New guys are moving up the totem pole at Atari. A new CFO, Robert Mattes, senior VP of digital publishing, Owais Farooqui, and new VP of mobile, Mario Pacheco, are coming to town and they will enable Atari to “shift its core focus to casual gaming experiences designed for mobile, social networks and emerging platforms” through Atari.com, Facebook, Google+, browser-based gaming, tablets and smartphones. Now if we could just get Twitter on the list…. (just kidding).
Dungeons and Dragons: Neverwinter will be launching on Facebook as one of the first games to test out Atari’s strategy. Of course, Atari’s retro games will also be helping them make the switch, with the likes of Asteroid, Missile Command, Centipede, Breakout and Pong heading up the list.
Ubisoft announced the release window for Rayman Origins at Gamescom this week. At the end of the trailer embedded below, it is revealed that the game will be coming to the 3DS, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 in November 2011. However, the Playstation Vita version of the game will not be coming out in November, as the system will not reach European or North American shelves till 2012.
If you have a weak stomach, you may want to avoid the trailer below. It features music made from the digestive processes of Rayman and Co., and then a meek angry old lady tears her husbands head off, all in a charmingly animated 2D style.
Gamestop, the giant video game store of the United States, has plummeted in terms of overall sales and profit in the second quarter compared to Q1 2011 and compared to the same period of 2010, according to a report on GamesIndustry.biz. The company has revealed a drop of 3.1% to $1.74 billion. Slow hardware sales and lack of compelling software titles are cited as reasons for the drop. Quarter profit is at $30.9 million, a drop from $40.3 million from Q1 2011.
However, there is some good news for the store chain. Sales of their digital distribution store have shot up 69%, which was above expectations. Second hands sales also saw an increase, albeit a small one of 12%.
“GameStop’s resilient retail model enabled us to achieve our earnings plan despite a challenging period for the industry,” said Paul Raines, CEO.
“Through the back half of the year, we expect industry software sales to accelerate based on an exciting title line-up. Meanwhile, the digital and loyalty programs we have brought to market continue to gain traction with consumers and position us as a leading partner with publishers.”
I think it’s time for a breakdown. First, the period between Q2 2010 and Q2 2011:
• Profit from second hand software & hardware: $292.4m (46.2%)
• Profit from new software and hardware: $152.8m (29.5%)
• Profit from other, including digital sales: $98m (41.7%)
Below are the second quarter of 2011. These are all in percentages since there are no monetary figures available:
• Used games and hardware sales: 36.3%
• New games sales: 34.4%
• New hardware sales: 15.8%
• Other: 13.5%
8 Red Hot Chili Peppers songs will be playable in Rock Band on August 30. Most of the songs are from newer records, as the older Red Hot Chili Pepper songs are already available as DLC. Pricing is set at $1.99 on the Xbox 360 and PS3, while the Wii songs cost a whopping one penny more. The entire set list that will be available is as follows:
Included in the “I’m With the Chili Peppers” pack ($13.49):
“By the Way”
“Californication” + $0.99 for Pro Guitar and Pro Bass
“Look Around”
“Monarchy of Roses”
“Otherside” + $0.99 for Pro Guitar and Pro Bass
“Parallel Universe”
“Scar Tissue”
“The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”
Harmonix and Red Hot Chili Peppers are also hosting some prize pack giveaways on their Twitter and Facebook pages. Check out Facebook.com/ChiliPeppers, Facebook.com/RockBand along with @ChiliPeppers and @RockBand on Twitter for giveaways on 8/23 and 8/30 featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers I’m With You CDs, t-shirts, posters, Rock Band 3, and Xbox 360 codes for the “I’m With the Chili Peppers Pack”.
