupied by a single moving image - the Linking Panel - showing a glimpse of an island. By touching the Linking Panel, the player is transported to the island to explore the breathtaking environments.

MYST is an engaging experience that draws adventure-seekers into beautiful yet eerie worlds with unique settings in varied times and places. While venturing through the six worlds of MYST, players help individuals trapped in parallel dimensions - without ever actually encountering living beings - by solving a multitude of puzzles, mazes and problems. Close observation and precise logic will help players unlock the secrets of MYST. The non-linear gameplay of MYST is designed unlike any other adventure game, with no instructions, inventory, death or dialogue. MYST is about the experience encountered throughout the breathtaking worlds and environments.

Townsmen 5 Disney cell phone mobile game

The legendary Townsmen series of mobile games, developed by Handy Games for Disney Mobile Studios, returns this month with the launch of Townsmen 5. The latest instalment of the popular strategy game series brings two challenging game modes that will keep players mentally occupied for hours and hours. 14 different campaigns as well as a “never-ending” mode with six scenarios add further variety.

From the monk to the oppressor
In contrast to the predecessor in Townsmen 5 there will no longer be beer brewed in the monastery, but settlements in the neighbourhood conquered. As a heedless robbing Baron you will oppress other settlements and confirm your influence by excessive taxes. With new buildings as an outpost or taverns, and even new added subjects as tax collectors and druids, you erect and expand your own town as a powerful start point for new Conquests.

New Story Line
The only one who gets into the way of the despotic baron is the white magician Celdron, whose dragons bother your continuous expansion. In various mini games you can head against the beasts and decrease the rows in Celdrons army. The blood of captured dragons can be used to make potions to power up your hoards of knights and make them nearly invincible.

“With Townsmen 5 we continue the popular series“, says Christopher Kassulke, Business Manager of Handy Player, “but we also improved the well known gaming concept by creating new buildings and new opponents, resulting in achieving a new refined game. The established distribution network of Living Mobile will help us to even exceed the success of the series.”

In Townsmen 5 you can skip the time for producing resources by the fast forward function. Annoying waiting for completing buildings or collecting resources is therefore no longer necessary. Furthermore an automatic save function was integrated to ensure that progress won’t get lost.

“Townsmen 5 is clearly a favourite with gamers across Europe and has grown with each instalment. It is very much the type of game our customers enjoy in that it is easy to pick up and play, but very rewarding the more you get into the detail of it.” Commented Sunil Gunderia, VP Mobile EMEA, Walt Disney Internet Group.

EA announce SPORE video game for Mac and PC

At the Macworld Expo today, Electronic Arts announced that SPORE will be available for the Mac later this year. From Will Wright, creator of the mega-hit The Sims comes Spore, the only game that allows creative personalities to explore the depths of their own personal galaxy. A sneak peek of the game will be on display at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, CA throughout this week. A PC version of the game will also be released later this year.

“We couldn’t be happier to bring Spore to the Mac at the same time as the PC version. Spore is a highly creative game and I look forward to seeing what the players come up with to fill the universe they design,” said Will Wright, Chief Designer of Spore.

Spore is your own personal universe in a box. In this universe you can create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations and even sculpt entire worlds. In Spore you have a variety of creation tools at your disposal that allow you to customise nearly aspect of your universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even spaceships. While Spore is a single player game, your creations and other players’ creations are automatically shared between your galaxy and theirs, providing a limitless number of worlds to explore and play.

“I am excited that we’ll be able to bring Spore directly to the Mac community. The intuitive Creature, Vehicle, and Building Creators in the game are so powerful that the possibilities are limitless. Players can create anything they can imagine and see them come to life in the game,” said Lucy Bradshaw, Executive Producer of Spore.

Spore is made up of five phases, each corresponding to a stage of evolution: cell, creature, tribe, civilization and space. Each phase presents different challenges and goals. You may choose to start with the cell phase and nurture one species from its humble aquatic origins to its evolution as a sentient species. Or you may decide to start building tribes or civilizations on multiple planets. What you do with your universe is up to you.

Both the PC and Macintosh versions of the game will feature the full experience of cell through to space with editors for designing creatures, buildings, and vehicles. Spore for the Mac will be made possible through TransGaming’s Cider Portability Engine, with experience gained from the past EA Mac titles.

Turner Broadcasting System Inc. sponsors UK premier video games design competition – Dare to be Digital

Dare to be Digital 2008 has secured sponsorship from one of the world’s biggest media giants, Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Dare is the UK’s premier competition for young computer games designers, attracting students and recent graduates from all over the world in 2007.

Turner Broadcasting System Inc, owners of major news network CNN and part of the Time Warner group, is the first new sponsor to be announced for Dare 2008.

The company’s sponsorship comes soon after confirmation that the University of Abertay Dundee, originators and promoters of Dare, would continue and increase its support for the competition this year.

Paul Durrant, Director of Dare to be Digital, welcomed Turner Broadcasting System Inc. as the first new sponsor for 2008, saying: “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with TBS this year.

“Their support is a huge boost to our plans to raise £1 million to support Dare to be Digital for the next two years, and a measure of how seriously the contest is now regarded by major creative and media businesses around the planet.

“We plan to greatly increase the scope of this year’s competition, with almost twice as many students as in 2007, taking part in several host centres across the UK and perhaps even overseas as well.”

Turner Broadcasting System Inc. is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

Casey Harwood, Senior Vice President for Digital Media at Turner Broadcasting System Europe said, “We’re delighted to support ‘Dare to be Digital’ and any initiative that fosters talent and diversity within our industry. Gaming is a particularly high growth area, complementary to our own target audiences and digital output, and this sponsorship presents us with yet another opportunity to build on our understanding of the format and the range of emerging digital platforms.”

