NEWS

Zavvi Closes 22 Stores

Rob Crossley — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:12:31 -0600

Zavvi has closed 22 of its stores across the UK, making 178 of its staff redundant.

Ernst and Young – administrators of the struggling retailer – has closed stores in key locations such as Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle (pictured). The chain has 92 stores left, which remain open for now, as the administrators struggle to find a buyer willing to rescue the group.

Call Of Duty 4 Logs Over 14m Users

Rob Crossley — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:23:08 -0600

Infinity Ward has logged over 14 million unique users for its 2007 FPS title Call Of Duty 4.

“As of Jan 3, we hit 10,006,606 unique users who have ever played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Xbox 360 and have connected to Xbox Live [since] playing,” said Infinity Ward’s director of communications Robert Bowling.

Posting the statistics on his semi-official blog, Bowling adds that around 4.38 million people have joined a multiplayer game, at some stage, on the PS3 version of the game.

Square Enix and Ubisoft Strike Japan Deal

Rob Crossley — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:15:13 -0600

Square Enix has entered a publishing deal allowing it to distribute a number of Ubisoft titles across Japan.

Microsoft Talks Halo, Xbox at CES

Kris Graft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:33:14 -0600

Amidst announcements about Windows 7 and Windows Live, Microsoft's Robbie Bach touted a "spectacular" 2008 for Xbox 360 and revealed new Xbox-related stats and applications at CES in Las Vegas Wednesday evening.

Bach, Microsoft's president of the Entertainment & Devices Division, reiterated Xbox 360's 28 million unit-sold milestone and said that momentum will accelerate in 2009 due to new software, features and a competitive sub-$200 price tag.

Sony: Competitors "Continue Peddling Add-Ons"

Kris Graft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:33:09 -0600

As the new year begins, Sony Computer Entertainment America's public relations department has issued a newly-formulated feature run-down that favorably compares the PS3's value to that of Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, directly calling out competitors who have fewer included features.

Level-5 on White Knight U.S. Release

Kris Graft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:59:49 -0600

The PS3 RPG White Knight Chronicles, developed by Japan's Level-5, has garnered attention from gamers worldwide, but little has been said about a U.S. release.

However in a recent interview with GameTrailers, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino allayed some fears that the game wouldn't be coming Stateside. "Whether or not the game will be launched in the U.S., yes, it should be, but the launch date has not been determined yet."

NPD: Kids Choose Games Over Digital Music

Kris Graft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:28:32 -0600

On electronic devices, gaming's popularity is greater than digital music and video entertainment in kids aged two to 14 years, NPD Group found in the new report, Kids and Digital Content III.

According to a Wednesday press statement, among kids who use electronic devices such as computers, portable media players, cell phones and game consoles, 85 percent of device users play games.

Sixty percent of users listen to music on devices, while one-third watch videos on devices and 22 percent download ringtones.

Psych: Games Teach Kids Empathy

Kris Graft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:07:27 -0600

Certain groups enjoy making a controversy out of videogames, but one psychiatrist points out that games can help teach young gamers empathy, among other benefits.

In a press release plugging his new book, Video Game Play and Addiction: A Guide for Parents, Chicago-based Dr. Kourosh Dini states, "Games have lots of benefits, which unfortunately, parents aren't always aware of when the only games they're exposed to are the controversial violent ones targeted to more mature players.

MySims Expands

Kris Graft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:31:20 -0600

Electronic Arts said Wednesday that it is expanding its casual-focused MySims franchise with the addition of new Nintendo Wii and DS titles.

MySims Party and MySims Racing will be available for Nintendo's mass market-friendly hardware later this year. The former is a minigame compilation and the latter is a customizable multiplayer racer.

MySims executive producer Tim LeTourneau said October 2008's MySims and MySims Kingdom were "great successes."

2009 Will Not Repeat Last Year’s Market Growth

Rob Crossley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:12:29 -0600

Though the UK’s videogame market enjoyed huge growth throughout 2008, GfK Chart Track’s business group director Dorian Bloch tells Edge that such a feat is not likely to be repeated this year.

