Take-Two Interactive Software. Announces Sale of Joytech

Take-Two Interactive Software today announced that it has sold substantially all of the assets of its wholly owned Joytech video game accessories subsidiary to Mad Catz Interactive. The Joytech sale reflects Take-Two's previously announced plans to divest its non-core businesses.

"The sale of the Joytech assets is consistent with one of the key goals we established in our 100 Day Plan: to develop strategic alternatives for any operations that we determined to be outside our core publishing business," said Ben Feder, Take-Two's Chief Executive Officer. "We are particularly pleased that we accomplished this goal in a manner that will allow substantially all of our Joytech employees in the U.S. and U.K. to join Mad Catz, which is a highly respected provider of video game peripherals."

Star Wars Galaxies

While in-game events are a fairly common occurrence in a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game it’s not often that they result in the joint effort of a major video games publisher and a leading charitable organization promoting affordable housing. But it’s exactly that kind of event that has enabled Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) LLC’s Austin, TX studio to team up with Austin Habitat for Humanity (AHFH), contributing financially as well as through volunteer efforts to help people in the Austin community find homes.

In SOE’s Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) MMO, there was a surplus of player-created houses and buildings that had been abandoned or left unoccupied by players. SOE Austin VP of Development John Blakely wanted to remove the houses, but do so in a way that is uniquely Star Wars – the buildings were marked as “condemned” by the evil Galactic Empire, and scheduled for demolition – TIE fighters would swoop in and bomb the buildings to the ground.

The SWG community was also given the chance to join in the fun of this “urban renewal;” players were provided reward points for the number of buildings they destroyed, which could be redeemed for special in-game items like droids, paintings and furniture. “When we initially conceived this idea, we didn’t know how the community was going to react,” said Blakely. “Oddly enough, it was very well received; some players that hadn’t been in the game for months came back to reclaim their property, re-activate their accounts and start playing the game again.”

SOE Austin took things one step further and offered to match the number of houses demolished with a donation to charity, considering Austin Habitat for Humanity first. “Using the money we raised blowing-up virtual houses and buildings to help build real homes was a no-brainer for us,” said Blakely. “Austin Habitat for Humanity has done incredible work in the community, helping people find good homes, and our whole studio wanted to contribute to their efforts.”

On Thursday, September 6th, Blakely will present AHFH Executive Director Michael Willard with a donation at SOE’s industry reception at the Austin Game Developers Conference.

“Teaming up with Sony Online Entertainment is a wonderful opportunity for Austin Habitat and the families we serve. The creativity and diligence that these professionals exhibit in their work are traits which translate well to our efforts to eradicate poverty housing in our community,” said Willard. “Austin needs creative solutions in our quest to create more affordable housing and diligent leadership in as we work toward those goals.”

Skate is Right Around the Corner, but Why Wait?

Get the free Xbox 360 playable demo on Xbox Live Marketplace! Fire up your Xbox 360 and download the skate demo and experience a new way to skate. The demo features tutorials and gameplay challenges in San Vanelona’s community center skatepark. It also includes skate. Reel for you to capture video footage of your sickest tricks and share it online.

BMW M3 Challenge

Europe’s largest independent computer, video and online entertainment developer 10TACLE STUDIOS AG will be delivering goose bumps this September when the first PC fires up the engine of the new BMW M3 Coupé. The racing specialists from London-based subsidiary Blimey!Games show for the first time on PC just what the impressive 420 horsepower Bavarian powerhouse can do in the freeware game ”BMW M3 Challenge”.

For the Munich-based automobile concern the title represents an important part of the communications mix for the launch of the new BMW M3 Coupé. This innovative product is designed to quickly reach a large target group using a free-of-charge distribution system. The partners also followed this innovative communications strategy in financing the mid-six-figure development budget, carried by BMW and other sponsors and through in-game advertising. In cooperation with marketing partner YOGO Media from Düsseldorf allowed renowned partners such as INTEL, Bilstein, Castrol and Sport1.de to be won for the project.

In addition to this project 10TACLE STUDIOS AG is already in the midst of concrete negotiations with a world-renowned firm looking to commission a comprehensive game project as part of an upcoming marketing campaign. The goal is to begin work on the title, which is to have a budget volume in the double-digit millions, before the end of 2007.