The winner of 7 E3 awards, the latest SSX game from EA Sports was promoted heavily at Gamescom. With the announcement of Ridernet, a feature that is similar to Autolog in Need for Speed, and the addition of online “ghost” runs, EA Sports next SSX game will be on the wish list of many gamers. In addition, it was revealed that up to 100,000 people can race all at once all around the globe, although it is unlikely they will be on the same map. *Wink*
Check out the latest screenshots and pre-alpha footage of the game below, and then get prepped for a January launch… down the side of a mountain!
During E3, Ubisoft introduced us to The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, which will be released right alongside the upcoming cinema production. I honestly didn’t pay much attention to the game right off hand, but the more we are seeing from TinTin and the large variety of gameplay mechanics within, the more I am feeling like Ubisoft might be setting out to shatter the Movie-tie in curse that has plagued gamers for years.
A new trailer was shown at Gamescom, showing TinTin explore a vivid and colorful world with a classic and cheerful atmosphere. The abilities this young protagonist possesses are also impressive, as the player will be able to wall jump, use stealth, and also play as several different characters as they platform throughout the game’s many stages. Check out the new trailer below, and let us know what you think about The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn in the comments below.
At Gamescom 2011 Namco Bandai announced that a special version of Tekken 3D, called the Tekken 3D Prime Edition, will include “the forthcoming full-length animated feature film TEKKEN Blood Vengeance… on the game cartridge in full 3D. TEKKEN Blood Vengeance is produced by Digital Frontier (Resident Evil: Degeneration, Death Note, Appleseed) and directed by Youichi Mouri (opening movies for TEKKEN 5 and TEKKEN 6: Bloodline Rebellion).”
In addition, this game will also include the King of Iron Fist Tourney, which can be played with 40 characters, and of course, it will be in 3D. Plus, it will make use of the WIFI functions on the console.
If you by chance were curious of what tracks Ubisoft have in store for Just Dance 3, you can now look no further as over 40 have been revealed at Gamescom. Now, as many of you know, this sequel will mark the first of many things for the series. As well as the Nintendo Wii, Just Dance 3 will be released on Xbox 360 with Kinect and will allow for up to four players to join in at once. A brand new “sing-a-long” feature has also been added in so players can sing while they are dancing, adding a whole new level of gameplay.
After looking at this track list, there seems to be something to please all within, from the likes of KISS to Katy Perry.
Check out the 46 tracks that were announced for yourself:
1. 2 Unlimited – “No Limit”
2. a-ha – “Take On Me”
3. Anja – “Dance All Nite”
4. Bananarama – “Venus”
5. Black Eyed Peas – “Pump It”
6. Bollywood Rainbow – “Kurio ko uddah le jana”
7. Cee Lo Green – “Forget You”
8. Countdown Mix Masters – “Beautiful Liar”
9. Daft Punk – “Da Funk”
10. Danny Elfman – “This is Halloween”
11. Donna Summer – “I Feel Love”
12. Dr. Creole – “Baby Zouk”
13. Duck Sauce – “Barbra Streisand”
14. Girls Aloud – “Jump (For My Love)”
15. Groove Century – “Boogie Wonderland”
16. Gwen Stefani – “What You Waiting For”
17. Inspector Marceau – “The Master Blaster”
18. Janelle Monae – “Tightrope (Solo Version)”
19. Jessie J featuring B.o.B – “Price Tag”
20. Brahms by Just Dance Classical Orchestra – “Hungarian Dance No. 5”
21. Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – “California Gurls”
22. Kiss – “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”
23. Konshens – “Jamaican Dance”
24. African Ladies – “Pata Pata”
25. Latino Sunset – “Mamasita”
26. Laura Bell Bundy – “Giddy On Up (Giddy On Out)”
27. Lena Meyer-Landrut – “Satellite”
28. LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – “Party Rock Anthem”
36. Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – “Somethin’ Stupid”
37. Scissor Sisters – “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”
38. Sweat Invaders – “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”
39. Taio Cruz – “Dynamite”
40. The Buggles – “Video Killed The Radio Star”
41. The Chemical Brothers – “Hey Boy Hey Girl”
42. The Girly Team – “Baby One More Time”
43. The London Theatre Orchestra & Cast – “Think”
44. The Sugarhill Gang – “Apache (Jump On It)”
45. Tommy Sparks – “She’s Got Me Dancing”
46. Wilson Pickett – “Land of 1000 Dances”
Not a bad list at all, and it certainly is nice to see some 80’s & 90’s love mixed in. I know many of you are heavily awaiting the big Battlefield vs COD later this year, but I have to say I think it will be interesting to see how Just Dance 3 fares against Dance Central and Zumba 2. The market has certainly changed a bit in the last year concerning the dance genre, so I could certainly see Ubisoft pulling out quite a trick card to retain their crown.