Acclaimed by the UK government as an example of best practice in linking universities and the games industry, Dare to be Digital is a proofing ground for young talent. In its eight-year history, Dare has generated five companies, two product deals and seen 80% of its participants get hired by high profile employers in the video games industry. One of the winning teams, Voodoo Boogy, won a BAFTA award Ones To Watch in 2007.

VF5 Update Available for Microsoft XBox 360

SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced it has released a new downloadable patch for Virtua Fighter™ 5, the critically acclaimed arcade fighting game now available for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The patch will include a number of gameplay additions and enhancements including:

-Some characters will now be able to select costume-specific pants in alternate costumes, for example equipping Costume A pants in Costume B.
-Replays of online battles can now be saved.
-One additional item per character (appear as "Downloaded item" in Costume settings/Item edit dialog).
-Gamer pictures will now be shown in online battles.
-After winning the World Tournament Final, it's now more likely that rivals you have not defeated will be playing in arcades.
-When someone joins an online match, you can now see their connection quality.
-Various fixes for minor bugs, including a texture bug.
-Easier sorting of rankings.
-Rematches in Online VS. Player Matches now possible even when the players haven't added their opponent to their friend list

The Xbox 360™ version of Virtua Fighter™ 5 is based on the latest arcade version update and features both analog stick and D-pad control, as well as vibration support. The game also includes an improved Quest mode featuring more CPU rivals, items, and emblems for character customisation. The DOJO mode has added features including leaderboards, training move settings, improved throw escape training, and the option to change your opponent's position and recovery type. These all work to create a more refined DOJO mode where players can improve their fighting strategy.

Square Enix Announces Prequel To The Most Famous Final Fantasy Of All Time

Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that CRISIS CORE® -FINAL FANTASY® VII- will be released across all PAL territories in Spring 2008, exclusively on the PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system.

CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- is the highly anticipated prequel to the biggest selling FINAL FANTASY of all time, taking players on an exhilarating adventure filled with grandeur, excitement, characters that captured the hearts of a generation and many new secrets to discover hidden within the world of FINAL FANTASY VII.

With awe-inspiring visuals, full 16:9 widescreen presentation, an engaging battle system, and additional gameplay challenges not included in the original Japanese version, fans and newcomers alike can experience the world of FINAL FANTASY VII from an all-new perspective.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- is one of the most anticipated FINAL FANTASY releases of all times. The game pushes the boundaries of the PSP hardware and will offer a truly fantastic gameplay experience for new fans and fans of the original instalment.”

About CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-

Story
Set seven years prior to the events of the first FINAL FANTASY VII, the Shinra Company is rapidly increasing its influence through its monopoly on mako energy and military might. With the burgeoning city of Midgar as its base and symbol of prosperity, Shinra is on the verge of establishing absolute dominance over the world.

SOLDIER is a group of skilled combat operatives within Shinra. The elite within the group — those strong enough to be deemed SOLDIER 1st Class — are respected and idolized by the citizenry.
Zack is a young SOLDIER 2nd Class who aspires to become a 1st. He spends his days carrying out assignments under the guidance of his 1st Class mentor, Angeal. During an operation in Wutai, a large number of SOLDIER member, led by 1st Class operative Genesis, go missing. The severity of the situation prompts Shinra executives to deploy even more SOLDIER operatives in hopes of bringing an end to the war with Wutai—and conducting an investigation into the mass desertion. The ones assigned to the mission are Zack, Angeal, and the 1st Class hero who is known the world over as Sephiroth...

What truths lie behind Genesis's disappearance? What secrets bind the three SOLDIER 1st Class operatives? For Zack, a cruel and fateful struggle awaits...

Features:
-Complete the FINAL FANTASY VII experience and reunite with the most recognised RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura
-Witness stunning graphics and CG cutscenes coupled with top-notch voice acting in a 16:9 widescreen presentation, made possible by the PSP system hardware
-Innovative D.M.W (Digital Mind Wave) system enhances the action-packed real-time battle system, allowing players to unleash special attacks or call upon iconic FINAL FANTASY summons
-Take on challenges with the all-new “Hard Mode” which was not in the original Japanese release
-Acquire unique accessories, items and abilities made available through 300 side missions to further enrich the gameplay experience

Crab Sticks Games Criminal In Pinch

A man who sold copied games, films and music to trawlermen returning to Troon Harbour, South Ayrshire after an extended fishing trip in exchange for a box of crabs has been fined £3,000.

On 5th November 2007, 61 year-old George Clarke of Snowdon Terrace, Seamill, North Ayreshire pleaded guilty to ’specimen’ (a representative sample) charges presented to him by Ayr Sheriff Court pertaining to the illegal sale of copied games, films and music.

Clarke, who originally approached the returning fleet on 3rd February 2006 with the intention of exchanging his copied and counterfeit discs for cash, soon discovered than none of the crew were carrying any cash so had to make do with a fish supper in the form of a selection of fresh crabs instead.

Later that day, Mr. Clarke’s premises were searched by officers of Strathclyde Police - Ayrshire Division – and investigators from North Ayrshire Trading Standards, where three computers and over 200 discs containing illegally copied games for PC, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Xbox® were seized. The PCs and discs were later examined by ELSPA (the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) investigators.

Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA commented: “The copying of computer and video games software and any other multimedia product is illegal and has a negative impact on both local and national businesses. ELSPA would like to thank the efforts of North and South Ayrshire Trading Standards in their attempts to remove illegal products from the marketplace.”