Balance Board Used to Treat Amputation Patients

Rob Crossley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:09:41 -0600

Physiotherapists at a hospital in Leeds, UK, are using Wii Fit to aid patients recovering from amputation surgery.

Staff at Seacroft Hospital say that Wii Fit’s bundled balance board can help teach a recovering patient how to use their new prosthetic limbs, as the device can accurately measure weight distribution.

Atari Cuts Silent Hill to Duck Rating Ban

Rob Crossley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:13:01 -0600

Atari has made last-minute cuts to Silent Hill Homecoming in order for it to gain entry into Australia’s retail outlets.

The Australian Board of Classification has told Edge that the revised title was granted an MA15+ rating – still the highest classification for games in Australia – on January 5.

“Atari – on its own initiative – resubmitted the game for classification, so essentially it’s not the same game,” said a spokesperson for the Australian board.

LittleBigPlanet Takes ELSPA Gold

Rob Crossley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:08:19 -0600

LittleBigPlanet has been given gold status by industry group ELSPA, a milestone for games which sell over 200,000 copies in the UK.

UK Game Market Soars 17%

Rob Crossley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:03:43 -0600

Videogames became the UK’s fastest growing entertainment retail sector of 2008, according to trade group Entertainment Retailers Association.

ERA claims that the games market posted unit sales of 82.8 million in 2008, a 17 percent rise from the previous year. And, according to a report from Reuters, the growth of the industry was driven by the ongoing popularity of the Wii.

EGM Closed; 1Up Sold

Colin Campbell — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:07:00 -0600

Ziff Davis, a veteran player in games magazine and website publishing, has quit the business, closing long-running consumer mag EGM and selling its games web properties to UGO Entertainment and its parent Hearst.

Ziff hopes the sale will ease its debt problems. CEO Jason Young said, “the transaction allows us to pay down debt and shift our full focus to our core PCMag Digital Network business. We thank our 1UP team members for their contributions and wish them the best of success into the future.”

PETA’s Thoughts on Chicken-Kicking in Fable II

Kris Graft — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:44:41 -0600

Choice and consequence are major themes in Lionhead Studios’ Fable II, and the ability to choose veggies over meat landed the game a Proggy Award for “most animal friendly videogame” from animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Turbine Hiring for Microtransaction Manager

Kris Graft — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:53:44 -0600

Turbine, the Westwood, Mass.-based developer behind Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, is currently hiring for a "microtransaction/e-commerce manager," a position that implies a new commitment to the emerging business model.

Analyst: Wal-Mart Stole Market Share from GameStop

Kris Graft — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:19:38 -0600

Big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart gained market share against specialty retail GameStop over the holiday season due to highly-competitive pricing, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey said in a research note Tuesday.

"We expect GameStop may have lost intended foot traffic this holiday to big-box retailers offering highly promotional pricing on numerous consumer products," he stated. "We think low price retailers like Wal-Mart, arguably the largest domestic videogame retailer, likely took market share this holiday."

Midway Secures More Breathing Room

Kris Graft — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:22:08 -0600

Chicago-based Midway has struck a deal with noteholders who agreed to extend their right to demand that the company buy back notes.

The creditors, who hold $75 million in Midway bonds, agreed to push back the date for the repurchase requirement to February 19, 2009.

Midway is in talks to reach a similar accord with other creditors who hold an additional $75 million in notes.

Report: China Gaming "Boom" Underway

Kris Graft — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:40:44 -0600

MMORPGs and online casual games will drive China online game operators' total revenues from $1.55 billion in 2007 to $2.67 billion in 2010, Research and Markets said in a report abstract on Tuesday.

Claiming that "China's online game industry has entered a boom period," the firm said there are 120 gaming operators--led by Shanda, Giant Interactive, NetEase and The9--that are running around 200 online games in the region.