EA Play has officially launched The Sims Social for Facebook today. Finally out of Beta, this new causal Facebook game brings the Sims experience to the world’s largest online social network, players can create Sims, building houses and decorate them as well as make friendships or rivalries with their real Facebook friends, which all of cause is part of the Sims fun that we all know and love. The Sims Social publicly debuted at Gamescom in Germany this week and has already won the show’s Best Browser Game Award.
The Sims Social is free to play now on Facebook globally and is available in five languages. Check it out here
Multiplay has today announced that gamers heading to the i-43 festival this August Bank Holiday weekend are in with a chance of winning up to £50,000 across a number of exciting tournaments.
Razer, manufacturer of peripherals has now announced that it will be sponsoring the FIFA 11 Xbox 360 tournament along with the previously announced StarCraft II challenge. It has generously supported the tournament with a cash lump-sum that stands at a minimum of £750 for the first prize winner along with an Onza controller and a Chimaera headset.
Leading manufacturer and global supplier of graphic solutions Sapphire has also been confirmed as sponsor, it will be lending support to the StarCraft II and League of Legends tournament with P67 motherboards and HD6870 graphics cards in tow.
The UK’s biggest multiplayer gaming event has now reached its maximum prize fund. Players taking part at this prestigious gaming event at the Telford International Centre will be in with a chance of getting their hands on the biggest prize fund in the history of insomnia festivals. Big money tournaments range between £3,500 and £15,000.
“It’s looking like this will be a unforgettable experience as £50,000 is the largest prize fund we’ve seen. We expect that we’ll see the best gamers in the UK take part in this year’s biggest multiplayer competition,” says Craig Fletcher, managing director, Multiplay. “The competitions themselves are extremely competitive but the prize money adds a distinct edge to the ‘Glastonbury of Gaming’.”
The 5,000 expected attendees will also be able to test drive the latest AMD Llano APUs now that CCL Computers has confirmed its attendance, hosting a number of competitions in its AMD Llano powered media centre. It will be armed with number of freebies.
In addition, Multiplay will proudly be supporting the Anthony Nolan charity which endeavours to save the lives of leukaemia sufferers. The charity will be present at the festival on Saturday and Sunday to encourage gamers to sign up to the bone marrow donor register.
Those unable to attend the event can watch the competition from the comfort of their homes. The i-series website will stream live (http://iseries.multiplay.co.uk/) with over 170,000 people expected to tune in. Commentary will be provided by John “TotalBiscuit” Bain and Shaun “dApollo” Clark, from the immensely popular ‘Starcast’ podcast and League of Legends coverage will be handled by Leigh “Deman” Smith and Joe Miller.
A full competitor “Bring Your Own Computer/Console” pass costs £92 for the whole weekend including camping. There are also options for those unable to bring their own equipment with “Turn Up and Play” passes costing £50 for particular tournaments and PCs being available for rent for £150 inclusive of the full entry pass. Spectator passes start at £5 for a day access to the exhibition or £25 for the whole weekend including camping. Of course for those who can’t make it, there will be free internet coverage of the event streamed live through Multiplay’s site in High Definition. For more information on the event, please head over to http://iseries.multiplay.co.uk/