For the Germany-based firm the background for the cooperation with automobile concern BMW lay not only in an intense interest in the product to be advertised, but also in the fast-growing market for in-game and online content marketing. New studies predict a turnover volume for 2011 of 971.3 million US dollars generated through in-game advertising. Branch turnover for the year 2006 totalled around 77.7 million US dollars (Source: Yankee Group, 2007).

For 10TACLE STUDIOS the cooperation with BMW represents a consequent continuation of their concentration on cooperating with large brand name partners (such as MTV or FERRERO before this). The firm sees these cooperations as a means to tap the developing market for advertising and advertising platforms in computer and video games and secure a large market share at an early stage.

10TACLE STUDIOS AG CEO Michele Pes: “For years we have been successfully positioning ourselves in a gigantic market of which others are just beginning to take notice. We want to build on that and continue to grow with the market in this area as well. I expect this segment to provide a sizable additional yield for the 10TACLE Group, a yield not yet taken into account in any planning. Others acquire and invest vast sums in doing so – we let our strong products and first-line brand name partners do our persuading for us. “

New PS3 starter pack is for France only

Sony has confirmed that the rumoured new PlayStation 3 starter pack is genuine - but the bundle is only intended for the French market.

An image surfaced yesterday of a starter pack that replaced Motorstorm and Resistance with Heavenly Sword and F1 Championship Edition. At the time, Sony declined to comment.

In a clarifying statement, a Sony spokesperson has now said: "The choice of which titles to include in the Starter Pack, and the freedom to change the titles is up to the individual markets based on their unique market conditions."

"The F1 and Heavenly sword pack is only being introduced in France for the time being, and will be available from the launch of Heavenly Sword in France on 19th September."

Ubisoft could be behind SCi offer

SCi Entertainment, owner of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider computer game franchise, admitted yesterday that for the second time in two years it had received a bid approach, believed to be from its French rival Ubisoft.

The news is likely to arouse interest from Time Warner, which has a 10% stake in SCi; the leading US gaming company Electronic Arts - home to The Sims and Medal of Honour - and possibly Sony.

A deal, however, is by no means certain. SCi warned recently that the delayed launch of Sony's PS3 had hit sales. Its shares plunged to levels not seen since SCi bought Eidos, creator of the pneumatic Ms Croft, in May 2005 and the Ubisoft approach may be mere opportunism.

Shares in SCi closed up 44.5p at 384p yesterday, valuing the company at £332m. Just before July's profit warning, however, they were at 520p and Time Warner bought its stake at 502p a share.

The property magnate Robert Tchenguiz is also likely to play a key role in any takeover as his Thorson Investments vehicle is SCi's largest shareholder with a stake of 15.5%. He acquired the shares from Robert Bonnier, a well-known internet figure and founder of Scoot.com, who had stalked SCi after the dotcom crash

SCi has been in talks before. After seeing off competition for Eidos from the private equity group Elevation - fronted by U2's Bono - it received a bid approach in October 2005. The talks, which are believed to have been with Ubisoft that time too, dragged on but in February 2006 SCi admitted they had come to nothing.

Sony confirms white PSP delay

Sony has denied reports retailers will not be receiving official TV cables for the new PSP Slim and Lite model when it launches in the UK on September 14 - but admitted that the white model has been delayed.

The claims were made in an article on CVG.com earlier this week, which cited an official spokesman for GAME stores as the source of the news.

However, when contacted by GamesIndustry.biz, a Sony spokesman confirmed that the official cables will be available alongside the PSP Slim and Lite at launch.

The spokesperson did concede that only the black version of the new PSP will be available on September 14. The 'ceramic white' PSP Slim and Lite will follow in October.

The TV cables allow PSP users to play PSP games and UMD videos on TV sets, a major new feature of the revised PSP hardware.

Metal Gear Solid music video

Eminence rated No 1 video games music video clip on YouTube



amerNode have rated Eminence’s Metal Gear Solid music video as the number 1 music cover video available on YouTube today.

GamerNode Editor-in-Chief, Brendon Lindsey, who performed a survey of online game music videos said of Eminence’s performance, “there is no video game cover on the Internet that tops this one, in my opinion. Take your One-Winged Angels and Zelda Medleys; push aside your Shadow of the Colossi and Vagrant Stories. This has everything done right, and then some.”

“Intermixed with awesome footage, featuring a sweet guitar, and not missing a beat, this is the perfect song to remind you that MGS4 is still a ways off, and you're forced to wait to see how it ends. Until then, just rip the sound from this video and put it on repeat. It's what I'm doing,” he concluded.

Visit YouTube to view Eminence’s Metal Gear Solid performance and decide for yourself whether you think the ranking is worthy or not!

Hot on the trail of the very successful Eminence quintet ‘Destiny Reunion’ concert tour, which included performances in Japan, at Otakon in the USA and in Sydney and Melbourne, Eminence are back in the studio preparing for more concerts and album releases. Stay tuned!

Worms: A Space Oddity

Challenge Up to Four Friends Anywhere in the World with New, Intuitive Controls Designed Specifically for the Wii Remote

Worms: A Space Oddity, the newest iteration of the popular turn-based strategy game, is scheduled for release in spring 2008. Retaining the humor synonymous with the Worms brand, Worms: A Space Oddity marks the franchise debut on the Wii™ with a fresh visual style, new environmental settings, intuitive controls and even more customization options. Players will be closer to the action than ever before, launching attacks through a wide range of gesture-based maneuvers only possible with the Wii Remote™.

In Worms: A Space Oddity, players will enjoy the ultimate blend of classic Worms game modes and re-invented single-player missions, as well as multiplayer modes that include a host of all-new party games and even more customization options. The game takes advantage of the Wii’s intuitive controls, on-screen hints and the redesigned interface with an in-game help system. Worms: A Space Oddity demonstrates significant visual, technical and design advancement over its predecessors with a new visual style that abandons the traditional drawn approach and replaces it with a distinctive style inspired by classic Sci-Fi looks. The Worms battles take place across six planets, each with its own, unique environments and global events. The online multiplayer experience pits up to four Worms fiends from all over the world against each other.

Worms: A Space Oddity is being developed by Team17 Software Ltd out of West Yorkshire, UK. Along with this title, two additional titles in the Worms series, Worms: Open Warfare 2 for the Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and Worms 2007 for wireless handsets, are scheduled for release this fall.

The SIMS on stage

Experience the Ultimate Online Destination for Performance and Creative Expression with The Sims and Find Your 15 Minutes of Fame!

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced the beta launch of The Sims™ On Stage, an interactive online playground that allows anyone with a standard PC or Mac™ and broadband connection to unleash their inner creativity! By visiting www.thesimsonstage.ea.com, people can immediately and free-of-charge start recording karaoke songs, stories, comedy routines and more. The site offers incredibly fun and accessible tools that make it easy to watch, create and share recordings with just a few close friends, The Sims On Stage community, or the entire world online. Bringing together elements of performance, humour and community, The Sims On Stage is the perfect destination for people to express their creativity – and enjoy the talent and imagination of others!

“The Sims has long had one of the largest, friendliest and most creative communities in the world. With the release of The Sims On Stage, we welcome a new kind of customer to our way of having fun,” said Studio Head of The Sims Label, Rod Humble. “The world of interactive entertainment is now broader than ever thanks to new web-based technologies, and we are thrilled to give you a new way of having fun with The Sims On Stage.”

The Sims On Stage will also feature an easy-to-use Movie Mashup that will allow members to create original movies featuring The Sims content made available exclusively to members of The Sims On Stage community. Looking for your 15 minutes of fame? The Sims On Stage spotlight shines on thousands of well-known rock, pop and country songs available to karaoke fans at launch, making it easy to record and share your favorite ditty! And if singing is not your thing, take a shot at Open-Mic Recordings and share your favorite performances -- from spoken word and comedy routines, to knock-knock jokes and more!

Keep recordings private or make them public for the world to see! With one click of the mouse, The Sims On Stage members can easily upload their recordings onto blogs, social networking sites and more. Plug in your microphone, grab your webcam and record away!

Launching today in English, The Sims On Stage is an entertainment and performance destination based on the online karaoke community, SingShot Media that was acquired by Electronic Arts in February 2007. Please visit www.thesimsonstage.ea.com for more details, and to experience the fun firsthand!